touaregsand

Francine definately has the Jordache look.

Emphasis mine. With that kind of grammar, she probably made the right career choice. I don't know how old you mean when you say "older woman" -- seriously how old? I'm finding people who don't cook at all ages, but they all have different attitudes and reasons for it. We first- and second-generation girls were trained to be housewives. For me, the food part stuck, the rest of it went out the window. To this day, I do NOT iron anything, ever, and I only sewed Halloween costumes for my kids when they were little. I wonder if Francine likes the story? ← She's about 62, around my mother's age. I'm 35 so I suppose I could be an older woman to someone like Ling.

I know alot of Francines too. Funny you should mention typing. It reminds me of an older woman who had a high school education thinking it was "quaint" that I could type so fast. She told me that she never learned how to type because she "wasn't gonna be no secretary". I told her I learned by having to submit typed essays and critical papers since I was in 7th grade and because I was the part of the first generation of PC users. She just didn't get it.

Does anyone know when the word "Arrak" was first used by Arabs? The root meaning? That would help. Was it before or after the Mongols invaded parts of the Middle East? The Still was developed in the 8th or 9th century. The Arabs used distilled alcohol for medicinal purposes and aniseed would have been known to them. So was it called Arrak then? The Mongols knew Airag centuries before Chingis Khan. I'm not convinced the connection is more than aural. EDIT: We can go the other way, and ask when the Mongolians started using the word airag. But I don't know if they would have changed the name of a drink they had known for centuries because of contact with Arabs. The Mongols had the world's largest empire, but they weren't much on absorbing from cultures or contributing to them. They were exporters at best.

The fermented mare's milk is partially frozen, then frozen material is removed. Very simply put it has to do with the different freezing points of milk solids, water and alcohol. The process can be repeated up to a point.

I've been thinking about this. Airag, which is what I remember fermented mare's milk being called, isn't distilled. Arkhi is freeze distilled mare's milk (sometimes referred to as Mongolian Vodka), this method is thought to go back to the 600's. So much for the Arab link to Mongolian "Arak"...

Yes, that is what is comes to mind, at least for me. I am sort of surprised that no one down here in southern California hasn't run with this idea before. Maybe they have, and maybe it was a complete flop. I am not that conversant with all that has gone on, down in this region. That being said, and even with all the great farmers markets here, and there are quite a few, I wish I had the money to do something like this myself. Maybe I am just imagining things, but it seems like there could be a niche for it down here as well. I know people schlep long distances at time to go to the markets in Berkeley, so why not here? Of course with gas prices these days, that might be changing. Maybe some enterprising eGulleteer, with passion and money (and knowledge of this type of business) can start something like this down in this region. Thanks for the info about the Coop in San Diego. I might just schelp down there myself to check this out. ← I think if you thought about what part of LA you would put such a market the answer would come to you.

I said I saw dried yam noodles not dried shiritake noodles. Dried yam noodles or sweet potato starch noodles are called dang myun. Initially I was wondering if Korean dried yam noodles and sweet potatoe starch noodles were slighlty different, but now I don't think so. I'll have to a bit of research to be absolutely certain.

I love those places too! The one's I've been to in Paris and Lyon seem to mostly run by Algerians and Tunisians. I think at every level of North African restaurant France has the best outside of the Maghreb itself. As for Momo's in London (Mourad Mazouz is Algerian, immigrated to France, moved to England and he also has Sketch with some association with Pierre Gagnaire) and The Red Door in Los Angeles, both places seem to be for the "beautiful people" and celebrities.

From this site. (Most of the information on the page corresponds to what I've studied textually). Aniseed would have been known to the alchemists. The evidence is there to support the statement that Arak and the distillation of spirits are Arab in origin. Mongolian here (well sort of). This map shows the Mongolian empire at it's height in the 1200's. I think "arak" in Mongolia is a borrowed term from their long ago contact with parts of the Middle East. Exported as you say. I think there is an etymological link that we can be found somewhere in the history of empires, trade routes, the spread of Islam...

If you've heard good things about it and you're interested I suggest you go. I've tried fancy, simple, fast food and homecooked. My most memorably homecooked Algerian meal when we visited my husband's family for the first time and I saw a whole (I mean WHOLE) freshly slaughtered lamb on the kitchen table. Quite a sight for a city girl used to seeing butchered and politely packaged meats in supermarkets. Over the course of the next few days, we ate lamb nothing but lamb (it seemed) prepared in different ways according to the cut. Anyway the "fancier" restaurants in France can be very good, different from what's available in the States. The oldest Moroccan restaurant in LA has belly dancers and it's a show for tourists. The Red Door is way too expensive and tries to be too "French" influenced by a chef (the last time I checked) is neither North African or French. In the past year or so couple of promising places have opened here in LA. As far as I'm concerned the more upscale North African places in France offer something that I can't get in the States.

I'm still wondering why Sherman way and Shoup. Why Canoga Park?

The also planted vineyards in North Africa. This website seems informative. (no I do not conduct most of my research on the web. )

. I don't know what the size is of Sonoma foie gras is, but the Hudson Valley foie gras that I've seen has often times been much smaller than half a kilo. I'm referring to top of the line which the company's website currently states is approximately 1.5 pounds. I haven't seen their foie packaged for the trade in about a year. Maybe they've streamlined the production process to yield consistently larger pieces. Or maybe they were sending me the smaller pieces, which of course doesn't mean the quality was inferior at all. I'll go for what tastes better, the traditional method. I don't lead an entirely unexamined life, but at a certain point I zone out on thoughts about the most humanely possible ways to treat ducks/geese raised for foie gras. I know I've eaten plenty of it and I will eat it in the future without visiting the farm where the goose or duck was raised. I also wear leather shoes and pollute the air daily by driving and smoking too many cigarettes. I'd wear a fur coat if I were an Inuk.

Funny most chefs I know cook very simply at home. The premise of the show is clearly designed to boost the "confidence" of the homecook, which is a good thing. I suppose the whole homecook versus the chef adds to the entertainment value. "Showdown" "Takes on" "I'll show you" yeah, yeah, yeah...

You're doomed! You'll never make it through this. You'll curse Keller for the rest of your life. Seriously though, great project. Thanks for sharing. I can't even manage to take photos of my everday meals to post. Bon courage!

I've been to Guam. I've already mentioned how bad the is there. Can you imagine that food the is worse in Saipan? But Saipain has some spectactular scenery which Guam does not. The ocean changes color 7 or so times a day, you can visit the lagoon from the movie Papillon, you'll have to hire a tour guide (I recall it was $50.00 or something like that) to take you into the "jungle" it's totally worthwhile. So why not Saipan? That was our island of choice when we were living in Korea. The fresh tuna is great, pack your own lemon, soy sauce, wasabi though.

Will the awards ceremony be televised?

I wonder what these unusually high-quality characteristics are? In answer to Laksa's question, I would not knowingly eat beef or drink milk from a cloned animal. Does anyone know the reasons behind cloning cattle for consumption? I'm sure someone here does.

Pastries, pastries, pastries. Anything made with streudel dough which apparently has some relationship to phyllo dough. I also like veal sausages, sauerkraut and onion tarts Flammekueche. Onion tarts are called Tarte Flambe in France. Alsace borders Germany.

Fruits of the sea. Blue lobster and AOC oysters especially. I'm sure someone will come along to make specific restaurant reccomendations.

I've noticed this with alot of American kitchens. Lack of space for Pastry chefs or make- shift space. Yes, I was wondering about the absence of a refrigerator and oven in your work area. I suppose you have to do what I've seen other pastry chefs do, haul/cart things back and forth.

www.craigslist.org is a good place to look for roomates. My roomate problems in the past had more to do with them eating all my food, using up my cosmetics, borrowing my clothes all the time, etc... A few of them even told me it was because my parents were affluent and their's weren't so they felt that it was okay to take things from me.

Hello Chef- What are current set of signature dishes? Do you have a chef's tasting menu?

I have been treated rudely twice in 20 years in Paris, both times by non-French shop people. It's an undeserved reputation in my opinion. ← The English complain the French are rude because they don't stand in straight, proper lines and they touch strangers. The English stand in very straight lines and a precise distance as to not touch the person in front or be touched by the person in back. I didn't conduct a national poll, but I've heard these complaints repeatedly. Americans complain the French are rude because French waiters don't give out their names and don't put smiley faces on the check. I'm kidding here. But I've heard Americans complain about "abruptness" which many can't really define. I suspect it has something to do with French customer service reps not smiling incessantly. The rest of the world doesn't complain much because when they are visiting another country, well it's gonna be a little different. I agree with the both of you. I don't find the French to be rude at all.