Zucchini Mama

Hey wesza, Wow, you know how to travel! If you go to Trafalger's for lunch, I would reccomend going a bit earlier than noon as the room is quite noisy once it fills up. I aso like the lemon mousse cake. I liked it better when it was the raspberry lemon mousse cake, but oh well, the beat goes on! I also vouch for the truffled scrambled eggs and Aurora for Sunday brunch-and the music is great too. Keep in mind these siren song meals are likely highly subjective, but hey, we eGulleter's know what we love! Happy Eating! Zuke

It's the dish that calls me from deep within: "Zucchini Mama...Zucchini Mama...." I can go weeks without it, but a month is too long and yesterday I gave in to the call of the Wild Mushroom Risotto at Trafalger's. It's the meal that calms me, grounds me, and makes me feel all is right with the world. No matter how much I try to order something else on the menu, my mouth always says "I'll have the mushroom risotto, please." It's the meaty mouthfeel of the perfectly cooked oyster mushrooms. It's the piney scent of the rosemary melding with the thyme and aromatic chunks of fresh black pepper (and I mean fresh, frais, fresca). It's the generous flakes of shaved Romano cheese. I think I've been eating it for about six years now. I love the room. The waiters are fantastic and know me well enough to tease me a bit about my predictability. I love the fresh bread and butter, the linen on the table, and the doily under the sugar bowl. I Finish with a latte and a pecan crescent chocolate moon cookie and the world's my oyster mushroom! As I saw an elderly gentleman sit at the banquette and order his regular risotto, I thought fondly about how I might be coming here twenty years hence with a mauve rinse and tucking in. Is there a meal that keeps you coming back again and again and again? Do tell. Zuke

Oh Canucklehead, You must make yourself Nigella Lawson's online recipe for Muscat Rice Pudding, eat this "muskily ambrosial version" of your favorite diva's comfort food on your front stoop until you're giddy and shout "Nigella! Nigella!" into the muggy West Van dusk. Zuke

The Peak of Nat Bailey Bought tomatilloes and squash from the artichoke lady, mini purple-red tomatoes from the Similkameen, and a big ugly/beautiful Heritage Russian tomato from a farm near Yarrow. Chocolate chip cookies from Blackberry Hill. Also, a delicate, aromatic Golden Tiger melon from Similkameen, which I peeled and diced and put in a salad with some chunks of Dutch goat gouda, blackberries purloined from the neighbor's bush and some raspberry dressing made from tragically ripe organic Langely co-op berries. We popped our one bottle of Joie pinot noir rosé, which is full of gorgeous strawberry and raspberry summer lovin' and went so well with our roast bison and gorgonzola polenta with sautéed Criminis. I conjectured the wine was at its peak, having a hint of sherry-like honey in it, but P. ventures it will be more complex in a year. (He's better at that sort of thing than I am.) I don't think there will be many bottles left in a year, unfortunately. Rounded out the meal with the truffle of the day from Bad Girl ("Saba"- not quite balsamic vinegar). These were tart, dark fruity bombs. We also had the cookies from Blackberry Hill, which were loaded with chips, and perfect with a glass of milk (creamy, grassy notes with a hint of alphalfa). Edited to add: My favorite rosés seem to have a hint of tomato in the bouquet, strangely enough, as does the one above and good Tavels. Zuke

Read the article about sous vide-and it gave me the creeps. 1) Heated plastic =PCB's and a plastic taste in the food. Memories of my mother microwaving food with plastic wrap on top which dissolves and drips into the food. Yechhh! 2) There's something creepy about not being able to smell the food cooking. When I bake something and it reaches a certain point, I can tell it's done by the way it smells. A room full of food you can't smell while it's cooking-well it could be undercooked soylent green for all you know. Regarding the gastro-tourism in Vancouver or Ludlow or anywhere-it's all about local knowledge. If you have the information, then you'll know where to go. I travel in order to eat the local specialties. I also play at being a tourist in my own city and can't figure out why cheap martini night watching the sunset go down at Ocean 6 Seventeen isn't totally packed out- but then as soon as a place gets too trendy, I tend to stay away, so I'm NOT complaining! I really hate feeling like I'm being herded in and out of a place as efficiently as possible in order to pay for the hefty real estate bill. It's insulting, and not worth any of my pennies. Edited to add: Had the Moroccan-spiced buffalo shortribs on polenta the other night at OCean 6 Seventeen, which were quite good. They need a good rosé or two on their wine menu though. Zuke

Strange, as I too have been obsessing over rice pudding this month. It's because I had some lovely spicy East Indian style rice pudding on Saltspring Island sprinkled with chocolate and fresh fruit. I read up on it, and discovered it's kind of made like risotto, gradually adding milk while constantly stirring until the rice is cooked. (See the EGullet India forum.) I think the Danish, and maybe the Norse version is more like this(?), rather than the baked eggy version I think of when I think of the school dinners British version. What do you think? Do you like it creamy or eggy? Then there's the Thai version with sticky rice and mango, which I've had at Thai Away Home. I would like to know who makes a really exciting rice pudding, now that I have seen what it can be. Rebar in Victoria has a good recipe in their cookbook made with coconut milk, so they might have it on their menu. It's the utimate comfort food. I'm making different versions of it for breakfast these days. Also, psst Stephen, don't tell anyone I told you this, but look for "Kozy Shack" in the dairy section of supermarket if you're REALLY desperate. Zuke

Where's Patio Cop when you need him? Zuke

Lunch in Sooke We had a tough time finding a place to eat lunch in Sooke. I wanted to eat as much local food as possible. The tourist info place was absolutely friggin' clueless. A couple of days later I figured out something important: if you want to know about anything in Sooke, ask at the Sooke Harbour House where they are friendly, knowledgeable and articulate. There were four people working at the tourist place who had absolutely no clue as to where we should eat lunch and sent us to a biker bar that didn't even allow children in the first place! ARRGH! I turn into a rabid zucchini when I'm starving and it's not a pretty sight to behold! We ended up eating at a cafe in a gift shop, which served local seafood in dishes seemed to be warmed up in a microwave. Their cakes looked really good, but I took one back to the cabin, took one bite before I realized the bottom was covered in mold. (We returned the next day and they swiftly switched it with fresher baking.) Then we discovered the Little Vienna Bakery. This place is excellent. Their desserts are awesome, fresh, and their sandwiches are stellar. They have a cheese counter as well. We sat down for lunch, and they were immediately slammed, with one waitress to serve the whole place. She did so well. She kept her cool, stayed focussed and made everyone happy. I ate the best tomato and boccancini sandwich I've ever had in my life. I took a piece of their cake of the day to eat on the deck of the cabin. It was simply layers of genoise, crushed raspberries and whipped cream. It was like being in the Vienna, in the woods. That's how I like to "camp"! Speaking of which, here's a picture of another way we like to camp: with a glass of unctuous kiwi fruit wine from Marley winery and a piece of Etorki cheese from Little Vienna. Zuke

Eating in Sooke: A Tale of Two Crabs I finally got my SO to help me figure out how to post images, so here goes... I'll start out by showing you a picture of the Rock crab we bought by the dock at the Crab Shack. He cost four dollars and I named him "Rocky". Next, we have a photo of Rocky beside the two pound Dungeness, which cost eleven dollars. I'll call her "Genie". So when the fisherman pulled them out of their tanks where they were holding the dominant positions on top of their respective piles (isn't it ironic), they were quite feisty. He wrapped them up in newspaper and popped them in a plastic bag. It took us about eight minutes to get back to the cabin, and by then, they were alive, but stunned. P got out a knife from the cabin, and he found a big stick to bring down hard on the knife and cut each crab in half. Karunch! After that, he cleaned them and boiled them. We ate the meat naked-no butter or anything. It was interesting to taste the difference, which I felt was mostly about mouthfeel. The rock crab's shell is much thicker and tougher, leaner, and the meat is more translucent and fibrous. Rocky tasted more concentrated with crab flavor than Genie. However, Genie's size meant you could scoop out much bigger chunks of meat, and I like biting into a big chunk of sweet, delicate crab, so they both satisfy different tastes and complemented each other nicely. Funny, my dad's hunted and fished many creatures, but he seems to swiftly vacate the area when we're killing the crab. He did enjoy the feast, though. The crab meat was flying all over the place as we chowed down! Zuke

UBC Farm Blackberry Festival The UBC farm market was busy this Saturday, and throughout the grounds I saw families staking out the best blackberry patches and filling up their containers (for a $2 donation to the farm). At the market stand, a woman pumped furiously away on a stationary purple bicycle hooked up to a blender, creating fresh bicycle powered smoothies for the crowd. She was a member of the UBC Bike Co-op, who provide a number of services for cyclists on the campus. I asked to try three of the salads offered by the Aboriginal Downtown Eastside Community Kitchen made from vegetables picked right from their garden on the farm. I thought they were each $2.50, but my entire plate heaped with three salads was $2.50 in total! There was coleslaw made of green cabbage and dressed in a tangy vinaigrette with a few fresh blueberries tossed on top before serving. There was a rotini pasta salad with another perfect vinaigrette, fresh raw peas, and tiny crunchy kernels of corn. My favorite salad was the stellar potato salad made with a mayonnaise-based dressing, chopped kale and a touch of fresh sage. I sat in the shade of an elder tree and savored every bite of my lunch. I didn't have room left for the bannock focaccia, but liked the idea of this Canadian/Italian fusion. In the farm center, which houses the site washroom, I literally ran into a chef with some amazing aboriginal face tattoos. I peeked my head in the kitchen, which was redolent with sage, and thanked the workers for such great food. The sunflowers are now out in their full glory, many of them in the deep, rusty colors that are so popular right now. I detected a whiff of smoke in the air, so I headed down the apiary, where sure enough, the beekeepers were at work opening up the hives so visitors could look inside. Apparently the farm rents these hives out to other farmers. It's a sweet deal, because the farmers get their plants pollinated and the farm keeps all the honey. The bees were furious at having their productive day interrupted, but they weren't looking for blood. A few brave souls walked up to the hive without beekeeper's gear, but as the bees became increasingly agitated we were told to keep our distance just in case. My dad said he's had hives with different personalities, some are more aggressively protective than others. These seemed realtively mellow. The beekeeper showed us a female worker perched on her hand and explained to us that if you get stung, try to gently lift the bee up, so the stinger doesn't break off and continue pumping venom into your skin. I bought some carrots, salad greens, and Dragon Beans, which have burgundy markings over a light green base color. Then I headed back past Pacific Spirit Park, picking huckleberries and salmon berries all the way to Blanca. To top off a great morning, I managed to score the last chocolate ripple scone at Mix Bakery on 10th! Zuke

I just got back from a guided tour of UBC farm, and Gavin mentioned that Provence's w10th location has a special farm menu in August based around ingredients they pick up at the UBC farm. He also says that the farm provides Sage Bistro with some of their produce. I haven't eaten at Sage, but am curious to know if anyone's been there recently. Zuke

Urban Hiking and Foraging The Zucchini family hopped on the King Edward bus out to UBC to go blackberry picking today. It was pretty hot by the time we arrived at the farm and checked out the market. We immediately bought some organic lemonade and organic chocolate brownies (not very fresh today, I'm afraid). Then we paid our two dollar donation for blackberry picking and filled up our little Tupperware container. I realized we should have brought along some proper berry picking clothes, as we were all in t-shirts and shorts, but we managed to fill up our container pretty fast without getting too many bad scratches. We visited the chickens and sought a moment of cool air in the little cob house the students built. We watched three beekeepers extract honey comb from one of the hives and explored the paths in the woods. On the way back, P. convinced me we should walk down to Sasamat and 10th via the path beside Pacific Spirit Park along 25th. We couldn't go through the woods as we're still using a stroller for really long walks. It was a great idea as we were shaded by the trees and we foraged for wild blackberries and huckleberries to quench our thirst along the route. We headed for the Katzenjammer Cafe, where Peter had a Reuban made with potato pancakes and I had kasespaeztle and a green salad. We both agreed our meals were fine, and reminiscent of trips to Germany and Austria. What was missing was more summer herbs, as when we've eaten in Germany, there's always been local mushrooms or herbs added to make the meal special. P. had a Warsteiner which was served in the proper glass, making it look quite elegant. We'll probably head up to the UBC farm again next Saturday as there is a special blackberry festival that sounds like great fun. I received this press release via e-mail: "In conjunction with International Eat In/Act Out Week we will be celebrating the bounty of local food by inviting the community to come down and have a local food picnic on the Farm, from 9-1 on Saturday August 6th. We will be serving traditional bannock, grilled veggies, homemade blackberry pie, and more. Other features will include: honey tasting and beehive tours, live music, heaps of u-pick blackberries, the UBC Farm Market, and face painting. Come down and join us for a country in the city morning/afternoon." Hope to see you there! Zuke

I think I would go crazy if I could not hear with both my inner and outer ear when I am eating. I get so much pleasure from the sound of the crunch of my food and the tinkle of my fork on my plate. I would be very sad if that part of the synthesis of the sensory experience was missing. I am also so pleased by a chef who gives me a variety of textures to experience. Food that's all mushy makes me so depressed, you might as well be serving it to me in hell. Sight, smell, taste, of course. But to a sensual monster, it's the synthesis of these pleasures and the interconnectedness of things like texture and sound that create the blissful experience of eating a great meal. Zuke

Hey Miz Ducky, I'm glad you started this thread. I think there needs to me more writing done on the subject of pain management with regards to exercise and really great food. I have a couple of types of pain that come and go and affect my ability to exercise. Right now I work on a very gentle type of movement therapy called the Mitzvah technique, which is a development of the Alexander technique. It is a body release technique that helps to ease out some of the muscle tension that creates pain and is also caused by pain. I've also been thinking of taking up Tai Chi as a form of meditation/movement. Today as I was walking through the park, I saw the Tai Chi class performing some kind of funky Chinese line dancing. It was very poignant to see one older woman who had sought out a patch of shade, doing the steps with a huge grin on her face. As for swimming, maybe you could use your flamboyant style to help you through the fear of starting. Finding a really goofy bathing cap that says "Here I am, the diva of the pool, " may help you find the joy in a scary situation. From reading your posts I can tell you're a creative and articulate person, so you need to focus on what foods you can eat and come up with some dishes that turn you on. I am also the queen of protein and carnivorous mouthfeel, so I know the frustration of trying to give that up. If you can do barley, I would say go for the barley risotto. Barley is also a diuretic, so it help to take away some of the inflammation. I find it helps me feel really great. Seeds are good for mouthfeel-sunflower and pumpkin-just don't overdo it or if you're like me you end up getting food aversion, as in "If I see another sunflower seed, I'll puke." Write down what you can eat and brainstorm. "Health food" cookbooks have come a long way since the seventies. The local alternative health new agey type book store here has a huge selection of the new books that combine the healing idea with the gourmet food idea. This would be a good opportunity for the eGullet staff to seek out a creative dietician who could do an online workshop for this kind of situation. I'd really like to see that. Dieticians seem to be coming a long way since the seventies, when they were perky ladies named "Debbie" and "Sandy" who religiously followed the Canada food guide with bland and mainstream recipes. Be gentle on yourself. Take it in small steps. Do it the Ducky way! Zuke

In Memory of Pho Bich This is a little snapshot I wrote a while back about the now defunct Pho. We walk down to Kingsway from Value Village at 48th and Victoria. It's sunny and you're hungry so we stop at Pho Bich Nga where we sit in burgundy naugahyde seats resonating in my memory with 70's pizza joints and Greek restaurants in prairie towns. Faded posters of Asian beauties hang on the wall along with stark photos of the meals shot against black backgrounds with corresponding menu numbers. There is a faint musty smell in the air, fake yellow silk flowers tumble from a vase on a shelf behind the arborite counter. I gather this is a recycled diner. A group of teenage boys comes in followed by a group of corresponding teenage girls. We place our spoils on the table and evaluate: a plastic jar of Lego, a Batman book, and a bag o' toys containing a Power Ranger which gets bonus points because her head spins when you squeeze her legs together. We drink ice water out of chunky plastic tumblers and share a bowl of Vietnamese rolls on rice vermicelli. I divvy up a portion for Ullie with shredded pickled carrot, bean spouts, noodles, and lettuce. I tear the hot, flaky rolls apart and blow on them before putting them in his bowl. He picks off the "black stuff," flicks away pieces of green onion and gobbles it down like a greedy baby bird, noodles hanging from the edges of his mouth. I know just how he feels as I accumulate my own pile of bunched-up greasy paper napkins. The meal is cheap and good. There are no fresh mint or Thai basil leaves, but the bill is under six dollars. Ullie tosses the Power Ranger at me in a squall of anger, which leaves as quickly as it blew in. " Can you read me this book mom?" I celebrate the sound of my chopsticks against the bottom of my porcelain bowl. Long spoons clink and tinkle as old Vietnamese men stir their iced coffee. "Can you read me this book, mom? Can you read me this book?" Even the jackhammer outside becomes a welcome part of the funky Pho Bich Nga symphony. May/04

The Zucchini family is back from a fantastic vacation in and around Sooke. We stayed in a lovely cabin in the woods, and spent our days on the beach, lolling about in the hot tub on the deck, and exploring the area. Highlights include afternoon tea at Point No Point, lunch at the Little Vienna Bakery, and a comparative tasting between Rock crab ($4) and a 2 lb. Dungeness ($11). We bought the crabs right from the fisherman who of course, never touches the stuff! As I write this, the smell of baked loganberries is winding its way up the stairs, as I cooked them in a fruit pudding (modified from the blueberry pudding cake recipe on this month's Gourmet magazine). After I simmered the berries with sugar, I strained off most of the juice, which tastes like raspberries to the power of ten. Loganberries were described to me by our host as "raspberries on steroids." On the way back we had lunch at the Brentwood Bay Lodge, which unfortunately was disappointing. We've eaten at their pub before (well, outside the pub because no minors are allowed), and I liked that food better. So those are the highlights, and I will post some details once I get my photos developed. It will take a while, since I'm off to Saltspring Island to do some navel gazing and discover my real purpose in life, I hope!

Kaztenjammer Cafe Spent the morning in English Bay looking for the elusive Tall Ships. We saw two. Where are the rest? Anyway, we were entertained by watching a seagull catch and eat its breakfast which involved it stabbing a flat fish though the middle and sucking out its intestines. As we walked along Denman I was surprised at how few shops are left selling anything other than food. Anyhow, my dad had a good laugh at sight of the condom shop, asking if they do fittings, hardy har. Mom requested we have German food for lunch, so we headed to the Katzenjammer Café on West 10th. I had a glass of Dr. Loosen Riesling, (which the waiter pronounced "Loozen", so now I know the proper way to order it). We were delighted to have a German waiter on working holiday. I quizzed him on currywurst and he said that where he's from in East Germany, near Berlin, they make a sauce with ketchup and curry powder and serve it over a skinless sausage on a bun. Well, that wasn't quite what I was imagining, but sounds interesting! The wine was okay-I like a bit more backbone in my riesling. Mom ordered the starter-size goulash, and potato pancakes with spinach and feta. Dad had the potato and bacon soup and one of the sausages- I forget which one. I ordered the duck with orange jus which is served with spaetzle and braised red cabbage. Dad liked his soup, but mom and I declared it a bit starchy. Mom's goulash was tasty, very meaty with a thick sauce. I like Budapest's goulash better. Her rosti were overcooked, almost burnt, but she said they were all right. My duck was by far the best dish of all. The sauce was a reduced duck jus with a touch of orange and the bird was cooked to perfection. I slathered pieces of meat and jus on my spaetzle and devoured it with forkfuls of cabbage. I liked the cabbage-subtly spiced with cloves et al and not over-cooked. The spaetzle was just the way I like it-a little crispy on the edges. Must be my German roots, as I have a great affinity to this kind of food. (In fact, I've been called a 'katzenjammer kid' on occasion.) Portions are huge, so it's very nice that they have kids meals and senior's portions. I've taken my son here before and he was quite happy. We popped over to Mix for some take-out goodies. I wasn't impressed with the chocolate cupcakes-dry and tasteless, but oh, how I love that chocolate ripple scone. Lots of good sales on the street as they are tearing shops down to build yet more condos. If I won the lottery I'd buy my parents a condo on that street. I think they'd happily be regulars at the Katzenjammer Café. We're off to Sooke on Monday, so looking forward to some food and wine adventures. We're going to try and stop at Marley Winery which we really enjoyed last summer on our wine and farm tour on the Island. Zuke

Did Granville Island today with Ma and Pa. We bought the obligatory gee gaw to keep my son happy, then strolled over to Go Fish. Of course there was a lineup before they were even open. I had the oyster Poboy for the first time and really liked it-sloppy, goopy, and briny. I'm so glad they put in three small oysters rather than one giant sucker. Ma shared her cod and chips with the boy who had realized he'd left part of his toy at Blackberry Books and was momentarily hysterical. I had to retrace our steps and thanks to a woman with superpowers or really good karma we found the lost toy. Bought cherries at the truck market, then headed inside for sausages from Oyama. I was so excited to discover their andouille. We bought my favorite cheese at the organic stand called Oliva, which is marinated sheep cheese from Mountain Meadow in Chase. Popped over to Lobster Man and bought a sockeye fillet and some sea asparagus. To finish up we had tea and desserts at PICA. I had a chocolate hazelnut mousse cake which was very good. It's always such a challenge to figure out which dessert to choose, they all look so darned good. My partner baked the salmon after covering part in ground pepper and red Hawaiian sea salt from C, part in gomashio, and part was left plain for the child who eschews spice. I blanched the sea asparagus and sprinkled on a bit of dukka from the stock shop. It was pretty salty, so if you made your own dukka without salt, the idea would probably work better. Even so, it was one of my favorite at-home meals in a long time. Zuke

Just wondering if Choux Choux is open yet. If not, do you know the opening date? Zuke

Actually, one of my favorite bakers does wonderful things with spelt, so looking forward to trying the place on the Drive. This past weekend I had Lemon Mousse cake on the patio of Shaughnessy (sp?) at Van Dusen Gardens: not earthshattering, but it warmed my cockles. It's a layer of lemon curd, then a dense pudding-like mousse and a graham cracker crust. They often have a good dessert special and they make their own ice creams and sorbets. The location and the view is one of may favorite in the city, and you can stroll off the calories in the garden afterwards. Zuke

Went to Nat Bailey and picked up goodies from the usual suspects. My son and I devoured chocolate covered strawberries from Bad Girl and I brought home some chili-infused "hot chocolates" shaped like hearts, decorated with gold leaf for dessert. I made my usual market day potato salad, but with the Mint Dijon Tapenade from Whistler Cooks Catering, and baby squash from Similkameen. Although I like the dressing, I think it could use a bit more zing-but that could be bottle variation(?) The new boy on the block was "Bean Boy" with his gourmet organic homous. I bought the curry currant homous and as soon as I got home, had a snack of it on the bread ladies' sourdough rye. The spread is spiced with a subtle madras-type curry with a tiny bit of sweetness from the currants-very good stuff. Chris Brown from Arise wasn't there today and won't be there next week either, but look for him at Trout Lake. Bought organic fava beans for the first time, which I also put in the warm potato salad. I love the spongy little upholstered pods they live in. The dude selling them told me to steam them for ten minutes-obviously waay too long. Maybe two minutes would have been better. My ma and pa have just come out on the train from Alberta for a visit, and it was fun to see the steam come out of my mom's ears when she ate her "hot chocolate." My son drained a glass of juice just like in those cartoons when a critter's mouth is so hot it catches on fire. I loved those suckers. They are my new favorite things. I also went to UBC farm market on Saturday. Fell in love with the place. Check out those happy-go -clucky Rhode Island Reds. Looking forward to taking my folks to L'isle de Granville tomorrow. We'll check out the truck market, and most likely consume copious amounts of fruits de mer. Zuke

Canada Day 2005 For breakfast on Canada Day, I made Canukisconz-my regular yogurt scone recipe with dried cranberries added for that red and white referance. I used organic flour from Chiliwak, and Canadian organic rolled oats. We had these with sour cream, Mexican mangos and California strawberries (the local ones were sold out). So it was kind of like NAFTA shortcake, (not that I'm endorsing that particular treaty-au contraire.) Then for lunch we went for Pho because my partner was getting the flu and felt like some good soup. For dinner I made a salad and a mushroom risotto with Crimini shrooms, and I made a maple risotto cheesecake for dessert. I was trying out a recipe for our family Canada Day dinner, which we actually celebrated on Sunday. The cake didn't turn out well. It was very small, sad, and weepy. My partner asked if I squeezed the ricotta. Nope, I didn't squeeze the ricotta. I had also substituted some chevre for some of the cream cheese because P is somewhat lactose intolerant, but chevre is so expensive it would have cost me too much to put in more. Anyway, live and learn. I made a maple leaf pattern out of raspberries on top, which looked more like a marijuana leaf (!). I also put maple praline pecans on top that my son liked much more than the cake. Our celebration went on all weekend. On Saturday we took two wild salmon to P's work BBQ, which was a potluck. On Sunday I made a huge chocolate cheesecake from a Cooks.com recipe that turned out just fine. Phew! That time I chose a very simple basic recipe and decorated it with fresh raspberries and chocolate chips (sans the marijuana leaf). Aunt Caroline brought a vanilla cheesecake with blueberry sauce which was just fantastic (hers was so much better than mine because she whipped the egg whites seperately). Everyone had a piece of each with La Frenz Alexandria. The dessert wine wasn't really a cheesecake wine-better with apple pie or on its own. For the main course we had a big fat barbecued turkey. I'll definitely be experimenting with ricotta cheesecakes this summer, so if people have some tried and true recipes, I'd really appreciate it. Zuke

Generally, what I came away with was how important the stewardship of our food system is right now. There are many passionate people who are developing responsible stewardship of our food resources, but on the other hand there are many more who are just trying to make a quick buck. There's also the people who are just trying to survive by farming in any way they can. As consumers we need to vote for responsible stewardship by where we spend our money and by voting for responsible and enlightened politicians. I see the need for a conference where the land and water-based issues are discussed and some kind of umbrella organization is formed in order to strengthen the ties among all the stewardship-oriented organizations because the issues involved are all interconnected. In terms of accessibility, I think a potluck event, say on UBC farm would be a fun and inclusive eGullet event. I'm sure the people there would be into talking about some of the issues they're dealing with. Zuke

Some Questions about Take Out Chinese Food This thread got me thinking about some of the differences between Canadian Chinese Food and "Authentic Chinese" food. First off, I remember reading a story or an essay in which a woman described an essential part of eating at a good Chinese restaurant. The challenge is to bring all the dishes to the table sizzling hot, as if they are all orchestrated to sizzle and sigh as they reach the table. I think there was even a word for this sound. (If anyone can remind me of this I would much appreciate it.) However in Canada, we have been ordering Chinese takeout for a long time-it is even associated with fifties kitsch in terms of the take-out containers with the wire handles. A few places in town even serve selected noodle dishes in these nostalgic containers in house-Zin and maybe Wild Rice? Take-out Chinese food would be the antithesis of the "sigh" theory. I grew up with Canadian Chinese food, and part of my comfort food reperatoire is definitely reheated almond chicken, etc. It seems to me some dishes fare better as take-out or reheats. For instance, the spicy peanut noodles we took home from Legendary Noodle the other day. I really like it reheated. I put extra peanuts on top and some chili sauce and it's just so perfect for lunch on a cloudy day in June. Some of the sauce gets absorbed into the noodles and it gets less slimy and more sticky, like peanut butter. I think Kung Pao chicken reheats nicely too. I'd be interested in thoughts/observations people have on which dishes in particular are good as takeout or reheats from specific places in Vancouver. Zuke

When I was in the hospital for ten days a few years ago I made sure my mother-in law brought me yogurt because I was on antibiotics. I can't see why this isn't automatically given with meals because it's such a no-brainer. This was actually after I'd given birth and had suffered from nausea throughout most of my pregnancy. Once I got my appetite back I demanded my partner bring me pizza! I wanted the best pizza money could buy! I was finally HUNGARY! My mother-in-law brought me her homemade applesauce, which was so very lovely. It also occured to me after reading this thread that there are some good cookbooks put out by organizations who deliver meals to people living with Aids and cookbooks written with specific dietary concerns in mind. Marlene, what you're doing-it's a mitzvah. You're a saint. Zuke