grocerytrekker's Profile
food haiku
Buttertart,
No, Japanese grammar is completely different from Chinese. Vocabulary is borrowed, yes, but the answer is no :)
food haiku
Wonderful, MC & FF.
Ah, there's this gem, not exactly chicken, but worth mentioning, by the master, Basho. (Are water rails edible??)
http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2011/01/boxed-lunch-series-11-wrinkled-chicken_07.html
...and some fun with chicken:
http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2011/01/poulet-tandoori.html
food haiku
Truly impressive, everyone. I do find myself thinking in haiku these days. Yes, the dentist's chair...
My favorite fruit offerings: banana and golden peach
http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2011/01/banana.html
http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2011/01/golden-peach-ogontoougontou.html
Sushi, Octopus roe
Here you go, pictures :) Haven't seen it here yet.
http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2011/02/octopus-roe-tako-tamago.html
food haiku
I see. Morels thrive where forests are scorched.
No morel haiku yet... but I will do more mushrooms, for sure.
Here's enoki:
http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2011/01/enoki-mushroom-enokitake.html
tree ears:
http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2011/01/tree-ear-mushroom-kikurage.html
and something I've never tried, bracket fungus:
http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2011/01/medicinal-bracket-fungus-reishi.html
food haiku
You are a poet!
On my list: more meat.
Here's one on sukiyaki:
http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2011/01/sukiyaki-beef-nabe-hot-pot.html
food haiku
Speaking of butts, here's one:
http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2011/01/confit-de-canard-aux-cerises-duck.html
food haiku
Morel is definitely my favorite mushroom. Also, impossible to mistake for something else :)
I don't know if there are any haiku for morels, I doubt it, but I'll look.
Check out this wondrous red mushroom, "egg mushroom":
http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2011/01/egg-mushroom-half-dyed-slender-caesar.html
Here's another favorite of mine. Pine mushroom:
http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2011/01/pine-mushroom-matsutake.html
food haiku
Mouthwatering!
Here's one about chashu pork:
http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2011/02/chashu-pork-chashu.html
food haiku
Thank you!
Honey mushroom:
http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2011/01/honey-mushroom-armillaria-mellea.html
Jellyfish:
http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2011/01/jellyfish-kurage.html
food haiku
Daikon WITH persimmons!
Thank you. Here are mine:
Daikon radishes / Pulling hands imparted with / Evening sun's red glow
Setting sun lingers / In the vicinity of / Drying persimmons
http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2011/02/large-white-radish-daikon.html
http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2011/02/dried-persimmon-tsurushigaki.html
food haiku
Maria,
Thank you for the ankimo addition :)
My uni haiku with pictures: http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2011/01/sea-urchin-sushisashimi-uni.html
When I discovered these precious gems, I searched the internet for translations. NONE! So I decided to attempt it myself. Yes, these are my poems, but they are based on original Japanese texts, which are wonderfully witty and clever. Now, with the word orders being different, and with my 5.7.5. syllables structural constraint, sometimes I do have to do a bit of rearranging to convey the essence of the poet's moment.
Do another one! You are good at it.
food haiku
Thank you!
I've decided to forego any traditional rules. BUT I do adhere to these rules: 1) Be faithful to the poet's intent as much as possible 2) No exceptions to 5.7.5. syllable structure (unless I count wrong!)
I've discovered that these constraints actually make the results satisfying indeed.
And yes, the jellyfish one makes me chuckle.
(Thank for for the bean addition!)
food haiku
I have been creating food haiku from Japanese original versions (mostly ancient). Here are a few samples, and I need your help in deciding which ones you like best, to get a better idea of the direction this project should take. I started out with fish. Lots and lots of fish. Did fruit. Did a LOT of beans. I am doing vegetables at the moment. I really like the results. Hope you do, too, and any helpful advice will be appreciated.
Libidinous gods / Multitudinous seed pods / Pistachio nuts
Angry sea urchin / Jet black spine needles erect / Stands from where it sat
"I'll see you later" / I say to my ramen pork / Let it sink for now
Five-ray yellowtail / I was watching them rise up / There hangs a rainbow
Wife primps our dinner / As if it is haute cuisine / A whiff of yuzu
Poor shiitake / Tofu takes the credit for / The mushroom flavor
His arms cradling / Honey mushroom bushelful / Father returns home
Smell of dengaku / Unshaven komuso monk / Slips off to the side
Kenchinjiru soup / Konnyaku jelly pieces / Cooking of my mom
An arctic surf clam / Color of a young lady / After it is grilled
Thinning of ice fish / Surely can't be construed as / Dewdrops of the moon
Kuruma ebi / When you brush off wood shavings / They do spring to life
Is the spring fountain / Sadness of navy blue crab / I am wondering
For a jellyfish / That cannot ride the ebb tide / Dizziness galore
***
Oh, and there are pictures that accompany the poetry:
http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/
Good Mexican close to downtown? (Ha!)
I'm not expecting Topolobampo.
Please give me all the options less than a mile radius (walkable) from the Ferry Building.
1) Mexico DF category, nice but pricey
2) So-so category, not necessarily authentic. Passable food, moderately priced
3) Good & cheap category, no atmosphere, but food is a must-try
etc.
A moderately priced business dinner (for 10) close to downtown?
Exactly the type of place I am looking for, it sounds like.
Thanks, Ruth.
A moderately priced business dinner (for 10) close to downtown?
Since food is not the top priority for this type of gathering, I normally opt for Ozumo or Shanghai 1930 (best location) but these are too pricey.
The best option would be a Chinese place which could pass for a business dinner venue. Not too formal, though. Cozy is good.
I haven't been to Chinese places lately, except for a recent gathering at Hunan Home in Chinatown (liked neither the food nor the atmosphere). How is Empress of China? Tian Sing?
Now, it doesn't have to be Chinese, of course. I thought of Chinese because of good price to value factor. I can't think today, so I am asking for your help.
Please give me interesting new (and tried and true) options, within, say, a mile radius from the Ferry Building.
Warm regards
Top Ten Tastes - 2007
Let's call the citrus fruit "yuzu", although I can see how "yuza" might be acceptable.
This is a 2007 list?
For me, the most memorable dish possibly came from a meal at Manresa, and there were more than one "top taste".
This is a partial reprint from http://www.chowhound.com/topics/368820
***
Two simple churro sticks in a tall cup, one slightly longer than the other, bent slightly, like a playful modern arrangement in a small vase. This was the third amuse bouche, placed in the middle of the table. On the inside, the velvety parmesan (yes, parmesan cheese) was sweetly soft and demure, and all the sparkle came from the salty crispness on the outside.
***
The first savory course. Mesquite wood smoked duck foie gras, with miner's lettuce, rosemary vinegar infused pear slivers. Tonka bean powder was sprinkled on the plate.
The foie gras was a firm, red, generous portion of heavenly goodness.
***
The third savory course was, in a nutshell, a dish of gnocchis, a dollop of creamy cheese, garden vegetables + foam. A little dish. Not so little were the efforts which resulted in this divine creation. Luca the waiter reported, with mock sadness, that the vegetables were living in their own biodynamic garden until that very afternoon, until around 3:30 pm. I located a perky miniature carrot the size of a pine nut. A cute baby turnip. There was a tiny spinach leaf, a broccoli floret the size of my thumbnail, and a tiny piece of light green vegetable I saw in Paris but had never eaten before. More about this fascinating vegetable later. All these baby vegetables were individually poached in its own little pot, in its own rich vegetable broth, with different optimum cooking times. Then they were all assembled together, and presented with pieces of gnocchi and rich vegetable broth foam.
***
A circularly laid out amberjack sashimi dish. Imagine a flattened magnolia blossom with thin satiny translucent sashimi petals, flavored with sherry vinegar reduction, accented with little pieces of geoduck and little neck clams. I imagined tasting concentrated konbu broth, but it’s entirely possible these flavors came from the clams alone. Sprinkled on top are white untoasted sesame seeds, slivers of nori, miniscule rings of chives and julienned white radish resembling little daisy petals. Further garnished with baby shiso leaves and flowers.
***
As a minimalist, David appropriately chose an ordinary farm fresh egg to express his taste and artistry, also an homage to Alain Passard's chaud-froid d'oeuf fermier, sirop d'erable.
The EGG is an ambitious concept. This deceptively simple little soft-boiled egg with the top lopped off (the 4th amuse bouche) attempts to represent almost every facet of our contrasting flavor sensations.
Sweet represented by maple syrup,
Sour represented by sherry vinegar,
Salt sprinkled on top,
Savory soft yolk
Texture contrast between the salt and the whipped cream top.
Cooked on the outside, raw on the inside,
I did taste a bit of pleasant bitterness as well,
And yes, the egg was delivered hot and cold at the same time.
Berkeley on the Cheap?
Having some work done in my house...
My El Salvadorean and Mexican workmen have been raving about Gordo's cheap, juicy super burritos. (Elmwood, on College.) I checked it out - wow, what a pleasant surprise. Everything was made fresh. Lunch hour wait was a tad too long, however. Line was out the door, down the sidewalk.
Has anyone tried the new Chez Papa Resto in the Mint Plaza?
Chez Papa Resto in the Mint Plaza is a bistro, a surprisingly good one. A lovely place to entertain friends (and be entertained).
Our server recommended the soupe du jour, a pea soup made with the freshest peas. It was excellent.
Dishes I liked -
Labelle Farms foie gras with fig jam, sauteed pears and Banyuls (fine dining quality)
Seared diver scallops with fava beans, pistou and pine nuts (ditto)
A dish I could have liked more - milk fed veal sweetbreads with black trumpets, snap peas, spring garlic emulsion. Sweetbread texture wasn't quite perfect.
The server recommended lavender creme brulee, vanilla sablet, which was all right. The flavor wasn't too sharp. Because the dessert arrived late (I hardly noticed) they comped it!
Then they brought us glasses of muscat, gratuit... They were almost TOO nice, I guess it was the opening week.
The bottom line. Food here is actually worth it.
flourless no-bake instant stovetop skillet sugar cookies
Karumeyaki (also known as dalgona) and popki (sugar cutouts) are examples of flourless sugar cookies made in copper skillets. Precise timing of the release of carbon dioxide from baking soda seems to be key in making instant puffy sugar cookies.
Pictures and a video demonstration:
http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2008/03/instant-non-bake-stovestop-sugar.html
I like that it's simple (in theory!) Have you tried making any? Any other ideas for skillet cookies?
Most addictive cuisines?
Would it be fair to say that there are certain qualities which make certain cuisines more addictive than others? (Or is this an individual preference, as well?)
For instance, food cultures which are used to using more spices (curries, Mexican chili peppers...) are more often than not reluctant to "dumb" it down. Food cultures which habitually offer foods dripping with fat are reluctant to give them up. On the other hand, people who are used to leaner foods react strongly to fatty foods and find their fat tolerance very low indeed.
Cultures which have developed cured or fermented foods (olives, cheeses, fish and meat...) cannot live with fresh produce alone. And so on.
Most addictive cuisines?
That's a fun interpretation of this question - "which cuisines are the most addictive to you?" Chowhounds, the exact antitheses of these impervious tourist types uninterested in local offerings, would come up with many exotic cuisines that may, in fact, be addictive.
One point I should add - if people insist on their own cuisine, aren't they really proud of it, and are refusing to let it go even when abroad?
Most addictive cuisines?
Tourists are notorious for seeking food they are used to, while they are travelling.
Which countries or regions are most guilty of lacking a sense of adventure when it comes to choosing dinner away from home? Are they addicted to their own cuisine?
Sura in Temescal (on Telegraph)
Panchan at Sura. (Sorry - you can only see 15 here.)
pione (ピオーネ) grapes?
And some are truly humongous.
Pictures:
http://www.budoukan.co.jp/file/23/pio-ne-iizuka.jpg
http://cyarinko.ikora.tv/usr/cyarinko/2007.9.26.%E3%83%94%E3%82%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%8Db.JPG
Juicy, flavorful, sweet, low acidity.
pione (ピオーネ) grapes?
Huge, purplish black, seedless? Wow.
Actually, I've never seen them here. I've found "Keobong" (거봉) or "Kyoho"(巨峰) grapes, though. Or concord grapes. With large seeds.
Were they called pione? Perhaps some other name? Please let me know when you see them next time.
pione (ピオーネ) grapes?
They are common in Japan, and are even made into curry. What do you think of this grape's taste, and why don't we see more of it here in the U.S.?
