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Back in Seattle I loved frequenting Uwajamaya and other food stores in the International District. It was a great place to find cool products you don't see elsewhere. It was also great buying soy sauce, sirracha and sesame oil in bulk as well as unique spices and crazy packaging with depictions of Asian aerobic instructors circa 1980. Today I went across town to Tang Frere in the 13th. From the moment I stepped inside I started to feel a strange sense of worry. It seems like over the last few weeks, every American media outlet has been reporting on recalls from China. It started with the lead paint on the Thomas the Train toys. Shortly after that, we had the dog food scare, the recall on toothpaste, the baby formula with zero nutritional value and the dried herbs laced with exhaust fumes. Now it seems like the US is going to start sending back processed frozen food. Had all this media been coming from Fox News, I would be skeptical. But everyone from the NY Times to NPR is reporting on new recalls and poison traces in Chinese made products. All of this blitz is making me nervous and forcing me to check labels before I buy. Am I swallowing what the US media is feeding me too willingly? Does anyone else feel this uneasiness buying Chinese products right now? I am sure eventually this will all blow over and the uneasiness will pass, I did come home with a box of products, most of which came from China.

I have a small kitchen (in a small apartment in Paris) that needs a new counter top. I know what I want (Silestone) but I don't know a contractor who can install it for me. Any recommendations? Paga

I will start things off with the Rhododendron Honey from Les Abeilles.

Can someone give me the pronunciation, meaning and origin of this term? I assume it is a town or region? Making Pollack Grenoblaise based on Bourdain's recipe for dinner tonight. But, I thought I would deglaze with a dry Alsatian type wine prior to the juice and caper introduction. Thanks.

There has been an intriguing topic running on the Italy Forum that I think could be mirrored/echoed here. We’ve discussed haute cuisine, products and chefs but I’m not sure we’ve tackled in France some of the issues mentioned in Italy. And while some of the folk contributing to the discussion there are active here (FatGuy, Swisschef, docsconz, Markk, etc), this may be new to others. Hathor started it out by saying: Rather than quote more quotations, take a look at it and see if it stimulates ideas about traditional vs. contemporary French cooking/cuisine. I think it does.

OK, I purchased this Bauknecht dishwasher on April 23, 1991. It’s worked more or less OK for all that time, using it between 12-52 times a year. A few years ago it began to make grinding/groaning noises and I assumed that was a minor problem and soldiered on. More recently it has been failing to clean the Sun tablet powder off glasses. Now it’s not cleaning things (esp. tea and eggs) from cups and dishes respectively, essentially unless I completely clean them first. And this week, a washer in a connecting line deteriorated and started a leak into my charming downstairs neighbor’s apartment. As an old person, a Depression baby, I was taught that things last forever. As a guy, I believe I, you, or at least one, can fix anything. However, someone once said that I had to face facts. So, should I assume that 16 years is not a bad life for an appliance? And mirroring the question about what oven should one purchase, what dishwasher should I look at? Thank you.

Because Fmezick@hotmail.com was asking in another topic about ordering the book about Le Meurice and while we have discussed here what publishing houses and sources are good for cookbooks, there is really no topic on the subject of ordering them to mirror that on buying them. Donc, I thought that it might be helpful to have a topic on ordering books; from whom, at good prices and who will ship promptly outside the hexagon. To start the ball rolling, I'll volunteer that I usually either wait until I'm in Paris to buy stuff from FNAC or order it on line from amazon.fr, but I just Googled French books and got the Rutgers site that says: “French books can be purchased from  www.chapitre.com  www.alapage.fr  www.fnac.fr  www.amazon.fr  www.schoenhofs.com “ Your thoughts?

Baguettes This is one of a series of compendia that seeks to provide information available in prior topics on eGullet forums. Please feel free to add links to additional topics or posts or to add suggestions. Baguette de tradition Baguette de tradition tasting Baguette de Paris 2007

A friend wants to surprise his wife who loves to bake with a class in Paris for 1 week. This would need to be geared for an interested, motivated home cook--no aspirations for professional level. Where would you go if given the opportunity?

Here are our notes from the honey tasting we did on the 2nd of August. Les Ruchers de Veronne (Miel de Tilleul): Classic honey (bear) taste w/ hints of citrus, tan and cloudy. Les Ruchers de Veronne (lavende): slight bitter finish from the lavender, similar taste and color as above. Miels Villeneuve (Thym): A sweet honey with mild hints of thym, golden slightly cloudy color. Miel de Morovan (Pissenlit): Pale even color, mild vegetal finish from the dandelion. Dabur (Himalayan): Darkest color by far, pine cone and eucalyptus taste. Les Ruchers du Roy (lavende de Provence): Similar in taste to the other lavender w/ a cleaner amber color. Les Ruchers du Roy (miel des Pyrénées): Slightly dark w/ hints of vegetable, but less pronounced than the dandelion. Les Ruchers du Roy (miel de luzerne): Clean amber color w/ mild hints of herb and vegetable. Yves Tercé (Corsican from clementine blossoms): Super light color similar to the comb, the taste and texture mimicked the comb as well. Calenzanu (Miel de la Figarella): Another mild flavor amber honey w/ citrus rind hints. For me the most exciting of the honeys was the Himalayan from Dabur. It was full of pine cone flavor and stood far above the rest in regards to the most pronounced flavor. The Corsican from Yves Terce was also fun as the texture, look and taste were of honey comb. See you all for mustard and pretzels on the 6th of September.

I really wanted to make some ricotta tomorrow but I need a place to buy fresh milk. C&Z you told where you get yours, but I forgot to write it down. I'm not sure if your checking the gullet while on vacation. If anyone has a place I can get fresh milk, I'm willing to travel (in the 75 that is).

Host's Note I split this off from the Vegetarian one because it seemed to have legs of its own. I think this verges on the OT, but Pti, having eating Indian in the Indian subcontinent, the UK, France and the US, what's your take on the differences?My pre-opinion is that because of the products in France, one can cook Thai, Indian, even Japanese food and it's different than it is in the Mother country (But maybe this deserves a new thread).

This is one of a series of compendia that seeks to provide information available in prior threads on eGullet. Please feel free to add links to additional threads or posts or to add suggestions. Long term pastry school Olivier Bajard Lyon, Drome, Arles ESCF Ferrandi vs the others Cordon Bleu vs LeNotre In Bordeaux In Provence Steinbach at the Ritz Schools that serve meals Gastronomy College Best Cooking Schools in Paris A Week in Provence

I picked up what I thought was regular milk in the supermarket and it was described as lait battu. It was in the same sort of bottle and right next to the milk. I realised my mistake when I had my first sip of coffee and it tasted awfully sweet. What is lait battu and what is it used for?

Okay, here is what we had: Moutarde Violette (recette Charentaise) Nice mellow mustard that would be tasty with crackers and cheese. The sweetness of the wine mellows out the mustard seed really well. Moutard de Truffe (Tubissime) OMG, that is not okay! Two tastes that came together as something you would shoot at a fancy fraternity party, as a dare. Moutard au Miel (Champ's) Yummy, a discernible amount of honey created a delicious classic pairing. (While I didn't have time to bring it, the honey mustard from Les Abilles is amazing. It features a spike of horseradish that gives it another dimension). Moutard de Picard (Champ's) I felt the cider didn't add anything to the taste. The flavor was as if plain whole grain had cider vinegar dumped into the batch. Moutard au Vin Charentais Nice whole grain look, but tasted of dust and cider. Verjus et Miel (Maille) Nothing special, tasted of your basic brown mustard. Horshradish (Maille) I LOVE horseradish and assumed I would love this mustard. Unfortunately this mustard tasted nothing of the bite or tang of horseradish and instead offered only little pickled nuggets of the root. Forte de Dijon (Monoprix) The strongest of the Dijons. A bit too powerful for most applications. Unless of course you want to clear your sinuses instantly. French's ballpark Oh French's, this instantly takes me back to pulling those nasty encrusted udders at Fenway. How can I say anything bad about something so charged with good memories. French's Dijon So either this one had gone bad, or just IS really bad. Tastes of flour and flowers, with hints of cardboard thrown in. The texture was pasty to boot. Moutarde de Dijon (Champ's) Classic Dijon taste without being overwhelming like the one from Monoprix. Moutarde de Meaux (Pommery) Big bits of whole grain but with a smooth taste that develops in the mouth. Hints of Champagne left a nice finish that felt as though it would cut through a fatty steak really well. For me the best of the lot were the Champ's au Miel and Dijon, both of which represented the best of their respective genres. My other favorite was the moutarde de Meaux which was both original and delicious. The French's Dijon and the moutarde de Truffe should be labeled as "not meant for consumption". The French's ballpark gets high scores for nostalgia. Here is a link to the labels and the pretzels: Mustard Gallery

Has anyone been wwoofing in France? (Willing workers on organic farms). If so, where, when and how was it? I am trying to debate within which regions to apply to. I would love to learn the art of cheesemaking (preferably goat) but am open to anything not too far from Paris in terms of travelling by bus/train. Also, I thought this program was "free" other than applying for the book, but my friend tells me that one has to pay $5-$10/nite for lodging? This didn't seem right... I thought the work exchange provided room and board for free already... *confused* Also, I know the French are known for their hoity toity snobbiness to foreigners, but I do not think this would really be a problem on a farm in the rural areas? My experience is that they are quite friendly outside of Paris. Any input, advice, recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Merci....

Is there a Picard's in the 7th?? Rue Andre Mazet the nearest? Thanks....

Last time I was in Paris I picked up some Albert Menes (Ménès) [using both spellings so a google search will find it however you enter it] preserves at a Monoprix (I believe). They were quite good and considerably cheaper than the over-priced and over-hyped (imho) Christine Ferber competition. So on my next trip I resolved to get more. Googling revealed their coordinates and various information that I wish to confirm: http://www.albertmenes.fr/ Their retail coordinates are: Boutique Albert Ménès, 41, Bd Malesherbes (and rue Roquepine), 75008 Paris Tel 01 42 66 95 63 / Fax 01 40 06 00 61 boutique@albertmenes.fr [not working??] le lundi de 15h à 19h, du mardi au vendredi de 10h30 à 14h et de 15h à 19h. Métro :Saint-Augustin Obviously this is a shop that still keeps what we used to call bankers hours. They stock a full line of almost everything one could imagine canned, bottled, bagged, that could be drunk or eaten. Curiously this is not a brand name that pops up regularly in the blogosphere. Does anyone know why? I also want to confirm that its business hours are accurately posted. Anyone know its products and can make some recommendations? ADDED Later. For those who have it handy, Boutique Albert Ménès is in Gault et Millau 2007. However it does not appear with any substantive detail or reviewers' comments in the on-line guide, http://www.fra.webcity.fr/guide_paris/AccueilVille though its basic coordinates - - no hours -- are listed.

Hi, I'm working through "Jacques Pepin's Techniques," and I've just made my second go at making demiglace from scratch. His recipe includes 10 pounds of bones simmered for 10 hours, and after the whole thing is reduced, it's supposed to result in this semisolid gelatinous mass that can be cut with a knife (as shown in a photo in the book). I can't get my demiglace to form up anything near that solid--the best I can do is a very thick liquid. What am I doing wrong? Is it customary to add arrowroot or cornstarch to make a demiglace of the right consistency?

Host's Note: I have moved these posts over from the Restaurants, Food & Chefs News thread because I thought the subject merited a separate thread Robert Brown, host of the Italy Forum just posted this thread about an olive oil he thinks is terrific that is available at Bon Marche.

Can someone point me in the direction of a recipe for pain au sucre? I just came back from my first visit to Paris, primarily a pastry orgy, and this was the big revelation for me (besides kougin amman, which I also loved and would like to attempt to replicate). The one I had was round, and had thumbprint-size indentations. Filling the indentations was what seemed to me to be butter and sugar creamed until light and fluffy. Not wholly melted, either, just blobs of sugary butter. That was the most outrageously delicious thing and should be sold on street corners of New York from those little quilted metal carts . . . I bought a kougin amman from the corner pastry shop by the metro, took the metro to Fauchon and bought another kougin amman. Went outside to eat it. Threw the first one away and then went back in to buy three more. With no embarassment whatsoever.

Does anyone know of the Ecole Gregoire Ferrandi program, specifically pastry? I would like to know the length, the quality and the curriculum. Do we learn to make cakes like the ones in the USA but French style? I'm talking about like genoise or gateaux, not the creamy, solidified ones. What is the cost to live in Paris? Any other valuable and insightful information is greatly appreciated!

I guess most in the eGullet forum don't buy industrial or supermarket cheese. Anyway, I found this news sad. Starting from April 1, two leading French cheese makers Lactalis and Isigny-Sainte-Mère which represent 90% of the market, are giving up a centuries old recipe for making Camembert cheese. "We decided the risk of using raw milk was too high for us given the quantities we produce and our position in the market," said Luc Morelon, a spokesman for Lactalis, a family-run group based in Normandy. In English In French (by François Simon)

Yesterday I had the always renewed pleasure of waiting in line for nearly half an hour at my local Poste to ship a package to a friend in Atlanta, GA. Inside: 3 jars of mustard. Weight of package: a hair over 2kg. The post office woman asked me what I was sending in my package and when I said, "De la moutarde," she looked at me and shook her head. Oh, no, that won't do. You can't send alimentary products to the U.S. People get their packages opened and pulled apart. She took out a book of rules in different countries and flipped through it until she found the U.S. Yes, indeed, I needed to declare my package to the FDA and get a waiver to send it on, which would then be affixed to my package and everything could go smoothly. This seemed utterly absurd to me! We're not talking about produce or meat or anything remotely dangerous, but jars (sterilized obviously by their maker - these are purchased jars of mustard available in stores) of ground mustard seed, vinegar, etc. So now I have my carefully packed package on the counter in my hallway. I don't want to let down my mustard-loving friend, but the idea of going through all the hoops seems silly. Does anyone else have experience sending food items through the Poste (or via some other means; because as a side remark, she told me that as my package was over 2kg it had to be send by Colissimo blablabla, some higher-up level of shipping, and would cost 37.50 € - which also kind of stinks...).

Gourmet's May issue was a travel special, with dishes from destinations all over the world. One of the featured dishes from Europe was aligot, a dish of potatoes whipped with Cantal or Tomme cheese, often served with grilled meats or hot sausages. Here's the recipe Gourmet published, an aligot and horseradish gratin, and here's a standard aligot recipe. I've never had aligot, and my question is this - is it as good as people say? A quick search revealed the following words of praise: So what's the deal? Is aligot as awesome as promised? Do you make it, or have you? Any tips? Help!