SusieQ

Hi KennethT, just dropping in to say that just tonight at my local Safeway there was plentiful chicken available that was air-chilled and antibiotic-free. I'm on the West Coast though so maybe your Safeway is different. Or maybe you don't have a Safeway convenient to hand.

Thanks for this. I've always been curious about "fish maw" in soups in Chinese restaurants. Usually when I ask about it the server will tell me I won't like it. I've never ordered one of these soups because if I don't like it, I won't be able to order something else. Anyway, now I know I'm not missing anything. I don't like those things I have to chew a lot; mainly because I can't, chew a lot, that is. 😁

That sounds like a great idea. I'll have to look up pidan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HY6fW17wRo This is fascinating to watch, on so many levels. And filmed in one take! Paul Child (husband) introduces it. He has a lovely voice. I always imagined him looking urbane, and he does! Also, I could swear he calls her Julie, not Julia.

I love this!

Now there's a good old-fashioned word that I haven't heard in a long time.

Dazzling!

Color me envious!

Well, I had congee for the very first time when I was hospitalized for four days with pneumonia, and I can tell you it looked really good to me and in fact it was so good that I ordered it every day for breakfast. Could have had something to do with how sick I was, I suppose. 😁

Wow, thanks very much for this very informative post. And your photos are fabulous and so helpful. This is a topic that really interests me.

Oh dear, I'm really sorry you're back in a hospital. Here's best wishes for a speedy return to your home. That 2nd noodle dish does look tasty.

This jumped out at me: "But the price is only a superficial reason for replacing chili peppers. After all, for a hot sauce company, the decision to change chili peppers is tantamount to Coca-Cola announcing a change in formula."

i've had this locally at Ba Bar in Seattle. SO delicious!

About this word cordycep. A word new to me. So I looked it up and found this definition: " Cordyceps is a genus of parasitic fungi that grows on the larvae of insects." From the "cep" part of the word I should have figured it to be some kind of mushroom, but I never would have guessed this type. Anyway, I've never seen this word on any menu or recipe but now I'm fascinated to know if it's a common word somewhere in the English-speaking world? Do you see it on English menus in China? I'm just really curious about the word itself. I will leave it to others to talk about this type of fungi for food. 😉

I would love this breakfast and would eat most all of it in one sitting. That's really interesting about the kimchi -- er, pào cài.

From the NYTimes article: Faith Wilde, 25, another guest in Dallas, said that these days, she is more interested in a restaurant’s appearance. “If it doesn’t look like this, we probably won’t even go,” she said. Sigh.

I do what my Mom did, which is to wrap the potatoes in foil. I suppose that makes a baked potato that would be frowned upon by you potato-prickers. 😆

YUK!

That's ok, thanks! One more question, please. Would it be started in cold or hot oil? I would assume hot oil but these days you never know. 😄

How would the potatoes be cooked in this dish?

This note is SO helpful -- thank you! I always wondered.

There should be a "wow" button.

You are so right on that!

Yes, mine too. I love anchovies!

I was trying to imagine what it would taste like and why would anybody think it up in the first place.