SuzySushi

Stew sounds good. Add a salad, some crusty bread, fruit for dessert. Use your table as a buffet and let people eat off their laps. Even resort to paper plates & disposable utensils if necessary.

I don't cook them at all... but I once went to a Thai & Laotian Songkran (New Year's) celebration in the park here, and one of the homemade goodies for sale was pig ears, sliced thinly and crisply fried. They tasted a lot like potato chips.

Absolutely! Which reminds me of an anecdote which has less to do with French food than the French psyche. On one of our trips to Paris, my husband and I rented an apartment in the Marais for six weeks and did much of our food shopping on the street around the corner, visiting the same boulangerie, charcuterie, etc. almost daily. Our French language ability is barely passable, but we're Francophiles and our love of French food and culture shows. Anyway, one morning, the owner of the charcuterie pulled out from behind the counter a book my husband had forgotten there a few days earlier. She had run after him in the street to return it, she explained, but he had already disappeared from sight. (And people say the French -- especially Parisians -- are unfriendly to Americans!)

Here's a link to some army facts regarding MREs, and the inclusion of Tabasco sauce. I'll see if I can dig up a "why." Edited to add another link, to an article originally from The Washington Post about trading and creative cooking with MREs. On another link, I also read that some soldiers use the Tabasco bottles as improvised chess pieces, and others put drops of the sauce in their eyes (!!!) to help stay awake on long watches.

We came by a handful of MREs a few years ago by way of a friend in the military. We kept them in the house for a couple of years as hurricane rations (which thankfully we didn't need to use), then took them with us on a trip abroad -- where they came in handy when my husband developed pneumonia and we were stuck staying in our hotel. I don't remember exactly which ones we ate, but they were not bad. Better than the average TV dinner or airplane food. I recall a dried pear roll in one MRE that was so good, so intensely pear flavored, that we wondered why it hasn't been marketed commerically. Tabasco sauce, BTW, has been a standard part of military rations since the Vietnam war.

For me, it depends on the guests and the occasion! When I used to do sit-down dinner parties for 4 to 6 people -- which I don't any more because of lifestyle and kitchen/dining arrangement changes -- I preferred to do all the cooking and clean-up and let my guests relax and enjoy themselves. Nowadays, I have a young child and an open kitchen with a counter that seats 4 for dining. Most of our entertaining is either having her friends over, or hosting casual buffets and potluck parties for 12+ guests. I don't mind helpers cooking if they know their way around the kitchen or I can set them to a particular task, and it's certainly nice to have people pitch in and clean up (or at least collect the plates and glasses that have migrated to all over the living room). We also entertain at our condo complex's pool/BBQ area, so extra hands to transport the picnic fare and man the grill are also welcome. I've also -- by necessity -- stopped being such a control freak. I still get annoyed when silverware gets thrown out with the garbage (grrrr!!!!), but I've realized that some people really enjoy helping out, and it's okay to let a guest bring a supermarket pie rather than knock myself out making fancy patisserie from scratch. Life is too short to not enjoy the good company. [Edited for grammar]

Easy. For some meals, eat at a bistro/brasserie/restaurant. For others, purchase take-out foods from a charcuterie or traiteur. Add a bit of cheese from the cheesemonger, some fruit from the fruit stand, and of course fresh bread from the boulangerie.

It's great in stir-fries; also lightly blanched and dressed with sesame oil & salt as a Korean salad (namul/namool).

The cookbooks I have from the '70s all say it's a Szechwan/Sichuan favorite. None of them mentions an origin. The recipes all call for black pepper or white pepper -- not chiles.

I'm so jealous!!!

Budo reminds me... Kyoho grapes (seasonal) White peaches (ditto)

Thanks for the update. Sending out all positive thoughts for a speedier recovery. What a nightmare!!!

This is the basic recipe I use when I feel like making Tom Yum soup: Tom Yum Kung Serves 6 1 tablespoon oil 1 pound shrimp, shelled, shells reserved 8 cups hot water 2 stalks lemongrass, cut in 4” lengths 1 lemon or lime, sliced 4 kaffir lime leaves 2 slices galangal 2 whole fresh red or green chiles 1 can straw mushrooms, drained 1 tablespoon fish sauce 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (garnish) 3 scallions, chopped (garnish) Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add shrimp shells and sauté until they turn pink. Add next 6 ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes. Strain broth through a cheesecloth-lined sieve. Return to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Add shrimp and straw mushrooms. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, until shrimp turn pink. Stir in fish sauce. Serve garnished with cilantro and scallions.

Erm, I think Suzy was responding to Tepee's comment that Telok Gong was a place in the middle of nowhere. ← That's exactly what I meant! I can't imagine getting in the car, driving to an unfamiliar suburb, choosing a restaurant at random (by the number of cars parked outside!), and turning up that kind of incredible meal in Hawaii or New York for that matter!

Interesting article! I have a Japanese friend who lived in Moscow for some years when her husband was a diplomat. She perceived Russian service in stores, markets, restaurants, etc. as surly and commented that the Russians never smiled... Maybe she was seeing them from a Japanese point of view (Japanese in similar positions smile and bow to the customer). I've also read and noticed from personal experience that people from the Middle East and South America have a closer sense of personal distance than Americans, and often will stand "too close" (by our perception) to strangers, making Americans feel uncomfortable.

Not sure if this is exactly what you're talking about, but a couple of years ago we had a Thanksgiving picnic on the beach. (One of the families we usually get together with for holiday dinners couldn't do/handle the emotional ramifications of a traditional T-day that year.) The turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce turned into overstuffed turkey sandwiches. Veggie courses were served cold. Other picnic dishes turned up. I don't remember exactly what we had for dessert -- someone else brought that. The upshot? We all had a great time, but agreed that it didn't feel like Thanksgiving. We won't try to substitute a picnic for a major holiday dinner again.

Dijon mustard & variants (I'm partial to tarragon mustard) on steaks and lamb steaks before grilling; on chicken cutlets before breading with panko & sauteeing; in vinaigrette dressing; in the bechamel for cauliflower au gratin (delicious!); in deviled eggs; on the side with grilled bratwurst; and slathered liberally over the rabbit on the occasions I cook lapin a la moutarde.

It's wonderful seeing pictures of the food and the gang in Vancouver! Clearly a city for foodies. I think I'm in the wrong place...

Stews. Reheat as-is (they taste better the next day, anyway!), or recycle as fillings for sandwiches, burritos, crepes, etc. Curries, likewise.

Don't touch me. And if you sit down at my table to take my order, that's the last time I'll dine at your restaurant.

Oh, yeah!!! Uji-kintoki!!! Bring it on!!!

Person after my own heart. My 3 year old loves Tom Ramen. I get the multi-pack Kraft mac & Cheese at costco. I would add Chef boy ardee's spagetti and meat ball. A childhood thing I can't shake. ← If I failed to mention it, I also buy these foods (sic) by the case. When my daughter's friends are over, they inhale this stuff!!!

Importing mangosteens is illegal because they can harbor tropical parasites and other agricultural pests. The bananas imported into the USA are sprayed with pesticides.

Yatsuhashi senbei in Kyoto, both fresh and dry. Zaru-soba in summer, especially cha-soba. Okonomiyaki in Osaka. Various "mountain vegetables" (sansai) in the towns where they're specialties.

It's illegal to bring mangosteens into the USA (also difficult; they don't travel well), but the ones you bought were most likely grown here. There are a few small growers experimenting with them in the United States.