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Thanks for response. The items will be shipping to South Korea.

Are there any online Mexican grocers that can also ship overseas (more specifically, Asia)? Some items that I would be ordering include various dried Mexican chiles, dried herbs (Mexican oregano, etc.), masa harina, canned chile products (chipotle in adobo etc.), Mexican dried beans.

I've got a question after reading through this tasty thread. I live in an apartment where smoking is completely out of the question. I was wondering if I could mix in some liquid hickory smoke during the brining process to impart the smoky flavor? Of course, it's not the perfect solution, but it's the best that I can do in my current environment.

The Pomi Strained Tomato product from Parmalat is indeed a great product. The packaging is sensible as well -- after using it I just wrap it up with plastic wrap and freeze it without even transferring. The Pomi has a fresher tomato taste than the regular canned tomato products. Too bad I can no longer get it from where I live now...

I had the opportunity to taste the crinkle cut fries served at L'atelier de Joel Robuchon in Hong Kong recently. The exterior was crisp but delicate while the interior was fluffy and tender. I think that people used to fast food style french fries might even consider them a bit soggy in texture.

I've heard that the key to good jampong (or "jjamppong") is a rich stock made from chicken and pork bones. When I peeked inside the dingy kitchen of a chinese place near my house, the cook stir fried the jampong ingredients very quickly over hellishly high heat and the stock was added in the end. This was then poured over the pre-boiled noodles and served.

I did a quick internet search on the F31 model and there appears to be a lot of positive reviews for this camera. It appears to have achieved an almost cult status among users. Is this a good point and shoot digital camera in general? The camera is still being sold in my part of the world for about $250 new. I am wondering if I should go ahead and take the plunge...

Would anyone recommend a good point and shoot type digital camera that takes good pictures under a typical restarant setting -- low light, flash-less, close-up shots? The camera shop recommended a digital SLR type camera, but it is too bulky and conspicuous to use in restaurants to take quick food shots. I am wondering if the new compact models with high iso settings and steady shot feature will result in better pictures.

I have used the OXO pepper grinder and salt shaker set for the past seven years and they are still good as new. The pepper grinder is very comfortable to use with the large rubber knob mounted on the rotating handle. The salt shaker has three pour "settings" -- they are useless for kosher salt but work quite well for standard table salt.

The school is trying to become something that it is not, and as a result, failing on both ends. Dr. Tim Ryan has tried too hard to turn the school into a culinary based bachelor degree program, but the result has been lackluster. The two year culinary program has seen its cooking classes make room for classroom-type courses that basically teaches you introductory level writing and math. Some chef instructors have expressed concern about the decreasing importance placed on the cooking aspects of the program. The bachelor program cannot be considered a full-core college program, as the school is simply unable to offer the breadth and depth of courses needed to provide a proper college level curriculum (lack of classrooms, facilities, faculty etc.). I would doubt that a bachelor program graduate of the CIA would be as competitive as someone who graduated from a regular 4 year college program in hotel & restaurant management. As a CIA graduate, my hope is that the school returns to its culinary roots, rather than becoming a novelty tourist destination off of route 9.

Hi, I'm really enjoying reading your blog this week. You mentioned that you could not eat any kind of rice at all after your operation. Is there a reason why it is prohibited from your diet? I don't see why it could differ from other sources of carbohydrate. Personally, a meal without rice would be unthinkable for me!

I look forward to reading your blog this week! I was in Beijing last December and was quite astounded by the construction going on all over the city. The weather and the air was dreary though -- hopefully the air will clear up before the olympics.

With the opening of numerous restaurants bearing the names of famous chefs in Las Vegas hotels (and hotels in New York City), I am curious to find out about the general deal structure underlying these developments. If a hotel "A" decides to open a restaurant with star chef "B" then what would be the issues that would need to be agreed upon in order to finalize a development deal? In order to open up a Michelin-quality restaurant in a hotel, I would assume that the initial capital investment as well as high operating costs would not result in a favorable return on investment for the hotel/developer contemplating on building such a restaurant (compared with putting in a standard steak house for example). What are the economics of such restaurant development deals?

I am really enjoying reading your blog this week. I live in Korea and with regard to oysters, they are usually eaten raw here. They are widely available in stores and sold pre-shelled and sealed in cylindrical vinyl packaging. How are oysters sold in Japan?

We are looking at the hearth-type pizza ovens from Woodstone (American company) and Beech (Australian company) for a commercial installation. Does anyone have experience using the hearth ovens from either of these companies in a restaurant setting? I would appreciate hearing your comments. Thanks!