SuzySushi

I'm surprised that no one's yet mentioned chocolate... really, really good chocolate.

Zabar's. A good New York bagel (none of that soft stuff!). Cheese Danish. Lunch in Chinatown, then over to Little Italy for espresso and dessert.

I've seen those kids. They are tourists from Belgium and Canada. ← Aha! But if you dine at Quick fast-food places in the suburbs, you get to see how normal French kids behave, which for the younger ones, is just about like how American kids behave.

Can't vouch for the Marukai 99-cent stores in California, but the two on Oahu are almost completely Japanese items except for some American candy bars & soft drinks and personal care items like cheap shampoos. The Daiei supermarkets here have 99-cent or 98-cent stores within their stores. I too have gotten great buys there on Japanese housewares, from really nice dishes and lacquer-look chopsticks, to handy items like nigiri sushi molds, plastic food storage containers (I always check the bottom of the container for that helpful Japanese notation of whether it's microwave-safe to 140 degrees C -- and reject the ones that are only good to 100 or 120C), mesh laundry bags, thong slippers, and occasionally food items like bags of peeled roasted chestnuts or bite-size orange mochi. As far as I know, in the USA, Japanese 99-cents stores have opened only where there's a branch of their parent company's supermarket attached or nearby, and in areas with a large Japanese-American population.

Ooooh! Suzy, would you be so kind as to post that recipe please? ← Sure thing! I've had this recipe for a looong time and don't remember where it came from originally; I may have tweaked the seasonings more to my taste. Moroccan Grated Carrots with Orange Juice Serves 6-8 juice of 6 oranges juice of 1 lemon 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar (depending on sweetness of carrots) 1 tablespoon orange flower water 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1-1/2 pounds carrots, grated Combine juices, sugar, orange flower water, salt, and cumin, stirring to dissolve sugar. Mix with carrots. Let stand 1 hour or longer to blend flavors. Serve in small bowls, with juice poured over.

Marin French Cheese Co.'s Rouge et Noir brand triple-crème Brie bested French competitors to win the top cheese award this spring at the International Food and Drink Exhibition in London. We get Rouge et Noir Brie and Camembert at our local Safeway (in the suburbs in Hawaii). Montchevré-Betin's award-winning California goat cheeses also make it over to our local market.

You have to be American to like peanut butter. Europeans can't understand us.

A study of fast-food restaurants reported in the April issue of the Journal of Food Protection revealed coliform bacteria on more foods handled with gloved hands than bare hands. Source: FoodProcessing.com

Irwin, I beg to differ, but according to all the sources I've seen, Ono (also known as Wahoo) is most closely related to the King Mackeral. It doesn't look like a snapper at all. Here's some info from the Hawaii State Dept. of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, Ocean Resources Branch. (edited for spelling)

I have a Moroccan recipe for a grated carrot salad dressed with orange and lemon juice, sugar, ground cumin, and orange flower water.

You know, of course, about Lavosh Hawaii from Adrienne's GOurmet Foods in Santa Barbara, California? The company began in the 1980s and helped popularize lavosh as a gourmet flatbread on the mainland, removing the ethnic association and substituting the "exotic" but familiar tropics. I vaguely remember that Lavosh Hawaii was acquired (or did a joint marketing venture) with one of the big mainstream food companies some years ago... Nabisco?... but can't find anything about that online.

I like the original Italian wording better than the "proper" English translation!

Depends on how many chicken livers you're using. In making homemade pate de campagne a few weeks ago, I made the mistake of using all the chicken livers in the package, instead of just the 1/2 pound called for (I like chicken liver and chicken liver pate, so figured it wouldn't be a problem). The result, to me, tasted awful... the liver flavor completely overpowered the seasoned pork. But my husband liked it (go figure!).

Check Panda Cuisine on Keeaumoku. I believe it's open till 2 a.m. They serve late-night dim sum.

There's no substitute without totally changing the dish. Leave them out, or choose a different recipe entirely.

They don't taste like dirt if they're prepared properly!!! They're sweet and even a little juicy -- a revelation to me after growing up with (and hating!) canned beets. And they're very easy to make. Just scrub (don't peel before cooking) and bake (wrap in foil first), steam, or cook in the microwave until tender. Timing will vary with size; I usually steam or microwave mine for about 8 minutes, baking takes longer. Let cool enough to handle and use a paring knife to slip off the skins (easiest under running water). For the sweetest, least woody taste, look for young beets that have bright green leaves attached. The greens can be stir-fried or steamed, too.

Sounds & looks like a delightful trip!!! I'm salivating! BTW, "gesiers" translates into gizzards in English.

Thanks, Andie. I've bookmarked it in two folders!

WOW!!!

From the photo, it looks like they're shiitake mushrooms. Did they have an earthier flavor than regular white mushrooms?

I love having friends over for dinner, throwing parties, and even having my daughter's friends over as houseguests. 1:1 reciprocation doesn't matter to me, nor does whether a friend ever has us over (some have been taking care of an invalid parent and not in a position to have guests). The people who get crossed off my list, though, are the ones who accept an invitation and never extend the hand of friendship further... no "let's get together for a movie..." "let's go to the beach..." That is something I truly don't understand, and that makes me think maybe they were just in it for the free food.

My husband and I have decided we each need to lose about 25-30 pounds, so we've both begun "diets"... I use the term loosely since we're not following any particular program, just "eating healthier" in general -- more fruits, veggies, and whole grains; more fish and poultry; less fatty meat and cheese; and cutting out cookies and cakes. Dinner tonight was whole trout cooked in the microwave with dill and lemon, served with steamed red potatoes (1/2 teaspoon butter per serving) and a spinach salad. Fruit for dessert. We'll see how long we can keep this up.

dl = deciliter = 1/10 liter 1 dl also = 100 ml (milliliters) 1 dl = approximately 1/3 American cup 2.5 dl (250 ml) = about 1 American cup If you have a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup, the other side is marked in ml.

A friend whose husband is from Central America says they taste like chicken! ← The guy mentioned in the post #1 of this thread says they taste like shit! (NOTE: Not an actual quote.) ← Chacun a son gout, I suppose!

Add 1 more for me, Classic Chinese Cooking from Quantum Books (London), a propmotional publishing house, bought for $2.99 at my local supermarket. I was sold as soon as I saw the recipe for Steamed Whole Fish Wrapped in Lotus Leaves.