Pan

Which things are you still lacking?

Or maybe you were Indian in a previous life or something. I, too, love cumin, but it was part of my childhood.

Of course everything is a matter of taste - what you like, what I like, what other people like. What are your favorite jiaozi fillings?

Yeah. We have to get her to weigh in on her favorite Chinese restaurant dishes in NY, for one thing. Unless all her favorite Chinese dishes are from shops or street vendors - in which case, we still want to know about them.

Cute picture of the dog with the pizza! I trust he didn't take a bit out of it shortly thereafter... Great blog, Mary!

My brother found noodles made out of konnyaku, and he likes them. I stand to be corrected, but I've been told that konnyaku is pure cellulose and, therefore, zero calories.

That's a funny review, and I don't know what to make of it, but I haven't been to this place. After reading the review, I'm still not sure whether I want to go or not. Does this figure to be a one-off, or do you think there will be an "under-$25" column about this place? It is clearly genuinely under $25.

Indeed, some of the platforms are true Hell. I meant the airconditioned cars. But I guess the fact that I seemingly like the thermostat higher than most other Americans should be taken into account. Talk to some singers for views similar to mine about the perils of riding in airconditioned subway cars, though. I always forget to bring a sweater along in July...

it's getting there that can sometimes get hot. don't you think? Unless you go by subway. Yes, I've sometimes found fine-dining places over-airconditioned, perhaps for the reason I suggested. But I generally find airconditioning in the U.S. to be excessive, anyway. Reduce the temperature to about 70, and that's fine with me.

They're so picky that you can't make things that all of them will like (Dish X for 1/3 of them, Dish Y for another third, etc.) without cooking individually to order? And they're your husband's friends? How about making your husband cook, then.

The creator of this site posted to the Japan Forum in this thread, but this is about New York's Chinatown and environs. I invite you all to peruse this interesting site and comment on it, and I invite Pitchblack70 to take part in our discussions of Asian dishes and foodstuffs available in the New York area.

Thanks for the definitions, Jonathan. Now, how many Americans do you think know what a "farce" is, used as a food term? I know what "farcie" means in French but wouldn't have thought to connect it with "farce."

Thanks, fifi and Maybelline!

You may be right, but the important thing is to have a good idea of what your guests will or won't eat. Sounds like you may need to press them a little harder on what they do and don't like to eat.

I'm sitting here trying to decide what to call in for delivery for dinner tonight. I wish I could eat this instead: http://images.egullet.com/u17061/i7325.jpg Yum!

The weather will be warm, but don't they aircondition the dining rooms in places like Le Bernardin to 60 degrees so that all those suit-wearing men aren't overheated?

Thanks for that detailed report. How would you sum up your opinion of your meal? Did you find it an acceptable value for the quality? Do you plan on returning?

Thanks for all your posts, everyone. A couple of requests for definitions: From Mabelline: "nixtamalized"=? From jackal10: "bletting"=?

In the "Tasty Organic Hell" thread, the following exchange took place: This is absolutely false as a general rule. I will provide three illustrative counter-examples: 1) Processing milk to make yoghurt since many people are lactose intolerant 2) Processing manioc root (which is poisonous raw) to make tapioca 3) Cooking bones for stock. In all three cases the processed form is clearly much better for you than the "natural" form. I thought it would be fun to make a list of foodstuffs that are healthier when cooked, fermented, filtered, or otherwise processed. The first foodstuff that came to my mind was buah berus. When I lived in rural Terengganu, Malaysia in the mid-70s, this bean was eaten in only one form and in only one season: The monsoon season. During the monsoon season, there was no fresh fish because it was impossible for the boats to go out to sea, and transportation overland was difficult because of flooding, so people mostly lived on dried fish and rice for a month or more. This provides basic nutrition but of course is very boring. So with nothing else to do all day but sit in the house and listen to the rain pound the zinc roofs (and read a book, I suppose), girls and young women (I don't remember whether any boys were involved but I wasn't invited on that particular gathering expedition, though I participated regularly in others) put some protective clothing on and went into the belukar (secondary forest) to gather buah berus. That took a while. They came back with baskets full of the poisonous beans, which had to be boiled in 7 different changes of water to be safe for human consumption. Of course, water is something there was plenty of. And there was plenty of time, too. The process took most of the day. Then the buah berus were put in batter, and cakes were made and distributed throughout the neighborhood. At any other time of year, it wouldn't have been worth the trouble to take all the steps necessary to make those cakes, but in the monsoon season, it was all well worth it. The second foodstuff that came to my mind was quinces. Do people eat them raw? They smell kind of like apples but I didn't find them tasty as raw fruits. But I love them cooked!

This is absolutely false as a general rule. I will provide three illustrative counter-examples: 1) Processing milk to make yoghurt since many people are lactose intolerant 2) Processing manioc root (which is poisonous raw) to make tapioca 3) Cooking bones for stock. In all three cases the processed form is clearly much better for you than the "natural" form. Well-stated. We could make a thread out of things that are poisonous if not cooked, fermented, or otherwise treated, and I've started here: Foodstuffs that benefit from "treatment"

Have fun in Beijing! In the bad old days when the Renminbi was not officially convertible, many of the black-market moneychangers in Beijing were from Xinjiang. I remember one strikingly good-looking woman moneychanger who looked like a Gypsy to me, which I thought was cool because I'm part Gypsy.

I'm "guilty" of this, too. I often forget that bell peppers are so often put in dishes that don't include them in the description. My stomach reacts poorly to bell peppers of all kinds, especially green peppers. I wonder how many of you eat all of the hot peppers in hot Sichuan dishes. Even I often leave a fair number of those behind.

Thanks for the great report, John! A few questions: What on earth are "blood" greens? Is that from the red beet color? Are blood orange slices or juice or something in there somewhere? What kind of dish is a "farce"? Is it like a "fool"? (I forget what that is, though.) Finally, I'm curious whether everyone who has dinner at Per Se gets a kitchen tour just for the asking.

Thanks, Moby.

I teach similar courses to college students. We should compare notes by PM some time. Yes, they have to listen to whatever I play for them.