BonVivant

i had many bottles on previous trip and thought most of them were gross this one, which i brought along as part of lunch at Simatai section, was 'acceptable' but i forgot what it's called [mostly chinese script on the label]. i kept hoping maybe the next one(s) would be better then i'd take photos. poured a few down the drain [either because it was so vile or had turned to vinegar]. i'm going to take photo of every bottle this time for my own record of bad chinese wines.

although yours is pretty big i think it is yellow oyster. where i am it's very small. besides yellow and the normal grey, there's also pink. whatever colour it's nice in a Sichuan hotpot

i love tinned sardines with baguette, with lots of fresh chilis. go to Portugal in june and you'll know how much the Portuguese love their sardines. the smell of bbq sardines in the air is absolutely mouthwatering! smoke arises from outdoor barbies and everyone gorges on fat sardines....delicious! i think people don't like sardines, aside from the smell, because it has too many bones. the bones are fine but they edible once cooked/baked so no problem there.

chorizo is Spanish sausage. Chouriço/a is Portuguese sausage. both are similar but not exactly, and have roots in Iberia. there are many different types using different spices and cuts of pork [and sometimes breeds of pigs] such as Linguiça [milder, made of coarsely chopped pork shoulder -not tongue-, seasoned with paprika and garlic. then there are paio, azedo, salpicão,and loads more. Portuguese chouriço/a par excellence is very garlicky and spicy, some types are very lean and exquisite. apparently only the members of the family know the blend of pork and spices. [i'm refering to the smoked and cured types here, btw.] try char-grilled chouriço with aguardente which is set alight at your table.

nobody i know here [He/olland] touches the stuff. simply spread it on brown bread every day, and extra at weekends i even use it on crumpets, sometimes in a soup broth, or jus. i' also have Vegemite and a big jar of Bovril in the cupboard...to be opened upon my return in april ps: Bovril now has beef extract again. the EU has lifted British beef products recently.

beautiful, indeed. actually i had plan to make it today but remember i still have loads of Portuguese smoked meats and chouriços to use up before the next holiday. i'll check out your mum's secret recipe

the word 'Chengdu' alone makes my mouth water. 8 days there weren't nearly enough but i'm hoping to return for more Sichuan food in the future. the most obvious thing to eat in Chengdu is of course hotpot. go for the red broth. the white broth is suitable for children. bon voyage.

of course, but i keep changing them for photographic inspirations.

i've used pom seeds in feta/chicory/fennel/couscous salads. these beautiful seeds always look stunning in any food. use the concerntrated sauce with red wine for steaks, without red wine for lamb, also try making a pom sauce with balsamic vinegar to glaze chicken or pork. works great on grilled fish too, simply add some mustard and seasoning. one of these days i'm going to try making a cranberry sauce with pom seeds. as someone mentions above, use the juice to marinate kebabs. the enzymes also act as a tenderiser next to adding flavours.

eating tea leaves our of the pot? okay it is the first time i've heard this. have you tried Chinese tea dishes? i gave it a go a couple of times in China but i think i'd rather drink the stuff. i love drinking tea! [i'm a Marmite lass. even on crumpets, yes.] ------------ new herrings with raw onions and vodka. suck out bone marrow. drink Vietnamese dipping sauce when nobody's looking. boiled pig/duck blood cubes [the kind in savoury rice porridge in S.E.Asia] chew raw Sichuan peppercorns like peanuts.

they do [have that particular beer]. they are [probably one of the best beer shops]. conveniently/strategically located between 2 of my favourite pubs too!

thanks a lot, Swisskaese! now i don't have to describe to people what it is. next time i'll remember to take a photo of the stall's sign. apparently the text shown here is simply a description of the delicious sugar and nut coating. cheers [actually i don't mind the food, just can't eat heavy meals everyday. you're right about the city. i'm into medieval stuff so i was incredibly impressed, and equally impressed with the beers being a beer fanatic.]

i've been asking around what this thing is called ever since january. i've got some photos of this delicious thing with CZ text but apparently it doesn't really have a name any CZ speaker can help us out? i love this snack! so much that i ate one a day

today's late afternoon snack: a dozen of fresh, sweet, succulent, orgasmic Normandie oysters and 2 glasses of delicious sake. [hate to locate a hinge but it's worth it everytime ]

crème brûlée, pudim flan [=pudding flan], sonhos [=dreams], suspiros [=sighs], vinho verde.

if it's organic beef then it's got to be tenderloin. a 'butter tender' cut of meat. deer, kanguroo, ostrich, bison, venison, elk/moose and so on.... lamb: the saddle with bone. or leg. hog: only if they're organic, tenderloin. otherwise just about any Portuguese or Spanish pork products at the sourse. if it's baby alpaca any tender cut is succulent.

i use the mildest possible olive oil for cooking everything. it's so mild that i hardly notice olive oil taste. and for certain food i use gras de canard. [note: sometimes only] in Cambodia once i saw the Vietnamese use a huge chunk of pork fat with a (chop)stick in the middle as a handle. my lovely sizzling filled crepes were made with this fat in a wok.

also known as "plain leaved endive", or "broad leave chicory endive". i only care about finding couve galega which is non-existant in NL

piri-piri. ever since i had crispy fried potato crisps/chips in Tibet topped with a mixture of Sichuan pepper & chili, salt, and MSG i want nothing else. their chips are so addictives!

have never touched my rolling pin [the type that doesn't have handles at both ends]. probably because i rarely use my convection oven for anything besides baking simple crusty country bread, or fish.

if you're not keen on the sweet frothy drink you might want to try making a simple soup with it. i think in Vietnamese they call it " Canh Rau Ma ". from what i remember it was a bit like watercress soup [not veloute]. if you do make the drink it should be frothy with finely crushed ice and sugar syrup, otherwise it'll taste like sugar loaded tinned stuff. again, it can be stir fried as you would watercress.

either for the stunning photography [with or without decent recipes], or great recipes without any photos. i keep them both but hardly ever use them to cook with.

in VN they like pennywort (called Rau Ma in Vietnamese, otherwise Centella Asiatica) in a sweet frothy drink with crushed ice. very refreshing. thought to have medicinal uses [purifying the blood, improve circulation etc.]. i just thought it was very refreshing one hot afternoon in Rach Gia while waiting to board the speedboat for Phu Quoc island. can be cooked with some garlic and shallot but in VN i've only seen it sold as a drink by roadside vendors.

fantastic beers and food at the monastery on top of the hill. luckily my guesthouse is at the bottom of the hill so i went there just about everyday at least for the fabulous beers if not eating. try the massive pork knee [probably Czech Rep's most beloved dish] served with zeli, caraway seeded bread, and always always freshly grated horseradish with mustard. how i long to go back to Czech Rep...

got 6 duck legs for other things and the last 2 went into a noodle soup, just something i made up as i went along. [photos here ]