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I like Chinon, but Chinons can be a bit pricey in liquor stores.

Ah, but is all cheese made in America American cheese?

Paint remover. Yummy.

Is Japanese rice unavailable in foreign countries like the U.S.?

Miang Kum may not have made it to New York. What is it?

I find that spicy food is good for my respiratory system and usually also good for my stomach. What does happen if I have food that contains really high degrees of hot pepper is that I sometimes feel the hot pepper sensation later when I defecate (which I guess others would call the "next day chili" sensation). This happens only on fairly rare occasions, and I don't find it so unpleasant that it overbalances the pleasant taste and positive respiratory effects of eating the spicy food. In terms of building up tolerance, that's done by gradually introducing more hot pepper into the diet. I think it's worth it but you may differ. If you have to take anything other than more rice and drink (or, in the case of Indian food, more raita or/and dal) to counteract the hot pepper, have less hot pepper. A calcium-based antacid binds with fat, so that's fine and in fact often recommended to take after a fatty meal, but if you're thinking of using purgatives, back off.

You are not a cruel mom. You were testing to see if she had a symptom. I'm almost 100% positive that all American children are still required to get vaccinations for the mumps; in fact, my community college students, unless I'm very much mistaken, have to produce proof of mumps vaccinations (among others), or they get thrown out of class by the school after a few weeks. I take it mumps vaccinations aren't required in Japan? Why not, if I might ask a non-food-related question that is, however, related to your blog?

Perhaps so, but how would individuals find out what happens at meat packing plants if those private enterprises barred them from the premises?

That's funny too, though I've never been to Arizona, either. It's ironic and in some ways embarassing that I've travelled more widely in parts of Europe and Asia than the U.S. But back to Thai food...

My suggestion would be Tripa alla Romana, but I don't know where you could get a really fabulous rendition of that in the New York area.

Moreover, the government is at least somewhat affected by voting, whereas it's hard to know how a consumer could affect a meat-packing plant.

That makes a lot of sense to me.

I'm lazy about Christmas cards, too. My closest Christian friends expect a phone call from me, instead. I forgot to mention how cute your kids look in that photo with the dogs!

I agree with you, Bux. But try to convince someone who thinks tripe is disgusting (like my mother).

I understand the point you're making, Anna.

Do you also send Christmas cards? Do you receive them from your Japanese friends?

Likewise, Martha. Have you also been to Ouest? If so, how would you compare the two? I went to Ouest once and was satisfied, but my mother felt her duck confit was too fatty. Nothing was mind-blowing about Ouest, though, and I can't remember what I ate. All I remember is having some Chinon before the meal and thinking the price for the glass wasn't bad ($8, I think).

I don't find grappa like nail polish remover. Cachaca is nasty stuff until it's mixed into a Caipirinha, however.

Well-written review as usual, but as a tripe-lover, I took some umbrage at this: Modest potential? Phooey!

I've never been there, but that's funny, anyway.

Anna, correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that ranchers get all kinds of benefits from the government, including the right to graze their cattle for free or almost nothing on huge tracts of public land run by the Bureau of Land Management.

I'm not sure about that. It depends whether you're opposed to all government regulations. If you are, the opposite opinion would be to support government regulation of everything, and I doubt you'd find too many people who have that viewpoint.

And yet you drank it?

Right. And fruit, which of course normally contains seeds. Things in cans or bottles are normally 100% legal to take with you, anyway, are they not? The regulations on cheeses have been discussed a great deal and nothing much needs to be added. I wouldn't think that smuggling cheese would be a risk to agriculture or of contagion to people in the country you're brining the cheese into, but I'd love for someone to correct me if I'm wrong. And since the U.S. prohibition against unpasteurized cheeses is presumably based on the idea that that could protect only the people who eat the cheese, if the person smuggling in the unpasteurized cheese is willing to take the risk, I agree that there's no harm in smuggling it if you won't get caught.

Am I the only one here who disapproves of food smuggling? There are reasons for restrictions on the transportation of perishable food items, you know. Lots of diseases have been spread by the transportation of agricultural goods from one place to another. I like to check things with a consular official if I'm in doubt.