Pan

Isn't the whole idea a fusion? Thanks for the link to the banh mi thread. No pate on either of our sandwiches yesterday, I think. Suzi, I really have no idea what type(s) of flour they used in the bread. Good morning, everyone.

It turns out that there's an eGullet thread on wolfberries!

mudbug, I'm glad you revived this thread. We've had a discussion on wolfberries in my foodblog, starting here. (You can see the wolfberries in the cold sweet and sour lotus root dish, but I had forgotten their name.) I will put a link to this thread in my foodblog.

I guess a critique of Slow Food would be beyond the scope of your book? I'd be interested in seeing you elaborate on how you feel like that movement is deeply flawed (if I understood you correctly). If this isn't an appropriate thread for that, we could start another.

JY, one quick and possibly mistaken reaction: LA does not typify the US. Actually, no diverse urban area typifies the US. Though I could be wrong.

Thanks, Linda. Do you have any idea where the Portuguese place was located? I'm interested.

Thanks, kawan. (Kawan is Malay for friend.) I wish I could feature some Malaysian food in this blog, but I have yet to find anyplace in New York that really satisfies me. I'm drinking my nightly cup of hibiscus tea now.

When I was a little kid, my favorite thing for supper was ziti or mostaccioli rigatti with my mother's meatballs and tomato sauce based on Ada Boni's Il Talismano della Cucina with sausages, but she cooked all sorts of delicious things. One I always found a special treat was leg of lamb from the Swedish Princess cookbook, made with coffee and cream (she used milk), puree of onions and carrots, and plenty of pepper. Should I talk about the best things my father made, or save that for a different thread?

Here, ube is the word for purple sweet potato. It's not a form of taro. It's very similar to the purple Okinawan sweet potato. Both are sold in supermarkets here. Imported ube jam (for desserts) is also readily available. Edited to add: Pan, you might be thinking of a Filipino dessert that uses ube and taro. I'm not sure of its name... It's a lavender-colored coconut tapioca pudding that also contains cubes or ube, taro, and chewy mochi (sweet rice) dumplings. Kinda' strange to Western tastes, but I love it and would eat it frequently if it weren't for the cholesterol count! ← I'm not sure whether I've had that particular dessert or not. I think I may have been fooled by the taste, as well as the color. I've never thought "sweet potato" when I've had things with ube in them. Vision over taste? I guess I owe you an apology for ignorantly "correcting" you.

Dinner:

I don't remember what lavash is, and I'm not thinking of onion matzot at all. That's different.

I've continued to munch on more Ting Ting Jahe candies. I must get some more soon. Alright, I'm off to Tai Chi again. I'll take my camera along in case I decide to pick up something other than the yogurt and chocolate pudding I bought at the nearest grocery store a few hours ago.

Ann_T, that filete looks incredible! I love your pictures, too, Alinka. dockhl, that looks like strawberries and mango slices in your wine. I guess one of the fruits is tropical. Or did I miss other fruits?

Ube is taro, and I like it very much. I actually haven't had any Filipino food for some time. I tried the newish Filipino restaurant in my neighborhood a few months ago, and had a mixed experience. I remember liking my appetizer, but their Adobo was overly salty for my taste. Is it supposed to be really salty?

You can say that again! As far as I'm concerned, onions are one of God's greatest creations.

C'mon!! I'm a rookie compared to you!!!! ← Everyone has to start somewhere.

Hmm...that's different from what I was thinking of, but I know this, too, and like it very much. I may be describing something that should be called by another name. ← Heh. Check my previous post--I found another picture that looked closer to my childhood memories of a foccacia-sized bialy-thang. Here it is again ... ← Yeah. Looks good, too. So what's the crunchy onion bread I'm trying to describe called? Anyone know?

I agree with that. Point well taken. Ptipois, your point about regionality being more important for understanding European cuisines than national identity is also well-stated and well taken.

Onion board is also known as "pletzel" in Yiddish. The ones I fondly remember from my childhood weren't so much cracker-like as kinda like someone took a bunch of bialy dough and made a large, skinny, squarish foccacia-like thang with it. A little flaky, a little chewy, baked golden-brown, generously flecked with browned bits of onion. Insanely good with standard bagel-fixings. Edited to add: here is a picture of an onion board--this one's a little bit fatter than the ones I remember from when I was a kid. ← Hmm...that's different from what I was thinking of, but I know this, too, and like it very much. I may be describing something that should be called by another name.

Before I forget: Joyeux 14 juillet for those of you who are celebrating! I'm doing nothing for the holiday today, but I do have a great memory of the fantastic fireworks show in the Place de Chaillot in 1992. I was sitting in the Champs de Mars watching the French Air Force fighter planes fly overheard in formation and hearing excellent music that was synchronized with a bunch of lovely combinations of flower fireworks. And then there was that river of fire effect from fireworks dropped from near the museum toward the Place de Chaillot below. OK, end of flashback, and back to New York, year 2005.

Maybe one day you'll find a pearl in your sandwich, who knows... More seriously, really enjoying this blog... ← I'm sure there would be panic in the shop if jewelry got into the sandwiches...what a funny image! For those of you who don't know, zeitoun has been making himself a great source of information about inexpensive "ethnic" eateries in Astoria (part of Queens, New York) and so forth. So we two are kind of kindred spirits.

They use jicama in the sandwiches in NYC? Here, it's a carrot-and-daikon slaw. ← Yeah, I really think that was jicama. I didn't taste any of the bitterness of daikon in it. Perhaps mascarpone will weigh in later with his opinion.

There's at least one great Vietnamese sandwich place in New York: Banh Mi Saigon on Mott St. between Grand and Hester. I had a fantastic Banh Mi Gai (chicken) for lunch today, and my friend mascarpone got an equally great Banh Mi Saigon (with pork). Check it out! Report and pictures here.

Yeah, I was thinking Kashmir; I just wasn't sure enough to say it. I think there must be a lot of lily pads in that beautiful lake in Srinagar.

Oh, I just realized that I forgot to tell all you cost-conscious people what those two big sandwiches cost -- along with a Vietnamese iced tea for Matt (I didn't get a drink): $8. And Matt sprung for lunch today.