Kat Tanaka Okopnik

Scary, really? My oldest, now 3, and a picky eater, was like that. And then people started feeding him sweets, and he's a fiend. It makes me cry, actually, because he was an absolute dream of an adventurous eater a year ago. I had the same system - he could eat anything after age 1, except for lots of nitrites, and caffeine. One night, we had a guest over for dinner who refused his veg, and wanted ketchup and the next thing I know, I have a ketchup loving veg hater. WAH!

I see lots of people commenting and saying that their Japanese-style chopsticks don't meet at the tips, that Korean chopsticks work better at the tips, and also that they manage Chinese blunt-tip chopsticks fine. (Obviously, these are not necessarily the same people!) I'm coming to the conclusion that there are either expectation differences, or actual subtle changes to hand position or something, that makes a difference. I grew up with Japanese chopsticks, and I find both the Korean thin metal type, and the thick long Chinese type incredibly frustrating to use. The Korean type hurt my hands, and I can't manage tofu with them, and I can't pick up a lot of things with the Chinese kind. (I think I'm supposed to use the sides of the chopsticks more, maybe, with the Chinese kind?) Anyone else with experience with all three, who can shed some light on this?

In the hicktown, they blew it by not being culturally savvy enough about Middle American habits about post-church food rituals. And they *still* made it through. They owe a lot to the younger generation being fascinated by Asian culture via anime. Hello Kitty is their John the Baptist.

You won't miss much - my prediction is Spencer leaves next week, and then it's a cakewalk by NomNom. (I could be wrong, and Spencer on the Go might rock the next town, but unless NomNom blows TN, it's a lock. Booooooring!)

It was poorly explained. The initial statement was: it needed to be a dish suitable for freeze-drying, putting into cryovac bags, and sending up into space. I suspect that any chef who actually took that seriously, would lose. In addition, none of the judges were qualified to say how these dishes would taste under the conditions that astronauts actually eat them. So it just turned into, "Cook something that is 'out of this world'". Actually, what I got out of it, (and thus what had me snarling silently at the TV) was: 1) no huge chunks of meat (which essentially means everyone except for Mr. Steak totally blew it) 2) not too sweet have *none* of these chefs ever used a freeze dried camper's meal?! It made me really miss the molecular gastronomists, because surely one of *them* would have understood the concept. We don't get to see this, so I don't know if it's an omission on the part of the editing or the production, but did the chefs get a written rundown, or any time to absorb the challenge? Freeze-dried meals work best with small chunks of food, in a tasty thick sauce. Stews are ideal. The cheftestants should have been given the opportunity to sample one of the astronauts' favorite freeze-dried meals, to get an idea of what's possible. I think this season for whatever reason, only the bland have survived. Except for Angelo's Asian obsession. But the behind the scenes on family life for Angelo just made me dislike him. I'm being *totally* judgmental, and who knows how much has been manipulated, but the blame toward his ex's family, coupled with "engaged to a Russian woman!" (when it's only been a year since the divorce)... *shrug* I miss Carla, and Hung, and Fabio, and. and, and... (Okay, maybe I'm still cranky about losing Arnold from this season.)

To be fair, they were also offering wings, and according to a Web search, also baked beans, and some different french fry offerings. But there are complaints at the LAWeekly blog about their speed. (People do praise their banana puddings, but I had the same reaction - just how much will people spend on banana pudding-plus, unless it's a festival?) I hope it doesn't become a NomNom #1, who's #2 contest. That would be kind of boring. Did you see the *huge* gap between them and #2 last week?!

I hate them with a grand passion. I wish I didn't, as it makes my life difficult. I also hate the red, yellow, and orange types. Cooked or raw. I have learned to leap to giving that explanation whenever I say that I dislike bell peppers, or I'll get the "have you tried...?" response. I have *once* enjoyed cooked colored peppers, at Max's Opera Cafe in the SF Bay Area, in a dish with some sort of Cajun/Creole-style sausage, and a garlicky cream sauce. (It was 15 years ago, so the details are blurry.) I think they taste vile. Like green mixed with gasoline. I have a similar problem with mangoes, papayas, and persimmons. (Actually, I have learned that I can sometimes eat mangoes if they're ripe, and pureed with a milk product and turned into either lassi, or a frozen dessert. And that I can eat green papaya salad.) They all have a horrid funk to me. On a good day, mangoes taste of nothingness. (Literally. It's like they nullify the flavor of a pudding. Strange.) Mango skin nauseates me. I have a horrid memory of a mango shake once tasting like...well, I should probably not go there at a food forum. Oh, and they "contaminate" anything they're put into. I've learned to choke down food by eating around them, if I'm in company I don't wish to offend by refusing it. *sigh* I keep trying them, just to see if I've changed my mind.

Mom's got access to lots of wonderful ethnic markets. Suburban L.A. is great that way. She picked up a bag of what she thought was "just like Japanese" deep fried tofu at 99 Ranch. It's clearly Chinese. She tried to cook it the way she'd use the similar-looking Japanese version - quickly simmered in a soy/sake/sugar glaze. The result was...unfortunate. Really chewy, almost inedible. She tried cooking it further, but there wasn't much improvement. The stuff in question is 3-4 cm cubes, thick skin, not much tofu left inside. (The Japanese version, by contrast, is usually a very thin skin, and lots of white tofu left.) How *should* she have prepared this stuff for consumption?

I'm pretty sure that was individually wrapped Japanese peaches. They're huge and blush pink on the skin, white on the inside. Asian pears don't bruise like that. (I am, alas, separated from my hard-won DVD of Tampopo.) I encountered a streetside fruit vendor who refused to let me sniff the produce, too. I don't remember where that was. It was on the East Coast in a major city somewhere. I told him I don't buy pigs in a poke.

Actually, bird's nest is also used as a dessert along with hasma.

What are you looking for? Florida Beach food, or fine dining, or something else? Fine dining-wise, Opus 39 in the Spanish Quarter area of St. Aug is quite nice.

I'll miss Arnold, actually. And I do think that the dish was ill-conceived for the challenge, but to see that the major flaw pointed out was "undercooked", and that it was Lynne putting on the pressure? I think he was more trying not to engage in "throwing his partner under the bus". I wish the partner choices had been random. And as far as the babyfood challenge...I've been using the "babyled weaning" (not meaning cessation of nursing, but "introduction of solid foods") - neither of my kids have had any purees at all. I was actually disappointed to see both Tom and Padma advocating purees. (And Padma's baby is far too young for solids yet!)

Yes, it exists. I don't know if it's near New London. People bring in LN2 (liquid nitrogen) and have a making-ice-cream-fest.

The first time I heard about "aged" basmati, I was revolted...because in my cultural tradition, the best rice is new crop!

Eggs, as I noted above, can vary greatly. I was able to tell the difference between different local suppliers, much less supermarket vs. fresh locally grown. Quantum levels of difference, really. (There were local suppliers whose eggs were only just a little better than supermarket, admittedly. But the top end really is astronomically better.)

I got a chance to try some very good local eggs this past winter, and I can report that in something that truly showcases eggs, the taste difference can be tremendous. I found that in frying the eggs sunnyside up, even among local eggs, the ones from a particular producer really stood out, even over organic eggs from the grocery store. The yolks were deep yellow, almost orange, and buttery tasting even when fried using canola oil. They made the most amazing "puffy pancake" ever, too. I miss those eggs! Freshness matters for some things (poaching, separating yolks), and is actually not the best for others (boiling).

And this isn't enough to convince people that KK is worth the wait? As mentioned, Krispy Kreme is only worth the trip if it's a full-service shop, with a conveyor belt. The KKs in supermarkets, casinos, etc. aren't KK at all. Forget they exist. Unless the donut is almost too hot to handle, you're not getting the real deal. No other donut shop makes front-page headlines when they open a new store. Take that, Dunkin Donuts and Mr. Donut. Done that, been there. What this proves is that KK has a *GREAT* hype marketing machine. And they had some very loyal fans. They should never have gone for the "every single venue in America" gambit with the stale/cold version, but I've done the HOT version repeatedly and it just doesn't live up to the mark for me. It used to be the go-to bribe when I'd visit my family. Now, we've moved on to true crispy heaven - Beard Papa's!

Ooh, now *that* sounds like fun. I don't think it's anything I can do anytime soon, though. Getting on and off the boat is a hassle, nevermind with two kids (oldest is 2 1/2), getting to and from, and then and doing it with fresh KK... I had the same feeling when I first tasted them off the conveyer belt in Las Vegas. I am a left coaster and the doughnuts I grew up with had a bit of tug to them. They have not done too well in my area. The one that had lines has no more lines, and the other closest one shut down. I get the feeling that's a pan-Southern thing. Bread and biscuits around here are all very low-gluten. My Moscow-born husband prefers me to overhandle the biscuit dough so that it's chewy, and refuses to buy any of the local breads. (I'm a native Angeleno, living on a sailboat anchored for the winter in Oriental, NC.)

I think you have to grow up with it. I find them too insubstantial, but I hear that's the *good* part. I prefer the Winchell's that I grew up with, I like my doughnuts a bit chewy.

That's mostly true for me. My comfort foods mainly come from deep in the heart of Japanese cooking - natto, egg over rice, ume kobucha, green tea, "mabo tofu" (in quotes, because it's certainly not like any Szechuan version!). There's other stuff I get weird cravings for, but that list above is the canonical "I'm feeling lonely and homesick for the happy parts of my childhood". An ex-boyfriend of mine had to have Campbell's tomato soup, made with milk, and "toast soldiers" whenever he was sick.