Beebs

Still deciding the menu, but right now it's looking like I'm doing cubano sliders, baked chicken wings, crispy brussels sprouts, either shrimp cocktail or smoked salmon platter, cheese/charcut platter. Still need a couple non-meat dips. Deciding between a hot spinach dip or classic spinach in a bread bowl. A few other things maybe, not sure what, but it should be non-meat. It's a bigger group this year, 14 bodies in our small apartment, hope we can squeeze everyone in. We'll need more food this year (despite husband's protests - Superbowl is about the food as much as it's about the football), so is it better to do more quantity or more variety?? Can't decide on chicken wings flavour. My go-to is sweet-spicy, but I want to do Thai chili brussels sprouts. Is that too much sweet-spicy food? Go Rams!

Just remembered the cousins told us to go to Raohe Night Market (by the temple) and skip Shilin. Shilin is the bigger, more well-known one, but they said it's touristy. Raohe has pepper pork buns located at the entrance by the temple, and they are really good.

I'm so excited for you - Taiwan is awesome! We're planning a trip end of the year. Looking forward to your trip report! Where in Taiwan are you visiting? I don't have restaurant recommendations, because we spent a lot of time with relatives, and I have no idea where they took us. But I can promise you the food is incredible. Vegetarian food is everywhere (Buddhism is one of the major religions), and plenty of seafood. You'll have lots of options. My Mandarin is terrible, but a lot of young people speak some degree of English, so we got around by pointing at food and asking young people. -Go to the night markets. This is a must do. Eat everything. Go to where the lineups are. -Eat Taiwanese breakfast, it's the best - soy milk (sweet or salty), fried cruller, oven pastry, egg pancake -Stinky tofu. Deep fried with pickles. It's funky, but not that funky. You can smell it at the night markets, follow your nose. -Oyster omelettes -Oyster vermicelli in thick soup -Shaved ice -Tea and bubble tea (boba tea/pearl tea). Taiwan is also known for their amazing oolong teas -Japanese food is excellent -Din Tai Fung for the xiao long bao (steamed soup buns). There are a bunch of DTFs in Taipei, but the original one is on Xinyi Rd, by the Dongmen metro station. They also have seafood and veg buns. They open at 10am, but lineups start early. -Pork sauce on rice (lu ruo fan) -Pineapple pastries (another Taiwanese specialty) -Mochi - sticky rice flour confections, sometimes with stuff in the middle. You can get it on shaved ice too. -Fresh fruit - really good -7-11!! 7-11 in Taiwan is NOTHING like the ones in N. America. I can't even describe it - you just have to check it out. OMG, I'm so hungry now....

I've never had an issue with overly salty bites, but then I'm also not dunking the entire chunk of ham in the cheese either. Just the top bit. Also, I alternate between bites of ham/sausage with bites of bread, veg, poached chicken, etc. Or it might be the cheese blend we use isn't too salty either. Or our meat chunks are on the smaller side.

I love cheese fondue! My family has it on a regular basis. For Christmas dinner this year, I've requested either cheese fondue or Chinese hotpot. Mom vetoed both. I don't see any reason not to try Spam...there's only one way of finding out. We dip all sorts of things - poached chicken/turkey breast, sausage chunks, ham, potatoes, steamed brussels sprouts & broccoli, tortellini, different kinds of bread.... Plenty of wine.

The flat cabbages are labelled Taiwanese cabbage here as well. I like them better for stir-fry than the round green ones - leaves are thinner and crisper. What are some Chinese preparations for red cabbage? I have one in the fridge right now, was planning on German-style red cabbage, but wouldn't mind doing something different with it.

This is great! In my neck of the woods, we get a lot of these labeled in Cantonese too. So the napa cabbage is sometimes labeled siu choy, and the brassica rapa is usually labeled choy sum or yue choy or yue choy sum.

Add a teensy splash of chinkiang vinegar (black vinegar) at the end - it really brightens up an otherwise one-dimensional sauce.

A local pizza chain has recently started offering macaroni pizza (garlic sauce, cheese) and hot dog pizza (honey mustard drizzle). Some of the Chinese bake shops here make something they call a "pizza bun". It's a bun with ketchup, corn, cheese. Some have chopped up bell peppers, or sliced hot dog weiners. Usually a mayo drizzle. They're not bad...just weird in a strangely compelling way.

When I was in college, the campus pizza place's most popular offering was baked potato pizza. Potato, cheddar, green onions, bacon - soooo good! Pineapple on pizza is weird & not tasty. Except for this one neighbourhood joint that does it with hot pickled banana peppers. I'll eat almost anything on pizza, but liuzhou's pics of the local pizza...gak!...that's so far out there, it's not even in our solar system anymore.

@FrogPrincesse Thanks for the recommendations - I knew you'd have some great ideas! We're looking forward to our trip!

We'll be in San Diego for 3 days/2 nights next month - what are some regional specialties & dining options I should be on the lookout for? I haven't been to SD in years - last time was 10 yrs ago for work, and it was an in and out trip. We're staying in the Gaslamp Quarter, will most likely be renting a vehicle, checking out some of the touristy sites (Old Town, Balboa Park, beaches, etc). Casual/upscale casual is preferred to super-fine dining and I really want to eat a lot of good Mexican food, which is practically non-existent here at home. I'm looking for lunch & snack options, too. A bit of Googling suggests that tiki culture is big in SD - are there any interesting tiki bars in the Gaslamp area? I'll read over this very extensive thread when I have a bit more time today. TIA!

As always, thanks for taking us along. Can't wait to see what future shenanigans the two of you will be up to next!

I was in Vienna last year for the marathon there. Kasekrainer from the sausage stand in the beer garden was my post-run recovery treat. I swear it was one of the best things I've ever put in my mouth. Good memories!

Loving your blog! We had planned to go to the Maritimes & Nfld this year, around this time. Now I am not disappointed things got in the way of that, seeing that there's snow on the ground - in summer!! When is the best time to visit? Bookmarking your blogs for our future trip!

Chocolate and orange. I like chocolate, I like orange, I like white chocolate + orange, I even like candied orange peels dipped in chocolate. But milk or dark chocolate flavoured with orange - gakk. And bitter melon. My entire family loves it. I can't stand it.

It's the day one buys Instant Pots.

Had everything planned for cold sesame noodles last night. Except got home and had only buckwheat noodles. So, zaru soba for dinner instead! So delicious....

Yum - love cold sesame noodles! Haven't tried this recipe though. Don't bother with tahini, it's the wrong flavour. If you can't find Chinese sesame paste, add some toasted sesame oil to the PB. Or toast some sesame seeds & grind it up yourself. I use both PB & sesame paste together. Splash of Chinese black vinegar instead of plain white. I also like a scoop of Lao Gan Ma crispy chili sauce in there. And if you can get it, minced salted pickled mustard vegetable (zha cai) - brings it to the next level! Don't be afraid to thin that sauce out or make more sauce than you think you need. I find the noodles get a bit stodgy after awhile from sucking up all that sauce, especially if you're having leftovers for lunch the next day. Oh yeeaaah...this is going on the menu rotation this week, we've got some summer-ish weather in the forecast!

Our family hosted a party with a whole goat on a rotisserie a bunch of years ago, catered by a Greek restaurant. It was excellent! Not too gamey at all. We might be doing it again this year, for my brother's wedding. Either goat or lamb.

I don't love cacio e pepe - do I lose my eGullet card?? Probably because I don't love loads of black pepper on stuff. Almost forgot about aglio e olio, which is about the easiest sauce there is (notwithstanding C&P...). Sometimes with a bit of crushed chilis or anchovies thrown in for fun. I like this with a side of roast chicken.

That's lovely looking sauce, Weinoo. I'm in the same sauce category as Smithy & Darienne - boring, whip it out fast as possible, don't think. Generally something in the (canned) tomato variety or carbonara. Our two favourites are puttanesca or arrabiata, which are both quick to make and I usually have the ingredients for them on hand.

Holy moly. The guy was fired for being an a**hole to his coworkers, not for being French. I'm curious what the Human Rights Tribunal ruling would be. My understanding (from employment lawyers) is that the HRT more often than not tends to rule in the employee's favour. I hope Milestones has really good documentation.

I envy your friend's non-fussiness for pre-marathon food! That being said, I'm rather surprised she isn't picky about what she can eat before a marathon. Generally, long distance racers follow a rule of "don't do anything new" - meaning, she would be eating the thing before a race as she would for her training runs. Low fibre, easily digestible carbohydrate is best. Yogurt, berries, bananas, whole grain bread, peanut butter, bagels, smoothies, oatmeal, etc. Lots of water. Coffee or tea maybe, for the caffeine kick - some runners swear by it. Have some stuff that would be portable, like bananas or granola bars - some runners like to eat a bit closer to the start of the race, especially if they're standing around for a while. Also, you might ask her if there's anything she eats before bed the night before. Some runners like a light bedtime snack, especially if they're not eating much in the morning. For long distance races, I have pasta with tomato sauce & chicken for dinner, piece of toast & bit of cheese before bed, toast & peanut butter for breakfast. I carry a granola bar to the race and eat that maybe an hr before. Good luck to your friend!

Waiting with bated breath.... I want tasting notes and everything!