kayb

I wish I could remember the restaurant where we ate in Kyoto. It was a traditional Japanese restaurant, dinner in a private room at a low table, seating on cushions (they had chairs with tiny short legs and backs for us gaijin, and served us some different courses than our Japanese hosts -- we did not get the fried fish head, for one example). The server was in kimono and brought each course in on a tray, which she knelt and placed on a shelf to one side; then she brought each dish to each diner, kneeling for each. The woman had to have legs to rival any MLB catcher. My knees were screaming in sympathy. I don't remember what all we ate (it was 15 years ago), but I DO remember it was all wonderful, up to and including things that I had no idea what they were. Next to that, I think my favorite meals were in the food halls at the train stations. I also had the best Indian food I've ever eaten, in Tokyo. Go figure.

@liuzhou, how long do you boil your quail eggs to make your Scotch eggs? I love the look of those two halves at the top right....

Amen, and amen. Same goes for menudo, or any sort of dish utilizing tripe.

My preferred lunch just about any day. Cheeses, clockwise from 5 oclock, are Welsh cheddar, some kind of blue (I didn't keep the label), Robusto, and Wensleydale with blueberries. Cornichons, sweet pickles, preserved walnuts, Castelvetrano olives. And a Bloody Mary, not shown.

I have a pound of Marcellas in the IP as we speak, the centerpiece of a big pot of bean and Italian sausage soup. It's cold outside, and that sounded good.

I had forgotten about Kiyomizu-dera. Loved going there, and yes, the view is great. The three streams of water have different meanings, yes? Health, wealth and integrity, as I recall? We went to a Buddhist cemetery near there, as well. Very quiet and profound place.

Ah. I miss Yamazaki, as well. I'm loving this tour. Please do not skip over a single experience!

I apparently missed this post, but ran across this book while perusing kindle cookbook deals on amazon. Bought it and am reading it, my first venture into M.F.K. Fisher. My God, the woman is a brilliant writer! I think I'm in love.

I bake small potatoes in the microwave until they're soft (about 10 minutes in mine); scoop them out, leaving about 1/2 inch of flesh. (These are about an inch and a half crossways in diameter.) I brush the halves with bacon fat or butter and sprinkle with salt, then broil for two or three minutes. Add grated cheese (and that's all in this case) and run them back under the broiler for another two or three minutes. I also may use bacon, chopped ham, sauteed mushrooms, chili, chopped scallions, or whatever I have handy to add to the topping. They're best with some sour cream on the side to dip them as you munch.

Throwback night. Sloppy Joes and potato skins. We were out of sour cream😣 and Sloppy Joes don't taste nearly as good as they used to.

Haven't used that one (I agree with you, btw), but I can testify to her sandwich bread that uses potato, and her pain de mie.

Would strike me it would have to be two people who weren't very hungry.

Still planning on it, but don't have a spot for the dorm fridge at the moment. We will be moving this spring or summer, and I'll likely buy a used fridge and set one up then. I'd like to be able to cure sausages and such.

I want SO badly to go back to Japan. Eating in the noodle shops and the food halls of the train stations is such a treat. The Ryuan-ji (sp?) temple in Kyoto was, I think, my favorite place on the trip, though we also went to the Emperor's Palace and Kinkaku-ji. There is a sweet that's a soft, doughy pastry filled with sweet bean paste -- I forget its name. I could eat my weight in it.

Must try this for Cara if I get ambitious. My usual treat for her is fried grits cakes, topped with an over-easy egg. Kid can eat her weight in grits.

Have been at a conference all week and have eaten nothing exceptional, other than skipping out one evening to have a wonderful pimiento cheeseburger at the Capitol Bar and Grill across the street from my hotel. It's now colder than the proverbial well-digger's posterior, so I think it'll be either soup or a big pot of white beans tomorrow.

This is the kind of worthwhile info I LOVE to learn on eGullet. Thanks! My kids demand water chestnuts in all stir fries. They're getting jicama in the next one.

Speaking of wild rice -- I LOVE this recipe. I typically use mandarin oranges instead of navel.

FWIW, I've cooked flageolets and chilled them, then used them with tuna in an oil and vinegar dressing with capers and a medium boiled egg. Pretty doggoned good, and a protein powerhouse. When I cook them for that, I always cook them on top of the stove and test frequently, to make sure I get them just done enough to be good and tender, but not mushy. I find they hold their shape better if I drain, rinse, and then spread them out on a sheet pan to cool.

I LOVE water chestnuts. I can only imagine how much better the fresh must be than the canned.

I am surely enjoying all y'all's dinners (and lunches and breakfasts). I have eaten nothing worthy of note in more than a week, and it's been heavy on the fast and junk food the last three days, as I've been out of town with a grandchild having surgery. I leave tomorrow for a conference, so there will be more forgettable food. I am ready for some GOOD food; perhaps I can sneak away from this conference one evening and get a good meal. K.

Good story.

Interesting. First time I've noticed a food recall mentioning the specific plant where a product is produced. I don't buy enough chicken nuggets to have noticed whether the plant of origin is listed on the bag or not.

Here is a favorite spiced cookie recipe. It says bake them very dark, but I prefer them lighter. And here's another: Bacon fat gingersnaps.

Some excellent bakers in this group. You'll find plenty of assistance on spiced breads and cookies. Great chocolatiers, too! Welcome.