trillium

Thanks for the hints. I'm looking forward to checking those places out, once my mum shows up with wheels! I speak enough Spanish to get by, especially when it comes to gustatory matters, so I'll check out the tortilleria too (that's where I would buy masa in Chicago). I've had a great experience buying Le Creuset seconds in the past. I usually wait for the June and December sales where they're an additional 15-35% off. They used to just be 35% off but now they have some stupid scratch card that tells you your discount. If you're really charming, like my mother, you can talk your way into the 35% discount even if you get stuck with a 15% one. I'm not sure I can be that charming, which is why it's nice to have her along. Lately I've noticed that the seconds have been really bad compared to what I've bought in the past. That doesn't mean that you can't find a good pot, just that you need to look at the insides of a lot more than before (I think I looked at 20 this last time). I don't mind flaws on the outside, but I don't want exposed parts (from air bubbles popping during firing of the enamel) on the cooking surfaces. For me, the effort was worth it, you pay about half of what you'd pay for one that's "on sale". They still carry the 101 year warranty, they'll just replace them with another second. I'm not at all picky about colors, I don't care if things match, so that helps. regards, trillium

That's the one. I didn't know it was the late Mr. Campbell and his wife, it makes a little more sense now. thanks trillium

There is a huge (and I mean huge) population of SE Asians in Minneapolis. Not just Hmong but Indonesian and Malay too. Surely there are at least some decent SE Asian restaurants there? I wouldn't hold out hope for actually good Chinese food, though. Now you know why we learned to cook it (we moved to Chicago after living in SF). Sorry... Yan Kit So's book was a great teacher if you're interested. She does better on the food from the southern provinces. regards, trillium

On the weekends the al pastor at Urupan rocks. They do it right, with pinapple and marinated pork all hung up above the grill on a giant skewer type deal where the cook shaves it off right onto the grill. I also like their lengua, but the rest of the meats are not that great. When I'm there, nearly everyone is eating the al pastor. It actually is an exception to my no fruit with meat rule. I'm going to check out that place in Woodburn soon, I have a pot to exchange at the Le Crueset factory outlet. Have you spotted fresh masa for tamales in your Woodburn travels? regards, trillium

The sign for Campbell's scares the hell out of me...so much we've never gone, even though we're out there at least once a month, the Tortas Gigantes truck always wins. Am I being ultra-sensitive or is it creepy? Who exactly is the intended audience for their sign? regards, trillium

I just thought of another hokkien dish that's quite famous in Singapore... popiah! Yum. We keep meaning to throw a popiah party, but that would mean mastering the skins. regards, trillium edit to add popiah link

Oh that sounds really good. How long does an oil like that keep? Um, I'm wasn't sure so I keep it in the freezer and just spoon it out when I need it. regards, trillium

You know what pharm/tox people call liquid smoke? Liquid cancer. I kid you not, and this is from people who sneer about dioxin exposure. I hope the smoke flavor really comes from grilling and not a bottle. As a Mizrahi fan, I'd also like to point out that he actually (ok, maybe allegedly) had something to do with the design of the clothes that bear his name at Tarjay. From his autobiography it seems Mr. Pepin loved serving the Howard Johnson food he helped develop to his chef friends and he wouldn't tell them until after they ate it and liked it. His point was that you can mass-produce good food. He also decried the drop in quality after the son took over and the implication I got while reading was that he decided it was a good time to quit when that happened. regards, trillium

I dimly remember you and Laurie mentioning something about clafouti the next day. Ring any bells? If the pastry chef at Park Kitchen is still the same, she was the main reason I could be talked into going to Higgins. I really love her desserts, and keep trying to eat at Park Kitchen mainly because I loved her desserts at Higgins. regards, trillium

Thanks for the review. We've tried twice to go there for lunch and it was on a day they were closed or they just closed the kitchen for lunch (half an hour earlier then what was posted on the door, btw). We've almost given up on ever going, because it got so frustrating. But we've set a record with Murata, last night made the third try for eating there, luckily Carafe was right next door. regards, trillium

Don't be embarassed. All the flavor carrying oil is in the heads of shrimp (in Singapore they had a campaign to get people to stop sucking shrimp heads to prevent heart disease...). I don't find it at all strange that you add the head goo to your wontons, it's a great idea! We do something we learned from our friend's granny, where you take the shells and heads and simmer them in peanut oil for an hour or so and then strain. You're left with this bright orange, very flavorful oil to use in stuff like ha mee or other things where you want a toasty shrimp flavor. As for your wonton mein, the reason they're so rubbery, in my not so humble opinion, is because the mein in Chicago sucks! We were never happy with any that we bought... rice noodles otoh, were always great. regards, trillium

Just FYI, Fujian is what Mandarin speakers call 'em, Fukien is what Cantonese speakers call 'em and Hokkien is what they call themselves (kinda like the whole Teo Chew discussion). Clay pot dishes with taro...yum. All the Hokkiens I've run into have been cooking in the kitchens of Sichuan and Cantonese restaurants. We haven't found a place where they're actually cooking food from their region, but it's bound to happen sooner or later. regards, trillium

I've always had clams with basil in a SE Asian context, it's very similiar to what Eddie has describe except that you don't thicken the sauce and you use tons of garlic instead of ginger. If you enjoy your first try, you might enjoy experimenting with using "Thai" basil or holy basil. regards, trillium

Yes, that's good advice. What pissed me off is that the board up by the bar was advertising a Negroni as one of their featured cocktails. I made an assumption that since they were advertising it, they actually knew what they were doing! I've had great cocktails in unlikely places but I've also had so many bad ones it makes me feel very brave when I do try to order one. In my experience, a bar bar is easier to negociate a proper drink in (if they have fresh citrus) than a restaurant bar. Last week in a suburb outside of Chicago that I don't even know the name of, I was taken to a French bistro for dinner. I had negociated buying a drink for my friends who were insisting on paying for dinner. I stood there at the bar and couldn't for the life of me see any Lillet. I had high hopes when we were greeted at the door by the owner, who was actually French. My friends are going to Paris later in the year and I wanted to introduce them to the idea of a nice aperatif before dinner. This story has a happy ending. They kept the bottles of Lillet on ice, and the owners son was delighted an American was ordering Lillet Rouge. I was even more delighted when he pulled out a lemon, cut off the twists and actually twisted them over our drinks. It made me wish I actually lived nearby so that I could see what they could do with an actual cocktail! regards, trillium

Hey, no sending more people to my favorite pho shop, it's already crowded! I love that it's in an old Kentucky Fried Chicken building (those ones with the "hats" for roofs). If only we could have banh xeo before our bowls of pho...otherwise, perfect. regards, trillium

Jagermeister tastes complexly herbal. I suppose that herbal could translate into cough syrup. I like drinking it at room temperature, but many prefer it's flavor to be muted by cold. regards, trillium

What a slick idea. It would be cool if people started getting educated about proper cocktails and realized there is more to life than cosmos and chocolate "martinis". Some nights I would dearly love to be able to order a cocktail when I'm out and about that isn't the product of lazy shaking, cheap vermouths and bad vodka (I once ordered a Negroni and they made it with some schmancy fancy vodka...that should be illegal). I would have liked to see mention of some of the earlier crusaders of the "cocktail revolution", though. regards, trillium

I'm leaving the whole gender thing alone, even though the shit that is thrown at Martha makes me sputter (and I'm no fan). But I did read the article (and I've been to the restaurant upstairs and down). I thought the article was very well written because it showed everyone's foibles who were involved (AW + entourage and the "we're important people" hosts). About the pears. I thought that rgruby's interpertation of that situation is a little disingenuous. They showed up at 2 am on the morning they were to cook (were roped into staying for dinner at the co-op they stopped at to buy vegetables (yes, they were all organic) and then got lost). The other stuff was bought for them ahead of time. They weren't happy with some of it (the fish for instance, sounded like it was already butchered into pieces and had salmon mixed into it). I can't remember if they bought the pears or if the pears were bought for them, but they didn't have time or resources to go out and buy more, it had to get done that day. Who hasn't had a little temper tantrum in a strange kitchen cooking for people you'd like to impress when faced with a similar dilemma (in less grandiose circumstances to be sure)? If you haven't you're a better person than I. Before people opine about whether or not she was being a hypocrite, why not read the article first? Or even some of her own writing. In my own opinion, anyone that pours the amount of energy (and bucks) that she has into ensuring that inner city kids in the Oakland public schools get to grow, cook and eat CP style food can have all the temper tantrums about pears that they want. I admire her passion and drive to make sure *everyone* is able to eat the way she thinks is best even if they don't shop at Whole Foods and hang out on eGullet debating the importance of foam. And sure, her righteous vigor will sometimes provoke a person to run screaming to their nearest micky d's for a fillet o'fish but at least you have a choice, and choice is what is important. regards, trillium

From the grumpy curmudgeon point of view: Jagermeister doesn't get the respect it deserves in the States. I have no idea why a perfectly decent German bitters has turned into a drunken frat boy drink, although I expect those blond, scantily clad "spokeswomen" they started using several years ago may have something to do with it. And nothing deserves to be drowned in a glass of Red Bull, except perhaps vodka. regards, trillium

Yes, they do, don't they? And it's even more tasty if you can get your hands on some fresh duck eggs! I tend not to worry so much about hygiene (my motto is "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger") but they really do taste better then the mass produced ones, which makes it worthwhile. regards, trillium

Just to add... there are some dialects that have many every day usage words with no corresponding character...even more fun and confusion! regards, trillium

My favorite version of jook (what I know as rice porridge...probably the Cantonese pronunciation) is indeed made with raw fish. You can get it a many all-night Chinese eating places in the SF, it's a favorite of those who indulge in late night majong sprees that last until the wee hours of the morning. The fish (it should be white, mild, fresh and from the sea (not fresh water)) comes on a little plate with cilantro and scallions strewn over it and dash of sesame oil and some light soya sprinkled on top. I'm guessing what I had was some sort of sea bass. You get your hot bowl of jook and slide the fish into the bowl, stir it around, and voila! Time to eat. The fish is sliced so thin that it cooks instantly. I liked it with plenty of white pepper and red chillies in dark soya as a condiment. The rest of the animal flesh that ends up in jook tends to be cooked along with the rice, flavoring the whole pot, which is sort of the point. Like I mentioned before, adding glutinous rice flour dissolved in water to the jook right before serving results in a texture that I favor. One last anecdote, the partner has been known to treat a bowl of oatmeal like jook (soya, chilli and sesame oils, green onions and deep fried shallots). I admit I tend towards the butter and brown sugar camp myself. regards, trillium

I hope you didn't take my comment the wrong way, I learned about the Indian "mafia" when a friend of mine decided he needed some of his auntie's pickle and got it through the mafia a month later (the deal where he called home, his parents gave it to friends going to England who gave it to friends in England going to the US who gave it to a second cousin who was home for the holidays but went to the same university as my friend...no joke!). I'm going straight from work to the train station for a weekend away, but when I come back I'll look through the book and note what we've like...it involved dal, curry leaves and fresh coconut.... regards, trillium

Suvir, you are one well-connected member of the Indian mafia! (er, I don't mean mafia in the bad sense). I have not made that recipe because I can't get drumsticks here, but the other recipes we've tried from her book have turned out very well. regards, trillium

I went to PNAS and glanced through the research article and the commentary in PNAS. We have an institutional subscription, but I've gone through PubMed to get you the free access to the article and the commentary.... I'm pretty sure the hoi polloi can access PNAS articles directly for free, if they wish, by going to here, but I can't be sure since I don't have the time to make my workstation look like it isn't coming from my institution since I'm really supposed to be, well, working! regards, trillium