Sam Salmon

WOW! Some real chest beaters on this thread! Myself I've worked as a waiter in the past but not enough to be able to tell others how to do their jobs. I'm aware of all the cheap tricks as mentioned but don't frequent the kind of places they're played in all that much. As to someone touching me that's common in some ethnic places here-I think the younger servers think of me as 'elder uncle' and the older staff as 'part of the furniture'-but in an nice way

Linda-that fruit is not a Sapote but a Mamey. See This Link for photos of Mamey. You may already be aware that someone in Peru when describing something wondrous might say "Es Mamey"! Sapote both Black and White come in numerous shapes some of them somewhat resembling a Mamey but the flavour is quite different with Sapote (or Zapote) having a greater range of flavour.

Many travellers to Baja will know the 'Dragonfruit' as Pitahaya-a bland relatively flavourless fruit of some Cactus or other. Great to see some photos on the Board-this format is so bland it reminds me of Dragonfruit.

You Must Try This Place

I second the recommendation re:commercial restaurant equipment. Never pretty it lasts forever unlike so much of what's on offer.

Dang!!!

Anyone living/visiting/travelling through the Maple Ridge area should take the time to check out the selection of Wild smoked Salmon @ Bruce's Country Market 100% Wild Fish done a number of different ways at very reasonable prices. I was there today having 2 large Spring Salmon custom smoked and the place was doing a roaring trade-always an encouraging sign.

Given the enervating (well for Vancouver) heat of late this may just be the ticket-an event I've missed far too many times-perhaps this will be the year I finally make it. http://www.autumnbrewfest.com/

For Veggie try Foundation Restaurant 2301 Main Street 604.708.0881 Indian Veggie Annapurna 1812 W. Fourth Ave. 604.736.5959 Yaletown is not a pretense free zone BTW

Please no one mention Escabeche

Yup that's 'Andean Seafood' alright-a contradiction in terms if ever I heard one. I recognise the ketchup based sauce and feel the tough overcooked shrimp sticking between my teeth as I post. Ah memories....

Having lived in both Mexico and Costa Rica I'm well aware of the many uses of Ketchup-Thank You. In Guayaquil Ecuador street vendors offer ketchup as a 'no charge' add on but from what I've seen few use it. In Quito seafood is excellent but Ceviche is standard lime and salt with perhaps some corn added at the end. Out on the Santa Elena peninsula seafood is so fresh as to jump from the sea onto your plate and a bit of hot sauce is all that's added. One place I have had 'cooked ceviche' is in Colombian Caribbean beach towns (I was in Colombia in February)-it's 'ok' if it's less than a few hours old but as the day wanes becomes less and less desirable. One friendly Colombian jokingly told me I was better off being kidnapped by FARC than eating off a Cartagena street seafood cart that had sat in the sun all day. My favourite Mexican street style if found in the hot coastal city of Los Mochis Sinaloa-sweet mild and fresh with a multitude of add ons available. Farther south the smothering weight of tourist hordes and their bland tastes has resulted in a slackening of standards-a place like Zihuatanejo that once had numerous styles on offer is a culinary wasteland fit only for waddling Nebraskans and their ilk. Veracruz and along with a few Yucatecan locales alone retain any remnant of what was once a unique and thriving seafood culture. For more informed comment/info/opinion see http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/categories.cfm?catid=17

Well having spent a lot of time in Mexico these past two decades I have to say that I have never seen a Mexican actually cook their Camarones before making Ceviche-the idea is laughable. It's the acid in the Lime that cooks the protein in the fish and turns it white-the recipe you've posted reads to me like a glass of tough tasting Camarones-which is what many restaurants serve. The other ingredients in the serve only to obscure the flavour of the Camarones-to me simpler is better and for god's sake lose the ketchup!!! If you want something a little different then add fresh Oregano to the Lime juice like they do in Veracruz. A tad of fresh Coconut milk instead of Oregano and call it Fijian style which it will be more or less. A large Coctel de Camaron for say a dozen people can benefit form a teaspoon of Brandy.

Slice 3 Habaneros in half place in a bottle of Vodka for 3 days then remove. Keep Vodka in freezer for when you need a lift. Make a Ristra from the Longhorns by threading them on a strong piece of something to decorate your kitchen.They'll smell great too-for a while anyway.

In POS try Chutney Rose-open lunch & dinner. Also the street snacks known as Doubles are fabulous and addictive. Curried Chickpeas sandwiched between two chickpea flour chapatties.

For authentic Japanese try Dan 2511 W. Broadway. Priced right in a quiet neighbourhood.

Marlin from the Atlantic is in trouble in some places and I believe isn't allowed to be sold in the USA. Marlin from the Pacific is allowed to be sold though. The toughest Marlin is probably Striped but none are particularly tasty table fare-coarse dry flesh characterizes Marlin. Lots of Info Here None of it Cheery

In addition to Raw Salmon (both Sockeye and Spring) I regularly (usually weekly) consume Raw Albacore Tuna, Raw Yellowtail, Raw Yellowfin Tuna, Raw Scallops, Raw Abalone, Raw Shrimp, Raw Tai Snapper and whatever else is on the daily specials menu. I never invite anal bureaucrats from foreign countries along though-being Canadian I'm just too polite to tell them what I really think.

Freezing fish in water is an old old technique here in Canada-I remember my Dad freezing Walleye that way when I was a child in the early 60's. 3 years however is 2 years too long for fish of any stripe.

I'm a little late to this party but I have been catching/killing/eating raw Salmon for over 2 decades now-no probs/none/not ever. Most people worry too much it's a fact.

Thanks for all your suggestions-it all turned out fine in the end. All she brought were some terminally dry store bought Pakoras-which I doused in Matouk's-a small bottle of decent Champagne and some soggy Cherries. The Glass Noodle Salad, some seasoned Taiwanese Bamboo and a Papaya/Avocado salad w/artisan bread fed all four fine. Ducks and Corvids had to fend for themselves.

Despite my "restless solitary nature" Sam I work in an industry that requires well honed social skills-and I excel at what I do. The post is a joke 'Sam'-too bad you lack the basic comprehension skills to recognize it as such.

Here's the scene-tomorrow I'm invited to a picnic with some friends of a dear friend and despite my restless solitary nature I've assented. The dilemma is that the other couple have very different taste than mine-'bland as Belgium' as I wrote in another post on another matter.I swore to god I'd never ever eat anything that woman made even again but this AM she caught me in a good mood and I said I'd go now I can't back out. Does anyone have any funny/polite or otherwise innovative ways to decline someone's tasteless gunk? I plan on bringing a large Prawn/Glass Noodle Salad and possible having a snack beforehand-a few glasses of Gewürztraminer or Rotberger and I'll be all set but I don't want to offend anyone. TIA

I just drove through West Van and saw the Caspian Restaurant second floor downtown W Van. I mentioned to my companion that I'd never had Iranian food and she said she never had either so we both went "hmmm...". Does anyone here have any first hand experience with Iranian food and in particular any of the Iranian restaurants on the North Shore? I have visited a few Iranian groceries and found them somewhat dull apart from the bread.

At some point in my life I though I was consuming too much salt (I can't remember exactly why now though)-so I took a serious look at how I used salt in every step of preparing my food. Salt in pasta water seemed superfluous at best-leaving it out produced no appreciable change in flavour so why put it in? I now use very very little salt-although my taste buds have changed a bit as I age I now use a tad on tomatoes that I eat raw. Living as I do a few blocks from the sea and spending a certain amount of time boating I eat enough salt daily as it is.I do eat a lot of chile/herbs in my food so it's not as if my everyday fare is bland as Belgium. I just had a look @ the 800 gram container of sea salt I bought at Caper's over 10 years ago-it's still half full.