sandra

What are puttonyos?

The Lobster House in Cape May also has an outside area where you can order at the window or shell bar and sit facing the boats - during the daytime this is more fun than eating inside - also the fish store they have is good...

Probably, msg is used widely in Latin America and Mexico - you will find a little jar of Ajinomoto or Adolphs in most households - I use it regularly in sauces and many dishes...

linecook4life, It's more than just in the US - there is a long history of Chino-Latino restaurants all over Latin America, in Panama, for example, there has been for quite some time, a large Chinese population - result: great Chinese food in Panama, with some Latino thrown in... Apart from some very specific ingredients, the cuisines can sometimes be very similar, i.e heavy on rice and bony meats, Maggi in everything, etc... Now the Mexican/Chinese connection... I still don't have an answer for that one!

I can help with the sourcing - you have a few places to try... Selfridges carries Wagyu beef For bits and pieces, Japan Center on Piccadilly has groceries and fresh fish downstairs - Also there is a little store around the corner from the Waitrose on Finchley Road that has a lot of speialities, I can't remember the name, but it is across the street from that big apartment block over the supermarket. The oriental markets on China "Street" also have some Japanese products I hope this gets you started...

Sam Iam, get yourself a hardware store version, much less money and will last a lot longer... It won't be pretty, but it works better...

I want a blast chiller and food vacuum

Oh how you make me laugh!!! It's so true! !

Unless the laundry is washing your coats, it's a pain to keep the white ones white - now, thinner black ones would probably be great for the home... Some chefs here are starting to wear coloured jackets and some even short sleeved (Ramsay, for example) - renegades....

The silicone cutting boards at IKEA - 3 pack for about £3-4 white or any other colour - right into the dishwasher... and the colanders also, even the plastic ones for £1...

OH - 2 more for me... Roux Brother on Patisserie (10% off due to itty bitty damage) and La Maison du Chocolat - Robert Linxe

I once had a meal in Houston (maybe Dallas?) in a big mall with a skating rink in it and a big hotel attached to it - chinese food so good I asked where they got the cooks...the answer... Mexico...

All my wooden spoons and spatulas, use them for almost everything - dirt cheap... cheapie serrated knives for quick jobs or steaks that can go in the dishwasher - I hate washing the good knives by hand almost as much as I hate making ice cubes (I know irrational) box grater, I found one at Ikea that is sharper than any other brand aluminum pot for pasta, water boils much quicker and not heavy at all plastic mandoline-type slicer that goes in the dishwasher, again, when you don't want to assemble the big one and wash by hand... metal mugs, for lack of a name, they are like giant mugs anywhere between 5-8 inches tall and narrow and wide, they go on the stove to melt butter, warm small sauces, water, watever - have had them since Mexico and I think they cost a few pennies each...

The latest offering from Walkers (UK) is Slow Roast Lamb and Mint Sauce Crisps (blech blech and double blech)... In Mexico you have chicharrones, which is pork rinds with lime, salt and chile flavours, they also have Sabritones brands which is the same thing, but fake pork rinds and very tasty also...

3 more books on plated/restaurant desserts - pastry final is coming up and I need inspiration!

We had dinner here tonight, came up on it as we were walking home - great baby backs and baked beans, liked the coleslaw, but have had better - potato salad was unimpressive... Will definitely be going back for burnt ends, pulled pork, etc etc etc... Can almost hold a candle to Brother Jimmy's in NYC!

Are you thinking of Jerry's? This one is just below route 4 (W) in Englewood, can't think of the excat address at thismoment....

sarah, I just saw white peaches at a store called Super Kayyham on Seymour Place - they had a whole box...

JosephB, There is a Mexican community almost anywhere these days! The Extra is very easy to get to, you can take a 166 bus to Boulevard East from the Port Authority, get off at 60th Street and walk away from the river, about 2-3 blocks, then ask anyone... it will take about 15-20 mintes from the PA... I'm sure any of the bodegas up in the 100's and 3rd Ave also have Mexican porducts OH and as for internet: http://www.mexgrocer.com/ Let us know if you have any questions on the products...

If you can go to NJ, in West New York there is Extra supermarket that carries lots of Mexican products - there is also the International Supermarket on Tonnelle Avenue (another thread) which has loads of stuff...

In my class it was maybe 10%, that I know of - like I said, there are some you would not know as they don't necessarily reveal - Some of them have gone on to open restaurants, catering companies, staging or working part time or as and when they want, like me - I may or may not work full time someday, for now I am happy this way... There are also some that finished and went back to their day to day life of doing whatever it is they did before...

Here is my list: Overall best meal: Petrus Best Asian fusion: Vong Best pasta: Locanda Locatelli Best pizza: Pizza Metro Best dim sum: Royal China Baker Street Best sushi: Defune Best Japanese type: Ubon Best beef: El Gaucho, Sydney Street Market Best Kebabs: Kebab Kid, Fulham Best Middle Eastern: Noura Highest chairs: Tom Aikens Most dissapointing: Nahm Most noticeable downslide in menu and food: Bank Worst food: HMS Hispaniola (I did not eat, I cooked) edited to add Noura

www.keylink.org they also have pistachio and any other kind dessert making you can think of!

Lesley, This is exactly the point of my whole argument - There is a vast, vast difference between and amateur taking a three hour class that will maybe meet 2-3 time in total, and an amateur taking a full credit course that lasts 30+ weeks of daily classes and practicals - We do 10 weeks of basic cuisine/patiss, 10 weeks of intermediate and 10 weeks of superior - exams and assessments are 4 times a term plus final exams - along the way there is also the theory course and the hygiene course, both of which you sit exams for also. You can't possibly compare the two types - apples and oranges. The chefs in my course critique everyone's work equally, it is not uncommon to see people in tears in the hallways during first few weeks. As for the wine drinking, socializing and chatting, well, we're just not allowed - any talking during the demos and you get docked points from your practical - wine drinking? only after the wine lecture - socializing, yes, take it to the pub after class, and if you come in to class even slightly buzzed, you're out the door... We wear full uniforms to demos and if we forgot a hat or apron to the practical, either go down and get a new one, or go home... So if you're argument is and has been that an amateur interested in a 3 hour class maybe is not interested in the full program...fine But if you still want to maintain that any amateur does not belong in a professional program such as the one described above, even though they have demonstrated the ability and capability - we'll still have to disagree...

Ok, well, LCB does not "dumb down" the Grande Diplome, which is the professional curriculum... After this very loooong discussion, I think it would surprise many people how few of us "interlopers" there are...