Whippet's Profile
Chinese farm-raised fish and mollusks
I can offer what I know, from my perspective, in my field (disease and ecology):
China's inspection system has two tracks, de facto. And the export track gets better inspection/has higher standards. However, it's still far less than perfect. China has quality regulation laws, but they mostly don't apply to early stages of production (e.g. farming). It's hard to trace products to their source, and many facilities are unlicensed. And surveillance (say, for virulent foodborne pathogens/antibiotic resistant nasties) is not linked to any *action* directly.
The FDA inspects very few (
I wouldn't want to eat the stuff destined for the Chinese domestic market, but exports may be ok. I wouldn't become a regular consumer, but weighing the relative risks otherwise is up to you.
My Live Lobster Declawed Itself - Why?
My best guess is that your lobster had just moulted. Those large claws shrivel during the beginning of a moult so the lobster can get them out through the joint on the shell, but that's not always sufficient to keep them from getting stuck. Sometimes the lobster ditches both claws inside the old shell. They grow back.
Best restaurants between West 96th and West 110th?
I'm always happy with Gennaro -- 93rd, so just outside the requested range.
manhattan shave ice
Just today I had the green tea shave ice from Koryodang in Ktown 31 W 32nd St
(between 5th Ave & Broadway).
They put a scoop of green tea ice cream on top, which I didn't love until I blended it with the ice, but it came with fruit, mochi and red bean, which was great. The texture, as the article says, was light/dry -- exactly as it should be.
They also had coffee and strawberry (I think).
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Koryodang
31 W 32nd St, New York, NY 10001
Amex in Chinatown?
I'm trying to find a Chinatown market that accepts Amex -- I believe that Kam Man, which is my usual standby, does not, and neither I think does Hong Kong Supermarket.
Any insight?
Recs for restaurants that take Amex are also welcome.
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Kam Man
200 Canal St, New York, NY 10013
Hong Kong Supermarket
157 Hester St, New York, NY 10013
Are there foods you won't eat because you consider them too dangerous?
Edit: old thread. Oops.
That said, as someone who studies new diseases:
rats and bats, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
ANY raw meat, fruit or veg in SE Asia
Calf's foot jelly and other foods you've read about but never had - some of which you'd like to
Shabanu! I tried chewing paan and it made me feel incredibly sick. But that book also made me want to keep camels.
I also never got to like Turkish Delight, but I certainly pretended.
sweet 16 ideas
For after dinner, and music: back in the day (not very long ago; I'm a year out of college), I loved CBGB and Knitting Factory. I can't think of places with good music and food where I would feel comfortable supervising a group of teenage girls. You might want to think about making these separate activities.
sweet 16 ideas
Also, try searching this board with terms like "Sweet Sixteen" and "group of teenagers." This is a common question type.
sweet 16 ideas
So much depends on what she likes -- and will you have to park the limo? That will be tremendously limiting.
Calf's foot jelly and other foods you've read about but never had - some of which you'd like to
In Anne of Green Gables, Anne accidentally gets Diana drunk on raspberry wine -- thinking it's cordial. I want to try both.
Kouign amann where?!
Try Bouley Bakery -- but call in advance; it's only occasionally available.
Oscar Potluck--but the theme is wacked!
I didn't really like Precious (so! many! cliches!) but I'm kinda put off by the idea of eating food "inspired" by that movie, considering that almost every scene with food was meant to be painful or even gross -- food is abused and used as a tool of abuse.
Favorite Shortbread Flavor?
My signature shortbread is Earl Grey and orange zest, and that's always a hit. I also like black pepper and vanilla.If you've never tried the lavender, though, do.
Green chicken??
For those who don't want to sort through a scientific paper: this meat is safe, but it probably does not come from happy birds.
Green chicken??
I think this is pectoral myopathy (aka Oregon disease). It happens from exercise (wing-flapping) in birds bred for large breasts, since these muscles are right up against the sternum. There's no room for the natural swelling to occur, and you get necrosis, because bloodflow gets pinched off.
Arby's Roast Beef-- Recipes?
We're getting mean, here.
I just looked at the ingredients on their website, and it says the following:
Trimmed Boneless Beef Chunks (Minimum 70%) Combined With Chopped Beef For a Maximum of 12% Fat. Contains up to 9.0% of a Self-Basting Solution of Water, Salt, Sodium Phosphate.
Also, check out this snopes article, which describes their process:
http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/arbys.asp
I'm going to have to agree with everyone before me -- this isn't happening at home.
Is There a Gypsy (Roma) Cuisine?
Some good info here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=MG0ahVw-kdwC&pg=PA80&lpg=PA80&dq=romani+cuisine&source=bl&ots=PiUHWLrsVb&sig=1zikvTwVx-SoHdv63ARZTfF4YmQ&hl=en&ei=H29jS5i0HIiuswON-Z2dAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CC8Q6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=romani%20cuisine&f=false
"Don't Open That Bag!!!".....because I'll eat the whole thing.
I was waiting to see of someone would mention these. Hot buffalo wing or cheddar for me. Aaaah.
international desserts and snacks -- I need your help!
In a few weeks, some friends and I will be hosting a large party with an international desserts and snacks theme, mostly desserts. We'd like to focus especially on foods associated with religious festivals, and it would be best if these could be readily made in bulk. I'm really struggling with coming up with a menu. I'm thinking hamestaschen, latkes (I'm Jewish), maybe kheer, Chinese walnut soup....
I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas. I know I can count on 'hounds.
Chava
what the &*%#**!!! is a Buddhist Duck?
Rest easy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dukkha
Would a Buddhist eat a Buddhist duck? Why raise them? For that matter, are they even raised by Buddhists?
Tyton tropical pudding?
I get these at the Chinese supermarket. They taste strongly of fruit. Good stuff. They do have a certain jello-like firmness (but not "springy" or wriggly); they aren't creamy.
The lowly mushroom stem and other underappreciated parts
Peels? Well, I haven't tried this, but I bet you could cut them small and roll them in brown sugar or honey and bake them crunchy -- oatmeal/ice cream/cake topping. Maybe simmer them with the cores for pectin. Or make cider vinegar?
Why did my broccoli catch fire in the microwave? Why did the pyrex bowl get so hot?
My orgo is still sparky and lemon-fresh! Yes, water is symmetrical -- but only down one line of symmetry.
Broccoli is complex. Lots of recent studies have examined antioxidants in broccoli -- these are often big, complicated molecules with many rings and substituents.
Vitamin K is pretty simple, and also asymmetrical: http://www.chemicalbook.com/StructureFile/ChemBookStructure60/GIF/CB3482555.gif
The sugars in the broccoli probably account for the fire: they got hot and combusted. What temperature they needed to reach would depend on what sugar it was, but most of the sugar in broccoli is fructose (48.8% of total sugar), which burns at a lower temperature than sucrose, at least.
Food Idioms
to be sweet on someone
egg someone on
to have finger in many pies
sell like hotcakes
upper-crust
old chestnut
nutty as a fruitcake
stew in your own juice
simmer down
upset the applecart
couch potato
eat crow
alike as two peas
for all the tea in China
Banana Republic
cherry-pick
forbidden fruit
eat [someone] alive
jam tomorrow
like nailing jello to a wall
apple-polisher
packed like sardines
white bread
vanilla (this one's weird, because vanilla is actually a very distinctive flavor, despite its reputation)
:) I LOVE words.
Food Idioms
big cheese
eat humble pie
go pear-shaped
feel your oats
[to be] chicken
neither fish nor fowl
In French:
"La moutarde me monte au nez" "The mustard's going to my nose" -- "I'm getting mad."
"Faire le poireau" -- "to do the leek" -- "to wait"
"Se demander si c'est du lard ou du chochon" -- wondering whether it's lard or pork, not knowing what to believe
"menager le chevre et le chou" -- to accommodate the goat and the cabbage, to try to please everyone
"retomber comme un souffle" -- to collapse like a souffle, lose energy all at once
"parler comme une casserole" or "parler [francais] comme une vache espagnole" To speak French like a pot. Or a Spanish cow. That is, badly.
