daeira's Profile
ISO Swedish Candy - Ahlgrens Bilar
Might any of you have a recommendation of where I can find these in the GTA?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
YOU GOTTA EAT HERE on the Food Network
I'm with piano boy on this one as well. There's something inherently unlikeable about the way Mr. Catucci hosts the program. Perhaps it's the over the over-the-top exaggerations he makes, or his silly facial expressions he throws at the food and camera, but I'm just turned off from the show. The banter isn't enjoyable. It's more borderline obnoxious. I don't want to hear another, "that's my favourite, no that's my favourite". It's almost as if he's trying too hard to emulate Guy Fieri but then misses the mark.
Also, I wonder why the blatant Triple D ripoff
I'll give the show one more chance, but suspect that my dislike of the host will turn me off from any more of it
P.F. Chang's ?? [moved from Ontario]
Upon the insistence of my friend, I tried P.F. Chang's. It was terrible. I don't think I've had more over-priced, overly salted food. My friend really enjoyed the meal. Whereas I found myself permanently stationed near a tap in an attempt to desalinate myself from the monstrosity that was dinner
Restaurant:Impossible w/ Robert Irvine
Edited*: This was written in response to menton1's posting. I'm not sure what happened with the order.
I'd have to disagree with your assessment of Ramsay. But, I base my opinion from Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares UK version. On that version of the show, Ramsay is quite compassionate, often doing whatever it takes (taking walks on the beach, talking to spouses, challenging chefs beyond their comfort level, encouraging team building exercises, encouraging owners to fire incompetent staff for the wellbeing of the restaurant, setting up purchaser/consumer relationships for local buying etc) to reach who or what he sees is the problem. The FOX version is admittedly different, probably for tv ratings.
What I find with Irvine is that he talks down to people, not to people. It's great that he may give the owners a hug, but if he's condescending during the entire process to everybody, a hug doesn't make up for that.
I did manage to watch an entire episode of Restaurant: Impossible where they redid the Floodtide. I think Irvine was nice to the elderly owner. But, rewatch his interactions with the cooking staff. He was condescendingly pedantic in asking them to identify vegetables and other basic food.
Restaurant:Impossible w/ Robert Irvine
Restaurant: Impossible seems pretty mediocre compared to Kitchen Nightmares UK version with Gordon Ramsey. For me, there's something very off-putting about Irvine. Between his over-aggressive and patronizing voice that's dripping with condescension towards the restaurant staff and the general way that he bullies everybody around him by yelling, it just doesn't make for entertaining viewing. At least with Kitchen Nightmares UK, Ramsey is actually attempting to address the root of the problem in the restaurant, whether it be bad chefs, internal dissension, poor product, an inappropriate menu vis-a-vis patrons etc. Ramsey often encourages younger chefs and restaurateurs. I'd take that approach over Irvine's, "yell at anybody around me and talk down to them" approach. I just feel that Irvine comes in, yells at some designers to do things faster, yells at staff to be better and leaves.
Maybe it makes for good television, but personally, I can't even sit through five minutes of his show without being disgusted by his own behaviour.
Church's Chicken.... Anyone??
Could this be true? Am I reading correctly?
This is pretty exciting for me. I haven't had Church's chicken in a few years. I wonder if this means that they're trying to expand into Ontario again.
Replica Food Magnets
Thanks Googs and ComeUndone for the recommendations.
I'll definitely check out those locations.
Replica Food Magnets
Are there any places in Toronto that sell replica food magnets or food magnets? I'm looking for the 3D realistic looking ones or the tourist souvenir ones that you pick up while travelling (ex mussels in Belgium, croissants in France etc).
I purchased quite a few from Japan last year in the kitchen district and wish to add to my collection.
Thanks so much
Supermarket "marketing" of Thankgiving items
Having celebrated Thanksgiving in October (I'm Canadian), I haven't quite seen the displays that you speak of. There are of course, tons of turkeys and hams and yams available for purchase, but I can't seem to recall the product placement, prepackaged food marketed to such an extent. In fact, in all my years of eating Thanksgiving dinner, I've never had a green bean casserole nor do I really know what it is. We've never eaten mashed potatoes or corn during Thanksgiving either. Pumpkin pie is so repellent to all of my family's tastebuds that we never purchase it.
What I have noticed with some of my friends is that they're turning more and more to pre-prepared meals from scratch. They hire personal chefs, or purchase from a grocery store.
do you ask guests about food sensitivities and allergies
As a hostess, I always ask my guests whether they have any food allergies. I would hate to either see a guest fall potentially ill, or not be able to eat anything. Given my own stomach problems, I can sympathize with people when it comes to not having a thing to eat or being terribly allergic and suffer a horrid reaction.
As a guest, I now never expect my hosts to have to prepare anything specifically for me. I typically attend dinners armed with snacks in the event that I am unable to even pick around the food.
I do remember one instance when a host inquired about food intolerances/allergies. I stated mine with the caveat that he should not change his menu and I would be happy to bring my own snacks and share the company. His response was that he hadn't started menu planning and that he wouldn't put my intolerances on the menu so that I could eat. "Don't bring any snacks," he told me. "You'll have plenty to eat!" You can imagine my surprise when I arrived sans snacks, to find every dish on his menu was covered in the one thing that I could not eat, stating that I could just pick out what I could eat. I should have known better and brought my snacks despite his assurances. That lesson taught me that no matter how well-meaning your hosts are, as a person with food intolerances, you should always arrive with snacks in purse.
Loblaws I hardly know you....
I can sympathize with your Dupont/Christie Loblaws experience. I used to be a regular at that particular store until I had a few bad experiences. After purchasing ice creams that had clearly been melted, refrozen and crystallized along with never finding basics stocked on shelves, items with soon to expire best before dates, unresponsive if not rude staff and lacklustre produce, I've stopped going.
I've been disappointed by other Loblaws as well, particularly in the freshness of produce. How many times does Loblaws think they can charge outrageous prices for wilted produce and maintain customer retention?
As much as I used to love Loblaws, I find my love affair evaporating. Nowadays, most of my grocery dollar has been spent elsewhere
Where to buy Braun hand blenders
Hi all,
I'm wondering if any of you might know of any stores in Toronto (preferably TTC accessible) that still sell Braun handblenders. Mine has finally whirled its last turn and I'd like to replace it with a Braun Multiquick. Unfortunately, it seems that all the big box stores, department stores, hardware stores and like no longer carry braun hand blenders. Where might I be able to find one?
Thanks in advance
I'm looking for Korean supermarket in London, Ontario. Do you guys know it?
There's one on Commissioners Road. I've been to it once. It's quite small, but they do have some of the basics.
Oriental Food Market
250 Commissioners Road W
When does cooked shrimp go bad?
Yikes, so technically I won't consider myself out of the woods until end of day Friday.
When does cooked shrimp go bad?
Just as an update, it's been about 24 hours and I am thankfully not experiencing any signs of food poisoning.
Accessibility problems
With a parent who recently became disabled, I've only just started noticing how many establishments in my city are not accessible. I remember calling ahead once and the establishment said they were fully accessible. Unfortunately, they forgot to mention the 2 steep steps infront of the restaurant. We had to cancel our reservation because we couldn't lift the wheelchair up the steps.
Often, I have to check out beforehand whether there are steps, whether there is a ramp, whether her wheelchair can fit in person. Admittedly, you never notice how important the little things are in making a difference for comfort between table spacing and even table height. Sometimes, even cups, forks, chopsticks, mugs are too heavy for my parent to lift. We often have to bring our own very light cutlery and dishes so she can manage to eat.
Thankfully there is still the take-out option for places where the wheelchair doesn't quite work. No point depriving yourself of good food, even if you eat it at home.
Asian Grocery Stores in London
Thanks so much for the update. The other day when I was visiting, I stopped by the King Wah near Greyhound only to find it boarded up and dark. I did find a small Korean market by chance on Commissioners but they don't stock everything I need. It worked in a pinch but not for the long term.
I'll be sure to check out Far East and the one on Hamilton to see if the buses travel there. It's hard not having a car to get around the city.
When does cooked shrimp go bad?
Thanks all. I'm silently very concerned that I'm going to have a case of food poisoning tonight.
I'm hoping that the shrimp was still good. I ate it about 8 hours ago and so far (knock on wood) no problems. But, the shrimp I realized was probably over a week old!
Maybe the airtight container helped to retain freshness a bit. Fingers crossed.
When does cooked shrimp go bad?
I feel like such a knob. I had pulled some cooked shrimp from the fridge for lunch. I thought it was shrimp from a few days ago but now believe I've misremembered when the shrimp was from. I believe it was from far longer.
The shrimp was in an airtight container, did not have any slime, did not smell, and the texture of the shrimp did not have that mushy, disintegrating taste when shrimp goes bad. It tasted, it smelled, it looked normal.
Am I bound for a night with the porcelain god tonight and if so, are there any precautions I can take? Isn't the smell test usually the safest bet?
TIA
Eating in Japan while pregnant
When I was in Japan, I didn't have any problems finding non-raw-fish food available for purchase. Because of a stomach condition, my tolerance for raw fish is slim to none. As another poster said, raw fish is just one aspect of the diet. You can always order the non-raw maki.
Some of the best food is the street food. My personal favourite were Gendacko takoyaki and this okonomiyaki place in the Subnade in Tokyo.
As cecilia said, there are tons of cooked options,though I'm not sure of MSG content. You might want to try heading to any of the available basement food markets (depachika) in any department store. They're huge food courts that have a wide assortment of foods for purchase including lovely french pastries, dumplings, salads, bento boxes.
Are You A Neat Cook?
I'm in-between neat and messy. I try to clean dishes and pots immediately after I've used them for prep. I also wipe down as I go. But I've also been known to pile a few used utensils and plates and wash them as my food is cooking. I also prefer the staggered method of washing dishes. Doing them all at once seems too much of a chore for me. However, washing one or two here and there makes it much more palatable.
Luckily I'm currently dating a man who insists on washing the dishes when I've cooked. If only I could convince him to stack the dishes a certain way so that they look neat as they're drying in the rack (instead of the haphazard way he puts them in now).
Not using tin foil and plastic wrap
I tend to bring my lock 'n lock plastic containers with me whenever I go out to eat. The leftovers get placed into the container and I don't have to worry about leaks. In fact, I've pretty much weeded out uses of tin foil and plastic wrap, electing instead to place leftovers in glass or plastic containers.
The amount of packaging that we as consumers use and get is insane. Most of it finds itself into a landfill.
While not eco-friendly, I often package my leftovers in recyclable tofu containers. After my guests are done with them, they can throw them into the blue bin or re-use them for other things. It beats using a roll of tin foil to encase things in. I've also started giving cookies in large glass jars that I pick up for cheap.
ISO Cherry Coke
Thank you Bringonthelbs and thenurse. I've been rationing my last few cans of Cherry Coke that I purchased from the US. But now that I know there's a source in the GTA, I'm quite happy.
The meal that "Sealed the Deal"....
Not quite sealed the deal in terms of marriage, but I suspect the meal I cooked for my sweetie solidified our relationship as boyfriend/girlfriend.
I made:
-fried tofu puffs
-Sichuan eggplant
-Sichuan dry-fry green beans
-Almond tofu for dessert
ISO Cherry Coke
Might any of you know where to purchase Cherry Coke in the bottles or cans in Toronto? I know that some 7-11s have them available as a mix-your-own fountain drink. I'm looking specifically for the premade cherry coke.
TIA
Fruit flies - help me get rid of them!
I had a serious fruit fly problem because of some forgotten fruit that I left out when I went abroad. Two weeks later, I came home to the glorious sounds of buzzing.
What I did was get a wide-mouth jar which I filled with a sweet liquid (fruit juice with some sugar) and a piece of banana. I then took a piece of paper, cut it so the height of the paper was shorter than the height of the jar and rolled it up to make a funnel. This was then placed into the mouth of the jar, ensuring that the top was wider than the bottom (inside the jar).
I allowed it to sit and it trapped the flies. I repeated this a few times always changing the water and food inside and within a week, I had them gone. I also poured vinegar down my drain to catch any that might be hiding there.
Wedding RSVP Card - Entree Selections - list full description or just general category?
I'd definitely appreciate a middle of the road explanation similar to what ipsedixit suggested. At least with the dish's name, guests can roughly approximate what goes into the dish.
I remember one wedding RSVP card that had the generic beef, chicken, vegetarian option. Since I rarely eat beef I selected chicken. Being lactose intolerant, I would have appreciated knowing that the chicken had inordinate amounts of cream in it and the vegetarian option had coconut in it (which I can't digest either). I ended up filling up on bread.
ISO 1.5 & 2 L Mason jars for storing pantry goods (reasonably priced)
Hi Lyndak,
Just make sure you contact the Ontario office rather than the Quebec one for a price quote.
ISO 1.5 & 2 L Mason jars for storing pantry goods (reasonably priced)
You can try ordering from Dominion & Grimm (http://www.dominiongrimm.ca/en/produits?sectionid=8&catid=16&start=10). I recently purchased some hexagon jars from them at a very reasonable price. Their catalogue states that twelve (12) Moisson 1 L mason jars are $13.70 and the lids are $3.19 (pack of 12) or 12 1 L regular mason jars are $10.71 and the lids are $3.19 (pack of 12)
I'm not sure whether you'd have to buy 24 jars (as a minimum order), but shipping within Ontario came out to less than $8, and my jars were delivered within 2 days of ordering in perfect condition.
They also have an assortment of other sized and shaped jars and containers if you want something other than a mason jar.
