SuzySushi

The "ewwwwwwww" factor, I think, is one of modern hygienic sensibilities, which far removes us from our roots. There's a word in the Hawaiian language (don't ask me what it is right now -- I came across it when looking up something else in a Hawaiian-English dictionary) that in essence means "to take care of someone, as by chewing food for a baby or elderly person." The ancient Hawaiians thought highly enough of this process that they actually had a separate verb for it. Off topic, but related, before the advent of steam irons, my grandmother would spray clothes with a mouthful of water while ironing. And when our faces got dirty outdoors, my mother would moisten a handkerchief with her saliva to wash them. Last week, I caught the end of a boxing match my husband was watching on TV. When the winner (from England or Wales) was being interviewed after the match, he startled the announcer by licking the tips of his fingers and smoothing down a cowlick on the announcer's head! That's something that's culturally not done in the USA.

Oooh. . . oooh. . . me. . . call on me. . . . W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w," celebrating Chinese New Year's in Sacramento, California!!!

New fossil evidence shows that prehistoric people throughout the New World were cultivating a wide variety of chilies. The earliest traces so far have been found in Ecuador and date back about 6,500 years. The discovery, reported in the latest issue of Science, suggests that early New World agriculture was more sophisticated than once thought. Source: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/02/15...s.ap/index.html Summary: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/315/5814/909a Full text is available as a PDF file.

There already is an automatic stirrer on the market for home use. It is electric-powered -- not magnetic: http://www.chefscatalog.com/catalog/produc...9930&item=99930

My childhood dentist was a family friend of ours. Before becoming a dentist he did his military service as a baker in the Navy. This would've been in the late 1940s or early 1950s. He swore that when he made Danish pastries on the ship en masse, the bakers would spread the dough out on the floor and walk over the dough as they were sprinkling on the filling ingredients -- they figured that the heat of the oven would kill any germs. . . Tall tale or. . . . ??? (He never ate a Danish again after getting out of the Service.)

That looks gorgeous!!! When can I come by for dinner? (We, in balmy Hawaii, are having split pea soup for dinner tonight! )

Hmmmmnnn.... In general, I rarely dine in Japanese restaurants here (except for sushi bars and an occasional venture to Gyotaku, which reminds me of "family style" restaurants in Japan) because I cook a lot of Japanese food at home. I'll be interested to see everyone else's responses.

Here it is: scroll about 1/4 way down the page to "Nutrition Labeling - Applicable Foods" and "Nutrition Labeling - Exemptions." http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fdnewlab.html

I second that it's myoga. Slice or dice and use as you would fresh ginger.

Cooking ingredients wrapped in plastic wrap in boiling water. I think it's supposed to be a modern sub. for cooking ingredients wrapped in cloth. I've seen two such recipes prepared this way (can't lay my fingers on the sources right now): one a recipe for a French sausage, and one for a Japanese savory custard.

1950 to 2000, I'd go with (in no particular order): Coca-Cola Hamburgers Hot Dogs Chocolate Chip Cookies Apple Pie

suzy, i dont know where you are exactly or how long youve been there but have you heard of chicken alice?<a href="http://starbulletin.com/2005/02/16/features/story1.html">http://starbulletin.com/2005/02/16/features/story1.html</a> ← Thanks for the link! Chicken Alice was mostly before my time.

Depending on what you're looking for: Shirokiya -- Japanese department store in Ala Moana Center. Don Quixote (formerly Daiei) -- Japanese supermarket, Kaheka Street (main store), a couple of blocks away from Ala Moana Center. I'm not sure which brands each one carries; haven't looked for knives for a while. Shirokiya is more upscale. Feel free to PM me with other Oahu questions.

Curiously, Korean fried chicken has not hit Hawaii. In fact, I never even heard of it until today (maybe I would have if I'd hung out in Korean bars). Somebody ready for a franchise here? We do pretty well with (Japanese) Beard Papa cream puffs!

Let me try to take on some of these questions. There are many, many different strains of rice grown throughout the world, and new ones being developed. Leaving out exotic colored rices (such as black rice, purple rice, and red rice), rice can be divided into three basic types: ->long-grain rice -- including basmati and jasmine rice ->short-grain rice -- including "sushi rice" and Arborio rice [note: medium-grain rices fall somewhere between the two, and have characteristics of either long-grain or short grain] ->glutinous rice -- also called "sweet rice" or "sticky rice." Long-grain rice becomes a "fluffy" mass of separate grains after cooking. It is the rice typically served with Chinese foods, Indian foods, and the "regular" rice served with Southeast Asian foods. Short-grain rice sticks together after cooking, and is the preferred rice in Japan and (from what I see of Korean food in the USA) Korea. Glutinous rice, which also sticks together after cooking, is often served with Thai foods. It is also used in Asian desserts and ground into a flour that is used to make rice cakes (aka mochi). Each type of rice requires a different cooking method, which also depends on the dish you are making. Typically, glutinous rice is cooked by steaming it over a pot of boiling water, rather than adding the water to the rice (or the rice to the water) in the pan. To keep insects out of rice, I transfer my rice to airtight plastic canisters as soon as I bring it home from the market. (I keep a small amount in my cupboard for everyday use, and the rest of the sack in a larger canister that is further sealed around with clear packaging tape.) Asian markets often carry large plastic canisters specifically meant for rice storage.

The supermarket versions, yes. You can also find them in Japan. I assume that the factory processing uses plastic containers that are more heat-stable than ordinary clear plastic cups, and also the ingredients probably contain gelatin or other stabilizers. But I'm pretty sure the ones in the sandwich shops are made in the back of the store, and I want to know how! A Vietnamese friend brings tapioca pudding in plastic cups to potlucks. That's easy, because the pudding is cooked in a pot and just divided into the cups afterwards. But how to do the flan?

All the Vietnamese sandwich shops around here sell flan in clear plastic drink cups. How do they do it? Wouldn't the plastic melt if the flan were baked or steamed in the cups? If the flan is prepared beforehand and poured into the cups cooled, how do they prevent the custard from mixing with the caramel syrup at the bottom? (Or is it all just an optical illusion? )

No one does "official" welcomes around here, but I'd like to welcome you to eGullet! Great first few posts...

Hmmm.... the latest issue of Nation's Restaurant News has an article entitled "Diners 'discover' Greek cuisine: Chefs dispel myths of greasy gyros with diverse, haute food." Among other things, the article notes that Acqua Pazza, an upscale restaurant in midtown Manhattan, will soon be made over as Athnos, an upscale Greek restaurant.

Who does the cooking in your home? Me, when it comes to family meals. My husband gets his own breakfast and occasionally fixes himself lunch. Do you eat foods from take-out or restaurants or buy ready-made foods often? Very little take-out unless we're really hungry and pressed for time (maybe once a month); we eat out about once every two weeks, often dim sum brunch or sushi bar. Ready-made foods, sometimes a Costco rotisserie chicken and occasionally locally-made frozen wonton. Do you cook absolutely "from-scratch" using unprocessed ingredients often? About 70% of the time. But I'm not above using "processed ingredients" like soy sauce, oyster sauce, plain frozen vegetables, dry pasta, etc. as ingredients. I also (horrors!) use jarred pasta sauce as a base to augment, and my daughter likes Kraft macaroni & cheese better than the from-scratch kind. Are you single, married or living with other(s)? Married. Do you have children? Yes. Daughter age 10. Grown stepson who's home with us on weekends. What sort of work do you do? Freelance writer/consultant Do you feel you have enough time to cook the sorts of foods you like to eat? Usually, but not always. I'm interested in the questions of time, culture, society, money and class. As they relate to food and how it fits into our lives, of course. If I had more time, I'd probably do more baking from scratch. I'm glad that I live in an era and place where food from other cultures is so available to me--I love exploring new cuisines. We probably spend more than many other people on food because my husband and I treat food as one of the sublime pleasures in life and don't confine ourselves to a particular budget, but I shop frugally and always look for items that are in-season or on-sale. The conviviality of getting together over a good meal is, to me, also an outpouring of friendship and love. As a question for "extra credit" , is the form of your daily cooking/eating/dining different than it was in your family when you were growing up, and if so, how is it different? God, yes! My mother treated cooking as a chore and was a terrible cook. Maybe I'm (over)compensating!

If you want to find more about fast-foods in other countries, do an Internet search on "street foods." In much of the rest of the world, fast-foods are sold not as much by chain restaurants as by individual vendors and stalls.

Here in Oahu, Hawaii, there's Room Service in Paradise, a service that provides delivery from about 50 restaurants. I've never used it. (BTW, while pizza delivery is common here, I don't know offhand of any Chinese take-out place that provides delivery service.)

There've been several threads on similar topics before, now merged as Stocking the Freezer. Soups and stews freeze very well, as does chili and curry. For easy thawing & reheating, freeze in 1 or 2 serving portions. Cooked rice also freezes well (sprinkle the top with a few drops of water, cover loosely, and reheat in the microwave).

I noticed the same thing in reverse when I moved from NYC to Hawaii 16 years ago!!! I never gave much thought to the "why," but still haven't found a refrigerator butter dish meant to fit the Western shape. Best I can do is some Japanese plasticware that'll hold two sticks side by side. It's kind of annoying.

Yes, kurobuta is a direct translation of "black pigs/hogs" from Japanese. Wonderful photos on your website! I see that both you and the pigs have a good sense of humor! Loved the photos of the contented moms & babies, the beer-drinking pigs (do they actually get tipsy?), and the swimmers. Will definitely bookmark your site for a farm visit if we're in your neck of the woods!