C. sapidus

Non-metallic gridiron, from the second link above. I expect that wet/green wood was needed.

Yes in the US people will say they are "Having a barbecue" (Australian meaning - high heat from below) so the terminology is severely jumbled, even before traveling the world. Probably too wordy to say, "Indirect heat with smoke at 230°F (110°C)" rather than "BBQ".

Here are a couple of articles on the history of barbecue, for those who are interested: The Origins of the Word “Barbecue” (JSTOR Daily) The History of the Barbecue: A Native American method of tenderising meat goes global (History Today)

I see quite a few posts blurring the lines between (in decreasing order of temperature) grilling, BBQ, and cold-smoking. Clarity on that terminology would help focus this discussion. I suspect that people from many cultures have contributed to what we call American BBQ. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Bay scallop sambal (maybe more of a thick curry), jasmine rice, and microwaved peas with butter. Chile paste of what we had in the house: long red chiles, bird chiles, shallot, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, cashews, and toasted shrimp paste. Sauce was fried and then finished with coconut cream fish sauce, palm sugar, and rice vinegar. I was happy with the end result but it took a bit of fiddling.

Gertie's crab cakes, from 'Chesapeake Bay Cooking' - one of my favorite things on earth. I usually broil crab cakes but this time I tried shallow-frying in ghee and oil. The advantage of the broiler is you can see when the crab cakes need to be flipped. I flipped these a bit early, which meant I had to flip them twice, which meant more falling apart. Fortunately falling apart had zero affect on taste. 😋 Tartar sauce to go with: dill pickles, capers, horseradish, brown mustard, S&P, and mayo. Mrs. C added asparagus from the air fryer to a bagged mix of stir-fried potatoes, mushrooms, and asparagus. No pics, sadly.

Spinach with chorizo, onion, garlic, red chiles, cilantro, and feta cheese, seasoned to taste with fish sauce and fermented fish sauce.

Now you tell me . . . 🤣

The Missouri bridge in Kansas City is indeed beautiful. Drove across that last month. Wow 12 hours is a long day on the road. We aim for 8 hours or less, but once we drove to San Antonio in two 12-hour days. That was not fun. I look forward to your further adventures!

I rarely make quesadillas so perhaps that is why these were wildly overstuffed. Quite delicious, though. Frying the fillings in chorizo grease probably didn't hurt. Well, except for my coronary arteries. Fillings: chorizo, shrimp, and sauteed shishito and serrano chiles, shallot, and garlic. Feta cheese, cilantro, and raw shallots not pictured. I doubt shishitos are traditional but we had leftovers . . .

Good luck with the Princessmobile, and watch out for naked running men. Or maybe that's just a Minnesota thing.

Plantains, a saga: I found nice, ripe plantains at the store. I looked forward to frying them up for breakfast but couldn't find them. Turns out that Mrs. C thought they were over-ripe bananas and put them in the freezer for banana bread. We chuckled, and then I set the plantains on the counter to thaw. As dinnertime approached it became obvious that neither of us had planned a meal. Mrs. C offered to air-fry shishito peppers and bake a freezer lasagna (bought for when younger son was watching the dogs). I offered to fry the plantains. When de-skinned they had a weird gelatinous texture so I was not optimistic but surprisingly they turned out just fine. Note that we both prefer very well-browned plantains (when Mrs. C orders plantains in a restaurant she says, "Burn 'em!"). I left the room momentarily and when I returned about half of the plantains had been sampled for quality control. 🙄

Chorizo tacos

Jhinga curry – Shrimp with onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, coconut milk, and a cabinet full of dry spices, finished with cilantro and minced Serrano chiles. Yum. Basmati rice with ghee to go with Carrot and toasted cashew salad, courtesy of Mrs. C. Toasted coconut, cilantro, lemon juice, and a tadka of curry leaves, cumin seed, black mustard seeds, garlic, and a halved Serrano chile.

Shrimp with scallions and fresh fenugreek leaves (methi). Water-based sauce well-flavored with lemon juice, ginger, garlic, serrano chiles, cayenne, turmeric, and basil. Shrimp marinated with turmeric, cayenne, lemon juice, and salt before poaching in the sauce. Cauliflower with ginger, cumin, cayenne, and garam masala. Basmati rice scented with cardamom, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon stick, and a little ghee.

Dissolved the palm sugar in the water/coconut cream mixture before cooking the rice. Coconut rice has long been one of younger son's favorites.

Thai tuna salad (yam tuna) from ‘Pok Pok’ - Canned tuna tossed with cherry tomatoes and sliced lemongrass, shallot, cilantro, Chinese celery, and scallions. Gently warmed dressing of fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, slivered ginger, sliced garlic, and sliced green chiles. Yum Shrimp paste relish (nahm prik gapi) – toasted shrimp paste, garlic, bird chiles, and palm sugar, all bashed up in the mortar and finished with lime juice and fish sauce. Rich, complex, funky, and makes everything it touches better. Sadly, no one else in the family agrees. Jasmine rice with coconut cream, water, salt, and palm sugar.

Yes, but I would prefer "recognition of risk" rather than "fear". I worked with a guy who was an expert on aerosol generation and laboratory-acquired infections. Short version: adding energy to something germy will spread germs around. So I wiped everything down carefully afterwards. 🙂

Made chicken larb tonight, from David Thompson's recipe in Thai Food. Instead of ground chicken I hacked up boneless chicken thighs with a cleaver. Kinda fun and I did prefer the texture, but the lab safety guy in me keeps picturing salmonella-laden aerosols. 🙄

Larb with hand-cleavered chicken, shallots, lime and lemon juice, fish sauce, turkey stock, cayenne, roasted rice powder, and a bowl full of fresh herbs – cilantro, mint, and long-leaf coriander. Mrs. C put together a salad of iceberg lettuce, cucumber, basil, and boiled green beans. Stir-fried Brussels sprouts with oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, turkey stock, garlic, white pepper, and bird chiles. Recipe from ‘Pok Pok’, surprisingly. Jasmine rice to go with.

Crema de chile Poblano, loosely based on a recipe in Susana Trilling's Oaxacan cookbook 'Seasons of My Heart'. This was absolutely delicious. Slowly saute white onion and garlic in a generous amount of butter, add roasted and peeled Poblano chiles, and cook until softened. Simmer with turkey broth, half-and-half, Mexican oregano, thyme, S&P, and a bay leaf. Cool, puree, and serve with crumbled feta cheese and pistachios. It surely did not hurt that the Poblano chiles were huge, meaty, gorgeous, and packed with flavor.

Cucumber salad with green beans, cherry tomatoes, and pistachios. The sauce included palm sugar, garlic, lime, and dried Thai chiles, with fish sauce, fermented fish sauce, and dried and toasted shrimp adding a depth of funky flavor. First recipe from ‘Pok Pok’ - thanks @KennethT for bringing this cookbook to my attention. Strip steak marinated with fish sauce and toasted/ground cumin and coriander, then stir-fried with chile jam, fried shallots, cayenne, white pepper, and more fish sauce. Jasmine rice to go with.

Spinach and yogurt curry with tomato, mustard and fenugreek seeds, garlic, ginger, shallots, dried and green chiles, cilantro, and turmeric. Mrs. C baked haddock and made spicy tartar sauce.

Kimchi fried rice with gochujang, onion, and green chile.