Kent Wang

Actually, it's spelled kao fu in hanyu pinyin. Kaufu doesn't turn up anything on Google so I assume it's a misspelling and not an alternate pronunciation in another dialect. Sugar is always used in combination with soy sauce in Shanghai cooking, and it effuses foods and sauces with a taste that is not so much sweet but rather savory. So if you want to make the "genuine" version use about a teaspoon of sugar. The version my mom always makes contains sliced reconstituted dried shiitakes, bamboo strips, woodear, lily stalks and edamame. Peanuts seem to me a southern variation.

Great photos! Was it nearly all wild caught saltwater fish? Any freshwater? Or farmed? Was that tuna caught locally? I didn't think they got that big in the Mediterranean.

It is a very popular dish in Shanghai, often eaten for breakfast. I don't have a recipe for you, but basically just add in all the ingredients you want, soy sauce, some sugar and a bit of sesame oil. It's very simple.

Pig tail is similar to pig feet, the skin is about the same but there is not nearly so much fat in layer underneath the skin, very tasty. The Flickr link I posted above takes you to only the photos from my China trip. Yes, there are 305 photos.

I love escolar sashimi. It seems to be slowly gaining popularity in US sushi restaurants.

Sweet, a staple that I've seen in many restaurants in China and in the US. It came out with all the cold dishes which included both savory and sweet dishes, like the stuffed dates. Chinese cuisine doesn't seem to differentiate desserts the same way that Western cuisine does, which I have no problems with. I've never seen a savory version of this dish though I can imagine it can be pretty good stuffed with ground pork. Thanks everyone for all the kind words. It makes all the work taking and organizing the photos worthwhile.

I think the pizza is the best idea here. The problem with tossing with pasta, salad, etc is that the ikura will just end up in a big pile on the bottom. With the pizza, they're evenly distributed and will stay that way.

Xinci Hotel on the outskirts of Shanghai. We were in the area visiting with relatives. Lotus root stuffed with sweet rice. Dates stuffed with sweet rice flour. I don't think I've seen this before, very tasty. Roasted pig tail. Short ribs. Crispy, smokey crust just barely short of being burnt. Expert timing. Crab roe soup in crab-shaped bowl. Fried snake. Steamed fish with mango sauce in fried bean curd sheets. Well-executed fusion. Asparagus wrapped in bacon with barbecue sauce. A copy of the Western classic, unfortunately they steamed the bacon instead of frying it and smothered everything with excessive amounts of oversweet barbecue dish. I was surprised with the originality of a lot of these dishes, especially since the restaurant was in a hotel. The bill was very low, making this meal one of the best values we had in Shanghai. This is the very last of my posts with photos from China. I had a lot of fun in China, the food was great and I hope to return in the next few years. I have a bunch of photos from my trip, both food-related and not, on my Flickr.

Deviled eggs. Scoop only a bit of the normal filling and then pile the ikura on top.

June 1, 2006 Austin Chronicle Oaxacan Tamaleo by Mick Vann Lower-range alternative to Fonda San Miguel for interior Mexican. "Every dish we have tried has been dynamic and full-flavored, and overflowing with authentic Oaxacan taste. Based on price and portion size, it's the best interior Mexican meal deal in town, and once you meet Leo and Billy, you'll understand the source of the love they put into their food." Austin-American Statesman Southern Comfort by Randy Harriman Brief history and overview of SoCo. "The overall verdict: SoCo straight is a pleasant sip, and, if you like your drinks sweetish, it can bring a fresh flavor to some of your favorites." This thread is for food media DIGEST entries. If you want to discuss one of these news items, please start a separate discussion thread.

I like Moo-lenium Crunch. Has anyone been to the creamery in Blenham? I have several friends that have and they all speak highly of it.

Are we talking about Belgian style or actually made in Belgium? Of your list I think I've only seen Leffe and Duvel. My favorites from Belgium are Nostradamus and Troublette, both by Brasserie Caracole.

Austin Chronicle reviews Taverna.

I think it's good food but is overpriced considering the alternatives: Aquarelle, etc. Also I wouldn't say my review was "very postive" as I had gripes with more than half the dishes, the duck being the greatest disappointment. Very good point about pricing but having had tasting menus from both restaurants I'd still have to say that Driskill's a much better value. My primary complaint with Wink's tasting menu is the extremely predictable choices of scallops on risotto and seared foie gras. I've come to expect more unique "signature" dishes on a tasting menu rather than common standards. The dishes I ordered this time were not from the tasting menu; they were full apps and entrees. I was complaning about the tasting menu I had on a previous occasion. I apologize for the confusion.

You could try the farmers markets. There is a guy at the downtown Republic Square farmers market that sells a ton of different cuts of Berkshire pork. There are two pork vendors at the Sunset Valley farmers market, one of whom is Full Quiver Farms. I buy the most delicious pork loin I've ever tasted from them and they have accomodated special requests in the past. This is probably your best bet. Also, consider giving Johnny G's Butcher Block a call. I bought a bone-in whole pork loin from Full Quiver once and needed to get it deboned and they were the only butchers in the entire city that were willing to do it. If you're willing to drive a bit, the processors in rural areas may be your best shot. Try La Grange Smokehouse.

Absolutely essential. Places without websites are missing out on a lot of my money.

Whoa, what markets are these? I am so there.

It's interesting that no one seems to eat it raw in China. Meat slicers are also not commonly used unless you're making a sandwich -- but that's a Western food.

What would be scary is if all those tourists started thinking this is how xiao long bao should be!

How does smoked salt compare with liquid smoke?

Oops, one more. We had this at a wedding banquet. It's called tí páng which I believe is either the pork butt or ham hock. Does anyone know?

Not sure, but it seemed to be growing everywhere in the city. They would have it along the roads, next to the park, lots of places you wouldn't expect to see crops at all. I suppose that's indication of the ease of cultivating tea. It looked like one piece to me as well but it's actually sliced into bit-size portions.

What happened to Dean Fearing? Did he retire?

This is the final installment! Hangzhou Tea crops. Fried scorpions. Very crispy. It's nearly all exoskeleton. My tongue felt a little numb afterwards, maybe from the poison or maybe just power of suggestion. Vegetable soup. The vegetable has a strange, not unpleasant slimy and slippery texture similar to the shiitakes but more slippery. Honeycomb tripe. Shanghai Market in Shanghai. Rambutan. They taste just like lychees after you open them. Lunch at Aunt's. Roasted duck head. The tongue is the best part; the rest of the head doesn't have much meat on it.

Judging from the Pitmasters page it looks like an interesting mix of barbecue styles will be represented from North Carolina, Missouri and of course, Texas. Being from Austin, there is no question in my mind that Central Texas barbecue is The One True Barbecue. As far as the Central Texas style goes, Southside Market is considered to be one of the best. Salt Lick also hails from Texas but they don't really cook in the Central Texas style. It will be interesting to see what style New Yorkers like the best.