trillium

I'm so impressed with all the efforts!... I know I said we were going to make some pandan lotus mooncakes, but life intervened and we both got sick. We consoled ourselves with store bought ones, the moon was bright and clear and the tea was hot. I'm secretly hoping we'll still make some next weekend, when my mum is here and is an enthusiatic helper when it comes to cooking the lotus paste. (even though it will be a day late and a dollar short, homemade are just too tasty not to make). I find Lyle's golden syrup in the sweetner section of my local "natural" food stores, and you can almost always find it in a brewing/wine making shop as well. In a pinch corn syrup will do, but you loose out on the taste. regards, trillium

I have no first hand experience with Phuket or Phi Phi, I tend to avoid heavily touristed areas like that when I travel, and Phi Phi was out of the question anyway, since we went 1 month after the tsunami. I'm not talking about that side, I'm talking about the gulf side, places like Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkla, and inland, like Trang (roti city!). Less tourism, more real culture, great food. If you want beautiful beaches, Koh Lipe in the Andaman sea was beautiful, and the fish was fresh and tasty every night, but it wasn't my favorite place from a gustary or culture stand point, and it takes a few boat trips to get there. If I had to pick one not to be missed spot in the south, I'd tend to go with Nakhon. I loved the people there, it's a busy Thai city, but friendly, and my fondest food memories are there. Great night market food, a really, really great seafood restaurant right across from Nakhon Garden Inn, good Hokkien coffee shops, my favorite version of khao yam and kanom jeem, nice Sunday market, cool shadow puppets, great National Museum. Just all around my favorite. You can get there from Krabi by public bus (the old orange non-ac ones) or minivans for sure. I would say to avoid Hat Yai under all circumstances, at least the two main bus terminals. The only unpleasant interaction we had in Thailand was with the hucksters there. I found Krabi people a little grumpy and impatient compared to when we went farther south, but chalked it up to it being a big tourism place, economic hard times, and the hit they took in Phi Phi. There were memorial services going on while we were there. I don't know how it would be in other circumstances. regards, trillium

Do you want favorite eating spots in southern Thailand? Is Krabi the only southern spot you'll go? That would be shame, since there is terrific food elsewhere (and more culture...we adored NST). In Krabi, for restaurants, Ruen Mai is a must stop, the menu is bilingual, but the people who will take your order don't speak any English. Oh, and the sign is not in English either, but it's not that hard to find. For night markets, the one that isn't on the river is a lot better (less farang oriented stuff). I suggest the Lonely Planet food guides for any countries that you can get. They do a great job telling you overall themes and then regional specialties. regards, trillium

Are you talking about food or clubs? Portland does not have the nightlife of any big city but there is some. Most of the city shuts down after 10 pm, however, and it was an adjustment after living in Chicago. regards, trillium

They're not supposed to be that complex and deep, just refreshing and drunk on their own, icy cold. I like mine less sweet and more bitter then most. For orange infusions, I tend to throw in some of the orange leaves and coffee beans. I've made these sorts of infusions with Etrog and Buddhahand citrons (and kalamansi limes and bergamont and sour oranges and grapefruits and meyer lemons, etc etc), and it's my opinion that citrons better used for candying then infusions. The aromatics aren't very stable in alcohol and you're left with something rather bitter and that's it. For tangerines, I use something with a really nice fragrant, thin peel and I use the whole thing, I don't bother peeling it and putting it in seperately. I slit the skin and push the coffee beans in. The best way to choose is to spray the oils in the peel and sniff them. If they smell delicious, your infusion will taste just as good. regards, trillium

I understand your frustration, but I never, ever withhold information from a bartender if they don't know how to make the drink I've just ordered. If I see a blank look, I say the proportions right away. The point is to get the drink I want and nothing else. As for bar chef, I don't like it and can't see ever using it. Even mixologist sounds like you're trying too hard. I like bartender. I know language is fluid and historical context tends to change what a word means, and the purpose is to communicate, yadda, yadda, but really, what next, we're going to rename a Martini since there are so many imposters? regards, trillium

We can buy the salmon roe from the Native dudes who are selling salmon at the farmer's market here in Portland. We made some ikura with sake and soya using the method helenjp gives above. I was wondering if you are supposed to drain them from the marinade after a certain time? Or do you freeze/fridge them with the extra liquid? I was expecting ours to stay orange, but they look kinda dark brown (from the soya) with half of the globe still having an orange translucency. Is this right? The only time I've had them is in a sushi restaurant in the US, and these look nothing like it. They're very tasty though! regards, trillium

No way, that's no reason not to enjoy winter melon! They get cut into chunks and you can buy the pieces. Most families are not big enough to eat a whole mature winter melon. If there aren't any cut, the people who work in the produce section are usually very willing to cut one up. Enjoy your mini melon, and next time, get a chunk of a mature one. I was taught that the best ones are those that have lots of white powdery stuff on the outside of the rind. You can find a weeknight soup we make at home very often in the Chinese Cooking: Southern home-style dishes class I did for eG. regards, trillium

I'm surprised you can't find an Indian or Pakastani rose water? The South Asian grocery stores are usually where I buy rose and orange flower water and rose petal jam. regards, trillium

I did notice that that the adzuki beans are smaller. But what about the difference in taste? I may go ahead and buy some just to see how much of a difference it really makes. ← I think it's more a texture difference then a taste one. Adzuki beans seem firmer to me, and retain their shape. If you can't find decent egg noodles where you live, kan sui is nice for making them too. regards, trillium

Red beans for Cantonese cooking are different from adzuki beans. The phonetic for the lye water is kan sui. You can usually find it in the row with bottles of vinegar, etc. or with stuff for baking (like fake pandan flavor). If you are desperate and can't find it, pm me and I'll mail you a bottle. regards, trilium

What about Elisir du Dr. Roux? That's pretty high end. regards, trillium

A farmer here is growing this too, and he says that the guys who live/work with him on the farm say it's for making green sauce for chicken. I'm assuming this is a roasted tomatillo based dish, but I wish I could talk to them directly! regards, trillium

Trillium: Are you sure it was just one week for the salted eggs? I make mine whenever double yolk eggs are available. Even with single yolks, it takes 3 weeks in heavy brine before the yolks are firm. ← You might be right. We usually eat ours steamed, so I wouldn't know exactly when they firm up. But I think it's less then 3 weeks. I like them when they aren't quite as salty as when they've been sitting for 3 weeks. I must note I do use duck eggs when I make ours, because I can buy them from the farmers and they are so tasty. And this is at room temperature. Duck yolks seem already drier, so maybe they get done sooner. Or maybe the tea leaves really do help them go oily and firm sooner... I usually end up throwing in a few hen's eggs to get everything submerged in the jar, so that's how I know they taste ok, but I don't know the exact time it takes. Maybe someone will have to experiment. I havn't made mooncakes in years, but when I did, I followed a recipe where you rinse, oil and steam the yolks before you put them in the cake. The partner has agreed to help with a pandan/lotus endeavor this year though... regards, trillium

You were looking for salted duck eggs, not pai dan (the black ones), right? If you'd like, you can make salted chicken eggs instead of duck. It takes about a week and with good farm eggs is nearly as tasty as ones from duck. Just make a saturated solution of salt and water and leave your eggs in that for around a week. I like to put a little bit of tea leaves in my saline because the Pau Pau that taught me how to make them told me to, and I do think it makes the yolks oilier like she says. regards, trillium

Yeah, I am very interested to hear what you think of them. AA versus Eastern. BTW: you didn't pick up the decade old mooncake in Eastern's display case, did you? As much as they have Bill Clinton dropped by the store for a photo-opp... my gosh, you thought that they would change out the aged-old, real pastry display at least once a year... I know where Golden Gate is now... Passed by it before, not tempted enough to buy and try. I will re-evaluate in my next trip. Typically I avoid all the storefronts along Grant. Too much geared for tourists. Stores along Stockton Street are the real deal, with the trashy and stinky sidewalk and all... ← I didn't notice the display case, but I gotta tell you that both of my friends who grew up in SF Chinatown buy theirs from Eastern still, for whatever that's worth. Stockton is the place to go for live fish or seafood and the medicine shops, I was able to find some really wonderfully aged chun pay and other good stuff. But for produce I used to prefer going to Clement, and then later, to the Irving area. That's where it's really popping now. As for Golden Gate, I haven't had the dan tat in about 5 years, but back in the day, it was the best in the city for that and that alone. I hear it hasn't changed much. If you like dan tats it's worth a stop. And Dejah, let us know what you think of the mooncakes, if they're good, I'll send my mum on a mission to get us some! regards, trillium

My mum loved the ones we had so much I gave them to her, so I just bought some molds yesterday at the Wok Shop in SF. I know they will mail order. I also bought some mooncakes from both Eastern and AA, I'm curious to see what I think. Sadly, GG Bakery was closed for vacation, so I consoled myself with a dan tat and HK tea at AA. regards, trillium

Coit Liqueur has Torani Amer. Forgot to check for the Apry, damn it. regards, trillium

It sounds totally do-able then. For other good, laid back eating stuff close to the area I like Henry's Cafe for breakfast or the Savoy Tavern and Bistro from 5pm on, on 26th and Clinton (few blocks north of Powell), the nightlight bar on 21st and Clinton (when it's not too crowded and smokey) has pretty good food. Other good bets are Apizza Scholls W-Sun (gets very crowded) and in the same location L.O.W. BBQ on Monday, Cafe Castagna and Ken's Place. They're all on Hawthorne. For cheap lawnmower beer and really good fried chicken and jojos, ReelemInn is our favorite, it's on Division, as is Pix Patissiere if they have a sweet tooth. regards, trillium

Just FYI, Hendrick's is a lot more subtle then what I'm doing. I can't imagine drinking it with tonic. regards, trillium

There are taco trucks all over town, but they move around sometimes. Like Matthew mentioned, the best are all out on the outskirts of Portland, but this one wasn't bad. Will your mom have a car or be busing it? How far would they go for a good taco from a truck? Powell is what you end up on when you cross the river using the Ross Island Bridge. regards, trillium

I can't believe I forgot about Aub Zam Zam. I went there a year ago or so, after a disappointing late lunch at Magnolia brew pub. It was great: serious cocktails (we had Boodles martinis), great bartender, quiet. A nice oasis. ← And I assume that they have a more liberal seating policy post-Bruno? Good to know it was great. I screwed up mentioning the Starlight, it's the Starlight Room not lounge and it's at the Drake. It's supposed to have some serious cocktails but it has a dress code and you need to make reservations in order to have a table to sit at and there is a cover charge. It could be fun, but seems a little stiff. Stylish is fine, even good, just hoping to avoid gratuitous pretension, trendoids or really loud crowds. We have a lot of catching up to do. regards, trillium

No problem, I've been wondering that too, and thought I might check it out while I'm there. regards, trillium

I have a Toronado t-shirt circa 1992 (my favorites were Golden Bear Lager and Twist of Fate Bitter). It is a great place for beer and hanging out, but alas, my friend is not a beer drinker. I'll keep the Bernal Heights spot in mind, thanks. regards, trillium

Actually, a little bit before 33rd, if you're coming from downtown on Powell. After the Safari yuckyness and before the Cash Store yuckyness. It's in the parking lot of a newly painted dark green automotive place. We hopped off the bus after work and asked for one each of the al pastor and lengua. Sadly, he had no lengua and we settled for tripa. He also had pollo and asada. Cabeza was on the menu but also unavailable. The tacos were $1 each. They're traditiional in the sense that you get two little white corn tortillas (not handmade) but they were cooked a little crisper then I like. The al pastor was very good, much better then the truck up on Division in the same hood. I'm not sure where the tripa is supposed to hit texture-wise because I only have eaten it in menudo or in Chinese dishes where it's soft. Here it was a little two chewy for me, but tasty and crispy. There were two salsas and an avacado tomato pico de gallo type thing. The green one was a very nice roasted tomatillo one, the red was the kind from dried chillies and had a little vinegar. I liked them both. I was a little surprised to be asked if I wanted sour cream on the tacos, and turned it down, but went with the onions and cilantro and a hunk of lime (which is more what I'm used to). After we relished our snack we started chatting and asking about hours. He's there all weekday, and Saturday this weekend, but maybe not Sunday. Business wasn't that good last Sunday. He asked what we thought of the menu, because he's still working on it. Turns out he had lengua last week and all the gringos got grossed out and he couldn't sell it. That makes me sad because it's my favorite filling for tacos. He said a couple of guys were asking for it, and now us, so he'll try to have it next time. He's trying to make this go in an unusual location, with a clientel more used the McDs and Wendy's near by, so I understand about all the burritos on the menu and asking about sour cream on tacos, but it made me cringe. This was a very solid place, and we'd really like to see him stick around, so if you're in the SE and hungry, go check it out! regards, trillium