SuzySushi

Here (Hawaii) Shanghai noodles refers to the type of noodle used, not the other ingredients or the type of preparation. The noodles (often also called "hand-pulled noodles") are thick, soft, wheat flour noodles rather similar to Japanese udon noodles. In restaurants, I've mostly seen them used in stir-fries, but they're also appropriate in soups.

I never really cooked at home, though as I child I tried to help my grandmother make apple pie for Thanksgiving. She was one of the world's best pie bakers, but my crust trimmings, which I sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and turned into cookie twists, came out impossibly tough (overworked dough, no doubt). My second attempt -- all on my own -- came in high school when I baked my best friend a birthday cake. On a whim, she requested a blue cake with orange frosting. That's what I produced, in lurid colors. No one wanted to eat it! Third attempt was a festive chicken casserole using cubed chicken, a package of frozen peas and carrots, and a can of cream of mushroom soup. Thank goodness my cooking skills have improved vastly since then!!!

As Kouign Aman says, "The local version of 'ethnic food' is part of the culture." When I travel, I don't restrict myself to any one cuisine, no more so than I do when I'm home. For example, I've had excellent Vietnamese, Moroccan, and Senagalese food in France, though the Chinese food I ate there was just so-so by my standards, and an excellent carbonnade Flamande in a small town in Britain. And how can I forget the "haggis pakoras" in Glasgow, Scotland?

Same here! When my daughter (non-Asian) was 3, she flagged the waitress and called out "more har gow!" in a dim sum restaurant! Now at age 11, her favorite place to dine is a Laotian/Thai restaurant.

Aha! Found the link, to an article that appeared in February in The Washington Post about Cuisine Solutions, a company that produces private-label sous vide foods. A subsidiary of the company, called FiveLeaf, has developed dishes created by several celebrity chefs, including Thomas Keller’s Mac & Cheese Lobster with Orzo, and Mark Miller’s Tamarind Barbecue Pork Ribs with Sweet Corn Salsa. At present, they are available only on FiveLeaf’s website (www.fiveleaf.com), but they are expected to be in retail stores soon.

Fortunately, I never had a run-in with him. But a relative of his must've worked here in Honolulu at a venerable Chinese restaurant that shall remain nameless (and is now out of business). This particular waiter flat-out refused to bring my husband lemon wedges for his lobster (although the restaurant clearly had lemon wedges available because they were served in its water glasses). After being asked politely twice and refusing, my husband told the waiter that if he wanted to get a tip, he'd better bring us the lemon. The waiter said, "I don't care," turned his back and walked away. We didn't leave a tip, reported him to the manager, and I like to fancy that we had something to do with the restaurant's going out of business shortly thereafter.

I used to think my mother was the worst cook in the family, for her famous Overcooked Spaghetti with Ketchup, which showed up regularly on our dinner table. Oh, how very wrong. I've been burdened with deadlines, and yesterday my husband, God love 'im, offered to cook dinner. This is what he made. He went through the vegetable bin and pulled out beets, carrots, and potatoes. Sounds okay so far... He washed but did not peel them, cut them into large chunks, and put them in a large pot with lots of water. That's it. No herbs, spices, salt & pepper, or anything else. He then proceeded to boil them for 40 minutes, "until tender." (I can see roasted root vegetables, but boiled???) Drain and serve (still unpeeled) with a scoop of fat-free yogurt mixed with dried dill. [sigh] Try as I could, I couldn't get them down. The poor man's face fell when I quietly set them aside and got a bowl of cereal for dinner.

Hey, Dejah, when's the Moon Festival this year? Our favorite Chinese bakery went out of business a few months ago. (The 80+ year old owners retired and their kids are all professionals & didn't want that business.) I'll have to seek out another source! Two of the Chinese restaurants around here bake moon cakes for the Festival. I hope they've doubled their production this year or they're going to be in short supply on Oahu!!!

You too, huh!?! My grandma used to keep chocolate chips in a large Mason jar near the fridge. I prefer to keep mine in the freezer, but still dig into them from time to time. I don't count them out exactly any more, though.

What a great topic! I'll have to think about which recipe gets asked-for most. The Chipotle Beef Brisket sounds wonderful! Do you also have cooking directions for those of us who don't have a crockpot?

We never had bread on the table unless it was part of a sandwich. My father, who was born in 1912, told a cute story, though. This must've happened when he was 4 years old, and his parents -- who were nothing if not progressive about food -- took him to lunch in NYC's Chinatown, where he insisted on having bread with his strange-to-him Chinese meal. One of the waiters went out to a nearby grocery store, bought a loaf of bread, and brought it back to the restaurant!

Roasted Cauliflower. Definitely #1.

Velveeta was never part of my growing up (our grilled cheese sandwiches were always made with sliced American cheese), but I fondly recall the riff on Velveeta dip that a couple used to bring to Mensa Games Night every month. I got the recipe, but I haven't had it since they left Hawaii 10+ years ago! "Hot Mexican Dip" 1 package mild Mexican Velveeta cheese 1 package hot Mexican Velveeta cheese 1 or 2 cans refried beans 1 can hot or mild enchilada sauce Combine all ingredients and heat until Velveeta melts. Serve hot with tortilla chips.

Loved your performance of a Gershwin song I'd never heard before (hmm... I'd've thunk the lyrics were more Cole Porter-ish). What fun!

See, the stiff upper lip gets you through the crisis when others would fall apart (not everyone could've cooked three meals a day for a crowd). But you are allowed to relax your grip, even fall apart a bit, afterward. {{{{{Maggie}}}}}

In case you're still wondering... "Ratatouille" has wowed France's viewers, reviewers and even top chefs who have "mega-egos," drawing the fourth-highest opening day attendance in the country's movie history. The French have been impressed by the film's technical accuracy and attention to culinary detail, as well as the manner in which the Paris restaurant depicts the true sense of the city. "I didn't expect such gastronomical knowledge from an American cartoon!" said one cook. Article in The Washington Post

Similar to what maher does, my favorite way of cooking rabbit is in mustard sauce. Slather the rabbit with Dijon mustard & refrigerate a couple of hours, then blot off the excess mustard, flour and brown the pieces (I use butter and oil). Remove while sauteeing mushrooms (and onions or leeks, if desired). Return the rabbit to the pan, add wine (I usually use white for this), chicken stock, and herbs. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer, covered, until the rabbit is cooked. Thicken the sauce with a little cream or creme fraiche at the end. Delicious! The same basic recipe, cooked with more liquid, also makes a wonderful soup. Remove the rabbit when it's done and shred the meat, discarding the bones. You can add rice or wild rice to this while it's cooking.

Oh, wow! Sounds like your move has been a roaring success! So tell me about culture shock & what foods you miss most from the States.

Sounds like you need time to grieve, dear, more than you need to force yourself to cook. The joy will come back, it really will, but on its on time and own terms. As Anna N said, the fact that your mom died when you were out grocery shopping is a heavy emotional hurdle to cross. My father died while I was flying 5,000 miles to see him. My husband's mother died during the few minutes he left her side to use the bathroom. It seems so unfair that we weren't around to prevent Death from taking them! But, if you look at it another way, maybe they were waiting for us to leave to release them. Food, and cooking, are so wrapped up in our emotions. Go with the flow.

I'm flattered, but no, it's not me. I don't even recognize that Gothic cathedral.

Interesting topic! Growing up, dinnertime was promptly at 5:30. My paternal grandmother used to have a farm, and my dad was used to getting up with the chickens and eating early! When I left the nest (and before I got married), I'd eat dinner around 6:30 or so. Now, when we eat at home, it's more like 7:30, because that's what my husband is accustomed to. If we dine at 7:00, he thinks it's "early"! If we go out to a restaurant, however, we're more likely to make the reservation for 6:30 so our main course will be on the table by 7:00 or 7:30. The European custom of dining at 9:00 to 10:00 pm has me ravenous and wondering how people avoid having heartburn every night. My daughter usually gets home from school before 3:00 pm so has an afternoon snack before dinner; I'll often snack myself later in the afternoon so I can hold out.

I can't recall seeing it in stores here, but maybe I just haven't been looking enough. What's the English pronunciation of 老干妈?

I grew up in Brooklyn, eating Chinese take-out for lunch every Sunday (my mother's "day off" from cooking -- not that she was a good cook) and occasionally going into "the city" (i.e., Manhattan) to have dinner in Chinatown. Our Chinese dinners were always the same: chicken chop suey (hold the onions), egg fu yong, roast pork lo mein, and egg rolls. I grew up and moved to Manhattan in the heyday of Szechwan/Hunan restaurants (and we didn't spell it Sichuan as we do now) and discovered cold noodles with sesame paste. Chow fun was totally off my radar screen until I met my husband, who grew up eating it in Los Angeles! Maybe it's a regional thing. . .

Sounds like it's chicken or pork stock plus a little soy sauce, thickened with a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch dissolved in a little water).

My sister lives in Lee and we'll be spending a week+ there in October, so it's nice to see recent restaurant recommendations. Sounds like Aroma is definitely a place to check out! My sister also raves about a Japanese sushi bar in Great Barrington -- I don't know the name.