dcarch
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Posts posted by dcarch
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53 minutes ago, liuzhou said:
Having been asked about the kitchen in my new apartment in China which I mentioned in the Dinner 2024 topic and not wanting to derail that topic, I have started this new one.
This is how I found it on my arrival.
It has long intrigued me that despite the importance most Chinese people place upon their food culture, their favourite topic of conversation (along with money), their domestic kitchens seem almost an afterthought.
This one is, shall I say, compact. It is however, larger than the one I just left. I loathed that kitchen.
So, to answer some of your questions.
@dcarch asked
That is a serious exhaust hood above the stove for two burners, or is that also a microwave inside there? It that also an exhaust fan on the window wall?
Looks like a very functional and bright kitchen. I assume the refrigerator is behind you where the picture was taken.
That is a standard exhaust hood in these parts. Stir requires powerful hoods. No microwaves involved.
The fridge is, as almost all fridges are here, located in the sitting room and by the front door
HaHa! I found a mistake in your interior decorating.
When I was in my Chinese friend's home, I asked what was a decoration on her front door. She said it was a symbol for prosperity, but it is the tradition for it to be hung upside-down. Yours is right-side up.
dcarch 😁
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12 hours ago, weinoo said:
If you swipe too high up on those jeans, and the knife slips, you may end up really noticing the difference.
The long and short of it, knifes are dangerous. Handle with care.
dcarch 🙂
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6 hours ago, liuzhou said:
I fully intend to! We'll see how it goes. Thanks.
New kitchen. Small, like most Chinese kitchens, but more than usually has lots of storage space.
That is a serious exhaust hood above the stove for two burners, or is that also a microwave inside there? It that also an exhaust fan on the window wall?
Looks like a very functional and bright kitchen. I assume the refrigerator is behind you where the picture was taken.
dcarch
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1 hour ago, liuzhou said:
No. it isn't. The packaging ( which I have since binned) described it exactly as I did, except in Chinese.
I saw these, not entirely similar.
https://www.especialneeds.com/shop/daily-living-aids/offset-utensils.html
dcarch
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Actually I think that is a fork designed for people with limited hand mobilities.
dcarch
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4 hours ago, liuzhou said:
Saw this today and thought how idiotic, so I bought it. About 75 cents US.
A combined knife and fork. Of course, if the knife were to be anywhere near able to cut anything, it would be a useless handle for a fork. Also, the design renders both tools impractical at best. Difficult to hold and your hand will be slathered in food.
What sort of idiot did they think would buy one? Oh! Wait a minute!
Buy a few for serving spaghetti dinner on April 1st.
dcarch😆
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For those who can spend $1,082.67 (+tax) to smoke food, they all have big kitchens with lots of counter space.
For poor me, I have been smoking many years with 2 smoke tubes I bought for $7.99 each. I spliced two together to get 12 hours of smoke :-).
What would it involve if something goes wrong to have the thing repaired?
Stupid. Throw it away and buy another one.
dcarch
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To help window plants grow better, I used those so called "space blanket" and hang them with Velcro (so you can remove and hang easily) behind the plants. Those blankets are very very cheap.
I don't have to do that anymore. I now have 5,000 watts of home-built solar powered LED system.
dcarch
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21 hours ago, C00kman said:
I have been drawn to asian cuisine since they do make flavorful dishes that lack meat.
Yes, can be flavorful and colorful and healthful and environmentally respectful
A very popular dish I made for the new year celebration dinner party.
dcarch
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Don't use woodworking rasp. They are made with hardened tool steel and can rust.
Try Pedicure Rasps, same thing as kitchen microplanes. May be cheaper.
dcarch
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4 hours ago, lemniscate said:
I just checked on the items I ordered and they all state "made in Japan".
I bought a Panasonic MW oven, Made in China.
I bought a GE clothe washer, made in China.
According to NYT, Midea (China, 150,000 employees) makes basically all MW ovens, doesn't matter which brand.
dcarch
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I wonder how many of those items are made in China.
dcarch
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13 hours ago, weinoo said:
How long is the cord?
Not sure. Difficult to tell. My garden is very small.
dcarch 😜
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There are those who garden in cold weather locations. There are still work outside in the winter.
Got an electric heated vest for Xmas.
Not bad. Yesterday I was doing garden clean up all day. It was 26F outside,
dcarch
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Wang Gang in Trouble?
I like fried rice,
Just rice cooked twice,
Poor Wang Gang
Paid a political price
My Egg Fried Rice
dcarch
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10 hours ago, Tropicalsenior said:
Indeed he was. His term was 10 years before I moved here but he was still talked about. He was quite controversial. Wanted to restore the Army to Costa Rica. Was it by Chance the Grand Hotel in the middle of San Jose, right next to the National Theater? That would have been the most popular tourist hotel at the time.
"-------------Originally owned by Rodrigo Carazo Odio, former president of Costa Rica, Villa Blanca is a respected rural hotel located within the Los Angeles Private Cloud Forest Reserve in the central region of Costa Rica. -----------------"
Back to food, the hotel was actually in the cloud forest, 85% of the time was in the clouds. Food was not the best (at that time) Beans, beans, beans for lunch, and more beans for dinner. However I was not disappointed, because it was an ecological vacation. But coffee was out of this world. They always serve coffee with hot milk. I did hope for some tropical fruits, but no. No local fruits around that time of the year. They had plenty of fancy imported US apples, which I had no interest in. I was from the "Big Apple" state, NY.😆
Villa Blanca's food has improved to first-class today.
dcarch
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9 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:
Lunch?
Tropical, I just noticed you are in Costa Rica. Speaking of lunch, Rodrigo Carazo Odio, former president of Costa Rica, had served me lunches many times.
Many years ago, I traveled to Costa Rica on vacation, just before Christmas. Stayed in Hotel (Casa Blanca? not sure about the name), The manager was doing waiter's duties because he let many staff off for holidays. Then I found out he was indeed the former president of the country. He was part owner of the hotel at that time. Very humble guy. At the end of my vacation, I had difficulty getting transportation to the airport because of the holidays. He drove me to the airport.
We maintained email connection until he passed away.
dcarch
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2 hours ago, mgaretz said:
----with leftover fried rice -------------
Fried rice for me is made with leftover rice, I am not sure what I can make with leftover fried rice made with leftover rice.
dcarch 🤫😆
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1 hour ago, KennethT said:
Can you upload a higher res photo that I can zoom into? Years ago, on our Saigon trip, we made a day trip that included a local restaurant - one of the dishes we ordered came with a large bush of herbs - there were probably 12 different types in there and a couple I couldn't identify but really enjoyed and have been hunting them ever since! The shape of my favorite looked a little like the pomelo leaf, but I'd like to see the vein structure if possible as that would clue me in better. It had a nice almost lemony flavor - but very different from a makrut lime leaf.
There are many kinds of pomelos.
dcarch
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On 12/11/2023 at 2:21 AM, liuzhou said:
Here is an unusual vegetable in many ways. It is not common even here and only has a two week season at its best. We are looking at 香椿 (xiāng chūn), Chinese toon (Toona sinensis), the leaves of a tree native to China. In fact, it is the only tree found in northern Asia which has edible leaves. The first character in the Chinese name, 香(xiāng) means ‘fragrant’ and is important as there is another type of toon which is anything but fragrant and is inedible. What you need to get hold of is 香椿芽 (xiāng chūn yá) which is ‘toon buds’.
These crisp, crunchy and truly aromatic red buds are most commonly paired with eggs with which they have a particular affinity. I’ve had them in omelettes and with scrambled egg. It can also be eaten in salads, especially a tofu salad with oil, lemon juice and walnuts.
The deeper the red colour is, the better. And the pricier. Those in my first picture cost 66.50 元 for 100 grams; the paler ones in the second picture were a mere 11.60 元 for 100 g.
Interesting plant indeed. I have two bushes in my garden (NYC). I am growing them because I read that they taste like beef. Although I don't taste the beef flavor, but many of my friends do.
(----------Chinese Toon is valued for its young, soft leaves which are enjoyed as a unique vegetable and herb. With a savory flavor much reminiscent of beef and onions, the young leaves are used parboiled or stir fried in a variety of dishes and it is a staple crop in southeast Asia.----------------)
dcarch
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On 11/4/2021 at 2:35 PM, Margaret Pilgrim said:
We eat Fuyus rock hard, Hachiyas when they are almost liquid.
There is a very simple trick.
When hachiyas gets very soft (but still astringent), all you have to do is freeze it for 24 hours, thaw and enjoy.
dcarch
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I was wondering the last time I saw her posts, there were misspellings, etc.
Shock is all I can say.
dcarch
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1 hour ago, chromedome said:
...and write a paper together.
Okay, the chemist has actually done studies on the mechanics of espresso brewing in the past, but this time he looked into the savvy barista's habit of lightly spritzing the beans before grinding to see if he could validate a scientific reason for doing so. The experiments were successful, and the volcanologist took away some useful insights as well. First link is a layperson's explanation, second link is the underlying paper.
https://www.cell.com/matter/fulltext/S2590-2385(23)00568-4
What I don't understand,is the following what they say, "--------a single squirt of water to coffee beans before grinding can significantly reduce the static electric charge on the resulting grounds. This, in turn, reduces clumping during brewing, yielding less waste and the strong, consistent flow needed to produce a tasty cup of espresso----"
Isn't it basic physics that similar static charges repel each other therefore less clumping? as in the famous physic 101 experiment of your hair rising if you get yourself charged by static electricity?
dcarch
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1 hour ago, chromedome said:
Crab skin is always crispy, and therefore wasn't explicitly called out...
LOL!
Actually, I told people there will be crabs. Lucky I didn't tell them I had planned softshell. Couldn't find softshell last minute, so everyone got crispy crab skin.
dcarch
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Chinese Home Kitchens
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted
Is dishwasher a common thing?
dcarch