Pan

I like the mug, too. It's funny to look at a line formula of caffeine on the side of a mug.

I thought my grandmother's stuffed cabbage was wonderful at the time, but whenever my mother or I have cooked her recipe, it hasn't been as good as I remember. I think my memory is skewed, so I'll start my list of sublime food memories next, in more or less chronological order. From my childhood: Maple candy from Vermont (I must have been 3 when I first tasted that). My mother's apple pie, which I first helped her make when I was 4. The first time I had mostaccioli rigati with my mother's tomato/mushroom sauce with meatballs, based on Ada Boni's Talismano della Felicita', with hand-grated real Italian Parmigiano. What a revelation that was after years of pre-grated stuff that came in a jar! My mother's Neapolitan-style lasagna al forno, also based on the Ada Boni cookbook. My father's calf's kidneys flambeed in brandy. "Ironside"(?) Beef with pineapple slices and cherries on top at Foo Joy, a Hokkienese/Fukienese/Fujianese restaurant (depending on your dialect) on Division St. in Chinatown. The first time I had carrot halwa, believe it or not in a great Indian restaurant in Akasaka, Tokyo! (1975) The restaurant turned out to be associated with the Indian Embassy, and I don't think I've ever had equally good carrot halwa. The meal was a great one in all aspects. Firey liver curry at Alim, a Northern Indian Muslim (aka Mamak) restaurant near the Pasar Chow Kit in Kuala Lumpur (1975). Kueh bakar (wood-baked coconut/palm sugar-batter cakes) that were served in the little canteen of my elementary school in rural Malaysia. I had them every school day in 5th and 6th grades and have never forgotten their wonderful taste. Buah kemunting (little red berries that I picked from bushes by the graveyard in the mukim [township] of Merchang, Terengganu; I suppose I first coincided with their season in 1976). Pista kulfi at a neigborhood restaurant on -- was it the Janpath? -- in Delhi. It was frozen solid in a cylindar shape, and we had to wait for it to thaw before taking little slices with our spoons. It was icy, nutty, milky, and rich, with a texture just about nothing like ice cream, and I don't think I've ever had its equal. (1975) From later (only memories that are at least a year old count): Eating fresh Chinese lychees for the first time (Hong Kong, 1987). Uborkasalata (cucumber salad) at a restaurant on Realtanoda Utca, Budapest (1994). Austrian-style goose leg with shredded cabbage and caraway seeds at a restaurant in another part of Budapest (1994). Somloi galuska (a dessert -- too complicated to explain here) at the outdoor cafe of a bakery on the main drag a block from the aforementioned street in Budapest (1994). Gestenygolyu (chestnut balls) from the same bakery. Meggyes retes (sour cherry strudel) from a different bakery, in the Jewish Quarter of Budapest (1994). Comte' and Roquefort cheeses at Grand Vefour in Paris (2002). Pates de fruit from some boulangerie/patisserie on a crossroads in a small town in Burgundy (2002). Ayam percik (broiled chicken combined with a peanut sauce and fragrant herbs) from the pasar malam (night market) of Kota Bharu (2003). Pastrami at Katz's (OK, I've had it more recently than a year ago, but it's the same taste, except for the fact that every slab is somewhat different). Mild Spicy Chicken at Spicy & Tasty in Flushing. This was a very fun exercise, because I remembered things I hadn't been thinking about, kind of like Proust's madeleines triggering all kinds of memories. What's a bit surprising is that I can't remember the exact tastes of some of my very best meals, even though I remember the experiences as fantastic. I also find it interesting and revealing how many of the sublime tastes I remember are sweets.

Grand Sichuan. I usually eat at or have takeout or delivery from my local branch at St. Marks, but if there were no issue of convenience, I'd surely go to the Hell's Kitchen branch at least once every two months, I think - unless I were close enough to Flushing to go to Spicy & Tasty about as easily. Congee Village. It's close enough to be a standby Cantonese for me, but as it's my favorite Cantonese restaurant in the city, I'd be a regular even if it were inconvenient for me to get there. Greater New York Noodle Town, or whatever they're calling it now (I can never remember). My favorite Hong Kong-style diner, and open late. Yeah Shanghai, my favorite Shanghainese restaurant in New York. Seoul Garden, possibly my favorite Korean restaurant in Manhattan. I was there again yesterday, to share some sulong tang and naeng myun with a friend. Han Bat, a great Korean diner and one of the very best values in New York. Katz's. If I were closer to Flushing, though, I'd be going to Woo Chon on Kissena Blvd. and various types of Chinese restaurants there and might not see a need to go in to Manhattan's Chinatown or Little Korea, so there is at least _some_ convenience factor involved.

I do eat things from street vendors while traveling, and I surely don't regret having done that in Malaysia. But malaria is nothing to fool around with. I have no idea whether any part of Belize is endemic for malaria, but if you are planning on traveling anywhere where malaria is endemic (which is often not just a particular country put a particular part of that country), for God's sake, take some preventative medicine! You _DON'T_ want to have a severe and possibly life-threatening illness on vacation, when you could have prevented it.

← Whoa! That brings back memories. Our neighbor and landlady, who cooked for my family when we were living in Kg. Merchang, Terengganu in the 70s, made this once for a special occasion. She's a good cook now, but back then, it was mostly things with a great excess of belacan and dishes made with ikan selayang, a fish that was so full of long, thin bones it was impossible for me to avoid stabbing myself in the mouth and swallowing some down my throat. But this dish was fantastic!

Hey, TP. What is choy bo?

Some people go so far as to use bottled water to wash veggies, brush teeth, etc.[...] ← Bottled or boiled water. It's safest, if you're somewhere where the tap or well water isn't safe to drink without boiling. When I was living in rural Malaysia in the 70s, I wasn't so careful about using only boiled water for washing raw vegetables or brushing my teeth, and I got a large whipworm infestation. Ironically, I was seemingly asymptomatic for years and was checked only 4 years later, when I had a serious illness that wasn't caused by the parasites but couldn't have been helped by them. So be careful out there, folks!

I can't really compare bitter melon to anything else, except perhaps bitter gourd (if you've had that). It's very bitter and slightly sweet. There's a Shredded Duck with Bitter Melon dish at Grand Sichuan that's terrific. Bitter melon also goes well with pork. The jellyfish is a bit chewy, a very pleasant texture, and a good vehicle for the sauce (which is basically the same scallion sauce as is used in the cucumber, broad bean, and tofu cold dishes).

OK, in terms of vegetable dishes, I agree with all the ones Sam recommended, except that the pickled cabbage is too spicy for me! I have some additions: Get the second dish on the Prodigal Daughter's menu. It's a combination of carrots, celery, jalapenos, and garlic, in a delicious brown sauce with plenty of hot oil in it. If you like bitter melon, get their Sauteed Bitter Melon. My favorite of the non-peppery cold dishes is the cucumber, though the broad beans are also good if you like broad beans. I also like the jellyfish, but I realize that isn't actually a vegetable.

I would tend to advise a trip to a Cantonese or Shanghainese restaurant instead, in that case, but it really depends how little tolerance you have for any hot pepper whatsoever. My parents have become spice wimps in recent years, but they are still able to have meals that really satisfy them. I would strongly advise you not to ask them to tone down the spiciness in anything that's supposed to be spicy, though, because that will unbalance the flavors in the dish. We got one of the shrimp dishes, I think Shrimp with Sichuan Sauce, with reduced spiciness for my mother once or twice. With the full amount of spiciness, it's a fine dish. With reduced hot pepper, the ketchup taste comes through, instead of being part of a balanced amalgamation of tastes.

bethala, Flor de Mayo is Peruvian-Chinese, not Cuban-Chinese.

Adding bell peppers to everything is a real pet peeve of mine, because I'm allergic to them and I don't even like the taste of green peppers. I can pick them out and eat around them; I'm not that allergic. But they're just wastes of space, as far as I'm concerned. I think carrots are fine, but only if they add a flavor and texture to a dish that complements it. It would be best if all vegetable ingredients were listed on the menu for each dish, especially as that would remind me to tell them to leave the bell peppers out of dishes I don't expect to include bell peppers.

Someone's Banh Mi has to be on this list. The best one I've had is Banh Mi Saigon in Manhattan, but I can't imagine what the best in Vietnam might be like.

Shenzhen borders on the Hong Kong Special Autonomous Region, so the story would have been reported one way or the other, anyway. Don't forget that Hong Kong has a pretty free press.

I'm very happy to see you blogging, Marcia. I do know where Wyckoff is. What does "zone 5" refer to -- a climatic zone, I figure?

Hey, tupac, are you still serving on jury duty? What have you been doing for lunch? Are there any good eateries near the courts? Or have you been packing your lunches? Sorry if I'm being dense and forgot something you've already mentioned.

None of them have fully and consistently satisfied me, but I've preferred Yeah. Others have preferred New Green Bo. I think that the ones I had at China 46 in New Jersey were better than any of the above. I think we have a thread on xiaolong bao in New York.

My recommendations are all still current. And I would recommend steering clear of the xiaolong bao (soup dumplings). Those are a Shanghainese specialty, and you're better off getting them at Shanghainese restaurants. Get the Sichuan Dumplings in Hot Oil, instead.

Yes, it is Chinese food, in the style of Qing Dynasty banquet food. Have a look here.

Yes. Grimaldi's Pizzeria, but try to arrive before opening time (noon, I believe) so that you're there when the pizza oven is at its hottest. Go to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory or Jacques Torres Chocolates for dessert. The River Cafe is also very worthwhile, but it's a (relatively, not Alain Ducasse prices) high-end restaurant and one of the few that requires men to wear jackets, so not really conducive to an August visit.

When I was in Shanghai, I got the general sense that things tended to be somewhat more expensive than Beijing, on average. I think there's more wealth in Shanghai, or should I say more wealthier people? Anyway, I'm speculating that that can affect food prices. I should add, though, that my visits to both cities in 2004 lasted only a few days apiece.

98 RMB is for the entire duck? Still sounds like a lot of money. What's the inflation rate in China lately? More to the point: How much would a meal cost at a dumpling house popular with Beijin Ren, as a basis of comparison?

In the summer of 2004, when I was last in China, for 200 RMB, you could get a ~17-course Michelin 3-star quality meal at the Li Family Restaurant. Has there been tremendous inflation since then, or is 200 RMB for Ka Ya unbelievably exhorbitant? I see that 200 RMB = slightly more than $25 US as of Monday, June 19, 2006 (source: http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic).

Search results for "Staten" (Island) Keep in mind that Staten Island is pretty large in area -- much smaller than Long Island but much bigger than Manhattan. It's also much less densely populated, so distances between one restaurant and another can be large, and those long bus routes can be very slow. If you're going to Staten Island just to take the ferry, my recommendation would be not to get out and eat there, but to go take the next ferry back to Manhattan. If you're going somewhere on the island, that's a different story.

Agreed. Flushing's Chinese area is both bigger and more varied than Manhattan's Chinatown. You can get excellent Sichuan, Taiwanese, Fuzhounese, Cantonese, and Chao Zhou food, plus terrific Korean and good Shanghainese and Malaysian food. And that's only what I know about. I'm positive there's more stuff from other regions, and I'm leaving out the Indian food which is available about a mile south of Roosevelt Av. and to the east of Kissena Boulevard.