Unexpected Food Gifts

[KennethT]

Nice. How does it change as it matures?

[liuzhou]

2 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Nice. How does it change as it matures?

 It develops a deeper, more complex flavour.

[weinoo]

2 hours ago, KennethT said:

Nice. How does it change as it matures?

 

Attainable here, Ken, albeit possibly a bit more expensive...

 

https://themalamarket.com/collections/regional-chinese-sauces-pickles/products/3-year-aged-pixian-chili-bean-paste-doubanjiang

 

[Anna N]

So I admit that this is likely stretching the definition of gift to its breaking point. Every once in a while when my granddaughter does a curbside pick up of our groceries we find odd things included.   These are apparently complimentary samples. For the most part they go directly into the bin. Sometimes without even a taste. 
 

 

Sample #1

I decided I would at least try this. I like coffee and at one time I was happy to have the classic Coke once in a while although I haven’t indulged for years. 
Poured over ice it foams much like root beer. It has a most peculiar and unpleasant smell. I have no idea where this might originate. It dissipates somewhat after it has been poured for a while. I don’t think I will even attempt to describe the taste. 
 

Next up Humble Chips.  These are sea salt and cider vinegar flavoured. They disappeared into my granddaughter’s stash of snacks. 
 

Finally. Vegan sausages.

At the moment I can only shudder but I have tossed them into the fridge and perhaps at some point I will screw up my courage enough to investigate further. 

 

 

Edited July 11, 2022 by Anna N
Typos (log)

[heidih]

30 minutes ago, Anna N said:

So I admit that this is likely stretching the definition of gift to its breaking point. Every once in a while when my granddaughter does a curbside pick up of our groceries we find odd things included.   These are apparently complimentary samples. For the most part they go directly into the bin. Sometimes without even a taste. 
 

 

Sample #1

I decided I would at least try this. I like coffee and at one time I was happy to have the classic Coke once in a while although I haven’t indulged for years. 
Poured over ice it foams much like root beer. It has a most peculiar and unpleasant smell. I have no idea where this might originate. It dissipates somewhat after it has been poured for a while. I don’t think I will even attempt to describe the taste. 
 

Next up Humble Chips.  These are sea salt and cider vinegar flavoured. They disappeared into my granddaughter’s stash of snacks. 
 

Finally. Vegan sausages.

At the moment I can only shudder but I have tossed them into the fridge and perhaps at some point I will screw up my courage enough to investigate further. 

 

 

If you try the vegan sausages I hope you report back. Just curious. Web had some hoopla about a "vegan bitcher shop" ???? opening soon in Los Angeles. might be an interesting try  https://la.eater.com/2022/7/6/23185133/la-highland-park-maciels-plant-based-vegan-butcher-shop

[liuzhou]

Today I was the lucky recipient of precisely what I needed. A red onion.

I knew I needed one and was in the local store late in the day buying other stuff known as 啤酒 and spotted one sad lone red onion.

 

So I picked it up.

 

The shopkeeper, who knows me well, refused to even weigh it to price it and threw it (gently) into my basket free, gratis, without charge!

Nice guy!

Nice onion!

 

[Kim Shook]

These arrived the other day as a little surprise from Mr. Kim:

 

Time to make this Caesar salad!

[rotuts]

@Kim Shook 

 

excellent !

 

I lived in Spain for two years 

 

quite some time ago.

 

when you got a Caña , a small draft beer

 

there was always a small plate of something to go with it.

 

sometimes a couple of green olives

 

and many time a small plate of boquerones

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boquerones_en_vinagre

 

i loved them .

 

when you open the can , pls take a picture

 

if not too much trouble .

 

I wonder if you can is boquerones.

 

they were not available here 

 

in places I frequented.

 

they did show up at a high end grocery

 

( andromicos ) in the bay area  circa 2000

 

and were unusually expensive.  

 

in Spain , they were almost free

 

and came in round tins that had 5 - 10 kilos in them.

 

 

 

 

[ElsieD]

This was a gift from my next door neighbor.  The distillery makes vodka from unused milk protein.  If interested, you can read about it here:

 

https://www.dairydistillery.com/

[blue_dolphin]

Vodkow 🤣😂🤣

[heidih]

I had to call a bee guy to assess a situation. Knows his stuff and nice. He took care of the kids - no killing, and asked if we had some space to trade for services. Somebody had bootlegged some hives next to my old stable awhile back and he said he'd get rid of the stuff - make Fire Dept happy. Turs out he keeps hives all over and I bought a jar. 12 oz - $10 - unprocessed. Mostly from Santa Monica mountains - Malibu canyon so sagebrush  in the flower mix. Id been looking at honey at market nd price and provenance did not impress. I am happy!

 

 

Edited July 27, 2022 by Smithy
Rotated photo (log)

[lemniscate]

A friend of Armenian origin via growing up in Iran (amazing cook/host) recently brought me a mix of foods from a trip to SoCal.   There are lots of Armenian grocery stores and they sound wonderful.

 

I received a mix of olive, some large, some small.  Green,black,red,cracked,uncracked.  So happy.

Spiced string cheese.  Very good with cold beer.

Jarred walnut stuffed eggplants.  A mezze on their own.

Turkish Antep pistachios.  Smaller and darker than American pistachios, and a much, much deeper, richer flavor.  They should be labeled with a Binge Eating warning.

Dried white mulberries, what an interesting surprise.  Sweet and chewy and equally dangerous to Binge Eating.

Big folded pile of lahvosh.

 

 

 

 

[liuzhou]

I've mentioned 沅陵 (yuán líng) before. It is  a little known town in West Hunan, near where I lived 25 years ago., and is populated largely by members of the Miao and Tujia ethnic minority. I have a few friends living there.

 

This morning I unexpecedly received this:

 

On the left are the local sausages and on the right is 晒兰 (shài lán), the wonderful ham only made and sold locally.

 

 

[heidih]

Referred my neighbor to my bee guy. He completed job yesterday. I facilitated his access. He texted me that he had left a jar for me in my mailbox as thanks. Remembered I liked a darker honey and he had some apparently in his truck. 

[Anna N]

 Portuguese custard tarts – – and then there were two!

[liuzhou]

It has been an odd day. At 4:30 pm, three people from the local government turned up at my home with two boxes of mooncakes for me! Mid-Autumn Festival is this weekend and is the traditional time to eat mooncakes. These are an upmarket version as sold in the local Ramada hotel. I'll add more detail when I actually eat one or eight!

 

 

Then at 5:45 my phone rang.

 

"Delivery Service. Are you at home?"

Somewhat baffled I answered the door to a courier bearing three parcels. All addressed to me.

 

The first was

 

followed by a bunch of bunches of grapes

 

 

and last but not least 14 kiwi fruit.

 

Sent to me as a gift from an old friend. Again to mark the festival!

 

Happy day!

I know which I will enjoy the most. Durian Ice Mooncakes!

Edited September 7, 2022 by liuzhou
typo (log)

[KennethT]

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

It has been an odd day. At 4:30 pm, three people from the local government turned up at my home with two boxes of mooncakes for me! Mid-Autumn Festival is this weekend and is the traditional time to eat mooncakes. These are an upmarket version as sold in the local Ramada hotel. I'll add more detail when I actually eat one of eight!

 

 

Then at 5:45 my phone rang.

 

"Delivery Service. Are you at home?"

Somewhat baffled I answered the door to a courier bearing three parcels. All addressed to me.

 

The first was

 

followed by a bunch of bunches of grapes

 

 

and last but not least 13 kiwi fruit.

 

Sent to me as a gift from an old friend. Again to mark the festival!

 

Happy day!

I know which I will enjoy the most. Durian Ice Mooncakes!

What is meant by Durian ice mooncakes?  The box said 100% durian - is it just frozen?

[liuzhou]

4 minutes ago, KennethT said:

What is meant by Durian ice mooncakes?  The box said 100% durian - is it just frozen?

 

When they say 100% durian, I think they mean the durian used is 100% durian! 😂.

I'll cut one in half and take a picture later. I'll also translate the lengthy ingredient list!\

 

But I still love 'em!

[Anna N]

5 hours ago, liuzhou said:

and last but not least 13 kiwi fruit.

Is there something significant to 13 kiwi fruit?  I am pretty sure that 13 is not an inauspicious number in and of itself in China. 

[Kerry Beal]

24 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Is there something significant to 13 kiwi fruit?  I am pretty sure that 13 is not an inauspicious number in and of itself in China. 

Think I'm counting 14?

[liuzhou]

Yes. It's 14. Sorry. Typo.

 

Neither 13 or 14 hold any significance.

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, Kerry Beal said:

Think I'm counting 14?

I did not count them. I took @liuzhou ‘s word for it and must’ve posted as he was editing it to 14 from 13. 

[FauxPas]

Our former tenants (and now good friends) were in town and came by for a visit and dropped off some mooncakes. These are from a Chinese-Canadian bakery in Richmond, BC but lots of places to find them around greater Vancouver. (Though this linked article lists Sept 10 as a Tuesday and I'm pretty sure it's a Saturday this year.) 

 

 

 

[liuzhou]

18 hours ago, KennethT said:

What is meant by Durian ice mooncakes?  The box said 100% durian - is it just frozen?

 

As promised, clarification. The Chinese name is slightly more helpful. 冰皮月饼 (bīng pí yuè bǐng）means íce skin mooncakes. Basically they are sweetened durian pulp wrapped in a sort of artificial cream and frozen.

From my Chinese-English food dictionary:
 

Quote

snow skin mooncake (with a soft casing which is not baked, instead of the traditional baked pastry casing)

It is wrong about 'snow'. 冰 definitely means íce'. 'Snow is 雪 (xuě).

 

Ingredients as listed are:

Durian pulp, pure milk, ice skin powder [hydroxyendyl distarch phosphates, white sugar powder, non-dairy cream (glucose syrup, hydrogenated coconut oil, casein, diglycerol fatty acid ester, diacetyl tartaric mono and digyceride, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, sugar, xanthan gum, salt) beta carotene].

Lovely!

 

 

So 100% durian! They aren't even Malaysian. They are Cantonese. Yet, surprisingly moreish.

 

Edited September 8, 2022 by liuzhou (log)

[Anna N]

 The pork chop is already in the sous vide and the steak will be going there later today. I will chill them both and put them in the refrigerator until I am ready to sear and then eat them.