huiray

Under current usage, "Shepherd's Pie" would mean Ann_T used ground LAMB (or mutton) for her pie. Did she? She only said she used "cooked meat". If she used ground beef, then it is "Cottage Pie".

Yum!! http://chicago.eater.com/archives/2013/07/16/eat-like-chicago-chefs-and-bartenders-at-these-greasy-spoons.php I'm all for it. I've eaten at some of these places too. I've certainly had various meals at the Melrose at very, very late hours after, um, a fair number of beverages at certain establishments in the area. :-) The White Palace Grill is certainly a local icon and far more people than chefs-after-their-shifts dine there at wee hours of the night.

As many in Chicagoland may know, Fox & Obel has been one of the premier groceries in the area but has had problems especially in recent years. It seems the latest is being shut down by the Health Department. http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130715/streeterville/fox-obel-closes-abruptly-after-it-fails-health-inspection-report-says http://chicago.eater.com/archives/2013/07/16/fox-obel-shut-down.php http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130715/NEWS07/130719891/fox-obel-closes-citing-health-department-issues Cockroaches running around near cooking equipment, fruit flies on the walls...Ick.

Thanks for the nice compliment, hongda.

Some recent soups: • Fish balls, Italian basil & “Seafood Mushrooms” in chicken stock soup. [see: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-11#entry1922716] • Tofu & spinach soup. [see: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-11#entry1922716] • Lotus root & pork spare ribs soup. [see: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-11#entry1922716] • Pork & shrimp wontons w/ spinach, celery & scallions in a chicken broth. [see: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-11#entry1922716] • Asparagus & baby squash either in chicken broth or in chicken stock. [see: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-11#entry1923881] • Red Russian Kale in gingered chicken stock. [see: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-11#entry1923881] • "Harm Choy Tong" w/ pork spare ribs, tomatoes, tofu. [see: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-11#entry1923881] • A version of borscht. [see: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-11#entry1923881] • Pork belly & vegetable soup. [see: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-12#entry1925164] • Taiwan AA-choy in chicken broth. [see: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-12#entry1925164] • Meatless lotus root soup. (but dried cuttlefish used) [see: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-12#entry1925164]

Various recent meals. ------------- Lunch • Vegetable soup. Fresh baby carrots, celery, shallots, new potatoes, scallions, fresh oregano & thyme; chicken stock. • Pork stir-fried w/ young hydroponic collard greens [Eden Farms], with Shaohsing wine, luscious soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper. • White rice (Basmati). --------------------------- Lunch • Chicken & shrimp wontons w/ “Wong Nga Pak” (Napa cabbage) and skinny wonton noodles in a soup made from simmering chicken stock w/ dried thick-cap shiitake mushrooms & stems, some veggie oil, and generous dried wakame. --------------------------- Dinner • Fried rice. Two-day-old basmati (kept at RT); w/ garlic, peanut oil, chopped young kale, green beans, farm eggs, salt. --------------------------- Lunch • Pork belly & vegetable soup. Sliced pork belly was browned & sautéed w/ lightly crushed whole garlic cloves and vegetable oil, salted lightly, quenched w/ water and the mixture simmered for about 1½ hours or so. Roll-cut scrubbed fresh young carrots and small new red-skin potatoes were then added, followed by halved young new red-skinned onions about ¼ hour later. A mixture of baby zucchini, baby mottled green squash and baby dark green patty pans followed about ¼ hour later, the mix just brought to a simmer again and the heat shut off. --------------------------- Lunch • Sliced “Kitchen Sink” (this one) sausages [Smoking Goose, via Goose the Market] sautéed and slightly browned w/ olive oil; then w/ sliced shallots, broccoli florets, bâtonnet of carrots, fresh oregano (from my deck), dash of powdered sage, sea salt & ground black pepper. Tossed in the pan w/ whole-grain spaghetti cooked in the normal manner. --------------------------- Dinner & late supper • Chicken, celery, carrot & onion broth (see here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/144211-breakfast-2013/page-8#entry1925162) • Leftover spaghetti w/ Kitchen Sink sausage & etc. --------------------------- Lunch • Spicy chicken noodles [Nong Shim] w/ sliced fish cake (w/ carrots & peas), “wong nga pak” (Napa cabbage), chopped scallions & a fried egg. --------------------------- Lunch • “Pak Cham Kai” (白切雞) [Asiamart] w/ garlic-ginger sauce [Asiamart] and chilli sauce (Sambal Bangkok + fresh lime juice + rice vinegar + sweet mirin + etc). • Basmati rice tossed w/ chopped julienned ginger sautéed in chicken fat, chicken stock paste w/ soybean oil, salt, sugar, galangal and then cooked in the usual manner. • Roma beans stir-fried w/ garlic. • Taiwan AA-choy in chicken broth. • “Lou Por Pang” (“Sweetheart cake”; 老婆餅) [Asiamart; made by K.W. (光華) Inc., NYC]. ---------------------------- Nibbles & munchies off-and-on • Pieces of a “Wheat Branch Loaf” [Brotgarten] w/ and w/out butter. ---------------------------- Dinner • Soup. Lotus root, dried red jujubes, dried “tung koo” (冬菇), dried cuttlefish (小墨魚乾) (this one), sea salt, oil, water. ---------------------------- Lunch • Lotus root soup (leftovers). • Baby “Pull Mustard” (雪裡紅) (young plants of this type) stir-fried w/ garlic & a splash of sweet mirin [Honteri]. • Sweet-Spicy-Sour fresh shrimp,¶ shell-on head-on.§ • White rice (Basmati). ¶I used this recipe as a jumping-off point. Modified it quite a bit. Used tomato ketchup [Heinz; “Simply Heinz”], fresh lime juice, rice vinegar, “gula melaka”, light soy sauce [Pearl River Superior], some fish sauce [Red Boat], ryori-shu [MRT] for the “sauce”. Chopped de-seeded semi-ripe “green” long hot chillies instead. Quite a lot more finely chopped fresh ginger. Generous chopped scallions, ditto ground white & black pepper. Some sea salt. §Fresh Pacific white shrimp from Bedrock Springs Seafood Farm.

One breakfast last week: Chicken broth w/ some chicken flesh & veggies. Chicken quarters w/ all fat & skin left on were simmered for about 6-7 hours w/ celery, carrots, yellow onions and sufficient sea salt. Excess fat was skimmed off. Left overnight on the stovetop, then reheated and resimmered for a short while and a little more fat skimmed off. Nicely unctuous broth w/ lots of gelatin. Several bowls of it drunk w/ some of the vegetables, plus a bit of the residual chicken meat. Yum, very satisfying.

http://www.thekitchn.com/glorious-garlic-how-to-change-105533 http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/01/ask-the-food-lab-on-developing-garlic-flavor.html http://forums.egullet.org/topic/144730-garlic-flavor-without-the-garlic/#entry1913181 (or go here directly for the pdf of the citation referred to: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/136/3/716S.full.pdf) Depends on the garlic variety too. http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/overview.htm

Some meals from the past week or two. ----------- Lunch • Chicken & shrimp wontons [Prime Food] in chicken stock w/ skinny wonton noodles & “King Chung” (large variety of scallion, similar to Japanese “Negi”). • “Kai Lan” stir-fried w/ garlic in veggie oil, quenched w/ a mixture of oyster sauce [LKK], Hokkaido kelp flavor soy sauce [Wei Chuan], drunken chicken marinade [LKK], sesame oil [Dragonfly], lime ponzu sauce [Kikkoman] & ground white pepper. -------------- Late dinner • “Tai Yee Ma Kar Lui” (大姨媽嫁女). ------------- Dinner • Pickled sour mustard soup (“Harm Choy Tong”) w/ short-cut pork spare ribs, sliced Red Zebra tomatoes, sliced ginger, garlic, sliced firm tofu, some rice vinegar [Marukan], rock sugar, and sea salt. • White rice (Basmati). ------------- Lunch • A riff on borscht. Sliced Chioggia beets, shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, tomato paste, water, salt, bay leaves, olive & veggie oils. • Roma beans (halved lengthwise) sautéed w/ olive oil, ripe hothouse tomato, sliced shallot. Sea salt. • Pan-fried T-bone steak w/ salt & pepper; sliced boiled Chioggia beets; Cipriani tagliarelle aglio e olio. --------------- Late lunch • Young romaine, green leaf lettuces, and fresh snow peas blanched in oiled hot water; drained, drizzled w/ oyster sauce & dusted w/ white pepper. • Thai-style steamed fresh (never frozen) barramundi (pla ka pong) fillets skin-on; w/ lime juice, lime slices, chopped Thai chillies, sliced fresh thick-cap shiitake mushrooms (“tung koo”), grated fresh ginger, finely chopped garlic, sesame oil, a bit of light soy sauce & some fish sauce, a bit of sugar, scallions & coriander leaves. • White rice (Thai Hom Mali). -------------- Dinner • A riff on Tom Som Pla Ka Pong. Minced shallots, shrimp paste in soybean oil, crushed & minced coriander roots, freshly ground white pepper, sautéed in peanut oil; then finely chopped coriander stems and julienned & coarsely chopped ginger; then fish sauce, tamarind concentrate, palm sugar; then slices of barramundi (pla ka pong) (skin on), “fried” a bit on each side; then just sufficient water and pieces of scallions (~2 inch lengths) added, brought to a simmer for a few minutes, then served immediately w/ white rice. Lunch • Sort-of Tom Som Pla Ka Pong Round 2. The leftover sauce (still quite a bit, with broken-up fish in it as well) was augmented w/ fresh [finely diced shallots, ginger & garlic sautéed in peanut oil w/ shrimp paste in soybean oil & fish sauce & palm sugar & tamarind concentrate & fresh lime juice], simmered for a bit to blend, then fresh thicker slices of de-skinned barramundi (pla ka pong) added plus generous fresh sliced scallions and coriander leaves & stems. Salting adjusted. • Fresh broccoli florets, baby zucchini & green and yellow baby pattypan squash – stir-fried w/ garlic in peanut oil. • White rice (Thai Hom Mali).

You're welcome. BTW I think you meant "Singaporean", not "Singapuri"; and "Malaysian", not "Malay". ("Malay" refers to an ethnic group, "Malaysian" refers to a nationality. Also, the Malays are not associated with Hainanese Chicken Rice (even if they like to eat it a lot), whereas Chinese-Malaysians are.) Note also that Malaysians do use pandan in their HCR depending on the place, not that they do not at all. The recipes I quoted from the Google answer set include recipes from emigres from both Singapore as well as Malaysia, whether using pandan or not. (There is at least one answer from an apparent Singaporean emigre which does not use pandan) (The answer set includes many other recipes from lots of folks on the subsequent pages of the answer set that use or do not use pandan) Of course you are free to personally consider pandan a necessary part of HCR but as I mentioned it is not *necessary* for the dish to be called "Hainanese Chicken Rice" and there are plenty of recipes (rather than no recipes, by implication, as you first posted about¶) that do *not* use pandan for HCR. Enjoy your HCR! ¶ (when you said that *every* recipe that you could find (without further qualification) had pandan as a "major component of the flavor")

Really? That seems odd. I can find any number of recipes which do not use or call for pandan leaves. In any case you don't NEED pandan leaves to make decent HCR. I myself don't normally use them in making my rice for HCR, even though I can get them (frozen) easily in my area. In many places in the region of origin of HCR the use of pandan leaves is not universal. In some places (especially Singapore) folks would tend to do so, but in other places (such as in Malaysia) they would not. Oh really? really? could you list the recipes do not call for pandan leaves, and to be fair those recipes that DO call for pandan leaves? Maybe we live in different worlds? Here is the Google answer set for "Hainanese Chicken Rice": http://www.google.com/search?aq=f&ix=seb&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=hainanese+chicken+rice+recipe Here are the first eight answers, starting from the top: http://www.steamykitchen.com/5068-hainanese-chicken-rice.html http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Hainanese-Chicken-Rice-103554 http://rasamalaysia.com/chicken-rice/2/ http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/hainanese-chicken-rice-recipe/index.html http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipe/127/hainanese_chicken_rice http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/09/hainanese-chicken-rice-singapore-recipe.html The sixth answer is really the same as the fifth. Of these seven, only one (heh, which is the Rasa Malaysia link, true) calls for pandan leaves and one calls for it as optional. The others do not list it as an ingredient. I also grew up in Malaysia. I ate many a serving of HCR in many places that did not use pandan leaves while other places used it. If my mother made it at home she alternated between using it and not using it, even though there were two big bushes of pandan right behind the kitchen in our backyard.

Really? That seems odd. I can find any number of recipes which do not use or call for pandan leaves. In any case you don't NEED pandan leaves to make decent HCR. I myself don't normally use them in making my rice for HCR, even though I can get them (frozen) easily in my area. In many places in the region of origin of HCR the use of pandan leaves is not universal. In some places (especially Singapore) folks would tend to do so, but in other places (such as in Malaysia) they would not.

Forgive me, but I am a little confused as to why you seem to wish to seek a Californian experience in Savannah, GA? Why not seek out experiences there which you would not readily enjoy in CA, including a formal dinner at a table in the Pink House in the US Southern style? Just wondering.

Some recent meals. ---------------------- • Cubes of soft tofu tossed w/ ground chuck/sirloin sautéed w/ sliced ginger, hoisin sauce [Lee Kum Kee], oyster sauce [Lee Kum Kee], laodouban [Youjia] (友加老豆瓣 ; Yale Cantonese: yau5 ga1 lou5 dou6 faan6) (Pixian fermented broad bean paste), fish sauce [Red Boat] and chopped scallions (lots). • White rice (Thai Hom Mali). ----------------------- • Leftover stewed pork belly (a la Babi Chin), now nicely matured in taste, w/ skinny wonton noodles. • Cauliflower florets & skinny asparagus tossed w/ caramelized sliced shallots & cippolini onions, salted to taste w/ a splash of mirin. ------------------------ • Salad of red frisee, green frisee, black plum tomato & sliced raw fat asparagus tossed w/ a vinaigrette of coarse Dijon mustard, sugar, rice vinegar [Marukan], olive oil [unio], ryori-shu [MRT], fresh ground black pepper, mirin [Honteri]. Yum. 2nd & 3rd helpings resulted in the big bowl of salad being demolished. • Cantonese-style steamed pompano. Marinated in the usual manner w/ the usual stuff, steamed, then the fish alone dressed w/ more scallions & ginger w/ a soy sauce mixture using various stuff & hot oil. (Look it up, on this thread and elsewhere, for details) • Rice. (Basmati) Demolished fish: ------------------------- • Chioggia beets, simply boiled. De-skinned, sliced, dusted w/ black pepper & salt and drizzled w/ 8-year-old balsamic vinegar. • Farm-fresh romaine lettuce blanched in oiled hot water, drained, dressed w/ ponzu sauce & black & white pepper. -------------------------- • Beef short ribs (browned) slow-stewed w/ onions, fresh baby carrots, older carrots, oregano, thyme, sage, miscellaneous other stuff. Served w/ white rice (Basmati). -------------------------- • Asparagus & baby squash in chicken stock. • Cauliflower & snow peas stir-fried w/ garlic. • Cantonese-style steamed big-mouth bass. • White rice (Thai Hom Mali). -------------------------- • “Kwun Tong” with chili leaves, beef balls w/ tendon, poached eggs, in a chicken stock. Eaten w/ white rice as a soupy dish. -------------------------- Hainanese Chicken Rice. Round 1: Lunch. Chicken poaching stock w/ chopped scallions & coriander leaves. Chicken liver sauce. Rice w/ chicken fat, chicken stock, garlic, ginger, seasonings. Poached chicken chopped & drizzled w/ light soy sauce. Round 2: Dinner. Chicken poaching stock w/ asparagus, baby squash & coriander leaves. Chicken, liver sauce, rice as from lunch. Plus fresh maitake mushrooms sautéed w/ a little sliced ginger. ------------------------------ • Spaghetti w/ liver sauce simmered w/ coriander roots & coriander stems. ------------------------------ • Chopped Red Russian Kale in gingered chicken poaching stock. • Black plum tomatoes, a ripe hoophouse tomato & generous chopped fresh Genovese basil stewed w/ a soffrito of carrots, celery & shallots, seasoned to taste. Served w/ Cipriani tagliarelle. • Sockeye salmon marinated w/ Dijon mustard, olive oil, a little salt, a little sugar, freah black pepper; poached in Sauvignon Blanc w/ fresh thyme leaves. The poaching liquid was reduced w/ a good knob of butter added in to give a dressing sauce. • Baby zucchini sautéed in olive oil. • Maitake mushrooms sautéed in veggie oil.

Various recent meals. Lunch • Fish balls [Venus brand], Italian basil & “Seafood Mushrooms”¶ in chicken stock soup. • More of the braised pork hocks from the previous day, on rice. ¶From Shanghai [Xuerong company; 雪榕] in packages. (These. Google translation.) They are called “Seafood Mushrooms” (“海鮮菇”) but are essentially what are normally called white beech mushrooms in English or “bunapi-shimeji” mushrooms in Japanese, just larger and with more differentiated/separate stems, like shimeji mushrooms on steroids. :-) Lunch • Tofu & spinach soup. Smashed garlic was sautéed in peanut oil, quenched w/ Shaohsing wine [Asian Taste brand], “Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce with Hokkaido Kelp Flavor” [Wei Chuan] and chicken stock. Simmered for a bit, then soft tofu slices added in followed after a few minutes by fistfuls of trimmed/washed spinach to just wilt in and the heat shut off. Very late dinner • De-skinned sockeye salmon fillet – lightly tossed with veggie oil, sea salt & black pepper; then simply pan-fried. • Fried salmon skin “chip”. • Fresh rigatoni [Nicole-Taylor’s] (cooked in the usual manner) tossed in the pan w/ sautéed garlic, chopped tomatoes, baby zucchini, crushed dried thyme, sea salt, blanched broccoli florets (basically in that order; pasta last of course). Lunch • “Yau Mak Choy”. Romaine lettuce “flash stir-fried” w/ smashed garlic & quenched w/ a mixture of assorted savory sauces. • Pan-fried sockeye salmon steak; pre-marinated in dijon mustard (w/ horseradish) [Maille], sauvignon blanc, fresh lime juice, sweet mirin [Honteri], ground white pepper, olive oil. • Thick spaghetti [Nicole-Taylor’s] (sold labeled as pici) with spring green onions (white parts mainly), sliced white mushrooms, freshly picked asparagus sautéed with some of the marinating liquid for the salmon. Lunch • Linguine [barilla] tossed in the pan w/ sautéed chopped Jamón Serrano, fresh sugar snap peas, fresh young broccoli florets and an egg tossed in and scrambled right at the end. Dinner • Lotus root soup; with pork spare ribs¶ (short-cut), garlic, normal Chinese red jujubes, a honey jujube, dried scallops, dried shiitake mushrooms, sea salt. ¶Cartilaginous ones. Sautéed w/ the garlic, salted lightly, water added plus the dried scallops, dried de-stemmed mushrooms (thick-cap flower-patterned; “Far Koo”), dried red jujubes and the honey jujube and simmered for about an hour before adding the sliced lotus root and simmering for about ½ hour more. Lunch • Spinach blanched in oiled hot water, dressed w/ ponzu sauce (lime) & fresh ground black pepper. • Radiatore [Nicole-Taylor’s] tossed w/ sautéed young red spring onions, smashed garlic, sliced button mushrooms & fresh young broccoli florets (lots). No pic, I had already gobbled more than half of it before I remembered the camera sitting to the side. Lunch • Broccoli florets stir-fried w/ cellophane noodles with garlic & various savory sauces. I don’t remember exactly which sauces I used. I do this sort of thing “on the fly” and unless I write it down at once I will forget what exactly went into it. I simply use the principles of what I wish to achieve in a general sense when I do spontaneous stuff like this. Lunch • Pork & shrimp wontons w/ spinach, celery & scallions in a chicken broth.¶ ¶The chicken broth was made from long-simmering chicken frames (pastured chickens) w/ celery, carrots & sea salt. Lunch A meal w/ 2 friends at The Libertine, Indianapolis. • Bacon Flight – lamb bacon, jowl bacon, Smoking Goose bacon. 3 Dipping sauces. • Devilled Eggs – classic, beet-pickled with horseradish, smoked whitefish & caviar. • Duck fat frites, as a starter. Various dipping sauces. • Cauliflower w/ caramelized onions & etc. • PEI Mussels steamed w/ saffron, pastis, fennel & white wine & bread. • Bison Sloppy Joe w/ duck fat frites. • Fortunata of Smoking Goose Lamb Ham w/ egg salad & kimchee. • A couple of Aviation cocktails & a couple of excellent white wines (Dr H Riesling; Tres Olmos). Lunch • Pork short-cut spare ribs, rehydrated “far koo” (flower-patterned thick-cap shiitake mushrooms), smashed garlic, sea salt & chopped de-ribbed kale (added towards the end) soup; eaten w/ soba noodles (cooked in the usual manner), w/ a couple farm-fresh eggs broken into and poached in the simmering soup before putting everything together. Lunch • Sliced pork belly in sauce. A dish loosely based on Nyonya-style “Babi Chin”. Generous sliced shallots sautéed in peanut oil till just beginning to brown. Finely chopped garlic & ginger added, sautéed more. Veggie oil added. Ground Buah Keluak (candlenuts) (mortar & pestle) added, the mixture stirred. Ground coriander seed (very generous amount), a little ground cumin & a small scattering of whole cloves added and the mixture stirred. A couple dollops of Guilin Chili Sauce [Lee Kum Kee] and 2 tablespoons of Thick Soy Sauce [Koon Chun] added in and the mixture stirred. Sliced pork belly was added in and the whole sautéed/stirred for a short while. Hokkaido Kelp Flavor Soy Sauce [Wei Chuan] and rice vinegar [Marukan] were added in and sautéeing continued. Water was added and the whole brought to a boil then simmered for about an hour to an hour-and-a-half. Halved white wax potatoes were put in about halfway through. • Zucchini sticks: White-and-green patterned, yellow, and normal green young zucchini, cut into quartered or halved sticks, sautéed w/ garlic & sea salt in veggie oil. • Steamed white rice (Basmati).

Ann_T, nice stuff. BTW if you ever had Chinese, Japanese or Korean guests you might not want to stick those chopsticks in that fried rice like you pictured. It symbolizes the joss sticks one lights, stuck in that pot of sand, for the funeral of whoever one is mourning.

Yes, this is "Malabar Spinach" as Heidi as said. It need not become too slimy (as Dejah said) if you cook it "just barely" - like just wilting it in a soup (as Heidi mentioned). Think of the treatments for okra to make it less "slimy". MIcrowaving it is not something I would do with it, BTW, so far as my inclinations go.

Too much cheese. I prefer my onion soup to be onion soup, as opposed to melted cheese with onion flavor, however that onion flavor was achieved.

Plantes Vertes, glad you have come to like (at least some) broth-soups with unblended stuff in it. Some recent soups: • Edible amaranth (Amaranthus dubius; 莧菜; green variety) in chicken stock w/ smashed garlic & softened dried shrimp (“Har Mai”). (See: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-11#entry1919422) • Young kale wilted in chicken stock with garlic & olive oil. (See: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-11#entry1919959) • Fresh asparagus & broccoli briefly simmered in chicken stock. (See: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-11#entry1920164) • Pork spare ribs & wolfberry leaves soup. (See: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-11#entry1921696) • Pork, daikon & radish soup. (See: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-11#entry1921696)

• Simple soup of pork spare ribs, short-cut against the bone, sautéed w/ garlic; quenched w/ water, sea salt added, simmered for ~ 1hr; then washed & trimmed “kau kee choy” or “kau kei choy” (枸杞菜) (Wolfberry leaves; a different plant from the one that gives “wolfberry fruits”) (Baidu article; Google translation) added and the soup returned to a simmer for a few minutes. • Cappelini tossed in the pan w/ sautéed morels, sliced baby zucchini & spring onions. • Slices of Jamón Serrano. • Head-on shell-on fresh farmed Pacific White Shrimp [Bedrock Springs Seafood Farm] stir-fried w/ scallions, Thai chillies, lots of pepper, sufficient sea salt, dash of fish sauce [Red Boat]. • “Wong Nga Pak” (Napa cabbage) stir-fried w/ fresh oyster mushrooms & white beech mushrooms, salted to taste. • Steamed white rice (Basmati). • Fried rice. Chopped red-stemmed young spring onions, sliced young spring garlic, sea salt, stir-fried w/ veggie oil; four farm eggs, day-old steamed white rice. Reserved. Chopped Chinese celery sautéed w/ peanut oil & a dash of fish sauce [Red Boat]. Fried rice added back in, everything tossed and stirred together more. • Sliced purple asparagus sautéed w/ chopped not-as-young green spring onion (this went into the oil first), sliced fresh oyster mushrooms & fresh shiitake mushrooms. • Beef & green onion shui kow (or sui kow or sui gow) dumplings [Wei Chuan] and Pork, leek & shrimp shui kow dumplings [Wei Chuan]. • Skinny wonton egg noodles. • Chicken stock simmered w/ a bit of oil and several whole ikan bilis (dried anchovies) [鴻昌隆 brand; English company name given as “Eastern Oceanic Enterprises”] plus a couple of dried far koo [紅葉 brand; “Red leaf”] plus some dried far koo stems. Mushrooms & anchovies removed, the stems trimmed off the mushrooms and the caps returned to the stock. • Chiffonaded young kale, simmered briefly in the stock above. All served together as a bowl of shui kow tong mein. • Pork, daikon & radish soup. Short-cut pork spare ribs and a few chunks of thick-cut pork shoulder were sautéed with halved cloves of garlic in vegetable oil plus some sea salt. Sufficient water was added, brought to a simmer, most of the foam skimmed off, two honey dates/jujubes¶ added and simmering continued (covered) for about an hour. Peeled daikon cut into large sticks were added, followed after ~10 min. by trimmed French breakfast radishes and fresh shiitake mushrooms (stems removed) and simmering continued for about half an hour or so. • Spiced sautéed red-stemmed Swiss chard, purple asparagus, tomato & white wax potatoes. Garam masala plus additional ground coriander was sutéed briefly in veggie oil, sliced white wax potatoes and sea salt added and the mix tossed around. A large chopped-up ripe tomato (hoophouse) was added and the mix stirred till juices were released. Trimmed sliced purple asparagus was added, the mix tossed; then chopped chard added and the mix stirred (partly covered) till the chard was wilted in. ¶ I used Huizhou (region) honey dates (徽州蜜棗) [Golden Lion brand]. Honey dates/jujubes are Chinese jujubes (Ziziphus jujuba) preserved by soaking in honey then dried. • Salad of red-leaf romaine & purple asparagus. Dressed w/ Maussane-les-Alpilles olive oil [Moulin Jean-Marie Cornille, Fruité Noir], 8-year-old Modena balsamic, sea salt & fresh ground black pepper. • Sockeye salmon fillet, de-skinned. Steamed w/ some veggie oil, fresh lime juice, sweet mirin [Honteri], a bit of Shaohsing wine [Wei Chuan], sliced scallions, sea salt and white and black pepper. • Mushroom medley. White beech, oyster, Baby Bella mushrooms and trimmed scallions sautéed w/ julienned ginger in veggie oil; with sea salt & a dash of rice wine (廣東米料酒) [Twin Lantern brand]. • White rice (Basmati). • Chioggia beets & greens. Beet simply cooked in simmering water w/ salt. The inner leaves/hearts of the greens blanched in oiled simmering water. Plated, drizzled w/ 8-year-old Modena balsamic vinegar & Maussane-les-Alpilles olive oil, dusted w/ sea salt & freshly ground black pepper. • Pistachio gelato. From Goose the Market. • Linguine w/ lamb bacon, “Dodge City” salami, cippolini onions, broccoli florets, baby zucchini, Baby Bella mushrooms and fried eggs. Sliced-up lamb bacon and “Dodge City” salami [both from Goose the Market] were sautéed in veggie oil. Sliced cippolini onions [Goose the Market] were added, the mix tossed/stirred; quartered baby zucchini [Steffen’s Quiet Springs Farm] were added followed after a few minutes by sliced Baby Bella mushrooms and then parboiled broccoli florets [Nading Farm]. After tossing a bit, al dente just-cooked (normal manner) linguine [barilla] was added and everything tossed and mixed for a bit in the hot pan. Served w/ fried farm eggs [Schacht Farm] sunny-side up on top. • Braised pork hocks.¶ • Chinese long beans (Vigna unguiculata ssp. sesquipedalis) stir-fried w/ garlic. • White rice (Basmati). ¶Sliced ginger & smashed garlic were sautéed in veggie oil. Pork hock slices were browned in that. A good dollop of mutenka shiro miso [Maruman] was added, plus sea salt. Sufficient water was added, the stuff brought to a simmer, generous rice vinegar [Maruchan], Shaohsing wine [Wei Chuan & Asian Taste] and light soy sauce [Pearl River Superior] were added in. Rehydrated small “Far Koo” [flower-pattern thick-cap shiitake nushrooms] and two softened honey jujubes were added in. A good pour of peanut oil [Oriental Mascot] was added and “sufficient” rock sugar was thrown in. The mix was simmered for about 1½ hours with star anise (small handful) and cinnamon (2 sticks) added in about halfway through. Salting was adjusted. Daikon (cut into sticks) was added and simmering continued for ½ hour or so.

No, I haven't - I was turned off by even the "normal" quarter pounder (at least as offered by the franchises in my area) by how comparatively dry and sad-looking it had become, the last time I tried it, relative to what it was before. The Big Macs I thought were better even if they have also declined in quality. The F-o-F I still have a soft spot for and would be what I tend to go for when I drop by a McD.

The video posts the temp as 180ºC as overlaid text for a few moments when the chef held his palm over the pan to "feel" how hot it was.

Grace Garden in Odenton is just a bit SW of BWI and I understand is considered one of the finest places around to have some Chinese food, if your party wants some of that. I myself have not eaten there but the place is thought by some folks to be equivalent to very good places (or even better) in NY or even SF. There are two menus - the trick is to order off the "Chinese" menu; or alternatively speak with the wait staff or the chef. The price-to-performance ratio should be very good. http://gracegardenchinese.com/ https://www.google.com/search?q=%22grace+garden%22+odenton+review&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Seems to me perfectly legit to call an omelette French or Parisian, since that's where the word comes from. Of course it is legit. It is a French word. If we were talking about oh chien, it would be a different story. Perhaps so. Still, one needs to consider that the meanings of words change over time - and what one calls "an omelette" nowadays does not mean what was called such a thing back in the days when French cuisine and French vocabulary dictated what was acceptable in the culinary world and when only the Western/French world-view was the only game in town.

:-) Here's a vid of a "hawker stall" in Penang, Malaysia, putting out a plate of oyster omelette a.k.a. "oh chien": (The Taiwan version can be much more involved, but in any case both will NOT look like the "Parisian omelette" hotly debated here) p.s. To those who would object that this is not an "omelette" but a "scramble"¶ - well, perhaps one is applying French (Parisian?) standards to a non-French cuisine. ¶ Note also that "scrambled eggs" means only one specific type of thing (those soft, colorless, billowy curds) in French cuisine whereas it may mean lots of different things in non-French cuisine.