Blether

Is it ; "As Good As It Gets" ? ← Err... that was my intention, anyway, so yes, well done ! "They made me go out and buy a jacket and tie, and they let you in in a housedress". Ouch. GordonCooks - did I get it wrong ? I did, didn't I ? Russin-frussin Dick Dastardly.

You guys are good. Here's another easy one while we're waiting: "Two soft-shell crab dinners, one baked, one fries"

What I want to know is, what's the English word for "sushi" ?

Hi ! Yes, it's 'scone', or スコーン (suko-n). Just like milk is ミルク (miruku) and raspberry is ラスベリー (rasuberi-). Going in the other direction, the word 'tempura' is often attributed a derivation from Portuguese 'tempora' or 'tempero'.

I'll add a clue for #6: the meal being envisioned is the fantasy reward of a planned (rather whimsical) life of crime. The full quote (it came back to me !) is: "Steaks THAT THICK... and mashed potatoes. Naw, CREAMED potatoes. An' peas an' onion rings".

Dang ! Out-posted *again* on the Basil Fawlty, but as for #11, I think you've already given it away - The Pink Panther. It does sound like Clusoe.

(Butter and) Pate (as in 'patay', not someone's head). Chicken liver pate ! Pork liver pate ! Yes ! I make one or the other pretty regularly Butter and slices of parmiggiano-reggiano (Butter and) Taramasalata. Mmm ! (Butter and) bacon, sliced raw tomato and another layer of buttered toast (hot tea to go with it). Mature, strong cheddar (melted or as it is) Marcella Hazan's tomato-butter pasta sauce (Butter and) Tinned sardines and fresh ground black pepper (hot tea with this too) (Butter and) My home-made natsumikan marmalade (Butter and) Pesto And not forgetting: baked beans; scrambled eggs; butter & marmite; and a cast of thousands

(Checking back... in fact, you're the thread host, Pontorno, aren't you ? Oops. Sorry ! I should say, you and Toliver are both doing a great job ) Mental labour's beyond me, I'm afraid, and It looks less and less like I'm going to know any of these clues, so here's the fruit anyway: "... and mashed potatoes. Naw, CREAMED potatoes. An' peas an' onion rings".

Sorry, but even as a British native, I too have to admit to being too long out of the country to make an informed comment. (And regarding 'my country', I'm not a big fan of nationalism). Still, if it was on NHK, it must be true, right ?

Thanks for taking the trouble - I was just hoping for a better picture

Toliver, you are doing a wonderful job as host I've been waiting to see one that I know (and can post before someone else gets there) as an 'in'. Whether this is for the sake of the thread, or to avoid getting wrapped up in it myself, I haven't figured out yet. In the meantime I'm nursing a nicely obscure non-Hollywood one - to keep it warm, you understand.

Well, there are a lot of different kinds here, so she's coming to the right place if it's a quest I'm so happy for your kids - what a great experience the trip will be for them ! Shibuya is a major centre with everything that's been suggested, many times over, and Cerulean Tower is a very nice hotel, and very new. They have good English-speaking staff who will give you all the street directions you need. Right behind the hotel (like 2 minutes away) there is a family restaurant called "Jonathan's" (open 24 hours for those of you stuck on Florida time) Main menu Take-out menu (11am - 1pm) Do your kids like to make things or play with stuff ? Do you know 'Tokyu Hands'? It's a mecca for anyone who has ever wanted to design, build or make something if only they had... (whatever it is, TH has it - but give everyone a budget before you get there). As an eGulleteer you will most likely love their kitchen section. Open 10am - 8:30pm, 10-15 minutes walk from your hotel, and the route takes you across a central section of Shibuya and past many local restaurants. A minute from Tokyo Hands is a branch of Saizeriya, (*very* reasonable, good family Italian). The headings on the left here link to menu listings with English subtitles. The first floor information counter in TH will direct you. For Thai, Chang Pha in the well-known 109 building has a good reputation. On the way to or from Tokyu Hands. Anyway you will not have a problem in Shibuya finding somewhere for you all to eat - problems choosing, maybe, but not finding. Department stores - Seibu and Tokyu are the biggies in Shibuya, I guess. Seibu is 5 minutes' walk from TH, 10-15 from the hotel (these 10-15 minute walks will work out to a 7 - 10 buck cab ride (seats 4) if your legs get tired). As for supermarkets in Shibuya, I draw a blank on specifics - sorry. Convenience stores - there is a 7-11 in the hotel building, and a Lawson beside it. Finally, "look up !" is good advice for visitors. After all these years I'm still not sure I'm used to looking from the street for restaurants on the 5th, 6th seventh or higher floors. The number of eateries on the basement level also makes "look down !" worth remembering. Flex your neck ! I think Japan will be very comfortable for someone as well-mannered as you, Majra.

Nothing wrong with being sensitive "Cheap ethnic" in Tokyo says Okubo to me - that's near Shinjuku. A concentration of cheap ethnic places, especially Thai and Korean. Thai is anyway available throughout the city, as is the Korean yakiniku (grilled meat and accompaniments). I'll second the 'Italian' thought - Italian restaurants are ubiquitous in Tokyo, good and good value. Tokyo Food Page is your friend (even covering some of Kansai now, including Kyoto) - Tokyo Food Page See their reference guide (near the bottom of this page) Japanese cuisines Both yakitori and tonkatsu are widely available, and the plastic-models-in-the-window will help. Sauce (served) separately = "sauce betsu-betsu" No sprinkles on the rice = "rice wa furikake nashi de onegaishimasu" Department store basements will feed you well every time, and there are prepared dishes at many/most supermarkets. In an emergency all convenience stores carry boxed meals and sandwiches / o-nigiri, so even when you are out and about and rushed with it, there's always that. They're 24-hour, too. Fruit is widely available but be prepared to laugh hysterically at the prices Specific recommendations would be easier knowing where you plan to stay. How does your daughter's mind expect noodles to be ?

Fresh and dried bay: I would say the fresh has fresher (!), more vibrant zesty top notes. (and also for Milagai) - use in the same way as dry. I even put it in the electric mill with the peppercorns when I'm making up a herb rub for meat curing - there's not enough water in the bay for it to be a problem. Edit: And yes, coriander leaf just doesn't dry, does it ? Nor is it a lazy-person's home grow. It goes to seed so quickly you need to re-sow every two weeks, don't you ?

Working on the theory that 'pesto alla genovese' is a way of preserving the summer's excess of basil, I've had some success keeping the herbs I grow by preserving them in oil - sage, thyme (I'm not such an oregano fan - sorry !). The rosemary and bay (laurel) are there to harvest year-round. Chillis I freeze - they get progressively less spicy from about three months and I give up on any left after six. With the oil, I'm not entirely happy with the vegetal character that comes out if the leaves are minced aggressively. It's still a work in progress. Anyway I prefer the results to any dried I've tried.

I see what you mean. Some of them seem to have Japanese on the right-hand side of the blade and English on the left - like this one. It was interesting, too, to see their diagram (a third of the way down) explaining that the factory edge is honed to an included angle of 45.5 degrees, against 76 degrees for a 'typical' French / German edge (without quite being clear that they're talking about the last 0.2mm of the edge).

Yeah, not much in it price-wise. I don't see 真 and 久 anywhere - do you have a link ? In the text they call themselves マック in katakana and all the blades I see say MAC.

Hi, Prasantrin. I too have never come across a MAC knife here. However they have a Japanese web site and it also details a retailer called Union Commerce, near Ueno station in Tokyo. Kristin, good luck with your new knives

One of my student holiday jobs was in the factory attached to a trout farm. We'd put a ton or so of fish through daily, and the morning began with (1) cut heads off; (2) feed bodies through automatic filleter; (3) inspect fillets individually, put right what the machine missed and remove pectoral fin & its underpinnings. We used big knives with plenty of heft for the heads, and fine, flexible-blade knives for the follow-up. The knives were sharpened first thing and we'd each (two or three of us) regularly use more than one of the head-cutters in a session. Be nice to your fillet knife

Here's one I had a season of making last winter Ecclefechan Tart Funnily enough I was substituting almonds for the walnuts. Haven't made it since then, but it's dead easy... and it's good. However I'd always considered it an Ecclefechan Tart (and a Border Tart is similar) - we didn't have the term 'butter tart' when I grew up. "Butter Tarts" are a strong Canadian tradition, aren't they ?

The question may be old, but it's still fresh I think tarako (cod roe) is a good winter buy - fresh tarako that you can make into taramasalata *without mashed potato in it*. For heaven's sake !!!

I asked the Indian gentleman who supplies all my spices, beans and Indian rice about the weevil problem. "Put a clove of garlic in" he said. Each time, I put a (peeled, uncut: somehow I doubted that unpeeled would be sufficient) single clove of garlic in with 5kg of rice and haven't had a problem since. The garlic doesn't taint the rice. The clove gets shrivelled over time but still no insects. The container isn't airtight - I can't comment on airtight storage as I've never used it. You're lucky you had only two types of Japanese rice to grapple with. In Japan, sensibly, growing location is the second biggest factor in marketing after rice variety - the better stuff typically labelled by village. I notice a distinct difference between Indian Basmati rice and regular rice - Basmati is more delicately perfumed and flavoured, and is prized for it. There's lots here on rice varieties round the world.

I'm guessing you mean this thread >> bok choy has dark green leaves and white stems; whereas qing-jiang-cai has green leaves and green stems. The leaves of the latter are rounder than the former, and the stems more bulbous as well. But even when we are not sure, the two vegetables are so similar that, in most cases, recipes are the same for either << You're really creating a little corner of Japan over there, aren't you ? Disclamatory mushroom content: mushrooms and eggs - yeah. The best truffle omelette apparently involves finely slicing and soaking the truffle in the egg for some time first, to get the flavour right through. Edited: to confuse the unwary.

"Best" in this context is an interesting idea but if you ask me right now I might say ghee / clarified butter. If you're making something spicy and it seems appropriate, you can give the ghee some colour first for that 'noisette' smokiness. Around the Med you'd likely be shot if you didn't use olive oil. A guy I know who lives in California relates the idea that heavier people should fear heart disease and so beware of heavier fats and stick to light oils like canola; and that skinny folk should be more concerned about cancer and use ghee - for what it's worth. The other best point is to use something deeper than your frying pan, or give up on stir-frying

You've got lots of suggestions, and there's always a clue in the customer - what sort of answer does she look like she'll be happy with ? Another option would be, "(They're frozen for storage like in every bakery but) Brownies, we'll be baking again on Tuesday when you can get them just out of the oven. Baked today we have..."