Pan

My mother once made an elder flower pie from Fabulous Feasts, and it was quite good - a kind of custard plus elder flowers. The taste is subtle but nice. When I was in camp in the upper Delaware (which is in New York state) as a 13-year-old, I took some nature walks guided by a 16-year-old counselor who was knowledgeable about such things (she or the other counselor who sometimes shared guide duty warned us that the only clear difference between Queen Anne's lace and hemlock was the bitter smell of the hemlock and that we should avoid things that look like Queen Anne's lace unless and until we're absolutely sure we know the difference). Among the things we gathered were elder flowers. We fried them plain and they were pleasant. Elder flower tea is also nice for a change. Do you have wood sorrel growing plentifully around your area? That's something I can recognize anywhere and like. The only problem is that each plant is so small that you really have to snip a lot of them to get much food.

How could I not? ← Most people don't. Some don't even visit. You've really gone out of your way to be wonderful and nurturing.

On my last trip to Paris, I also noticed a very large number of what we'd call "mixed" or "interracial" couples in the U.S., with one member of the couple being of sub-Saharan origin. I'm not sure how much the influx and integration of people from countries like Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire and Mali has affected home cooking in Paris generally, though. Any insights?

Marlene, you are a really wonderful person to bring all that delicious food!

It seems to me that in recent years -- particularly in post-Ford Republican administrations like Reagan's and GW Bush's -- the Sherman Act has been treated as virtually a dead letter, with anti-competitive monopolists and oligopolists favored over small businesses, despite rhetoric to the contrary. Am I operating under a misimpression? Also, I'd love if you'd elaborate on the implications in the food and drink industry. Are you suggesting that there may be a Sherman Act prosecution of Costco in the near future?

Happy to hear that! I'll look forward to a fuller report in the Alto thread.

I haven't checked out De Marco's, but you can get excellent slices at Patsy's in East Harlem. Of course, that's quite a distance from the Village.

[Emily Litella voice from the old Saturday Night Live] Nevermind! [/Emily Litella voice]

Let's call the whole thing off...

This is really interesting so far! So the leaves impart a taste but you don't eat them, is that right? Also, I thought gumbo file' was powdered sassafras leaves. I guess that's a different variety of sassafras? Educate an ignorant Northerner.

Thanks for the link. That's great reportage!

I must have missed that episode. What's the basic premise?

The Yuyuan Gardens are not small, they're really big, especially compared with the gardens in Suzhou, and they're in Shanghai. Undoubtedly, it took you an hour to get there by bus from wherever you were staying (the Pudong side?), but they are decidedly in the city, although rather peaceful and very lovely.

Omar I'll give you, but Fatima is also a place of Christian pilgrimage in Portugal. Back to food, though.

What makes the couscous tricolor?

Go Lucy!

What about Surinamese markets, perhaps? Just a thought, could be useless.

I think pomegranate molasses is a great idea, and I do think it would probably go with olives (think Iran). I wonder about the basil in that combination, though - perhaps mint instead? The evergreen quality of the rosemary might well work in that combination, though.

Here's part of the Observer article for the record:

Editorial in The New York Times today: "In Vino, Some Split-Decision Veritas"

I love the dessert pizza ideas.

Yeah, it's a little different from Long Beach, isn't it? Well, it looks like you've acclimated very well to your current surroundings and know most of the really good places to shop in the area. Thanks for sharing them and a week of your life with us.

OK, here are search results for China forum threads with "Shanghai" in the title.

Shanghai cuisine is great! We've had some threads on Shanghai (I'll try to remember to check for their URLs on my next grading break), but the main thing is, just avoid places that obviously cater to Western tourists. Shanghai is known for all kinds of dumplings, famously including xiaolong bao (soupy dumplings with pork or pork and crab); noodle soups; scallion pancakes; and all sorts of main dishes -- too many to describe, really. In terms of foodstuffs to bring back to the U.S., unless it's canned or in a bag, I wouldn't risk trying to bring it in. Given that, I'm not sure your sister will find anything you couldn't buy at a Chinese foodstuffs store near you (if there is any).

Thanks for the update, but what does a "taxpayer" structure mean?