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WHEW!!!!!! You deserve a rest!!! Sounds like you were well organized --- which is the key. And------the order in which you served, seemed to answer Loufood's suggested soft rules. Did you serve anything in the steamers, themselves? Do you have one of those butane stoves that you can put on the counter? I have several that I use both in my cooking classes, and when I am doing alot of cooking on my own. It frees up stove burners ---and especially good for some large bulky things like steamers. An electric wok is also good for this. I've never done the hot oil as was suggested, (except over steamed fish) but I sure will next time I do vegetables, and will make sure everyone hears the 'sizzle'. LOL! It's amazing how a simple vegetable dish can be so welcomed when you are having all those doughy things. Thank goodness for microwaves!! That tea sounds like Te Guan Yin, or Ti Kuan Yin (pick your transliteration) one of my favorites. Tell me --- did you eat anything yourself?? I have a hard time eating when I undertake a big meal like yours --- but if there is anything left over, the next day, I pig out! Your guests must have been impressed. You should take a bow and sit back with a cup of that tea -------after the @#$%$# clean-up, of course! Thanks for coming back and letting us all enjoy!

fresco: The one Chinese wok I have is some sort of steel -- not stainless, but not black steel. I've had it for maybe 25 to 30 years, so it's pretty well seasoned. It is actually more like an Indian karhi (sp?) in that it has a flat bottom. This I use only for stir-fries, on a gas burner with higher-than-normal BTUs (don't know the exact #, sorry). Before I got this stove, the normal heat output was not enough, even though I only cook for two (Sam is right about the need for very high heat to stir-fry properly). I also have the aforementioned All-Clad chef's pan. This I also use for stir-fries, on the same high burner. But because it has the stainless steel interior, I do other cooking in it as well. I will make or heat tomato or other sauces in it, to which I can then add pasta and mix it easily. I deep-fry in it; I saute in it; I steam vegetables in it; I have even used it to cook pasta, although the wide open top kind of defeats the purpose of boiling. For me, it is a very handy, multipurpose pan. The cookware with which I have home experience are: nameless aluminum crap; nameless enameled flimsy steel crap; Leyse aluminum; Magnalite aluminum (a 35-year-old formerly nonstick covered 10-inch straight-sided frying pan that will not die); 33-year-old Le Creuset; Lodge cast iron; and All Clad. Since I have not used other brands, I cannot say how they compare, or whether any of them is a "worst offender" (against what?). After all, I am also working with an N of 1, as Sam is, and I do not presume that "my experience" is definitive. I do feel it is somewhat disingenuous to make the kind of statement Sam does.

sam, you'd just *love* my non-stick "wok" from circulon. i love it.

Ah... you mean this thing. I used to have that pan, but somehow I thought they called it a wok. I stand corrected. It must be someone else who calls their curved sauteuse evasée a "chef's pan." Anyway, All-Clad's chef's pan is basically a flat-bottomed wok in clad aluminum with a handle. Fundamentally, it differs from a curved sauteuse evasée mainly by having a smaller flat cooking surface and more gradually curved sides. I am not sure this represents an improvement in either functionality or versatility. In terms of absorbing heat and conducting it to the food in a stir-frying situation, it has all the problems of the standard wok I described above when used over a normal heat source -- albeit somewhat better due to having an aluminum layer. It still proved, in my experience, to be less than satisfactory for stir frying on a residential stove. I found the larger flat cooking surface on my curved sauteuse evasée conferred significantly more versatility (indeed, I believe this is the most versatile pan in any kitchen) and eventually got rid of the All-Clad wok-ish Chef's Pan. This is not to say, of course, that some people wouldn't find it useful depending on their cooking style and practices. What do you use this pan for, other than stir-frying (or even incuding stir-frying), that you think it does better than you might be able to do using a large sauté pan with a triple-thick alumimum base? And, if one is considering budget, how do you think this functionality makes it worth an additional 75% to 150% compared to the sauté pan? I think it makes sense to call a pan by whatever happens to be its proper and most generally accepted name. That's why I say "chinois" and not "fine mesh conical strainer." The practice by which all the different manufacturers call their pans by different, and often contradictory names leads to too much confusion in my opinion (e.g., Calphalon's "omelette pan," which is really a fry pan and not an omelette pan at all). But, as they say: de gustibus non disputandum est.

Suzanne, what kind of wok(s) do you have and what do you use them for?

In my opinion/experience, most residential stoves comply cannot put out enough heat to make a wok useful as a cooking vessel. This is especially true of "authentic" carbon steel woks -- even those with flat bottoms designed for stovetop use. If you throw in any more than a tiny amount of food, the pan loses all of its heat and you are suddenly steaming your food in its own juices rather than stir-frying. The only wok designs I've seen that sort-of work on the average residential stove are the heavy cast iron woks by Le Creuset. For my own use, I've found a large stainless lined heavy copper curved sauteuse evasée, preheated for several minutes on high heat, works better than any of the many woks I've tried.

But seriously, folks . . . has no one yet said: WOK????? or, if we prefer western versions, an All-Clad Chef's Pan. If I had just that, a stockpot, and a small-to-medium saucepan, I'd probably do just fine on pots. Everything else is commentary.

That's exactly what I do. The only thing I can think is that for some reason the pork did not cook in the steaming step. I put it in on a plate in a bamboo steamer over a wok full of boiling water, topped up from the kettle from time to time. The steamer has a lid, but the port is not covered. Quite a bit of juice collects around it.

9" Chef's knife Fry Pan Saute Pan Cast Iron Skillet Pasta Pot + Strainer Insert Pepper Mill Microplane Grater and Zester Wok I can make 90% of the meals I cook regularly with just those. I don't know if that speaks well or ill of my cooking prowess.

I love gadgets, but as for essentials- Locking tongs Calphalon pro cookware (including a flat bottom wok that I seem to use a ton) 75 year old 18" roasting pan with tight lid and removable rack in bottom Reverware double boiler (it must be 30 years old) Assortment of cast iron stuff, all old, all used often Assorted wooden spoons (last round of them I bought in MX for cheap) 8" Sabatier Chef's knife Serrated knife of unknown origin with offset handle Heavy Chinese Cleaver for whacking the crap out of just about anything 12" Butchers Scimitar (scary and useful) Japanese fish knife (brand unknown) that could easily be used for surgery Lots of stainless and plastic bowls of various sizes A couple of GIANT crockware bowls that are great for bread making operations And, last but not least, a 1950's era O'Keefe and Merritt stove that has 4 large burners, a griddle and a double oven. It has been completely rebuilt, looks like new, and cooks like a champ. It looks great in my kitchen and while I could certainly replace it with some fancy European job, I can't ever make sense out of it. I love that stove.

I have and love my AGA. It is my primary stove. It is a reconditioned antique 4 oven model, converted from coal to oil fuel. It cost around $1500 including installation. AGA's work by stored heat. There is a small burner, on constantly, and awful lot of cast iron and insulation. As a result you cook by choosing the oven or hot plate that is at the temperature you want - rather like cooking on a flat top. The ovens are at about 500F (roasting, great for bread); 300F; 200F (simmering) and 95F (ideal for long slow cooking, and plate warming). There is a hot plate for frying and a cooler one for simmering, both under insulated lids. The beauty is that they are ready hot, no waiting for the oven to warm up. Being hot all the time they are self-cleaning. Being cast iron they are indestructable. The top acts as a hot table, so no more cold food. Yes they do put out some heat, but about the same as a radiator or body heat - you can touch it or sit on them. They are like a friend.They are a warm friendly presence to cuddle up to. In winter they are the centre of the house. In summer we open the patio doors in the kitchen and no problem. They put out a lot less heat than a conventional oven, since they are so much better insulated. They just put it out constantly. The flattops are a joy for accurate temperature control, and for large pans. The ovens are large and deep. They are always ready to cook. They have minor disadvantages After lots of cooking they cool down, especially if you leave insulated doors or lids open. You develop a style where you tend to cook in the oven, rather on the flattop. The ovens are vented to the flue, so you don't get cooking smalls, but it is easy to forget something in there as you don't get the burning smells. You come back next day to a perfect carbon replica of the laof or whatever it was you were trying o cook. They need servicing (basically cleaning the flues) every six months. They take a day to cool down or come up to temperature if you need to turn them off or on. Its handy to have additional cooking ability, such as a wok burner, and a microwave/radiant grill to complement what the AGA doesn't do well. Like Marmite, you either love or hate AGAs. I think they are the best range cooker for home use for a serious cook and the nearest domestic equivalent to a restaurant flat top stove, unless you want to put in serious extraction to get rid of the heat a professional range puts out.

This is very hard to say, because cooking styles and needs change so much between users. Many people, for example, will likely mention a wok whereas I don't have one and don't feel a need to acquire one. For me, they are: 12" chef's knive Paring knive End-grain cutting board Several heat-proof rubber spatulas Several wooden spoons Apex spatula 1 small saucepan - straight gauge 1 medium sized tall saucepan - heavy disk bottom 1 large stockpot with pasta insert - heavy disk bottom 1 large (11" or more) saute pan or curved sauteuse evasee - heavy disk bottom 1 11" frypan - straight gauge 1 11" nonstick frypan -- straight gauge 1 large enameled cast iron casserole

Welcome to the West-siiiiiide, ErinB! When you say take-out, I'm guessing you mean neighborhood-type places, more for dinner than lunch. hollywood already mentioned some places that also I enjoy a lot , but I'll add a few more: Mexican: Guelaguetza (Sepulveda & Palms), Lares (Pico near Stewart), Poquito Mas (Westwood & Olympic), El Tarasco - inexpensive fajitas, burritos, etc (Washington & Pacific), Tortilla Grill (Abbot Kinney & California). BTW, I'm not a fan of Tito's. Cuban: Versailles (Venice & Motor), Rincon Criollo (Sepulveda, south of Washington Place) Indian: All India Cafe (Bundy & Santa Monica), Nawab (Wilshire & 16th?), Hurry Curry - inexpensive, good naan (Venice & Beethoven) Soul food: Aunt Kizzy's Back Porch (mall near Von's, MDR) Italian: C&O Trattoria - basic pastas (Washington & Pacific), Bay Cities - deli sandwiches (Lincoln & Broadway) pan-Asian: Typhoon (Santa Monica airport) Chinese: JR Seafood (Santa Monica & Armacost, West LA), Magic Wok - inexpensive (Washington & Ocean) Thai: Bamboo Thai (Wilshire & Barrington), there are several on Lincoln near Washington that all have Siam in their name, all decent Pizza: Abbot's (Abbot Kinney & California) Coffee: I'm not a big coffee guy, but Joni's Coffee Roasters (Washington & Ocean) has good breakfasts Japanese noodles: Mishima (Wilshire & Westgate), Yashima (Olympic & Sawtelle), Asahi Ramen (Sawtelle & La Grange), the food court at Mitsuwa market (Venice & Centinela) Brazilian: Cafe Brasil (Venice & Westwood) Good luck!

Thanks Sam, that's how I found out about Scanpan Steel. I am happy to read that you approve of Scanpan Steel. The reason why I think Paderno Grand Gourmet is more expensive is because I plan on buying about 10 -13 pieces. So a set would be the best way to go. And Paderno GG doesn't come in any sets. Therefore, in order for me to aquire any, I have to buy them individually. And they will cost a lot more since I need lids ! I do prefer glass lids more but none of the good stainless steel cookware w/out riveted handles come with glass lids. Same here, that's why I have given up on Demeyere. Though if I somehow win the lottery...... Yes, I was sad to read it, too. Since I have read your cookware guide and additional info I found on eGullet, I feel that I can forget about those bad reviews. Maybe those bad reviews listed under Profiserie is actually for the Cybernox line. I will avoid them. The differences are explained fairly well in the eGCI class section on different pan designs. Here they are in order from least expensive to most expensive: Sitram Profiserie: disk bottom design with a heavy SS body and 7 mm aluminum base -- least expensive Paderno Grand Gourmet: disk bottom design with a heavy SS body and 7 mm aluminum base (slightly heavier/more reinforced body, heavier lids and more ergonomic handles than Sitram Profiserie) Sitram Catering: disk bottom design with a heavy SS body and 2 - 2.5 mm copper base Demeyere Apollo: disk bottom design with a heavy SS body and 5 mm aluminum base Demeyere Sirocco: casseroles, sauté pans, saucepans and stock pots are an encapsulated disk bottom design with a heavy SS body and 2 mm copper base; woks, “conical sauteuses and simmering pots” and frypans are straight gauge pans of aluminum fully clad with SS havind an aluminum layer of 2.3 mm, 3.0 mm to 3.3 mm , and approximately 3.9 mm respectively. See the eGCI class for more details. Sitram Cybernox is useless crap and you should avoid it IMO. Thanks for the list, but I was referring to the differences between Profiserie and Cybernox since Sitram's website is not available. Yes, I will avoid Cybernox at all cost. How heavy do they need to be in order to be useful? I think the whole "lid fit and heaviness" thing is a marketing ploy used by some companies to justify higher prices. A heavy and/or tight-fitting lid is only important in things like enameled cast iron casseroles. Most pans do not require a lid anyway. I prefer to buy my pans without lids, as I already have lids that fit most any pan and would rather not pay the additional money for yet another lid. That said, Paderno Grand Gourmet lids are my default "all purpose" lid. But, Amy... no lid is worth an additional hundred bucks. I agree, I will never spend more than $15 on a lid. Again, I DO use lids! I wish all pans come with lids. That's why I am skeptic about Sitram Profiserie's lids since one of the reviews say their lids are very thin and bends easily. But I will trust you if you tell me otherwise. As stated, stay away from Cybernox. Personally, I prefer a straight gauge frypan over a disk bottom frypan. That leaves out Sitram, Paderno and Demeyere Apollo. Demeyere makes good ones for the Sirocco line, although extremely expensive. For that money, you might as well get copper. For less money you might also seek out a good deal on an All-Clad MasterChef frypan. Or, really, think about getting a nice carbon steel or black steel frypan if you don't think you'll be putting a lot of acid into it. You can't beat it for the price. Ummm, I was actually referring to Sitram Profiserie's frying pans. Should I stick with non-stick frying pans? I will mainly use it for eggs. Thanks so much for your explainations. Even though I am an amature cook, I still would like to have cookware that I WANT to use, not HAVE to use. And I want them to last as long as possible and not warp! Is it possible to add additional info about lids and handles on the cookware guide? They are determining factors on selecting cookware. NO?

I haven't used it, but you can see some nicely detailed specifications here. The important ones, to me, are: Aluminum wall-to-wall base disk 5 mm encapsulated aluminum disk Optimum sandwich base thickness of 6.8 mm 1.2 mm pan body These are very good, if not great specifications. In general, top commercial lines like Sitram Profiserie and Pagerno Grand Gourmet feature a thicker aluminum base and a heavier body. That said, if you feel it is important to have an absolutely edge-to-edge disk bottom (which I don't feel it vital in most applications) then this line might be very attractive if the price is right. You think Paderno Grand Gourmet is expensive? I think it's one of the most reasonably priced lines available. Demeyere is very, very interesting cookware but personally I don't think it's worth the astronomically high prices they charge. I am surprized you found bad reviews about Sitram Profiserie. I think it's a quality line at a very reasonable price. I am not surprized you found bad reviews about Sitram Cybernox (Sitram's "not-quite-nonstick" line). It's not very good. The differences are explained fairly well in the eGCI class section on different pan designs. Here they are in order from least expensive to most expensive: Sitram Profiserie: disk bottom design with a heavy SS body and 7 mm aluminum base -- least expensive Paderno Grand Gourmet: disk bottom design with a heavy SS body and 7 mm aluminum base (slightly heavier/more reinforced body, heavier lids and more ergonomic handles than Sitram Profiserie) Sitram Catering: disk bottom design with a heavy SS body and 2 - 2.5 mm copper base Demeyere Apollo: disk bottom design with a heavy SS body and 5 mm aluminum base Demeyere Sirocco: casseroles, sauté pans, saucepans and stock pots are an encapsulated disk bottom design with a heavy SS body and 2 mm copper base; woks, “conical sauteuses and simmering pots” and frypans are straight gauge pans of aluminum fully clad with SS havind an aluminum layer of 2.3 mm, 3.0 mm to 3.3 mm , and approximately 3.9 mm respectively. See the eGCI class for more details. Sitram Cybernox is useless crap and you should avoid it IMO. How heavy do they need to be in order to be useful? I think the whole "lid fit and heaviness" thing is a marketing ploy used by some companies to justify higher prices. A heavy and/or tight-fitting lid is only important in things like enameled cast iron casseroles. Most pans do not require a lid anyway. I prefer to buy my pans without lids, as I already have lids that fit most any pan and would rather not pay the additional money for yet another lid. That said, Paderno Grand Gourmet lids are my default "all purpose" lid. But, Amy... no lid is worth an additional hundred bucks. As stated, stay away from Cybernox. Personally, I prefer a straight gauge frypan over a disk bottom frypan. That leaves out Sitram, Paderno and Demeyere Apollo. Demeyere makes good ones for the Sirocco line, although extremely expensive. For that money, you might as well get copper. For less money you might also seek out a good deal on an All-Clad MasterChef frypan. Or, really, think about getting a nice carbon steel or black steel frypan if you don't think you'll be putting a lot of acid into it. You can't beat it for the price.

Really have to reiterate though the good that he did do. I remember watching him in grad school (my dissertation chair looked enough like him to be a doppelganger) and think he played a big roll in publicizing what, at the time, were very exotic cuisines to whitebread america. I mean Chinese food for most was something that you got for takeout at the Golden Dragon not something you did at home. How many American's owned woks back then versus now?

LittleSuperhero is right, chow mein isn't on many menus here in Hong Kong. You tend to find it at 'old school' type Cantonese restaurants. But just about any restaurant will make it on request. The usual prep here in HK for the popular seafood version is a base of crispy fried mein (the hint of smoke flavour discussed earlier is the thread is from some of the noodles on the bottom just stating to brown, not sesame oil. And yes, you do need a hot wok) with stir fried seafood (shrimp, squid, scallop and/or fish), a couple of slices of carrot and ginger, garnish with a couple pieces of blanched choi sum and a straw mushroom or two, and finish with a semi-clear sauce of cornstach-thickened stock. Red vinegar served on the side. Yung Kee does a good version. Funny thing is, it's always the first thing to be eaten whenever anyone orders it. It may not be a modern classy Chinese dish but everyone - Chinese or not - seems to like it! I find that even at swank banquet-style business meals, there may be leftover lobster or goose or steamed garoupa, but never leftover chow mein. The New York version Eddie is talking about is unknown to me - bean sprouts? celery? onion? Not usually found in Pacific-rim chow mein, at least in my experience. But probably delicious anyway. Purist chow mein is a contradiction in terms.

Last night I made a mistake. I let the wok get super hot while I chopped garlic I had forgotten to do before putting the wok on the heat. I added the oil, grabbed the bowl of prepped onions from the counter, and tipped them in, using my free (right) hand to coax them out of the bowl. Oil (at about 400 degrees) splashed up and got me good on a part of my hand that has never been burnt before. Now I've been burned 100 times before, and I find it generally more of an irritant than anything else. Maybe it's just the combination of really hot oil on really tender flesh, but this puppy hurt. I put ice on it, which eased the pain, but the minute I took the ice off, the pain was back. I've never kept ice on anything for more than 10 minutes in my life -- I generally find icing something to be really uncomfortable. But I kept this bad boy on ice for the next 5 hours -- and then went to bed with it resting on a fresh cold pack. The burn spray with pain releaver didn't do bubkus, neither did the triple antibiotic ointment with pain releaver. What do you guys use on burns?

Never watched Survivor either, but I can't imagine not choosing my wok. I actually saw a cast iron wok at Crate & Barrel. That thing was as heavy as an anvil! I have problems washing my Le Crueset pot at times, so can't imagine wanting anything as heavy as a cast iron wok. My regular carbon steel wok is almost non-stick, perfect for stir-frying, steaming, soup-making---and it's light enough to be portable!

I have a Calphalon, non Stick, flat bottomed, wok like utensil. I really love that thing. Calphalon Professional Flat bottomed Wok. It is great for risotto (among other things) because of all the surface area.

The All-Clad Chef Pan is like a flat-bottomed wok, AND has a domed cover, to boot. That might be my choice, especially since I could get favors from others who needed a rain hat, too.

Better step on it before the Joyce Chen people do it first. Her teflon wok already has a flat botton. All they have to do is make it in cast iron, and add a lid. Get movin'!! ----- I'll buy one!

Made about 7 quarts of 'rustic' style Chicken Casserole. In a 12 quart pot, added 2 bay leaves, 4 ounces washed fresh curly parsley and stalks, 1 T dried thyme, and 2 ounces peeled fresh cloves of garlic, lightly crushed. Used 2 Perdue Oven Stuffer Roasters. One as purchased was 7.91 pounds, and the other was 7.97 pounds. Set aside liver for kitty cat. Cut chicken into pieces. Removed fat from tail and kept it. Removed and discarded loose materials from inside of back. Removed and discarded 'red stuff' (?) under membranes and on either side of backbone near tail. Heavily peppered chicken pieces. Browned chicken pieces a few at a time outdoors in steel wok with chicken fat and cooking oil, wok set over 170,000 BTU/hour propane burner running at about 40% full power. Added browned pieces to 12 quart pot. Added to 12 quart pot, 4 C of dry white Chardonnay wine and water to cover pot contents. Got about 11 quarts. On stove, over moderate heat, brought to simmer and simmered for 15 minutes. For each chicken piece, removed edible meat, cut to bite size, and placed in 5 quart bowl. Placed rest -- skin, bones, cartilage -- in another 5 quart bowl. Got 5 pounds 1 ounce of edible chicken pieces. Poured broth through a strainer into an 8 quart pot. Removed fat from broth; got about 1 C of fat; discarded fat. Got about 6 quarts of broth. Rinsed out 12 quart pot. Prepared 1 pound bite sized pieces of fresh celery, 1 pound bite sized pieces of fresh peeled carrot, 2 pound pieces of yellow globe onion, and 24 ounce package fresh white mushrooms, rinsed, sliced. Onion pieces were cut as 'trapezoids': Used large yellow globe onions, with about 1 pound of onion each, after peeling. Regarded root end as south pole and cut through at Arctic circle and Antarctic circle and discarded pole pieces. Cut through equator. Made cut on line of longitude and peeled. Made more cuts on lines of longitude to get trapezoidal pieces. Combined these vegetables and broth in 12 quart pot. Simmered until onions tender and mushrooms shrank. Poured contents of 12 quart pot through strainer into 8 quart pot, dumping strainer contents, when full, into a colander set in a bowl. Dumped stock in 8 quart pot through strainer lined with clean cotton handkerchief into 12 quart pot. Dumped stock in 12 quart pot through strainer lined with another clean cotton handkerchief into 8 quart pot. Got about 6 1/2 quarts of stock. Brought stock to simmer and skimmed. Reduced stock rapidly to 3 C. Resulting stock was dark, strongly flavored, and had enough gelatine to gel at room temperature. In a 5 quart pot, made a roux of 1 C butter and 1 C flour. As soon as roux ready, with no delay (delay here can hurt the action of the roux), dumped 3 C of reduced stock into roux and whipped until smooth. Added 3 C hot milk and whipped until smooth. Added 2 C whipping cream and whipped until smooth. Over low heat, simmered. Added 2 T salt and 2 T fresh lemon juice. Dumped sauce into 8 quart pot. Added vegetables and meat in alternating layers and pressed down with cooking spoon to submerge solids. Got about 7 quarts. Over low heat, with stirring about each 15 minutes, heated through to 180 F. Ate 30 ounces and set rest in refrigerator for meals next week. Intend to reheat portions in microwave and have with toast and chilled Chardonnay. Cut liver into pieces. Poached in water. Removed liver and placed in porcelain dish. Reduced poaching liquid and added to dish. Let cool. Placed in kitty cat food area. Kitty cat seems to like the liver. Notes: Sauce good. Due to only 15 minutes of simmering, chicken not overcooked. In final dish, onions too prominent. For one, pieces were too large; with such large onions, should have also cut through on Tropic of Capricorn and Tropic of Cancer and, thus, made trapezoids comparable in size to carrot slices. But, this quantity of onions, carrots, and celery likely helped make the sauce good. Might stew half the onions, carrots, and celery in the broth and discard these vegetables. Then stew the other half along with the mushrooms and keep those vegetables for the final assembly. Sauce had enough salt and lemon juice, but final dish did not -- try another 1 or 2 T of salt and lemon juice. Next time intend to add 1 pound of frozen fresh tiny peas, if only for more color, poached in water (and then discard the poaching water as it seems to have not such a good flavor).

1) Yangshuo, winter 1997, at the night market that sets up next to the "fancy" resort hotel (don't know if either the hotel or market still exist). The most fantastic meal in the most miserable weather (cold, rainy, windy) under an awning next to a wok manned by the husband of a man-wife cooking team .... especially bacon stir-fried with sugar snap peas. The constrast of that stridently porky, salty meat with the sweet, still-crisp pea pods is unforgettable. And a heaping plate of stir-fried pork with wild mushrooms of all sorts. The sort of make-do-with-what's-available, homestyle cooking that is getting harder and harder to find in China. It rained the next two nights as well, but we put on our rain gear and headed back to the same stall for more. 2) 1984, my first taste of hongyou shuijiao at the hongyou shuijiao place in Chengdu, behind the big Mao statue (is it still there?). Present your ration tickets and renminbi and get a chit. Always packed, to get a seat you stood behind someone's chair and grabbed it when they started to stand up, and then waived down an attendant to take your chit. Tiny bowls, just five slippery, toothsome dumplings (pork only, and not too much meat --- it was all about the dough) floating in a sweet-hot chili oil. Four of these bowls more than justified the 1/2 hour bike ride on a damp chilly Chengdu afternoon.

Looks like the winner would be one that hasn't been invented yet. A cast iron wok with a flat bottom and a heavy tight fitting lid. It's a Dutch oven! It's a wok! It deep fries, it sautes, it bakes it braizes and it grills. Hell, if it was thick enough the lid itself could be a grill.. hmmmmmmmmmm The patent is mine, I tell you... ALL MINE!!!! muahahahaa......