FataMagistra

Another vote for Gary Rhodes and his "New British Classics" - it gives readers not terribly familiar with traditional British dishes a good introduction/overview and has some nice updates and modern presentations of classic dishes. Thumbs up also for Nigella's "How to Eat" and "How to be a Domestic Goddess" for their fail-safe recipes and warm, personable Nigella chatter. Much less enamored of her other books, though A supporting vote also for the late, lamented Keith Floyd, his personality and much-missed TV series ....

I'd wager that if you asked any kid (at least of my generation) who grew up in Asia about Calbee shrimp chips, they'd not only remember it, they'll have loved it at some point As for the "shrimp chips" that puff up when fried, we knew them as "keropok" in Indonesia and Malaysia. They were - and are - awesomely addictive (and probably super-bad for you I've seen squid and fish flavored keropok for sale but it's always the shrimp for me

I agree with the poster who said that American-style chocolate seems grainier - and to my mind less creamy and satisfying of a mouthfeel - than European chocolate (at least at the mass market level; then again, I grew up on English Kit Kats, Swiss Nestle chocolates etc.) FWIW in our house the daily chocolate favorites are Lindt and Trader Joe's Swiss chocolates. When we indulge and/or travel to Europe, we load up on Wittamer (from Brussels and only available in their shops there and the airport as far as I know), Pierre Marcolini and Jean Paul Hevin. A world apart in cost and indulgence for sure

Yeah I was somewhat surprised that, for chefs, they seemed awkward around a wok (though not as stunned as I was when Kevin confessed he'd not ever used a wok, despite having known for some time he was going to Singapore). Although Angelo (who I must admit creeps me out a tiny bit with what seems to be his fixation on "things Asian" (despite Asia being a HUGE and disparate place) and the fact that he reminds me of what the hilarious website Stuff White People Like calls "being an expert in someone else's culture" went on about the elusive "wok hay" (the "breath of a wok", a la Grace Young), it was disappointing to see how many of them didn't take advantage of the sheer, concentrated high heat and necessary accompaniment of continuously moving your (bite-size if possible) ingredients around in great, sweeping actions. Making a stew, or letting your food sit around in a huge amount of liquid, in a wok just does NOT cut it Which leaves me to wonder - maybe Ed won because his noodles managed to acquire at least some veneer of the requisite "high heat sear" that wok cooking imparts? BTW, Fat Guy - I was an attorney in New York when you decided to quit Cravath and started your new career, and I remember your first writings. Bravo, and congratulations!

I posted this link to the chatroom earlier, but thought I should post it also to the regular forum. Here's Seetoh's blog/food review website: http://www.makansutra.com/index.php. He's produced a fairly popular guide to street food in Singapore too (called Makansutra; there's some information about it on his site). Cheers Mary

I think Steven ("Fat Guy") pretty much hit the nail on the head. FWIW, I found the book pretty informative, entertaining, touching and absorbing. As an Asian immigrant more fortunate than many of those who end up slaving away in the various North American Chinatowns, what stuck in my mind more than a year after reading the book was Ms. Lee's descriptions of the North American Chinese restaurant reality (from the cheap cross-country bus rides to the newspaper devoted to that world). I agree it's a worthy, and worthwhile read, especially for eGulleters interested in foodways and cultures.

Where in Toronto are they cooking with horse fat? I don't know about Montreal, but I'm pretty sure I've had fries in horse fat at Frit Alors (the unpretentious chain) in Montreal - yummy

In addition to the usual suspects already mentioned (e.g. pesto, tomato sauce, curry pastes, chili (beef & chicken versions)and thick vege soups like squash and tomato), I've successfully frozen pureed mushroom soup (without the cream finish - add that when reheating), Chinese chicken & corn soup (shred the chicken and leave out the beaten egg to be added when reheating), homemade hamburger patties (separated by wax paper), meat-based potsticker/dumpling stuffing, cookie batter and egg whites; all mostly in freezer bags. In the "not home-made" department, I like to have on hand frozen baguettes and puff pastry, edamame (shelled - for salads, and unshelled - for snacking), frozen raspberries and mangoes (for almost-instant desserts), shrimp and mussels, a packet or two of frozen chopped spinach and mixed vege, and several frozen standbys from Trader Joe's: fish fillets (e.g. cod and sole), a tarte d'alsace and chocolate croissants BTW, I freeze my home-made stock in ice-cube trays (I use the ones that have a sliding cover - I think they're made by Oxo). I'm also not a big fan of the microwave, so I tend to reheat on the stovetop or in the oven. P.S. Love the idea of prepping and freezing little packets of mirepoix!

Congratulations on the Times plug, Toby and gang! This is my first post on eGullet (having lurked for years) and I wanted to "use" it to say that my S.O. and I have thoroughly enjoyed our previous 2 visits to the Patterson House and will be on to our third there this weekend (and we'd go more often if we actually *lived* in Nashville!) We also second the recommendation for your Bacon Old Fashioned, loved the Spring Sidecar and are looking forward to sampling the new (to us) drinks. (especially since we'll be looking to make up for the disappointing fact that Zola's closed this week and Miro District is booked out for a private function on Friday night!)