Travelogue: 4 weeks at Sheena mommy's house

[shinju]

There are some good Japanese grocery stores in Maryland - one's on Rockville Pike near the Best Buy in Rockville, MD and another is in Bethesda called Daruma.  Daruma used to be stellar with the sasadango (spelling) but they stopped making them!  Those were the best ever.

Matuba is a decent sushi place in Bethesda that's actually run by Japanese as is Kotobuki in Washington, D.C.  Temari is a Japanese cafe that serves ramen and whatnots and is in the same shopping center as the Rockville Japanese grocery store.

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Thanks for this info. My brother's family has only been in Maryland (live in Combia and work at U of Md) less than 1 year. They have spent most of their time together in Bay Area with abundance of Asian food and was very hard for them when they moved to Ithaca for 3 years.

My sister in law tells me they found one good Japanese restaurant but can't remember the name now. What she said was that most Japanese restaurants near them are usually run by Korean Americans and food is not quite right in most cases and though she is Korean American she got used to eating more or less authentic Japanese food being around my mom and my brother so she can spot them. She is very happy though to find more Asian veggies in Korean markets now.

I'll keep in mind with Matuba (or is it Matsuba?). I'm hosting some old Japanese friends for a month and we will be staying in my brother's area for a week in September. The Mrs S does not eat meat and she does not eat much Western food either.

[SheenaGreena]

hiroyuki, am I the only one who does that with shirataki?

[Hiroyuki]

hiroyuki, am I the only one who does that with shirataki?

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I don't think so. There are things called "shirataki ramen" and even "shirataki diet" in Japan, and take a look at all the recipes using shirataki (Japanese only) that COOKPAD offers, 887 in total.

[sadie_siamesecat]

Kinda off topic, but just so you can eat more easily...my friend swears by Rembrandt extra gentle toothpaste (for canker sores). It has reduced her canker sores by 90% or so. And no, I don't work for the company! Just feel your pain, that's all. I saw it on drugstore.com...

...pulling myself back to topic. Uh, loving the food! I just saw my own mommy and ate so well!

[SheenaGreena]

just to let everyone know, I'm not dead

however, ive been feeling pretty crappy lately, have been busy, yadda yadda, etc etc

this week my mom's fixing up some good ol beef intestines and I'll try to do a pictorial on that if anyone wants.

[chappie]

Please tell me the dried squid you speak of tastes a lot better than a snack product in a metal Pringles-like can I purchased at a Vietnamese/Thai grocery called "Mr. Squid." If cephalopods could cross highways, this is what the resulting roadkill would taste like. It seemed someone left old bait squid out to rot on a hot dock, then tossed it with some sugar and chile pepper.

I am not a xenophobic eater, either, and will try another variety of dried squid provided it doesn't conjure Mr. memories.

[Makan King]

I had something called "Laksa noodles" and I have no idea where they came from.  I just know that the broth was a spicy fish broth with lime juice, lots of noodles, shrimp, and yummy fish balls. 

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gampunggi = chicken (often wings, but I don't think it has to be) in a sweet, sticky, slightly spicy sauce.  With the ubiquitous sesame seeds.  And I believe laksa is Malay in origin.

mmmmm jokbal.

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Laksa is indeed Malaysian.

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Yes, Laksa is Malaysian, and based on your description, I would say you had Penang Laksa, as compared to Nonya Laksa. Penang Laksa is based on a spicy, sourish fish stock, whereas Nonya Laksa is rich with coconut milk and has no fish in its base.

You're really lucky to spend all this wonderful time with your family!

[Peter Green]

Please tell me the dried squid you speak of tastes a lot better than a snack product in a metal Pringles-like can I purchased at a Vietnamese/Thai grocery called "Mr. Squid." If cephalopods could cross highways, this is what the resulting roadkill would taste like. It seemed someone left old bait squid out to rot on a hot dock, then tossed it with some sugar and chile pepper.

I am not a xenophobic eater, either, and will try another variety of dried squid provided it doesn't conjure Mr. memories.

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See if you can find some sold in plastic bags, usually one per bag. Then use some tongs and scorch both sides (or, if you have a blowtorch, even better), and then get your kitchen scissors (scissors are most definitely kitchen tools amongst Koreans) and cut it into strips to eat with beer.

[heidih]

Sheena we miss you! Hope your mouth sores are gone and you are well. We anxiously await more mommy cooking. Thank you.

[judiu]

Sheena we miss you! Hope your mouth sores are gone and you are well. We anxiously await more mommy cooking. Thank you.

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Too right!

Try vitamin c for the canker sores; just chug the pills with water; they'll burn like fire if you get them on to the open sores! HTH!