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In all my other posts on this thread, I was referring to ice cream if not otherwise identified as yogurt. I find the sorbet too sugary. I feel the same way about "fat-free" muffins I've had. I guess I prefer a little fat with my sugar.

I want everything you took a picture of!!!!

That's great! I'm sure your cleaning lady appreciates being treated with respect and kindness. When I last visited Malaysia in 2003, my parents stayed for a time at a "villa" (really a kind of fairly rough outbuilding) owned by a sometimes-absentee former-government-official landlord by the South China Sea. He had an Indonesian servant who also was deputized to clean clothes for us as part of the return for the rent my parents were paying. My mother at first thought she wasn't nice, but I said I had had some conversations with her and found her perfectly OK. And I had the idea that the next time we bought some fruit at market, we should do the thing rural Malays normally do with neighbors: Give her some. So we gave her a kilo or half-kilo of rambutan or jambu air (water apples? I forget the English name) or mangosteen or bananas each time we came back from a market while I was there. Seeing that we were treating her nicely, she baked some tasty cakes for us and brought them over. We ultimately deduced that she had been accustomed to nasty treatment from her employer, and therefore had good reason to be suspicious of us until we showed her we were good people. Decency and caring goes a long way, and sharing food can be a very good way to show that.

What are they smoking in their sheesha pipes? Also, and more on-topic, what kind of interaction have you had with your neighbors and have you shared food and drink with some of them? I'm also wondering whether new foreign residents get any invites to celebrations of Eid and other Muslim holidays celebrated there. (I believe you would have been there during the recent Eid al-Adha.) I'm sure the foods for Eid in the Emirates must be delicious! Perhaps you bought some at a market?

I just did a quick web search and confirmed that Karkade are in fact hibiscus flowers: Karkade (Iced Hibiscus Drink) The recipe at that link is from "The New Book of Middle Eastern Food" by Claudia Roden.

Those look like very high-quality hibiscus flowers to me. If so, I'm using some right now (organic from Tanzania, but probably of somewhat lower quality)! They make a good, bracingly-tart tea. People have also made sorbets from them and so forth. They're a good ingredient. In terms of what to do with banana flower and stem, here are some threads for you to refer to: Banana flower & stem on the India Forum Preparing Banana Blossoms I've never, to my knowledge, had banana stem, and there's clearly more to be said about what to do with it. I have an unrelated question: My experience of Dubai is limited to changing planes on the way to Kuala Lumpur and back in July-August 2003. I couldn't help noticing that people smoke all over the airport (though, ironically, there is a "smoking lounge" in a particular room). Do you find that there is thick cigarette smoke everywhere you shop and go out for a meal or snack? Thanks in advance for your answer, and I'm looking forward to more pictures! And now, I think I'll have some more hibiscus tea.

[...] ← Now, they have to compare coffee-drinking vs. tea-drinking.

My father got his own meat-grinder a few years ago, after the first case of mad cow in the US was reported. He's happy to grind his own meat and does feel that's safer, because he knows he's not including any spinal cord tissue and so forth in it.

Very high, I'd say. If you're concerned, see if you can park it directly in front of the restaurant so you can see it, but crime is way down in New York in general and Harlem in particular over the last 10-15 years, and that includes thefts of cars, car parts, and things in cars. It's good, though, if you are able to take the precaution of not having anything that looks potentially valuable being visible on a seat or the floor of the vehicle. And if you're really paranoid, take out the radio and the steering wheel like my cousin does. But they'll look weird on your table! Sam, I have the general sense that Lombardi's has probably deteriorated over the past several years. I recall liking their pizza the first time (1999, I think), wondering what the big deal was the second, and pretty much disliking it the third time, which was with the NYC Pizza Survey.

It doesn't strike me as necessarily comical, and I'm not sure what you're getting at.

You folks need to get to know www.superpages.com, the online Yellow Pages. Here are the results for a search on "Mitchell London" in New York, New York.

Jason, I have to agree that their Tres Leches is not interesting (yes, more for you, Lia ). I forgot about the Mango flavor. Yes, it's very pleasant. Creamy, nice, seemingly fresh fruit taste. One flavor I've had trouble with is the Pistachio. When it's good, it's very nice, but sometimes, I've come across rotten pistachios in it. I don't remember Carrot Cake. Does anyone know if some flavors are by design or otherwise distributed only in certain parts of the US or only parts of any other countries?

I think the only organization that probably has enough spending power (though it's way in the red) to pay for the kind of widespread testing that could prove or refute this is the Federal government or at least some state governments, so I don't see the logic in blaming activists for the fact that widespread testing isn't being done.

If they distributed the Chai flavor in my neck of the woods, I'd definitely try it. Mango-coconut? Yum!

Of the places I've been to so far, I still like DiFara's best (Pizza Napoletana, I have yet to try your place), but Grimaldi's -- right after it opens (which is the only time I've tried it) -- and Patsy's were delicious when I went there as part of the NYC Pizza Survey. Yes, I liked Totonno's, too, but others weren't as happy with the saucy pizza there. I also agree with richl2214 that Arturo's is praiseworthy, though I wouldn't call it "best of all." I'm sorry to say that as far as Lombardi's is concerned, I believe the Emperor (despite his thick toppings) has no clothes. Anyway, I think that anyone who's interested in New York pizza needs to look at the Pizza Survey thread, which is full of photos as well as discussion, and even has a clickable table of contents courtesy of Sam Kinsey.

I always have some mint tea around the house. I use it as a relaxer for the digestive system, as well as something that takes the edge off overtiredness. I usually drink pure peppermint, and I admit I go the convenient way and have teabags, though in a decent Moroccan restaurant, it's fun to have tea with fresh mint leaves. Of the mint teabags that are mass-marketed, I suppose I find Pompadour the strongest and best, but I admit I usually get whatever is cheapest.

I can't imagine they'll run out of gas in the Emirates any time soon, but have you discovered yet how long those bottles of gas last?

Go West, young man! You'll be changing your tune if you try a bunch of cheap, good taquerias in California!

It's been a lot of years since I was last there, but I thought it was beautiful. What did you eat?

Pomi is a good ingredient. I've used it before in sauces. But I'll bet you could get it cheaper somewhere other than Dean & Deluca (as is the case with most things they sell, I daresay).

Yes, I know some of you are artisanal ice cream makers and wouldn't touch any mass-produced product in a million years. This thread is not for you. I am not ashamed to tell you that I am a long-time fan of Haagen-Dazs. Artisanal gelato it's not, but I can get it at any hour of the day or night at my corner store, and it puts a smile on my face. Back in my college years, the late, lamented Elberta Peach was my favorite for everyday (well, everynight) eating, Rum Raisin when getting a buzz (yes, I still get a slight buzz off the rum in it!) was OK, and Vanilla Swiss Almond to share with my roommate (still a friend after all these years). Nowadays, I have their frozen yogurt more often than ice cream. Less fat (fewer calories, too, but who's counting? ), easier on my stomach, but admittedly not as tasty. For frozen yogurt, I go for Dulce de Leche and Chocolate Fudge Brownie. But when I go for ice cream, the Dulce de Leche is lovely (much creamier and more satisfying than the yogurt!), and I still sometimes get Rum Raisin (though it's a little hard on my digestion). Today, I tried a new one: Mocha Almond Fudge. I looked at the ingredients to ascertain that there wasn't much coffee in it, because I didn't want an overpowering coffee taste. Verdict? It's very good. I could actually stand for there to be somewhat more coffee taste, but it's good stuff, and I'll no doubt get it again. So, what's your favorite flavor? You can look at the Haagen-Dazs website for reference and pure enjoyment. Their front page is featuring "Triple Chocolate" now. I don't think I've seen that one yet . . .

Explosive food, eh? But seriously, all that food looks excellent!

The level doesn't stay the same, as some of the liquid evaporates! That's a fact known to all Jews who have annual Seders for Passover. One goblet of wine is poured for the spirit of Elijah the Prophet to enjoy, and we like to say that since we can see that its level has gotten lower, that means that Elijah has come and drunk some of it.

Vegetables aren't free of risk, either. I think over time, I've reduced my intake of beef slightly, but not that much.

No, the soft ones don't look the same, except for their general shape (of course). They really are a kind of sweet roll with filling.