greenhitop
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Posts posted by greenhitop
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Unmentionable CUISINE by Calvin Schwabe
Prairie Home Cooking by Judith M. Fertig.
Non Food
Paul Weller: My ever changing moods by John Read
(Reading this brings me back to my university days
as an Anglophile music fan.)
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I will never again attempt to cook Glutinous by the boiling
method. You have to steam the rice, and it helps if you
soak the Glutinous rice over night in water.
My boiled Glutinious looked like mush and tasted like paste!!
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I always bring a mini notepad. I also take business cards too.
People around here in Singapore are known to bring digital camera's to photograph
the dishes. :)
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Interesting topic. The problem with Zagat is that alot of the votes
are cast upon hearsay, innuendo's, shallow palates and a lack of understanding
of ethnic restaurants. Let me explain. Back in the late 1980's one
of my friends who worked as a stringer for the AP in Honolulu, Hawaii
happened to help edit the first ZAGAT HAWAII edition. This person
wasn't a foodie at all. Her biggest gourmand accomplishment was
discovering Japanese "Furikake" from the import section of the local
supermarket. Oh..how novel, Japanese fish flakes for topping on
rice..how utterly quaint!
This so called friend hung out in the usual haunts for yuppies in
Honolulu. Bland Cali-mex food at Comprades located in Ward Warehouse
which, surprise-surprise had a huge rating in the first edition of ZAGAT
HAWAII. BUZZ's Steak House in Kailua; one of her old hang outs.
The ethnic food section was the filled with the usual suspects that
entertained the middle ground for Asian fare for the non-Asian.
Off course the old classic - SADA Restaurant was included because my
friend accidently ate Sushi there, and liked it.
Anyway- the entire first edition of ZAGAT HAWAII was composed of
restaurant impressions for the non- foodie. Where were the listings
of the Korean restaurants or Chinese restaurants? etc...
Following editions of ZAGAT HAWAII mainly featured the original
restaurants from the first edition, unless they closed. The newer
editions featured glossy magazine restaurants that everybody
heard were good- "Alan Wong", "Roy Yamaguchi" , "Sam Choy".
I suppose ZAGAT get's the job done;but it's too conservative IMHO.
I don't like the middle ground approach in dining. It's the same
way I feel about big blockbuster Hollywood films.
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The selections of Vietnamese food options in Singapore is shoddy.
I had the displeasure of having some of the most bland Vietnamese
food at an over hyped restaurant called SIEM REAP II, located in
the very upmarket Waterfront area near the Fullerton Hotel.
The service was poor and the food to follow wasn't worth the effort;
despite the Singapore river a night waterfront dining view.
Surely a food town like Singapore must have one decent Vietnamese
eatery? I heard that the reason Vietnamese food isn't happening in
S'pore is because the local Chinese, Malay-Muslim and Indian
communities do not like "raw" veggies. Some I'm told are even
offended that such a low class veggie as "bean sprouts" are
served nor do they like raw meat slices presented on the table.
I have yet to hear or read about even a Vietnamese food stall
in a hawker center in Singapore. Wouldn't a "PHO" stall work?
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Hey there Suvir. I also heard that Rang Mahal was good, never
been there yet. I did go to Mumtaz Mahal located in Far East Plaza
on Scotts Road. The food was very spicy, the portions rather small; but
still good evening. The wait staff is friendly, and helpful.
There were a couple groups of Indian families in Mumtaz which is always
a good sign.
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Really? Takashimaya. It's EVERYWHERE. :)
It's getting to be like bad Sci-fi film
ATTACK OF THE KILLER DURIANS.
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I really like PLEASE TO THE TABLE: The Russian Cookbook
by Anya Von Bremzen. The book features great ancedotes and
earthy recipes from one of the regions trendy cookbooks
rarely cover. The recipes are simple fare that really reminds me
of the warmth that usually comes with American Soul Food. :)
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Here's a Bubble Tea recipe.
Enjoy and good luck!!
http://www.e-mart.com.sg/_/recipe.asp?acti...on=recipe&sn=56
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Longer than Singapore that's for sure. The food fads here seem to
come in surges. First the novelty , then the bandwagon hoppers, then
the over saturation. Since I've been in Singapore (Dec 2000) I've witnessed
the end of "Apple Strudel", the entire Bubble Tea boom, and now the
fancy Japanized French bakery bread bonanza. Surely the over priced
European Chocolate is the next thing here. First it was at posh Takashimaya
Department Store, then post Tangs department stores- it's at the local
supermarkets now.
We have our food fads, but we're stubborn. I think we Americans learn
to keep food from fads. Look at the Cookie biz, or California Kitchen/ Wolf
Gang Puck Asian Pizza dishes. America is huge. There's always a market
to expand to.
I would like to see how far Bubble Tea could go in the USA in a city without
an Asian community.
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The things I miss that's "American" are ....yes Thanksgiving Turkey
with stuffing;but it's not something I want as our national dish. It has
to be something that we could be proud of letting even a French person eat.
Hee.
Baked Beans? Isn't that really more of a British/English thing that stuck
around since the early days in the East Coast?
You know what I really miss eating? I miss Rice Crispies Marshmellow
treats and bubble gum.
Sad isn't it? Distance makes a person crave the oddest things.
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I'm posting from Singapore. I'm an American. August 8 is
national day in Singapore, and a holiday. (YEAH!). There's
an annual national song, parade, events;but they still can't
decide what the official national dish is. Could it be
Fishhead Curry, Laksa, Fried Chilli Crab, or Chicken Rice.
This got me thinking...what is our (USA) national dish?
What dish is soooo American, so delicious, full of historical
content and just blurts out "USA?". Maybe with 50 states
there's just too much variety to ever come to a popular vote?
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Let me tell ya my in flight horror story. I can still remember
the backwash of it. (gasp)
I was on a flight to Osaka, Japan on Japan Airlines from
Honolulu, Hawaii. The meal was ok; nothing special. I can't
recall what it was;but it was the Japanese course. Anyway
the horror happened during the snack period. I was served
a Yakisoba with Mayo on a hot dog bun. I ate it;but I woke
up 2 hour laters to the washroom and barfed up the sandwich,
the dinner, a lung and a kidney. It was awful.
Sorry JAL;but err....a starch and a starch do not go together!!
Cheers.
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Hi,
I'm new to the board;but I'm an expat American living in Singapore.
I heard that Bubble tea originated in Taiwan;but made trendy in
HK. The Bubble tea boom has ended in Singapore;but at one point
in 2000 it was everywhere. The going price for Bubble tea is about
90 cents to $1.50 Singapore dollars. The tapioca balls are good;but
some stall owners under cook or over cook the tapioca balls. If you
like Japanese mochi(rice cakes made with rice flour) you will like
the bubble tea. If your not familiar with the rice flour treats- the
Bubble tea might seem overated.
There's still some Bubble tea stalls on the island ;but they seem to
be the last hold outs. These stalls usually have a huge menu.
Taiwan pudding with the tapioca balls, yougurt shakes with tapioca
balls, coffee shakes with tapioca balls etc.. You can even order
just the juices or teas with out the tapioca balls now. Bubble tea
without the bubbles. LOL.
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HELP IT'S DURIAN SEASON!!
Hi- I'm new to the board;but I'm an American expat living in Singapore.
Let me tell you it's freakin everywhere- DURIANS! DURIANS! DURIANS!!
Supermarkets, wetmarkets, on the streets... Yikes. Oddly enough
Durian flavoured ice cream, pies, cakes, rice cakes are really delicious.
It's sort of buttery Vanilla- minus the odor. Hee. The smell? It reminds
me of that sulfer smell in Hot Springs in Japan.
You won't find Durian in the heart of the city near the business
districts or posh areas near Orchard Rd. Nope, the Durians are usually
found in the people's markets near their condo's or in funkier neighborhoods
and older sections of Singapore. The stalls open in the early afternoon
and stay open into the night. The favorite the locals like eating Durian
is right at the fruit stall with the usually Chinese man dressed in t-shirt,
rubber slippers and grungy shorts hacking open a fruit right befor their
eyes. Your suppose to eat the Durian then wash it down with Mangosteens
to neutralize the intense flavour.
Personally I'm not too crazy about them. I prefer, just Mangosteens.
Now that's food for the Gods.
It's illegal to transport Durians on Singapore airlines etc.. but the locals
have their methods. Hee. They usually freeze it over night and wrap
it with newspaper, tape, more newspaper, tin foil, saran wrap, more tape,
more newspaper, baggies, more saran wrap then stick it in an air tight container.
Each person has their own special wrapping system;but you get the idea about
how much effort goes into it. Some people even brag about bringing them
to New York, Sydney or London on Singapore Airlines. Hee. True story.
What are you reading these days?
in Food Media & Arts
Posted
the Baker- how's your Bruce S. Feiler book? I read his earlier
book "Learning to Bow" , and it was one of the best books
I read about Asian culture.
I've been meaning to read Feiler's other book "Walking the
Bible".