Jinmyo

Jus' fink of alla pies yeh could buy fer 60 quid.

Adam, the revolution came. It knocked and waited around for awhile but there was no answer so it went home and made some tea. It might try again in a fortnight or so. If it isn't raining.

Interesting, jaybee. I think that some people derive joy from serving others. Whether in preparing and presenting a fine meal, giving funds to charities, doing charitable work or whatever. Generosity can be so natural to some people that they don't even consider themselves to be generous. Other people simply don't notice what effort is involved all around them to make their lives possible at all. I don't mean misers or greedy people, people who pinch the air when they breathe so that they get a bit more. I mean people who habitually don't notice what other people are really doing, whether at a restaurant or a home, to make a meal possible, let alone delightful. Reciprocity is the response that generous people naturally make. For others it requires an effort. Others try to avoid it. For others, the idea never really occurs. I hope your friends are among these last rather than being aware of avoiding reciprocity.

You win.

Perhaps they just can't cook and are slovenly in the privacy of their own home. While I'm sure, jaybee, from what I know about you from your posts, that the quality of meals presented to guests would be wonderful.

I've always loved mushrooms. When I was a child, the only mushrooms I encountered for a long time were tinned and I loved those. And I was going to say that of course I have no use for such a thing now but it's not true. I always have a few tins of straw mushrooms and enoki around just in case I can't find fresh.

Lesley, tinned seal meat. Nor that seal is "a good choice for our aging population". What company sells it? edit: Okay, I've done a Google search. Here is a site concerning this: clicke.

Just want you to eat well and be happy all of the time, tommy.

Really, cabrales? Why? I would find it in bad taste but no worse than a test tube.

Steve M, how about "dinner"?

edemuth, I like grits too! (As long as it's polenta.)

They are very beautiful dishes for careful but simple presentations. I've been thinking of ordering a set. But I understand Robert's point.

penelope, two great stories in one post.

Lesley, I've never heard of this. Could you please provide further information? Tinned seal is probably a very politically incorrect item but interesting.

You're very welcome. And thank you. I also am not favourable towards paan. It is always interesting to learn anything, especially when it leads through avenues both known and unknown.

All right. So catechin is extracted from catechu (betel nuts). And it is catechin that causes the colouring. I think I've gotten it.

Yes, they would.

Here's a link to a site on Japanese pizzas: clicku.

Heh. Japanese pizza toppings include mayonaisse, squid, carrots, liver. Just about anything. Corn is tremendously popular though. Often with mayo. There's just no reason for it. It's common to speak of Japan imitating other cultures. This is true but it has to be understood that from the Japanese point of view, such things as baseball, hot dogs (usually tempured in the soft bun), motorcycle gangs, and rock and roll are Japanese things. They've grown up with these things. Corn on pizza just makes sense to them. It's a wildly exotic thing, corn. Not particularly American.

tommy, have you made any pizzas lately? You know, Japanese pizzas often have corn as a topping.

Yes, CathyL. But would you have it with another starch?

Suvir, I agree about the portobello steaks. Sliced thinly on the bias after grilling and dipped in shoyu and wasabi they can be nice though. Fenugreek with mushrooms. That's interesting. Thank you, Suvir.

It might be grey in terms of the fading of black and white definitions, but surely it's colourful. Rice with black beans and corn, onions and poblano. Roasted potatoes tossed with roasted corn served with grilled lamb chops with a mint pesto, ramp soup. Corn and rice with pulled shoulder pork roast, asaparagus wrapped in bacon or panchetta and roasted, mache salad with warm chevre. Polenta with roasted corn, roasted red pepper gaspacho, potato frittata. Not too grey at all.

Ah, it is "catechu". This is the betel nut. So the nut is used with the leaves in paan.