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Are these things translatable to an English dialect a non-Indian American might be able to understand?

A bao with tea in it? What's "ba," other than the word for the number 8? (I imagine this "ba" has a different tone! And you can see just how harmful a very small amount of knowledge of a language can be... )

Yeah, I was amazed by the reference to "Nize Baby." I thought it was only my father who had old cartoons like that...

What is rock sugar usually used for in Chinese cooking (from which part of China)? I see it for sale all the time in Chinese grocery stores large and small in Flushing, Queens, New York, and Chinatown in Manhattan. Oh, and what about those dried sweet potatoes? They are so ubiquitous, but I can't see the merit in them. I bought a bag once, only to find out that they taste just like fresh sweet potatoes that have been dehydrated and made overly chewy. Someone told me that Chinese mothers give them to their toddlers to help them develop their jaw muscles, but I find it hard to believe that's the full explanation.

That's some heavy stuff about all the loved ones who have died recently. I think that it would be almost weird not to be depressed under such circumstances. I've never been there, so I can't say I know for sure, but it sounds like you're coping about as well as most anyone could.

They didn't in 1970s Terengganu, Malaysia. When I was sick, my landlady cooked a flavorful chicken soup for me of her own accord, as that was simply the thing to do. It had plenty of spices but was only moderately hot-spicy by Malaysian standards. Plus, they drank hot tea all the time (of course, they had no refrigerators in the village in those days, but it seems like they're still drinking plenty of hot tea today).

LJC, I haven't been to Won Jo. Is that also on 32 St.?

Thanks for all of that, Steven. I may have to consider not walking to Chinatown the next time I'm in TriBeCa.

We had an Okra thread on the Cooking board a few months ago that might interest some of you.

I have a very broad smile on my face. You really are a mensch.

Sorry about the smoke and mess in the kitchen, but it sure could have been a lot worse, and the most important thing is that there was no serious fire! Sounds like you were very understanding, but methinks your boyfriend owes you a nice meal out or something.

Yeah, Poseidon is delicious and I've always gotten friendly service there. By the way, it's spanakopita.

Thanks for the online menu from l'Acajou. I like the menu, and it's not wildly expensive at all.

Definitely, if the book is about food, as this one is.

This is exciting! Now, we can ask all kinds of embarassing questions about Sam. But seriously, welcome!

Actually - Woo Lae Oak is a large international chain started in Seoul back in the 50s... the one in Seoul looked very nice but there was so much better food to be had elsewhere in the little backrooms throughout the city... Dok Suni's and Do Hwa are related to each other - with the latter having Quentin Tarantino as a business partner. OK, now I realize that I was talking about Do Hwa, which is in the Village. So please disregard everything I've ignorantly posted about Woo Lae Ok!!!!!! Sorry, everyone, and my apologies to Woo Lae Oak.

Also, "sticky rice."

Oh, well that's OK then.

A propos of that, I always liked the burnt onion slices at the bottom of the baking pan used to roast chicken. The burnt carrots were OK but not as good as the burnt onions - and the totally blackened onions are best.

Doubtless, we'll all find out soon, after Bruni has written up a few restaurant reviews.

No, definitely not! Cat shit smell at dinner? Gross! That's a valid reason for you not to return.

Thanks for the recommendation, Eric. What dishes have you liked there?

Today's post could be subtitled "How a meal cheered me up." I had a tough day at work, but as usual on my short day at Queensborough, I got to Flushing around 4ish, and decided to go back to Spicy & Tasty again. By now, I'm a regular and got a friendly reception as such by the staff. The effect of the Asimov review was somewhat evident, as the restaurant was less empty than usual at such a time, and for the first time, I saw non-Chinese people other than me eating there - one table of 3 elderly ladies (2 white and one black) and one two top of a young white couple (I overheard him say to the waitress that he liked spicy food and she didn't), and there was also a black lady getting food for takeout, I think. Other than that, there was a large and animated party of Chinese teenagers hanging out after school. I spoke briefly with the group of elderly ladies, and they confirmed that they had been prompted to try the place because of the New York Times review, and also that they got dishes that Asimov recommended and liked them. Anyway, I got Spicy Sliced Pork Kidneys, a cold dish, and Dry Sauteed Bitter Melon. The pork kidney dish was interesting. The sliced kidneys have a subtle taste in that context and are almost a texture among the hot oil, Sichuan pepper, et al. It was a good effect. The bitter melon, though, was outstanding, probably the best bitter melon dish I've had so far. The amount of oil used for frying was substantial, which I think cut the bitterness of the melon. (Still, when I first bit into it, it was a little bit of a shock to the system; however, I got used to it pretty quickly.) It was accompanied by a lot of little bits of chopped pork, a few slices of moderately hot long green chilis (the thin ones, not the shorter, thicker jalapenos), scallions, and some other stuff. And maybe the best part was the refreshing bittersweet aftertaste it left in my mouth when I was done. I walked over to the corner of 39th Av. to get a large sized iced taro green milk tea, and all was well once again.