Pan

Thanks. That was really interesting.

Many of us don't think Zagat's works well in New York, either. I certainly don't.

Why do you freeze dried fish?

Hmmm...I would just look for a bag of "Ikan Bilis" from Malaysia. Yes, a Thai store would be likely to have the same thing, probably in a Thai version, and there's nothing wrong with that. As long as they're dried and salted, they should be fine. Some Chinese stores have them, especially big ones like the Hong Kong Supermarket outlets in New York, which make sure to carry products from all Southeast Asian countries and to all Southeast Asian tastes. My perception is that the proportion of ethnic Chinese people in New York who come from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam has increased tremendously in the last decade, and I suspect the same is true in various other parts of the U.S. and Canada.

I hope you had a great time!

I finally get to see your beautiful face. I was wondering whether you'd ever show a picture of yourself in your blog. Thanks for sharing part of your adventure with us.

Here are some links to sites with recipes: Chili-Crisps Ikan Bilis and Peanuts Nasi Lemak and Sambal Ikan Bilis Spicy Ikan Bilis That last one looks good, but good luck finding some of those ingredients in places like the U.S. My search for "ikan bilis" also turned up various Malay-language recipes I won't bother linking to, and a site that I immediately dismissed because they claimed that: "Nasi lemak (Malay) literally means `rice cooked in coconut milk'." Nope, nice try. Lemak means fat, and santan means coconut milk. In fact, the dish does use rice cooked in coconut milk, though. Most intriguing is this link to a product catalog page showing Knorr Ikan Bilis Stock Cubes! These are priced at .85 Ringgit per 2-cube packet and 2.20 Ringgit per 6-cube packet, but I doubt they deliver overseas!

In Malaysia, anchovies are called ikan bilis, and sambal ikan bilis is wonderful. One form some of you may have had them in is as one of the sambals in nasi lemak ("fatty rice").

You can start by reading Wikipedia's entry on "Evil eye," though it doesn't deal with the topic from a Jewish perspective. What's clear, though, is that the Evil Eye is not something that comes directly from God.

J, what name would you like for this thread? Tell us, and one of us will change its name.

Yes, that's quite puzzling, isn't it. Why did he agree? He agreed on the condition that his occupation was detailed. I think the motivation was simply to inform more of the Jewish portion of the Times' readership about shatnes.

Thanks, Louisa. Bux, as it stands, that link leads right back to this thread.

Bring 'em on, or if you prefer, start a separate thread about regional specialties.

I think seitan is good as...seitan! As a squid substitute, I'm sure it would suck.

But why another interim reviewer? Would that be interim or probational?

Mabel, you and my mother think alike.

If you think about tagines made with dried fruits in North Africa and Iranian chicken recipes and such-like made with pomegranate syrup, not to mention the wide use of tomatoes and basil with pasta in Italian cuisine, or canard a l'orange and even the innumerable savory dishes made sweeter with the use of wine in French cuisine, you realize that the division between savory and sweet may not be operative in all cuisines, and is a matter of degree in others - or so it would seem to me. Predicting what will happen in the future is not my strong suit, but in the present, does it really matter how something is categorized, as long as it's tasty and satisfies your customers?

Otherwise called Carciofi alla Giudia (Jewish-style artichoke), a product of Rome's ancient Jewish community.

Charlemagne's empire was pretty vast. Here's a map. My ancestors on my father's side, as I mentioned, were in Worms, in the Rhineland (now Germany) before they took refuge in Poland.

Thanks for dropping in to post that, Lauren.

As an East Villager who works in Brooklyn 3 days a week, I'm interested.

Thanks for your reply, Chef Canora.

I liked the Ommegang, too, and I usually don't like beer. I have a feeling DBA Bar has it, but I'm not sure. They do have a good selection of beers. Of course, they're a bar, not a store, so I'm guessing that wouldn't serve your purposes.

Do Floridians eat otters?

When was that, and how did it come about?