torakris

I'm just going to add the link for newest sandwiches out of McDonald's Japan since I was taught that if you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all. iCon' Chicken sandwich line-up

I admit I'm a pretty simple person, especially when it comes to my kitchen. None of friends or family will go with me into a kitchen shop any more because I make snide comments about every gadget hanging on the wall. The only "gadget" I really couldn't live without is my manual can opener. The other day in the store I ran across this gadget that had me laughing out loud in the aisle. Potato chip tongs These are mini tongs almost like chopsticks that are to be used to grasp the potato chip in the bag and then transfer it to your month without getting your fingers dirty. In the store they were being displayed by the potato chips and for me gadgets that are only good for one thing are the biggest joke ever, but on the webpage it shows them being used for other kinds of snacks as well, so I'll give them a point back in their favor. This would definitely get my vote in the stupidest gadget category.

We use chopsticks everyday, at least once a day but often 2 times or more. My favorite by far are Japanese chopsticks and the thinner the tip the better. I find the thinner tip is much easier for picking up everything except noodles. I have Korean metal ones but find them awkward to use and often burn my lips when the food is very hot. I don't even own the Chinese ones any more as I found them too big and hard to handle. I buy cheap ones, 5 pairs for 100 yen (just over $1) and they last for a couple years, I've never had problem with warping but I replace them when the paint on the top is pretty much worn off. The chopsticks are hand washed but only because I don't own a dishwasher.. I don't really have that many pairs in the house. We are a family of 5 and we each have a pair of Korean metal ones and a pair of wooden Japanese ones. I also have a couple extra pairs for guests.

I finally got all my books uploaded and I noticed that quite a few that I assumed would have been indexed were listed on my bookshelf as not indexed yet. For an example I have 4 books by Jamie Oliver (all UK editions)and their ISBN is not the main one listed but it is one of the ones that appear when you click the little link symbol. Is there a way to add/connect these to my indexed books? PS I love the feature that shows how many people have the same book and I like to being able to browse through other people's collections!

It probably was an initial glitch. I had the exact same problem on my mac when the site just came back online. It looks great now. It really sucks being on the other side of the world, I only managed to get 49 books uploaded on Monday and was hoping to finish them yesterday (my day off) and the site was offline all day for me.. Thanks to whoever suggested the zbar app, I'm loving it!

I read about this site last night as I was reading an Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine in which there was a little blurb about it. I immediately went online to check it out and was hooked, I've dreamed about something like this for years. I've had issues with paypal for years and after it rejected every card I have I created a whole new paypal account, complete with a brand new e-mail address, bank account and credit card. It took me most of the morning but I really wanted to get in before the lifetime membership thing expired. Now I need to go and start inputting all of my books. I'm so excited to try this out.

Wow! that is just creepy.

This is probably a really stupid question but we don't actually have to be Scottish to join this event, do we? When reading the website it says: Share your stories of Scotland and your favourite curry house back home ! Just curious since I don't have a drop of Scottish blood nor have I ever been to Scotland.

This sounds like a lot of fun! My husband is currently working just minutes away, maybe I can take the train in and meet him for dinner. Does anyone know how many spaces are left?

How do you guys know your schedules a year in advance?? I don't know my exact dates for next summer but any weekend between 7/23 and 8/20 would work for me.

I promise to make tempura if everyone comes to Cleveland.

Just a quick thank you since the only Internet access I have currently is from my iPhone. My biggest thanks are to all the Ann Arbor folk who organized the whole weekend for us, every meal was incredible. Another thank you to all my housemates who made my weekend even more enjoyable than I expected. Finally thank you to all the members that joined us for our various meals, I truly enjoyed the conversation. I apologize for not being as active in the kitchen but with a freshly broken toe small spaces with a lot of people carrying heavy things and knives was a scary place to be. I will definitely be there next year!

Count me in for the coffee event. I would be interested most in 2 then 1 then 3.

I was just in San Francisco last week and unfortunately didn't get to eat at all of the places I had planned. I didn't make it to any of the good breakfast places because I couldn't get the kids out of bed before 8am (darn jet lag) and the waits were just too long by then. Unless you want to wait get there when they open! Burmese Kitchen was probably my favorite meal. The tea leaf salad was great and we devoured the fried tofu appetizer in about 10 second. The Burmese fried rice was a huge hit with the kids and I barely got any but loved what I did. Blue bottle has incredible coffee don't miss it if you are a coffee lover, I would have stopped every day if there had been one closer to my hotel. My cousin took me to this wonderful El Salvadorian place out in the Mission, but I can't remember the name of it at the minute. The pupusas were so good the kids were fighting over them. We also stopped at Mitchell's for ice cream, they had this new Italian fig flavor that I'm still dreaming about! We went to these places by car so I'm not sure how accessible they are by public transportation.

smoked salmon please

That is really a beautiful bento. I am currently making 3 bentos a day and am burned out. Summer vacation starts in 2 weeks and I am really looking forward to the 6 week vacation from bento making.... Helen, I do takikomi all year round, it's a really easy dish when I am feeling lazy.

My plans are becoming a little more finalized so please add me as a definite for Chia Shiang, the foodie field trip and Sunday brunch.

I'm still not sure how I'm getting up to Ann Arbor yet but I will be there and Edsel has offered to bring me back. I am definitely in for: Friday morning bread workshop Friday night dinner at Grange Saturday evening feast and am undecided but will probably join: Thursday night at Chia Shiang Friday foodie field trip Saturday afternoon taste tests Sunday Bacon Tasting & Brunch (this depends on the time as I need to be back in Cleveland by mid afternoon)

Another thank you! You seem to be reporting on all of the places I have on my "to eat at" list for my trip next month. Since I am traveling with my 3 kids I was planning on ordering a variety of dishes so we could all share. The beignet sampler was on my list, do you find the sweet ones thick and gummy as well? Do you (or anyone else) have any other recommendations from the breakfast menu?

Thanks for the report. Bob's was actually on my list of must go to places for trip to San Francisco next month. I had read great reviews about their apple fritters. Just last week as I was narrowing down my list I crossed it off, but it has just been added back on!

I'm very interested in the bread workshop as I have never been able to squeeze it in during the past gatherings. I also vote to stay local for the Thursday meal.

Unfortunately while I love cheese, I just can't eat cheeseburgers.I think I'll let someone else try this one.

Last week while reading the newspaper I noticed an ad for Lotteria introducing their new Tower Cheeseburger. A cheeseburger that consists of 10 patties (each with cheese), if 10 patties are too much for you you can customize your burger. The base price for one patty is 160 yen ($1.75) and you can add as many extra patties you want for an extra 100 yen ($1.09) each. I was trying to figure out what the calorie count would be on something like that but they don't list it anywhere. Their regular cheeseburger is 314 calories.

Thank you Edsel!! We can work out the details when it gets closer. In the next 2 months I have trips to Hawaii, San Francisco and a 4 day camping trip to the Hocking Valley,so my brain isn't quite functioning in terms of this event yet...

If you're not there who am I going to lounge about with when everyone else is working?