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I guess I'm spoiled. Pocky sticks are all over the place in our little Chinatown in Ottawa. I'm addicted to the bittersweet Men's Pocky at the moment. out of curiosity, what do you pay for Pocky sticks? I pay about $1.29 CAD. However, I saw them at a novelty store for almost 4 bucks and laughed.

I now make pretty much anything that I don't have to feed or can't grow. We have a few basic herbs like Basil and Mint growing out back, but the snow makes it very hard to grow herbs in Ottawa during the winter. If I don't know how to make it, I won't buy it, and I'll wait until I learn how to make it while finding the best places to get the ingredients. THanks to Chinatown, I just made an 8 liter batch of chicken stock. I used to buy stock to make soups, but when I discovered that I could get 3 chicken carcasses for 1 dollar at a market in Chinatown, I swiftly purchased a large stockpot and it's already paid for itself considering 1 cup of stock costs a buck at most supermarkets. I get about 30 cups for $2 now!

Here's an Alton Brown find but it doesn't describe the important technique of mashing anchovies in with garlic, salt and other ingredients.