eG Foodblog: akwa - Shaolin style gastronomy

[Smithy]

We've seen matcha Kit-Kats before.

I wonder if there'll be a matcha Twix eventually...?  

So, tell us, Will...any new desserts lately?

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My turn, while Will is contemplating the answer. What's matcha?

Edited August 15, 2005 by Smithy (log)

[SobaAddict70]

Green tea.

For reference:

what's the availability of western foodstuffs in Japan? pocky (as we've been discussing) can be found somewhat readily in North America (depends on where you are I suppose), but does it go the other way too - can you buy, say, KitKats and Mars bars in Japan? and if so, are they adapted for the Japanese market? (green tea and bean flavourings seem to be popular - green tea KitKats sound pretty feasible to me )

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matcha kit kat!

These are really good.

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From Pocky and the Geisha. --Soba

[jackal10]

Twix bars are even better battered and deep fried

(hint: use the snack size)

And therefore as a stranger give it welcome.

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,

Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

Hamlet Act 1 Scene V

[akwa]

We've seen matcha Kit-Kats before.

I wonder if there'll be a matcha Twix eventually...? 

So, tell us, Will...any new desserts lately?

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Im working on a series of dishes/actions that would function as a memory driven dessert.

Part three

Renouvelation from the outside in

Or how to use baby props to preprepare the mind for reinfancy

Exhibit one

The pillow

Step one

Prepare a swiss meringue in the traditional style

Next steps in stream of consciousness as appropriate for the author

Aka laziness or intense lack of discipline that can only be described as infantile

Thankfully appropriate

With small offset palate knife apply swiss meringue liberally around the perimeter of the serving vessel

Serve immediately

Note, for those souls who don’t immediately recognize the purity of the snow white aeration, feel free to blow torch the surface towards cremation to show your true feelings regarding their potential

Exhibit two

The breast

Granted this is difficult to simulate as truly there is no recreation that can generate the plump perfection of a ripe breast

Or is the answer in the fig

Step one

Find a voisin with a fig tree

Step two

Analyze the schedule of the voisin to determine when he or she will not be home

Step three

When following carefull planning you are confident that neighbor is away calmly proceed to rob as many figs as you can stuff into your shirt.

Step four

After said thievery, arrange your figs in direct line of sunlight, carefully adjusting the position to coincide with the solar rotation.

Step five

Wait patiently until the figs are gorged with sun to the point of explosion

enjoy

Exhibit three

The blanket

Step one

Identify the favorite dish of your most esteemed guest

Step two

Prepare this dish with great fanfare

Eg “what a lovely coq au vin I have prepared,”

Step three

As per the natural course of the meal present such coq au vin in a coq au sein or silk blouse.

Step four

Allow the guest to remove the blouse only with the penalty of having the dish removed suddenly without a moment to savor its penetrating aromas and sensual appearance

Step five

Wait for your guest’s response

Step six

Will depend upon result of step five

Exhibit four

The bottle

Prepare classic cocktails and serve them in baby bottles

Exhibit five

The absence of toilet

Less unusual in climates Midwestern the recipe for toilet disregard is superbly without complication

Step one

Lock the bathroom doors

Step two

Serve copious amounts of alcohol and water

Step three

Make your getaway from the mise en scene of the crime with due haste

Step four

Research little black book for alternate dinner guests for following semaine

[Swisskaese]

Okay. For someone whose English is a second language, I am from the south (Alabama) and Tel Aviv , can you please explain what you are doing now in plain English. I feel like I have missed something so far in the discussion.

Edited August 15, 2005 by Swisskaese (log)

[jackal10]

Lovely...peche Melba for the breast. Figs are traditionally associated with a different part of the female anatomy - press a ripe fig with your thumbs so it splits and reveals the red interior through the split...

[chefzadi]

Okay. For someone whose English is a second language, I am from the south (Alabama) and Tel Aviv , can you please explain what you are doing now in plain English. I feel like I have missed something so far in the discussion.

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I'll help a little

Research little black book for alternate dinner guests for following semaine

semaine means week or something like that.

[Fat Guy]

Okay. For someone whose English is a second language, I am from the south (Alabama) and Tel Aviv , can you please explain what you are doing now in plain English. I feel like I have missed something so far in the discussion.

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Don't worry. You understand as much as everyone else.

[therese]

Lovely...peche Melba for the breast. Figs are traditionally associated with a different part of the female anatomy - press a ripe fig with your thumbs so it splits and reveals the red interior through the split...

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Glad somebody else pointed this out before me.

I wouldn't go with peche Melba either, though. It's the texture/tensile thing that's crucial here. Ile flottante's the thing.

[akwa]

i just woke up from my afternoon nap

but the taste of my afternoon lunch is still quite vivid

i went to my curry shack on lexington avenue and with my wife

thoroughly assaulted the entire buffet:

chicken tikka masala

basmati rice

spinach

lentils both yellow and brown

curried cauliflower

beautiful naan bread

two cups of chai

i must say that the "fine dining" indian restaurants i have tried generally pale in comparison. I am not sure why but the meaning of the food seems to be lost in translation between the kitchen and the plate and the guest.

Anyone have a feeling why that is?

[lancastermike]

Okay. For someone whose English is a second language, I am from the south (Alabama) and Tel Aviv , can you please explain what you are doing now in plain English. I feel like I have missed something so far in the discussion.

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I was thinking the same thing. I believe this may be a little to inside for us commoners

[Abra]

I'm thinking that a guide to special substances to be ingested whilst perusing this blog is in order.

[Smithy]

I'm thinking that a guide to special substances to be ingested whilst perusing this blog is in order.

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Ah, of course....the nonlinear approach is the ticket! Where's Hunter S when we need him?

[akwa]

Okay. For someone whose English is a second language, I am from the south (Alabama) and Tel Aviv , can you please explain what you are doing now in plain English. I feel like I have missed something so far in the discussion.

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I was thinking the same thing. I believe this may be a little to inside for us commoners

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I think that a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is necessary as a grounding influence.

my wife reminded me that there is a fine line between the sublime and the ridiculous.

it is quite likely that the ideas so clear in my head and so simple, are totally incomprehensible without any context. I appreciate your patience with regards to my incoherence.

I made the transition from restaurant pastry chef to full time father in February, and since then I have been working on numerous ideas, including working as a personal chef to develop a patron relationship, developing a theory of creativity as a foundation for my work, designing a line of chocolate, but mostly to take care of my daughter Loulou as best as possible.

My work for desserts has always been somewhat problematic in the same way this forum may be; my ideas are not adequately described in a way that makes them commercially viable. It is possible that "conceptual" food is just not sellable, but I am confident in the public's ability to make a decision if given any relevant information.

The dessert I am working on is for a cookbook. The cookbook is based upon a concept of five axes of creativity in the kitchen; I cannot go into complete detail at this time because an article with this theme will be published this fall. However the lines of my axes of creativity are no secret to anyone that I have worked with over the past five years: ingredient; technique; philosophy; love and solitude.

I have been working to develop the next axes of creativity and have tentatively established the sixth as shame, and the seventh, lo and behold, is on the other end of the milk bottle in my hand.

The infant, the child, the pure mind, the open book.

In this context I am working to develop dishes/actions that can transport the client/customer/guest via sensory exploration. I identified the five most distinctive qualities of the infant and associated a prop with these:

The social acceptability of sleeping when tired or bored: the pillow

The proximity to the mother: the breast

The constant feeding capacity: the bottle

The security blanket

The ability to use the "toilet" in any way shape or form at any time

I did not find a suitable prop/partner for tears, but it could easily be rain water.

The dish, or series of dishes is then prepared in a way that recalls the acts of the child:

1. A swiss meringue that is soft and protective like a pillow

2. A sun ripened fig that has the warmth and fuzzy glow of the mommy

3. The blanket which covers a favorite dish, and only the blanket is savored

4. The infantilization of drinking by using the baby bottle as a glass

5. The dynamic that stems from toilet deprivation

I hope that this explanation is helpful, and appreciate your requests for elaboration.

I think I need another beer.

[therese]

I think I need another beer.

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Ditto that. And maybe a couple of shots to go with it.

[melkor]

I'm thinking that a guide to special substances to be ingested whilst perusing this blog is in order.

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Ah, of course....the nonlinear approach is the ticket! Where's Hunter S when we need him?

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Dead.

[akwa]

I'm thinking that a guide to special substances to be ingested whilst perusing this blog is in order.

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Ah, of course....the nonlinear approach is the ticket! Where's Hunter S when we need him?

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Dead.

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hes not dead

hes just not taking any calls right now

[Smithy]

I'm thinking that a guide to special substances to be ingested whilst perusing this blog is in order.

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Ah, of course....the nonlinear approach is the ticket! Where's Hunter S when we need him?

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Dead.

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hes not dead

hes just not taking any calls right now

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One might say he's a bit scattered these days.

[Toliver]

Im working on a series of dishes/actions that would function as a memory driven dessert.

Part three

Renouvelation from the outside in

Or how to use baby props to preprepare the mind for reinfancy

←

Terry cloth bibs with dessert for all the patrons and the milk in the baby bottles should be served warm. The waitstaff can test the temperature of the milk on their wrists before serving.

Or perhaps have the waitstaff spoon feed the dessert to the bibbed patrons while making "nummy" sounds or whispering out a hushed "Here comes the airplane!".

[jackal10]

I know a restaurant like that in London...

However I think the notion of food as reverting to a safe, cared for infantilism has merit.

Your needs catered for, food chosen and made safe, experience guided.

Edited August 15, 2005 by jackal10 (log)

[akwa]

Im working on a series of dishes/actions that would function as a memory driven dessert.

Part three

Renouvelation from the outside in

Or how to use baby props to preprepare the mind for reinfancy

←

Terry cloth bibs with dessert for all the patrons and the milk in the baby bottles should be served warm. The waitstaff can test the temperature of the milk on their wrists before serving.

Or perhaps have the waitstaff spoon feed the dessert to the bibbed patrons while making "nummy" sounds or whispering out a hushed "Here comes the airplane!".

←

i am not sure that infantilizing the process is necessary for a memory experience

but i also have a sense of humor about the prospect;

i think that serving a dessert like this in a restaurant would be awkward

the dynamic is just not right

this is something more personal perhaps appropriate for a private event

at the same time, it raises the question: in what way the relationship between food and sense memory be explored in the current context of the restaurant; and what other more appropriate venues would be desirable

[akwa]

I know a restaurant like that in London...

However  I think the notion of food as reverting to a safe, cared for infantilism  has merit.

Your needs catered for, food chosen and made safe, experience guided.

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i would argue that the infant stage is actually more advanced and profound than the current state of consciousness.

the point is that the infant is more creative, more capable precisely because of the lack of external influence than the jaded adult who knows what they knows

[jackal10]

There are many successful restaurants (and institutions) that serve nursery food for desert - sponge pudding with custard, jellies, tapioca and the like.

Childhood memories, even without the erotic overtones...

Edited August 15, 2005 by jackal10 (log)

[Fat Guy]

Since Nestle makes KitKat and Mars makes Twix

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Kit Kat is made by Hershey's in the United States, but in Europe it's made by Nestle. Isn't that strange?

[Daddy-A]

However the lines of my axes of creativity are no secret to anyone that I have worked with over the past five years: ingredient; technique; philosophy; love and solitude.

I have been working to develop the next axes of creativity and have tentatively established the sixth as shame, and the seventh, lo and behold, is on the other end of the milk bottle in my hand.

The infant, the child, the pure mind, the open book.

Beautiful!

i would argue that the infant stage is actually more advanced and profound than the current state of consciousness.

the point is that the infant is more creative, more capable precisely because of the lack of external influence than the jaded adult who knows what they knows

But can the creativity at the infant stage truly be compared with the creativity of later years. I agree that true creativity requires an absence or at least ignorance of influence ... but doesn't it also require a context? At infancy, I would term this an awakening rather than creativity.

But we're not here to talk semantics are we?

The ability to use the "toilet" in any way shape or form at any time

<SNIP>

5.  The dynamic that stems from toilet deprivation

Sounds like a university pub to me ... especially if one was waiting for the ladies room! How does this translate to cuisine??

A.