Anna N

I am hoping somebody will address this. Is it just me? I have read up on sauerkraut making and it seems the smell is a major problem for a lot of people. To put it in context, I love pickled daikon but I absolutely refuse to make it because it smells so bad to me. Even in a well sealed jar it seems to take over my whole refrigerator. Am I being overly sensitive to these smells?

That sent me down the rabbit hole and now I feel as if I am the only person in the whole world who has never heard of sauercorn. Fascinating.

Breakfast was a (purchased) garlic naan spread with some LGD, grated Gruyere cheese and chopped cherry tomatoes. My kraut is beginning to smell very strongly like rotting cabbage. Please tell me this is not the way it should smell.

On the other hand there are a number of recipes where a blender might make the difference between good and great. I am thinking of the bean dip, the sweet onion cauliflower purée and the But-A-Nut soup. I don’t think the lack of a blender should be a dealbreaker as there is plenty in this book to be enjoyed whether or not you have a blender.

I did a quick search for “blender” and it would seem that you could be quite challenged without one depending of course on the recipes that you chose to make.

Talk to us about sour (sauer?) corn!

I believe so. But I am no expert on mangos.

Thanks. He will be much missed by many, many people. Condolences to his family and friends.

I am reminded of a similar occurrence which would’ve been in the 60s. An American acquaintance, Gabe, took me and my husband to a Chinese restaurant in Toronto’s Chinatown. I no longer remember what we ate but I do know there were two menus - one in Chinese and one in English. And I recall very specifically looking around the restaurant and realizing that there might as well have been a wall between those who looked Asian and those who looked otherwise. Gabe did not order from any menu but spoke to a server to give our order. I am quite sure he ordered nothing that we would have real difficulty approaching but I wish I could remember more. The restaurant was far from posh. It’s street presence was almost nonexistent and I remember being a little uncomfortable as we climbed a narrow set of stairs to reach it.

About three years ago my number two son brought me a crispy chicken sandwich. It might have been from Burger King or perhaps from A&W. I can no longer remember. But I do remember how much I enjoyed it and have been hoping to have one again. So when @Kerry Bealsuggested that she pick up lunch at Hello Iris, I was all for it. Crispy chicken sandwich for me. Delicious but quite a challenge to eat. Chicken strips for Kerry with two sauces – – honey mustard and Thai sweet chilli.

You are starting to sound like me. Thank you for reminding me!

@liuzhoucould you indulge me and address the question of deep-fried egg/spring rolls? I understand they are not Chinese in origin but is there anything approximating them in the Chinese food world? (They are one of. my favourite “Chinese” foods.)

Wow! Just like caramelized onions it defies the laws of physics.

I don’t want to live in a world where quinoa replaces pork fat.

For probably the third time in my life I am attempting to make sauerkraut. All previous batches were consigned to the compost heap without ever being tasted. I have a real hangup with home fermentation (I am also somewhat of a freak with respect to food safety although I have not thrown out a single grain of salt that was past its best before date.) Sorry, Vivian, no cucumber in mine. When you must rely on others to do your grocery shopping then you often need to make compromises. I do not recall ever massaging salt into the cabbage in the other recipes that I made. My (ordibary green) cabbage was close to 4 pounds before being trimmed.It had reduced such that it fit it into a 1 quart mason jar by the time I was finishing massaging the salt into it and letting it sit for 15 minutes. This surprised me. I carefully pushed down the cabbage with a smaller jar two or three times yesterday and again this morning and it is well underwater (brine). Later today I will try and post a photograph so that our skeptic, @Duvel, will believe me if he is following this topic.

It will be a very different adventure this year I suspect but I’m awfully happy you’re taking us along as usual. Please stay safe.

Well, how sensible and freeing is that? Now when will it be OK to eat my peas with a spoon?

With so few print outlets left it’s hard to know where to look for an obituary. I know that after a recent loss in our family the obituary only appeared on the funeral home site.

We need a shudder emoji!

Flatbread — Chicken Arabbiata (purchased). The LDG is definitely growing on me. I tried it on one slice and then the next slice. I had barely enough willpower to put two slices aside for lunch. I think it improves with time.

Oh! Somehow I misread what you said and thought you were talking about a whole chicken. This one seemed more doable. Sorry I had a CRAFT/SENIOR moment!

Perhaps this one would appeal more. Click

I really appreciate the link so I hope you won’t take any of what else I have to say as personal! I know you’re not that thin-skinned. Felicity annoys the hell out of me. There is just too much of a sameness to her columns. She is wordy. But perhaps she is still on the old system of a penny a word. So much for Felicity. I have a strong aversion to meat and potato in a pie shell. Too many carbs. Nothing to do with nutrition or dieting. So it seems very reasonable that I would run away a barm pie. thanks again.

Exactly! That’s what I found so interesting. They backtracked.

So would you mind, when you have time, describing your oven method.