"Janet Wilder" wrote
> notbob wrote:

>> I may occasionally use chopsticks at home, but I'm weird. I know of NO
>> 0NE
>> else who does so. Maybe me and mine are declasse, but I doubt it. Do
>> YOU
>> really have your own chopsticks at home for yourself and guests and
>> family
>> when Asian food is on the menu? C'mon, be honest. (CC! ... a poll!)
>
> I really do have chopsticks at home and I really do use them when I make
> an Asian meal. DH, prefers a fork.

We range here. We use them commonly for any meal where they are a bit
easier.
Not just 'asian foods'. We prefer western spoons though overall.

> I also ask for them at Chinese restaurants and buffets as none of them
> around here put them on the table.

Hehehe if we know we will be eating 'asian' and are not in asia at the time,
we bring our own favorite type. Those are the thinner japanese style witht
he slight serration at the bottom inch or so (making them easier to grip
things).

It's quite common here to set the table with fork, spoon, *and* chopsticks.
The family will use whatever seems right for each item.

Sample from today: breakfast
Dashi-rice porridge with octopus, raw egg (cooks in the broth at serving
time), kangkoon (also called kang kong, hollow stem asian spinach), kelp
ties (fresh kelp tied into little bows), carrot slivers, lotus root, leek,
daikon (a mild radish), niboshi (dried itty bitty fish), ebi (dried spicy
baby shrimps), leftover thin sliced bits of marinaded pork loin, and
assorted spices. Served with spoon and chopsticks.

On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 10:00:11 -0500, Jean B. wrote:

> James Silverton wrote:
>> Aren't you being a bit obtuse and mystical? You could lift sashimi with
>> a fork or spear it and get all the essential texture and flavor even if
>> I would prefer chopsticks as I mentioned. In general, sushi is best
>> handled with chopsticks since manipulating it, like dipping in soyu, is
>> easier but I bet I could manage quite well with spoon and fork.
>>
> I now think that it was traditional to eat sushi with one's
> fingers--that after I was horrified the first time I saw it. I
> gather this tradition is long past though (if it even existed),
> since I don't recall that from ca 25 years ago.

i hope is not out of favor because i do it all the time.

your pal,
blake

On Sun, 25 Jan 2009 11:20:48 -0800 (PST), The Ranger wrote:

> On Jan 25, 10:55*am, notbob > wrote:
>> On 2009-01-25, The Ranger > wrote:
>>
>>> You're as loopy as a bowl of Fruitloops, nb......
>>
>> Shame on you, Range. *What did a bowl of Fruitloops ever do to you?
>
> Simply sat there, staring up from their bowl of milk, expecting me to
> use my chopsticks.
>
> The Ranger

if you have the pointy japanese kind, you can spear the fruitloops through
the hole.

your pal,
blake

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> I'm sitting here watching an old episode of Law & Order. Both Waterston
> and
> Hennessy are eating Chinese out of take-out boxes with disposable
> chopsticks. Regulars know what I think about all the networks standard
> representation of NY'ers always eating Chinese in this manner. If you
> don't, I say it's all total crap.
>
> We've flogged this subject ad nauseum, but have we been honest about it.
> Yeah, we all use chopsticks in a restaurant cuz we wanna SHOW RESPECT for
> the CULTURE (eye-roll). BUT!!... what about take-out? I've been eating
> Chinese take-out all my life and have NEVER found those disposable
> chopsticks in the bag. Does that mean I should have them at home all the
> time?
>
> I may occasionally use chopsticks at home, but I'm weird. I know of NO
> 0NE
> else who does so. Maybe me and mine are declasse, but I doubt it. Do YOU
> really have your own chopsticks at home for yourself and guests and family
> when Asian food is on the menu? C'mon, be honest. (CC! ... a poll!)
>
> nb

I do. I make sushi a couple times a year, and I have the plates, soy sauce
dishes, and chopsticks for serving and eating them. I also prefer to use
chopsticks for yakisoba and lo mein because I think it's way easier to eat
them that way than with a fork. They're also great for flipping donuts in
hot oil I'm not a NY'er, though...just a dislocated Minnesotan living in
Sandy Eggo and possibly moving to Maine

kimberly
--
http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com

James wrote:
> On Jan 25, 10:55 am, blake murphy > wrote:
>> On Sun, 25 Jan 2009 14:12:29 GMT, notbob wrote:
>>> I'm sitting here watching an old episode of Law & Order. Both Waterston and
>>> Hennessy are eating Chinese out of take-out boxes with disposable
>>> chopsticks. Regulars know what I think about all the networks standard
>>> representation of NY'ers always eating Chinese in this manner. If you
>>> don't, I say it's all total crap.
>> they eat chinese take-out with chopsticks because they are liberal pussies.
>> don't you know anything?
>>
>> blake
>
> Probably easier to use the chopsticks than to use the cheap plastic
> forks. Many cheap forks I've seen are TOO SHORT and bends like wet
> noodle.
>
> The whole idea of eating out of the box is you don't have to wash
> dishes.

Yeah, but, I like to have my Orange Beef (or whatever) on
top of the rice and eat them together. (I know that's not
the correct way to do it if you want to be authentically
Chinese about it.) So I would never eat it out of the box
because then you have to eat the meat/veggie stuff in one
bite and then take a bite of rice. And also, all the sauce
sinks to the bottom of the carton and I like the sauce to
soak into my rice and flavor it. So if I don't want to wash
dishes I just use a paper plate and put the rice on it and
then top with the meat/veggies stuff. Of course, doing this
makes it harder to eat with chopsticks because the sauce
makes the rice difficult to pick up since it no longer sticks
together. It's worth it though. I just don't understand what
the Chinese do with all the extra sauce that's left on the
plate. Do they scoop it up with a spoon when they're done
eating the solid bits? Or do they just discard it? I don't
like to waste any of it because it's so flavorful. Even if
there's nothing but sauce left I will save it and put it on
some rice for a nice meal.

Kate


--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

Omelet wrote:
> In article >,
> notbob > wrote:
>
>> I'm sitting here watching an old episode of Law & Order. Both Waterston and
>> Hennessy are eating Chinese out of take-out boxes with disposable
>> chopsticks. Regulars know what I think about all the networks standard
>> representation of NY'ers always eating Chinese in this manner. If you
>> don't, I say it's all total crap.
>>
>> We've flogged this subject ad nauseum, but have we been honest about it.
>> Yeah, we all use chopsticks in a restaurant cuz we wanna SHOW RESPECT for
>> the CULTURE (eye-roll). BUT!!... what about take-out? I've been eating
>> Chinese take-out all my life and have NEVER found those disposable
>> chopsticks in the bag. Does that mean I should have them at home all the
>> time?
>>
>> I may occasionally use chopsticks at home, but I'm weird. I know of NO 0NE
>> else who does so. Maybe me and mine are declasse, but I doubt it. Do YOU
>> really have your own chopsticks at home for yourself and guests and family
>> when Asian food is on the menu? C'mon, be honest. (CC! ... a poll!)
>>
>> nb
>
> We have chopsticks in the flatware drawer, but I must admit they've not
> been used in years.

I have chopsticks at home but only use them for company if
I make something that you should use chopsticks to eat.
For myself I just use a fork, even though I like using
chopsticks and am good at it. It's still a little easier
to use a fork, so if it's just me I don't bother with the
sticks. But I enjoy using them when I eat out.
Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

blake wrote on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:54:39 GMT:

>> James Silverton wrote:
>>> Aren't you being a bit obtuse and mystical? You could lift
>>> sashimi with a fork or spear it and get all the essential
>>> texture and flavor even if I would prefer chopsticks as I
>>> mentioned. In general, sushi is best handled with chopsticks
>>> since manipulating it, like dipping in soyu, is easier but I
>>> bet I could manage quite well with spoon and fork.
>>>
>> I now think that it was traditional to eat sushi with one's
>> fingers--that after I was horrified the first time I saw it.
>> I gather this tradition is long past though (if it even
>> existed), since I don't recall that from ca 25 years ago.

> i hope is not out of favor because i do it all the time.

I did not make the comment that you attribute to me about eating sushi
with fingers. It's true enough that it was the original way but I don't
do it.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 10:01:17 GMT, Rhonda Anderson
> shouted from the highest rooftop:

>>
>> Most NZ Chinese takeaways come in plastic containers you can reheat in
>> a microwave (and recycle as storage containers), but there are a
>> couple of outlets that use the kind cardboard containers used in the
>> USA, etc and I'm always surprised at how much food one of those
>> containers actually holds.
>>
>
>The only place I've bought from here that uses the cardboard containers is
>the abovementioned Stir Crazy. All the other Chinese I've had has come in
>the plastic containers.

Come to think about it, the only places where I've seen those
"Seinfeld" containers used is at the Noodle Canteen - a Malaysian
owned chain of takeaway outlets similar to the one you described. They
also give you disposable chopsticks with your order.



--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 04:38:11 -0800, sf > shouted from
the highest rooftop:

>Cheap chopsticks aren't splintery if
>you break them correctly.

I've noticed that the quality of disposable chopsticks varies
considerably these days. But maybe that's only in New Zealand.

The higher quality ones have a smooth surface and break easily. The
lower quality sticks have a rougher surface, can break unevenly if
you're not careful - even if you are - and tend to have splinters
along the sides that have just been separated.

My favourite sushi place in town uses the low quality ones, so I
always ask for two pair just in case.


--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:49:45 GMT, "James Silverton"
> shouted from the highest rooftop:

> sf wrote on Sun, 25 Jan 2009 21:45:29 -0800:
>
>>> BTW: The trick with those is - after you break them apart
>>> (sometimes a skill in itself) - remove any splinters by
>>> drawing the edges of each stick across each other like using
>>> steel to sharpen a knife. I learned that from a friend in
>>> Hawaii many years ago.
>
>> After you do that, let them soak in your tea.
>
>Two sequential pieces of ill mannered behavior!

I take it that you consider the way Asians eat their food as "ill
mannered" as well.




--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

bob wrote on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:32:19 +1300:

>> sf wrote on Sun, 25 Jan 2009 21:45:29 -0800:
>>
>>>> BTW: The trick with those is - after you break them apart
>>>> (sometimes a skill in itself) - remove any splinters by
>>>> drawing the edges of each stick across each other like
>>>> using steel to sharpen a knife. I learned that from a
>>>> friend in Hawaii many years ago.
>>
>>> After you do that, let them soak in your tea.
>>
>> Two sequential pieces of ill mannered behavior!

> I take it that you consider the way Asians eat their food as
> "ill mannered" as well.

Don't be ridiculous. You describe behaving like a slob!

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

bob wrote:

>
> I've noticed that the quality of disposable chopsticks varies
> considerably these days. But maybe that's only in New Zealand.
>
> The higher quality ones have a smooth surface and break easily. The
> lower quality sticks have a rougher surface, can break unevenly if
> you're not careful - even if you are - and tend to have splinters
> along the sides that have just been separated.


The disposable chopsticks are typically made from a soft pine-like wood
or from bamboo. The bamboo ones are always nicely made. They tend to be
longer and taper to a nice round tip. As far as disposable chopsticks go
they're classy. The cheap ones can sometimes be kinda ugly and bent and
discolored and will not break apart right sometimes. Damn they're cheap
though...

> My favourite sushi place in town uses the low quality ones, so I
> always ask for two pair just in case.
>
>
> --
>
> una cerveza mas por favor ...
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
> Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:54:34 GMT, "James Silverton"
> shouted from the highest rooftop:

> bob wrote on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:32:19 +1300:
>
>>> sf wrote on Sun, 25 Jan 2009 21:45:29 -0800:
>>>
>>>>> BTW: The trick with those is - after you break them apart
>>>>> (sometimes a skill in itself) - remove any splinters by
>>>>> drawing the edges of each stick across each other like
>>>>> using steel to sharpen a knife. I learned that from a
>>>>> friend in Hawaii many years ago.
>>>
>>>> After you do that, let them soak in your tea.
>>>
>>> Two sequential pieces of ill mannered behavior!
>
>> I take it that you consider the way Asians eat their food as
>> "ill mannered" as well.
>
>Don't be ridiculous. You describe behaving like a slob!

If anyone is being ridiculous, it's you.

What I have described is something that is perfectly acceptable in an
Asian takeaway. It's what the Asians do themselves.

Asians also hold bowls of food close to their faces and shovel
mouthsful of noodles into their mouths with chopsticks. I suppose you
consider THAT as behaving like a slob as well.

Or are you simply another troll?


Ignorance is the coin of the masses ... and some are richer than others.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

bob wrote:

> BTW: The trick with those is - after you break them apart (sometimes a
> skill in itself) - remove any splinters by drawing the edges of each
> stick across each other like using steel to sharpen a knife. I learned
> that from a friend in Hawaii many years ago.

You are correct that we have this practice. Some folks (it always seems
to be males) will place the chopsticks in the palms of their hands and
rub the palms rapidly together. This makes a cheerful clattering sound
and is a way to knock off splinters too. I don't go through either of
these rituals myself - I like the taste and feel of splinters in my
food. :-)

Some chopsticks used to come with a little toothpick in the paper sleeve
although those are rare these days. If you happen to get one of these,
the toothpick might have a little knobby thing on the end. That part is
meant to be broken off and used as a little chopstick rest so you can
lay the chopsticks on the table without the ends touching the surface.

On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:49:59 -1000, dsi1 > shouted
from the highest rooftop:

>bob wrote:
>
>> BTW: The trick with those is - after you break them apart (sometimes a
>> skill in itself) - remove any splinters by drawing the edges of each
>> stick across each other like using steel to sharpen a knife. I learned
>> that from a friend in Hawaii many years ago.
>
>You are correct that we have this practice. Some folks (it always seems
>to be males) will place the chopsticks in the palms of their hands and
>rub the palms rapidly together. This makes a cheerful clattering sound
>and is a way to knock off splinters too. I don't go through either of
>these rituals myself - I like the taste and feel of splinters in my
>food. :-)

LOL. Back in the days when a 50 cent cup of Ramen or was the main
meal of the day, I sometimes felt like eating my chopsticks too ...

>Some chopsticks used to come with a little toothpick in the paper sleeve
>although those are rare these days. If you happen to get one of these,
>the toothpick might have a little knobby thing on the end. That part is
>meant to be broken off and used as a little chopstick rest so you can
>lay the chopsticks on the table without the ends touching the surface.

That's going back a bit! I'd forgotten about those little chopstick
rests, but you'd get them back in the late-sixties when I lived in
Hawaii. I have more "formal" rests I use at the table at home ... a
few antique porcelain rests I found in a antique shop and some wood
rests that came with some Japanese chopstick sets I bought last time
we visited my Hawaiian ohana.



--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

On Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:54:12 +1300, bob >
shouted from the highest rooftop:

>On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:49:59 -1000, dsi1 > shouted
>from the highest rooftop:
>
>>bob wrote:
>>
>>> BTW: The trick with those is - after you break them apart (sometimes a
>>> skill in itself) - remove any splinters by drawing the edges of each
>>> stick across each other like using steel to sharpen a knife. I learned
>>> that from a friend in Hawaii many years ago.
>>
>>You are correct that we have this practice. Some folks (it always seems
>>to be males) will place the chopsticks in the palms of their hands and
>>rub the palms rapidly together. This makes a cheerful clattering sound
>>and is a way to knock off splinters too. I don't go through either of
>>these rituals myself - I like the taste and feel of splinters in my
>>food. :-)
>
>LOL. Back in the days when a 50 cent cup of Ramen or was the main
>meal of the day, I sometimes felt like eating my chopsticks too ...

BTW - I've only had the instant Ramen a couple of times and was deeply
disappointed. The Ramen I had in Hawaii - cheap though it was at the
time - was wonderful stuff I bought from a little food stall in the
parking lot below the Ala Moana Shopping Center. I also bought it by
the bowlful from small places throughout Hawaii, including the
infamous "Fuku's Suck'em'ups Eat Bar" along Kihei Road on Maui.

Sadly, the only place serving Ramen in town is no longer open due to
the foodhall being completely renovated. Hopefully, Frank's Garlic
Noodles (God only knows where they got that name) will reopen sometime
soon. Their Korean Ramen was delicious and served with kimchi and
fine, spicy slivers of potato on the side.



--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

bob wrote:

>
> LOL. Back in the days when a 50 cent cup of Ramen or was the main
> meal of the day, I sometimes felt like eating my chopsticks too ...

Well, that probably would have fulfilled your minimum recommended daily
requirement for fiber. I'm surprised that the eminently practical
Japanese haven't come up with the edible chopstick.

>
>> Some chopsticks used to come with a little toothpick in the paper sleeve
>> although those are rare these days. If you happen to get one of these,
>> the toothpick might have a little knobby thing on the end. That part is
>> meant to be broken off and used as a little chopstick rest so you can
>> lay the chopsticks on the table without the ends touching the surface.
>
> That's going back a bit! I'd forgotten about those little chopstick
> rests, but you'd get them back in the late-sixties when I lived in
> Hawaii. I have more "formal" rests I use at the table at home ... a
> few antique porcelain rests I found in a antique shop and some wood
> rests that came with some Japanese chopstick sets I bought last time
> we visited my Hawaiian ohana.
>

Those are pretty cute. They look like little dumbbells. I'm sure they'd
be too classy for the folks out here, at least, I've never seen one of
those actually being used.

>
>
> --
>
> una cerveza mas por favor ...
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
> Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:16:30 -1000, dsi1 > shouted
from the highest rooftop:

> I have more "formal" rests I use at the table at home ... a
>> few antique porcelain rests I found in a antique shop and some wood
>> rests that came with some Japanese chopstick sets I bought last time
>> we visited my Hawaiian ohana.
>>
>
>Those are pretty cute. They look like little dumbbells. I'm sure they'd
>be too classy for the folks out here, at least, I've never seen one of
>those actually being used.

Our coastal lifestyle is fairly casual, but my wife - who's English -
likes me to use a rest when we have guests. Because ... unless it's
terribly formal affair, I still like to use chopsticks for eating
salad and the rests make the chopsticks look less obvious. Otherwise,
I rarely use them, and when I do I favour the curved antique porcelain
rests or the elegant little hardwood rests shaped in a curve supported
by two short legs like an old Japanese stool. The figure eight ones
come in handy when we eat outside and don't want to take the chance of
anyone dropping the other rests.

BTW - we do a lot of fishing and eat a lot of sashimi and sushi, so
the chopsticks and rests get a good workout around here.


--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

bob wrote:

> BTW - I've only had the instant Ramen a couple of times and was deeply
> disappointed. The Ramen I had in Hawaii - cheap though it was at the
> time - was wonderful stuff I bought from a little food stall in the
> parking lot below the Ala Moana Shopping Center. I also bought it by
> the bowlful from small places throughout Hawaii, including the
> infamous "Fuku's Suck'em'ups Eat Bar" along Kihei Road on Maui.

It's a little hard to get a good bowl of ramen these days. Ideally, you
should have a big pot of bowling water to cook the noodles for a few
minutes and a fishnet thingie to get then out at the right moment. The
noodles should be cooked to order and you should never have the cooked
noodles sitting around for any amount of time. The idea of soggy noodles
give me the creeps. I'm not too particular about the broth - just give
me some properly cooked noodles and I'm happy.

>
> Sadly, the only place serving Ramen in town is no longer open due to
> the foodhall being completely renovated. Hopefully, Frank's Garlic
> Noodles (God only knows where they got that name) will reopen sometime
> soon. Their Korean Ramen was delicious and served with kimchi and
> fine, spicy slivers of potato on the side.

Well I like ramen and I like kimchee. This dish sounds good. My haole
wife and brother-in-laws that are visiting from the mainland like a good
kimchee too. They were raised by a Korean step-mom. I have a couple of
bowls of instant Kimchee ramen in the back of my office and just
thinking about that stuff is making me sweat. That's hot stuff - those
Koreans are crazy! I'll take some home to my in-laws and see how they
like it. That should be fun... :-)

>
>
>
> --
>
> una cerveza mas por favor ...
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
> Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

On Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:34:25 +1300, bob >
shouted from the highest rooftop:

>On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:54:34 GMT, "James Silverton"
> shouted from the highest rooftop:
>
>> bob wrote on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:32:19 +1300:
>>
>>>> sf wrote on Sun, 25 Jan 2009 21:45:29 -0800:
>>>>
>>>>>> BTW: The trick with those is - after you break them apart
>>>>>> (sometimes a skill in itself) - remove any splinters by
>>>>>> drawing the edges of each stick across each other like
>>>>>> using steel to sharpen a knife. I learned that from a
>>>>>> friend in Hawaii many years ago.
>>>>
>>>>> After you do that, let them soak in your tea.
>>>>
>>>> Two sequential pieces of ill mannered behavior!
>>
>>> I take it that you consider the way Asians eat their food as
>>> "ill mannered" as well.
>>
>>Don't be ridiculous. You describe behaving like a slob!
>
>If anyone is being ridiculous, it's you.
>
>What I have described is something that is perfectly acceptable in an
>Asian takeaway. It's what the Asians do themselves.

Removing splinters from disposable chopsticks in this manner is not
only acceptable it's also customary in Asian outlets in the many
foodhalls I've enjoyed. Which is something you would know if you've
ever eaten in one.



--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:25:38 -1000, dsi1 > shouted
from the highest rooftop:

>Well I like ramen and I like kimchee. This dish sounds good. My haole
>wife and brother-in-laws that are visiting from the mainland like a good
>kimchee too. They were raised by a Korean step-mom. I have a couple of
>bowls of instant Kimchee ramen in the back of my office and just
>thinking about that stuff is making me sweat. That's hot stuff - those
>Koreans are crazy! I'll take some home to my in-laws and see how they
>like it. That should be fun... :-)

Frank's Garlic Noodles got so many requests for their kimchi that they
started selling it in little containers and I used to buy one every
few weeks and sweat my way through it at home. Talk about HOT! I'm
surprised the containers didn't come with a warning ...

I'll check our favourite Asian food shop to see if they have any of
the instant kimchi Ramen you mentioned. They're pretty good about
translating the packages for us.


--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

bob wrote:
>
> Frank's Garlic Noodles got so many requests for their kimchi that they
> started selling it in little containers and I used to buy one every
> few weeks and sweat my way through it at home. Talk about HOT! I'm
> surprised the containers didn't come with a warning ...
>
> I'll check our favourite Asian food shop to see if they have any of
> the instant kimchi Ramen you mentioned. They're pretty good about
> translating the packages for us.

This would be the brand:

http://tinyurl.com/b5qnz5

A sweating good time! :-)

>
>
> --
>
> una cerveza mas por favor ...
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
> Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

In article >,
Kate Connally > wrote:


> Yeah, but, I like to have my Orange Beef (or whatever) on
> top of the rice and eat them together. (I know that's not
> the correct way to do it if you want to be authentically
> Chinese about it.)

I'm not sure where you get your "authentic". The last authentic Chinese
home meal I had, everybody got a rice bowl and chopsticks. Nothing
else. The food was served in large bowls or plates. I reminded my
niece, who had set the table, that my dad and I would need forks. She
giggled (nine years old) and got them. There were no serving spoons or
other implements. When it was time to eat, my niece and her grandmother
took the rice bowls over to the counter and filled them about half way
from the giant rice cooker. People then grabbed food out of the bowls
to put on their rice. I guess I looked confused, and serving spoons
magically appeared in each bowl.

> I just don't understand what
> the Chinese do with all the extra sauce that's left on the
> plate.

In the above dinner there were no plates, other than the serving plate
with the whole fish on it.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

Chemiker > wrote:

> On Sun, 25 Jan 2009 15:13:01 -0600, Sqwertz >
> wrote:
>
>>Gee. How do you feel about paper plates?
>>
>>What's uncivilized and disgusting about eating out of a to-go
>>container? Talk about hangups...
>
> Well, I guess that rules out Fish/Chips w/Malt Vinegar,
> wrapped in the Telegraph or Daily Mail!

It's illegal to sell F&C in newspaper nowadays. Even in England
(and Scotland, and Ireland, and of course the US).

-sw

On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:15:01 -0600, Sqwertz >
shouted from the highest rooftop:

>Chemiker > wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 25 Jan 2009 15:13:01 -0600, Sqwertz >
>> wrote:
>>
>>>Gee. How do you feel about paper plates?
>>>
>>>What's uncivilized and disgusting about eating out of a to-go
>>>container? Talk about hangups...
>>
>> Well, I guess that rules out Fish/Chips w/Malt Vinegar,
>> wrapped in the Telegraph or Daily Mail!
>
>It's illegal to sell F&C in newspaper nowadays. Even in England
>(and Scotland, and Ireland, and of course the US).
>
>-sw

In New Zealand, the best F&C shops now sell them wrapped up in
butcher's paper. But I think some places still wrap newspaper around
the outside of that for appearances sake.


--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:42:40 -0500, "cshenk" > wrote:

>We prefer western spoons though overall.

Isn't this interesting? Given a choice, I'd take the Asian style
spoon... not that I use it exclusively at home, I just prefer it for
most eating purposes that require a spoon.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that
interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:06:18 -0800, sf > shouted from
the highest rooftop:

>On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:42:40 -0500, "cshenk" > wrote:
>
>>We prefer western spoons though overall.
>
>Isn't this interesting? Given a choice, I'd take the Asian style
>spoon... not that I use it exclusively at home, I just prefer it for
>most eating purposes that require a spoon.

From what I've seen a ceramic Chinese spoon is not only used for soup
in Asian restaurants, it's also used for a sort of staging platform
for noodles in soup, in that while the noodles are raised from the
bowl by the chopsticks in one hand the other hand brings the spoon up
under the bottom of noodles so they have a place to rest while they're
being eaten.

I've also seen Asian dinners at a popular, but expensive Chinese
restaurant in Auckland scoop up something with a flat bottomed spoon
and then pluck it from the spoon and eat it with their chopsticks.

Those spoons also come in handy at a party for serving individual hors
d'oeuvres that would be messy to eat with fingers, such as oysters.



--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

In article >,
notbob > wrote:


>
> I may occasionally use chopsticks at home, but I'm weird. I know of NO 0NE
> else who does so. Maybe me and mine are declasse, but I doubt it. Do YOU
> really have your own chopsticks at home for yourself and guests and family
> when Asian food is on the menu? C'mon, be honest. (CC! ... a poll!)
>
> nb


Yes. Wooden, Bamboo and stainless steel. And disposables always come in
takeout too.

Dan Abel wrote:
> In article >,
> Kate Connally > wrote:
>
>
>> Yeah, but, I like to have my Orange Beef (or whatever) on
>> top of the rice and eat them together. (I know that's not
>> the correct way to do it if you want to be authentically
>> Chinese about it.)
>
> I'm not sure where you get your "authentic". The last authentic Chinese
> home meal I had, everybody got a rice bowl and chopsticks. Nothing
> else. The food was served in large bowls or plates. I reminded my
> niece, who had set the table, that my dad and I would need forks. She
> giggled (nine years old) and got them. There were no serving spoons or
> other implements. When it was time to eat, my niece and her grandmother
> took the rice bowls over to the counter and filled them about half way
> from the giant rice cooker. People then grabbed food out of the bowls
> to put on their rice. I guess I looked confused, and serving spoons
> magically appeared in each bowl.
>

I think the "authentic" or customary idea is that rice is typically
served plain in a bowl and the "whatever" isn't put on top of the rice
like people often do in the west.


>> I just don't understand what
>> the Chinese do with all the extra sauce that's left on the
>> plate.
>
> In the above dinner there were no plates, other than the serving plate
> with the whole fish on it.
>

Kate Connally wrote:
> James wrote:
>> On Jan 25, 10:55 am, blake murphy > wrote:
>>> On Sun, 25 Jan 2009 14:12:29 GMT, notbob wrote:
>>>> I'm sitting here watching an old episode of Law & Order. Both
>>>> Waterston and
>>>> Hennessy are eating Chinese out of take-out boxes with disposable
>>>> chopsticks. Regulars know what I think about all the networks standard
>>>> representation of NY'ers always eating Chinese in this manner. If you
>>>> don't, I say it's all total crap.
>>> they eat chinese take-out with chopsticks because they are liberal
>>> pussies. don't you know anything?
>>>
>>> blake
>>
>> Probably easier to use the chopsticks than to use the cheap plastic
>> forks. Many cheap forks I've seen are TOO SHORT and bends like wet
>> noodle.
>>
>> The whole idea of eating out of the box is you don't have to wash
>> dishes.
>
> Yeah, but, I like to have my Orange Beef (or whatever) on
> top of the rice and eat them together. (I know that's not
> the correct way to do it if you want to be authentically
> Chinese about it.) So I would never eat it out of the box
> because then you have to eat the meat/veggie stuff in one
> bite and then take a bite of rice. And also, all the sauce
> sinks to the bottom of the carton and I like the sauce to
> soak into my rice and flavor it. So if I don't want to wash
> dishes I just use a paper plate and put the rice on it and
> then top with the meat/veggies stuff. Of course, doing this
> makes it harder to eat with chopsticks because the sauce
> makes the rice difficult to pick up since it no longer sticks
> together. It's worth it though. I just don't understand what
> the Chinese do with all the extra sauce that's left on the
> plate. Do they scoop it up with a spoon when they're done
> eating the solid bits? Or do they just discard it? I don't
> like to waste any of it because it's so flavorful. Even if
> there's nothing but sauce left I will save it and put it on
> some rice for a nice meal.
>
> Kate
>
>
There typically isn't such a surplus of sauce in typical Chinese
cooking. Many Americans seem to like to have things swimming in sauce so
they prepare it that way for them. Some will even add half a bottle of
soy sauce when they get the dish to make sure. You will see the same
thing with Italian food. They use sauce as a balanced accent. A typical
American fake Italian place will put ladles of sauce on the dish and if
they don't people will demand more.

bob wrote on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:44:19 +1300:

>> I have more "formal" rests I use at the table at home ... a
>>> few antique porcelain rests I found in a antique shop and
>>> some wood rests that came with some Japanese chopstick sets
>>> I bought last time we visited my Hawaiian ohana.
>>>
>> Those are pretty cute. They look like little dumbbells. I'm
>> sure they'd be too classy for the folks out here, at least,
>> I've never seen one of those actually being used.

> Our coastal lifestyle is fairly casual, but my wife - who's
> English - likes me to use a rest when we have guests. Because
> ... unless it's terribly formal affair, I still like to use
> chopsticks for eating salad and the rests make the chopsticks
> look less obvious. Otherwise, I rarely use them, and when I do
> I favour the curved antique porcelain rests or the elegant
> little hardwood rests shaped in a curve supported by two short
> legs like an old Japanese stool.

It does not apply to chopsticks at home unless you have picked them up
for take out but the paper wrapping can easily be folded to make a
chopstick rest in a *very* simple piece of origami.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

cshenk wrote:
> "Jean B." wrote
>> James Silverton wrote:
>
>>> I would prefer chopsticks as I mentioned. In general, sushi is best
>>> handled with chopsticks since manipulating it, like dipping in soyu, is
>>> easier but I bet I could manage quite well with spoon and fork.
>>>
>> I now think that it was traditional to eat sushi with one's fingers--that
>> after I was horrified the first time I saw it. I gather this tradition is
>> long past though (if it even existed), since I don't recall that from ca
>> 25 years ago.
>
> My impression was it depended on the type and to an extent, the setting.
>
> and yes, we have and use chopsticks at home. Not every meal, but commonly
> enough just for the fun of it. Had sliced pork loin, green beans, and rice
> a few days ago and used chopsticks with it ;-)
>
>
I was thinking of this thread last night. My daughter and I went
to a Japanese restaurant as a late birthday celebration. Of
course, we used chopsticks. Actually it was rather hard to pick
up the individual grains of rice in the unagi fried rice.... My
daughter spotted that dish, and it was a real winner.

--
Jean B.

blake murphy wrote:
> On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 10:00:11 -0500, Jean B. wrote:
>> I now think that it was traditional to eat sushi with one's
>> fingers--that after I was horrified the first time I saw it. I
>> gather this tradition is long past though (if it even existed),
>> since I don't recall that from ca 25 years ago.
>
> i hope is not out of favor because i do it all the time.
>
> your pal,
> blake

Well, someone else mentioned it as still being done. I haven't
gotten up my nerve to do it though.

--
Jean B.

Nexis wrote:
> I do. I make sushi a couple times a year, and I have the plates, soy sauce
> dishes, and chopsticks for serving and eating them. I also prefer to use
> chopsticks for yakisoba and lo mein because I think it's way easier to eat
> them that way than with a fork. They're also great for flipping donuts in
> hot oil I'm not a NY'er, though...just a dislocated Minnesotan living in
> Sandy Eggo and possibly moving to Maine
>
> kimberly
> --
> http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com
>
>
Are you? You are brave. But then if you are from Minnesota, you
know all about winter!

--
Jean B.

James Silverton wrote:
> blake wrote on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:54:39 GMT:
>
>>> James Silverton wrote:
>>>> Aren't you being a bit obtuse and mystical? You could lift
>>>> sashimi with a fork or spear it and get all the essential
>>>> texture and flavor even if I would prefer chopsticks as I
>>>> mentioned. In general, sushi is best handled with chopsticks
>>>> since manipulating it, like dipping in soyu, is easier but I
>>>> bet I could manage quite well with spoon and fork.
>>>>
>>> I now think that it was traditional to eat sushi with one's
>>> fingers--that after I was horrified the first time I saw it.
>>> I gather this tradition is long past though (if it even
>>> existed), since I don't recall that from ca 25 years ago.
>
>> i hope is not out of favor because i do it all the time.
>
> I did not make the comment that you attribute to me about eating sushi
> with fingers. It's true enough that it was the original way but I don't
> do it.
>
I didn't notice the attribution. I said that.

--
Jean B.

Michael Kuettner wrote:
> "James Silverton" schrieb :
>
>> An old argument and I'm on the side of chopsticks for noodles. I wonder
>> why Marco Polo did not bring back chopsticks as well as noodles? I know
>> Italian chauvinists claim that Marco did not bring noodles but, tho' the
>> Italians had pasta and hard wheat cereals, they had not thought of
>> noodles. Now, I will take cover from the barrage of red meat balls :-)
>>
> Well, al-Idrisi is hardly an Italian chauvinist.
> He mentions pasta secca (made from durum = hard wheat) in Sicily over
> a century before Marco was born.
> Plus, Marco Polo never mentions noodles in his book. If that really had been
> a new kind of pasta, why not mention it ?
> OTOH, al-Idrisi doesn't describe the form of the pasta secca.
> So the quarreling about the origin of spaghetti will go on ;-P
>
> Cheers,
>
> Michael Kuettner
>
That's mentioned in Da Vinci's Kitchen....

--
Jean B.

Dan Abel wrote:
> In article >,
> Kate Connally > wrote:
>
>
>> Yeah, but, I like to have my Orange Beef (or whatever) on
>> top of the rice and eat them together. (I know that's not
>> the correct way to do it if you want to be authentically
>> Chinese about it.)
>
> I'm not sure where you get your "authentic". The last authentic Chinese
> home meal I had, everybody got a rice bowl and chopsticks. Nothing
> else. The food was served in large bowls or plates. I reminded my
> niece, who had set the table, that my dad and I would need forks. She
> giggled (nine years old) and got them. There were no serving spoons or
> other implements. When it was time to eat, my niece and her grandmother
> took the rice bowls over to the counter and filled them about half way
> from the giant rice cooker. People then grabbed food out of the bowls
> to put on their rice. I guess I looked confused, and serving spoons
> magically appeared in each bowl.
>
>> I just don't understand what
>> the Chinese do with all the extra sauce that's left on the
>> plate.
>
> In the above dinner there were no plates, other than the serving plate
> with the whole fish on it.
>
Did folks take the food from the bowls with the non-eating end of
the chopsticks?

--
Jean B.

Sqwertz wrote:
> Chemiker > wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 25 Jan 2009 15:13:01 -0600, Sqwertz >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Gee. How do you feel about paper plates?
>>>
>>> What's uncivilized and disgusting about eating out of a to-go
>>> container? Talk about hangups...
>> Well, I guess that rules out Fish/Chips w/Malt Vinegar,
>> wrapped in the Telegraph or Daily Mail!
>
> It's illegal to sell F&C in newspaper nowadays. Even in England
> (and Scotland, and Ireland, and of course the US).
>
> -sw

That's interesting, because I have long wondered about the ink.
Surely, it can't be good for folks to consume food that has been
in contact with that. I have seen special paper made to look like
newpaper used for fish and chips.

--
Jean B.

Jean wrote on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:34:39 -0500:

> Sqwertz wrote:
>> Chemiker > wrote:
>>
>>> On Sun, 25 Jan 2009 15:13:01 -0600, Sqwertz
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>> Gee. How do you feel about paper plates?
>>>>
>>>> What's uncivilized and disgusting about eating out of a
>>>> to-go container? Talk about hangups...
>>> Well, I guess that rules out Fish/Chips w/Malt Vinegar,
>>> wrapped in the Telegraph or Daily Mail!
>>
>> It's illegal to sell F&C in newspaper nowadays. Even in
>> England (and Scotland, and Ireland, and of course the US).
>>
>> -sw

> That's interesting, because I have long wondered about the
> ink. Surely, it can't be good for folks to consume food that
> has been in contact with that. I have seen special paper made
> to look like newpaper used for fish and chips.

Whole Foods uses a wrapping for "fresh" fish that looks like the
traditional British newspaper but is actually advertizing.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

Jean B. said...

>> So the quarreling about the origin of spaghetti will go on ;-P

And end IN MY BELLY!!!!!!

Andy