Ce'nedra

Lately, there's been so much talk about vegetarianism and whatnot that I just had to ask: is it better (ie healthier) to embrace meat or to give it the boot? Ok to first get this out of the way, I love my steak so I don't think I'll be turning 'green' any time soon Another thing, I've always thought that eating meat/seafood/whatever was good for you (of course within reasonable quantities) because it provides you with the beneficial nutrients that are necessary for the human body. However, nowadays it's deemed as 'evil' ( ) by many because it leads to several types of cancer, heart disease, etc. On the other hand, I also hear that being a vegetarian your whole life could lead to an abscence of essential nutrients that you NEED thus leading to frailness. So what's the real answer? Is it better for your body to eat some meat or to entirely erase it from your diet? (I'm hoping it's not the latter...)

Would I still be able to cooking a 'tagine' recipe without using a tagine? In other words, is there a possible substitute?

Prawncrackers: Again, I must repeat that your duck is cooked to PERFECTION!

Are shark fins banned anywhere?

Oh wait, the Cookies and Cream McFlurry is good too (but they're SO cheap with the quantity! )

Hahaha it's funny how Maccas (that's McDonald's) has been trying extremely hard to promote salads, fat free yogurts, healthy eating and all that jazz in recent years I'ts even more funny that some people buy into all of this. For me, I still do eat at Maccas but it has nothing to do with 'health' reasons ( ) -if I wanted to, I'd carefully prepare my own meal at home or eat elsewhere -but because it's convenient when you're out or in a rush, is relatively cheap for my tight arse self, and admittedly...I just LOVE the Filet O'Fish! The McNuggets are good too ( )...I don't really eat all that much else from Maccas though.

Smithy: Np! Did you watch the video? Morten: Oh wow, so you LIVED in Greenland? Wow such an interesting life you lead with all those quirky school/teacher stories and all (what kind of class was that?! It sure wasn't science...was it?.....) Btw, is Greenland by any chance quickly modernizing or would you say it's relatively still 'untouched'? I think I might consider going there -sounds really fascinating Polar bears with a sandy texture? Strange indeed...I'd imagine it would taste extremely 'gamey' and probably have a strong 'smell'. Oh and I guess the cold, icy weather does have some of its advantages -you can certainly save a fair bit of money by living without a fridge What is the common type of seasoning over there in Greenland? Is it just the typical salt and pepper? Is there a particular flavouring agent that is native to the place? And do the Greenlanders eat dessert? Perhaps they use berries to make a pie of sorts but I'm guessing they don't. I have a feeling the Greenlandic cuisine is mainly simple and hearty, rather than intricate and elaborate. It is, after all, hard to be the latter when you live in such climate. I wonder...are there any restuarants anywhere in the world that specialises in Greenlandic cuisine? Perhaps in Denmark hmm... P.S. Seal skin is probably chewy...

Prawncrackers: Goodness! That tea-smoked duck of yours is cooked to perfection!

Hey, don't knock Filet O'Fish! I love that stuff!

sanantone: Thanks so much for your recipe! Shall try some time How much cream do you normally add? And what kind of cream also? Fat free is probably not authentic but I guess it could be used also, right?

smallworld: Is there another full picture of your tofu salad? It looks really delicious from the little that I can see of it (on the left right?). How'd you make it?

Wow I've never seen fresh shark fin before...only the dried variety. I've only eaten shark fin in the Cantonese-style soup (which is very good) so I probably wouldn't be the best person to give recommendations in this case hmm...

Hiroyuki: Your katsu-don looks delish! Shall copy save again hehe

NYC Mike: Thanks alot for the recommendation! I'll go check if they have it in the bookstores here (Borders and Kinokunya are my best choices because most of our bookstores are pretty crappy with their lack of range ) Mayhaw Man: Thank you Do you think that the ingredients in Southern cooking are often difficult to find if you didn't live in the US? Which book do you think is more suitable for someone who is sort of a beginner cook? Marlene: Sounds like Cotton Country is getting higher in my list of 'must get' cookbooks hehe. Anyway, thanks everyone so much for contributing! Your descriptions of Southern cooking from home sounds so delightful. I'm thinking of making a trip there some time to taste all of these (though of course I won't be able to experience the whole 'what grandma used to cook' thing unfortunately if it's only restaurants that I visit).

Nope, nothing pickled in the congee, hzrt8w is spot on

Domestic Goddess: I've never had Sinigang before (in fact, I've never eaten Filipino food in my life though I'm really keen to) but I know just by looking at your meal that it's very nourishing and 'yum yum in my tum' It reminds me alot of a Vietnamese sour fish soup that also makes use of tamarind. I have a feeling there must be some similarities in the flavours. Anyway, the Vietnamese version that I know of is really delicious! You eat it with rice as well Edit: Looked it up and the Vietnamese one is spelt 'Canh chua'. It's great!

Thank you doctortim -I shall try your method with my spag bol next time. Sounds delicious and is very different from the way I'm used to. Btw, hihi you're from Australia too woohoo! And btw, this: seems to perfectly describe the way I cook my pad thai Yep, I've been trying to read through the Thai threads but there's just so much to go through aiyayayay!

Ok I just discovered this book through eG and it sounds so precious (thank you Andrea)! I'm sure my parents would really appreciate this book too I sure hope this book is readily available in the bookstores here in Australia because I really plan to buy it now. Unfortunately, I haven't seen it around yet Do any other Aussies know if I can get this without having to go go through the whole online process?

prasantrin: That egg is HEAVEN! Just the way I like it yum... doctortim: Your spag bol looks heavenly too! One of the few dishes I do well is my spaghetti and meatballs but sometimes it's so time-consuming So minced meat can often be an equally delicious but much more TIME-SAVING alternative. How'd you make yours? And I'm so jealous of your pad thai! I've tried making it a couple of times before and each time, it turned out like mash

This is actually a past dinner and it's also not my own cooking (doh!) but I just had to post this: my mum made a really delicious, warming Fish Congee the night before my sister left for o'seas (because congee is one of her's -and mine- favourite meal of all time)

Unfortunately I can't claim this as my own, but mum made a really delicious, warming Fish Congee This isn't a recent meal though.

That sounds like a lovely and very hearty meal Doodad You're so lucky -I've never experienced coming home to such meals unfortunately

Gabriel Lewis and Hiroyuki: Thanks alot for all those tips, recipes, and other write ups! *copy, paste, save*

I can see why he's your fiance

That's what I want to know too. I'm sure that Xinjiang cuisine is at least for the large part Halal as Uighurs are after all, usually Muslim. However, my question is: Is there such thing as Xinjiang cuisine that is not of Uighur origin, but rather, more of a regional Chinese difference? I wonder this because while Uighurs do live in Xinjiang, the Han (who are the majority of China's population obviously) do make up a large part of it too. Do these other people have a Xinjiang cuisine that is uniquely their's and not Uighur?