It's only three days away! Is anybody else planning to cook on Valentine's
Day? Here's the menu I'm planning. (It's got a Chinese bent because this
year that day is also Chinese New Year, and Lin and I like to "play Chinese"
on that day.)

* Steamed golden beets, maroon carrots, and water chestnuts[1] with plum
sauce

* Chinese greens stir-fried with mushrooms, garlic, chiles, and chives

* Steak with black-bean butter sauce

* Jasmine rice

* Chocolate-dipped candied kumquat[2]

I want to come up with some quasi-Asian cocktail using blood orange juice,
too. Maybe blood orange juice, mango nectar, and rum? I haven't decided yet.

Bob
[1] Our local Whole Foods sells fresh water chestnuts, which are a dramatic
step up from canned.
[2] This assumes that kumquats will be available in the farmers' market on
Saturday. According to the farmers, they *should* be there. If not, I'll
make something else. I want to downplay dessert in any case.

On Feb 11, 4:16*am, "Bob Terwilliger" >
wrote:
> It's only three days away! Is anybody else planning to cook on Valentine's
> Day? Here's the menu I'm planning. (It's got a Chinese bent because this
> year that day is also Chinese New Year, and Lin and I like to "play Chinese"
> on that day.)

Naw, we don't do Hallmark holidays. No Valentine's Day, no Mother's
Day,
no Sweetest Day. Pah.

Himself is traveling on business on the 15th, so I'll probably fix
something
that is fairly bland, like roasted chicken. (Homeland Security
doesn't like
it when I feed him chili and put him on a plane. I believe the other
people
on the plane would prefer Sarin. At least it's over quickly that
way.)

We had a snow day yesterday, and I tried a new curry recipe. He liked
it very much, and said he appreciated me. We both felt special.

Cindy Hamilton

On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:16:27 -0800, Bob Terwilliger wrote:

> It's only three days away! Is anybody else planning to cook on Valentine's
> Day? Here's the menu I'm planning. (It's got a Chinese bent because this
> year that day is also Chinese New Year, and Lin and I like to "play Chinese"
> on that day.)
>
> * Steamed golden beets, maroon carrots, and water chestnuts[1] with plum
> sauce
>
> * Chinese greens stir-fried with mushrooms, garlic, chiles, and chives
>
> * Steak with black-bean butter sauce

i'm having a little trouble visualizing this last item. could you
elaborate a little?

your pal,
blake

On Feb 11, 10:20*am, blake murphy > wrote:
> On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:16:27 -0800, Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> > It's only three days away! Is anybody else planning to cook on Valentine's
> > Day? Here's the menu I'm planning. (It's got a Chinese bent because this
> > year that day is also Chinese New Year, and Lin and I like to "play Chinese"
> > on that day.)
>
> > * Steamed golden beets, maroon carrots, and water chestnuts[1] with plum
> > sauce
>
> > * Chinese greens stir-fried with mushrooms, garlic, chiles, and chives
>
> > * Steak with black-bean butter sauce
>
> i'm having a little trouble visualizing this last item. *could you
> elaborate a little?

He'd be more than happy to *elaborate*, since the whole thing is made
up and will exist only in his mind.

On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:28:13 -0800 (PST), projectile vomit chick
> wrote:

>On Feb 11, 10:20*am, blake murphy > wrote:
>> On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:16:27 -0800, Bob Terwilliger wrote:
>> > It's only three days away! Is anybody else planning to cook on Valentine's
>> > Day? Here's the menu I'm planning. (It's got a Chinese bent because this
>> > year that day is also Chinese New Year, and Lin and I like to "play Chinese"
>> > on that day.)
>>
>> > * Steamed golden beets, maroon carrots, and water chestnuts[1] with plum
>> > sauce
>>
>> > * Chinese greens stir-fried with mushrooms, garlic, chiles, and chives
>>
>> > * Steak with black-bean butter sauce
>>
>> i'm having a little trouble visualizing this last item. *could you
>> elaborate a little?
>
>He'd be more than happy to *elaborate*, since the whole thing is made
>up and will exist only in his mind.

Baboon ass face has a mind... obviously relies on his shmoo... only
half a man would post his picture using his blow up shmoo as a foil.

Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> It's only three days away! Is anybody else planning to cook on
> Valentine's Day? Here's the menu I'm planning. (It's got a Chinese bent
> because this year that day is also Chinese New Year, and Lin and I like
> to "play Chinese" on that day.)
>
> * Steamed golden beets, maroon carrots, and water chestnuts[1] with plum
> sauce
>
> * Chinese greens stir-fried with mushrooms, garlic, chiles, and chives
>
> * Steak with black-bean butter sauce
>
> * Jasmine rice
>
> * Chocolate-dipped candied kumquat[2]
>
> I want to come up with some quasi-Asian cocktail using blood orange
> juice, too. Maybe blood orange juice, mango nectar, and rum? I haven't
> decided yet.
>
> Bob
> [1] Our local Whole Foods sells fresh water chestnuts, which are a
> dramatic step up from canned.
> [2] This assumes that kumquats will be available in the farmers' market
> on Saturday. According to the farmers, they *should* be there. If not,
> I'll make something else. I want to downplay dessert in any case.

That veggie combo sounds beautiful!

--
Jean B.

blake wrote:

>> * Steak with black-bean butter sauce
>
> i'm having a little trouble visualizing this last item. could you
> elaborate a little?

The sauce starts out by grinding fermented black beans with garlic and hot
chiles, then running in a food processor or blender to make a smooth paste.
That paste is heated in a skillet until fragrant, then cold butter is
whisked in to make a glossy sauce. Just before serving, chopped cilantro is
added.

The steaks are bone-in ribeyes which will be grilled over charcoal. Chinese
have a distaste for whole steaks on a plate; they consider it butchery to
cut up meat at the table. If I wanted to enter fully into the spirit of the
occasion I'd cut the meat off the bone and then into cubes, but Lin and I
have no such cultural inhibitions, so the steaks will be served whole, with
a little sauce on top and the rest of the sauce on the side.

Bob

PVC wrote:

> He'd be more than happy to *elaborate*, since the whole thing is made up
> and will exist only in his mind.

Hiya, DSL! What are *you* having for Valentine's Day? A quart of
Haagen-Dazs, a quart of rum, and a crying jag?

Bob

On Feb 11, 9:37*am, Cindy Hamilton >
wrote:
> On Feb 11, 4:16*am, "Bob Terwilliger" >
> wrote:
>
> > It's only three days away! Is anybody else planning to cook on Valentine's
> > Day? Here's the menu I'm planning. (It's got a Chinese bent because this
> > year that day is also Chinese New Year, and Lin and I like to "play Chinese"
> > on that day.)
>
> Naw, we don't do Hallmark holidays. *No Valentine's Day, no Mother's
> Day, no Sweetest Day. *Pah.
>
Valentine's Day is not a Hallmark holiday, silly. Sure, some folks
treat it that way. I find the whole kids' school valentine exchange
to be sickening. Every year I make my wife a lobster. I boil it,
then serve her the tail and large claw meat with butter-lemon. I
discard the head and liver. I remove the rest of the meat and reserve
it, then I extract the lobster flavor from the shells with successive
boilings and reductions. I season the well reduced broth with a
little garlic and/or onion, thicken with cornstarch and cream, and add
the meat, and a tiny bit of salt. A pat of butter on top of the soup
is nice. She is crazy about lobster. I'm not, but I am crazy about
her.

So she gets the lobster, then a few hours later, the soup. There are
no greeting cards involved. I haven't bought a greeting card in
decades.

>
> Cindy Hamilton

--Bryan

On Feb 12, 8:14*am, --Bryan > wrote:
> On Feb 11, 9:37*am, Cindy Hamilton >
> wrote:> On Feb 11, 4:16*am, "Bob Terwilliger" >
> > wrote:
>
> > > It's only three days away! Is anybody else planning to cook on Valentine's
> > > Day? Here's the menu I'm planning. (It's got a Chinese bent because this
> > > year that day is also Chinese New Year, and Lin and I like to "play Chinese"
> > > on that day.)
>
> > Naw, we don't do Hallmark holidays. *No Valentine's Day, no Mother's
> > Day, no Sweetest Day. *Pah.
>
> Valentine's Day is not a Hallmark holiday, silly. *

Sure, it is. I don't need anybody to tell me what day to show my
husband
I love him. Every day is Valentine's Day.

Cindy Hamilton

On Feb 12, 7:49*am, Cindy Hamilton >
wrote:
> On Feb 12, 8:14*am, --Bryan > wrote:
>
> > On Feb 11, 9:37*am, Cindy Hamilton >
> > wrote:> On Feb 11, 4:16*am, "Bob Terwilliger" >
> > > wrote:
>
> > > > It's only three days away! Is anybody else planning to cook on Valentine's
> > > > Day? Here's the menu I'm planning. (It's got a Chinese bent because this
> > > > year that day is also Chinese New Year, and Lin and I like to "play Chinese"
> > > > on that day.)
>
> > > Naw, we don't do Hallmark holidays. *No Valentine's Day, no Mother's
> > > Day, no Sweetest Day. *Pah.
>
> > Valentine's Day is not a Hallmark holiday, silly. *
>
> Sure, it is. *I don't need anybody to tell me what day to show my
> husband
> I love him.

Sure, but Valentine's Day was not invented by the greeting card
folks. It has a long history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_Day

>*Every day is Valentine's Day.

I'm happy for you, but there are cultural events to commemmorate lots
of things. Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day,
Veterans Day, etc all call attention to some aspect of life. There
are also the religious holidays, some of which I celebrate even though
I don't necessarily believe in the associated myths. It doesn't mean
that we should only feel the emotions associated with those days, on
those days. Today I'm giving my wife nice back/neck rubs before she
goes to work. On Sunday I'm making her lobster. She likes
traditions. It makes her happy. We do not celebrate Sweetest Day.

>
> Cindy Hamilton

--Bryan

In article <c225b02a-a4df-4514-abb0-f7a25470b1e4
@z19g2000yqk.googlegroups.com>, says...

> Valentine's Day is not a Hallmark holiday, silly. Sure, some folks
> treat it that way. I find the whole kids' school valentine exchange
> to be sickening. Every year I make my wife a lobster. I boil it,
> then serve her the tail and large claw meat with butter-lemon. I
> discard the head and liver. I remove the rest of the meat and reserve
> it, then I extract the lobster flavor from the shells with successive
> boilings and reductions. I season the well reduced broth with a
> little garlic and/or onion, thicken with cornstarch and cream, and add
> the meat, and a tiny bit of salt. A pat of butter on top of the soup
> is nice. She is crazy about lobster. I'm not, but I am crazy about
> her.
>
> So she gets the lobster, then a few hours later, the soup. There are
> no greeting cards involved. I haven't bought a greeting card in
> decades.
>
> >
> > Cindy Hamilton
>
> --Bryan

Sounds nice. Glad you and your girl get along like that... I do to with
mine

Scotty

On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:22:28 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

> blake wrote:
>
> >> * Steak with black-bean butter sauce
> >
> > i'm having a little trouble visualizing this last item. could you
> > elaborate a little?
>
> The sauce starts out by grinding fermented black beans with garlic and hot
> chiles,

No ginger and onion?

>then running in a food processor or blender to make a smooth paste.
> That paste is heated in a skillet until fragrant, then cold butter is
> whisked in to make a glossy sauce. Just before serving, chopped cilantro is
> added.
>
Chile and cilantro? Huh. Sounds like Southwest/Chinese fusion.

Have you done this before? It seems like a black bean sauce would
overwhelm the flavor of your steaks.

> The steaks are bone-in ribeyes which will be grilled over charcoal. Chinese
> have a distaste for whole steaks on a plate; they consider it butchery to
> cut up meat at the table.

Which I find very odd, considering how large the individual pieces of
"bite sized" meat are... at least in restaurants, where they should
pay better attention to serving size.

>If I wanted to enter fully into the spirit of the
> occasion I'd cut the meat off the bone and then into cubes, but Lin and I
> have no such cultural inhibitions, so the steaks will be served whole, with
> a little sauce on top and the rest of the sauce on the side.
>


--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Feb 12, 9:03*am, --Bryan > wrote:
> On Feb 12, 7:49*am, Cindy Hamilton >
> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Feb 12, 8:14*am, --Bryan > wrote:
>
> > > On Feb 11, 9:37*am, Cindy Hamilton >
> > > wrote:> On Feb 11, 4:16*am, "Bob Terwilliger" >
> > > > wrote:
>
> > > > > It's only three days away! Is anybody else planning to cook on Valentine's
> > > > > Day? Here's the menu I'm planning. (It's got a Chinese bent because this
> > > > > year that day is also Chinese New Year, and Lin and I like to "play Chinese"
> > > > > on that day.)
>
> > > > Naw, we don't do Hallmark holidays. *No Valentine's Day, no Mother's
> > > > Day, no Sweetest Day. *Pah.
>
> > > Valentine's Day is not a Hallmark holiday, silly. *
>
> > Sure, it is. *I don't need anybody to tell me what day to show my
> > husband
> > I love him.
>
> Sure, but Valentine's Day was not invented by the greeting card
> folks. *It has a long history.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_Day

Valentine's Day as we know it was invented by the Victorians.

> >*Every day is Valentine's Day.
>
> I'm happy for you, but there are cultural events to commemmorate lots
> of things. *Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day,
> Veterans Day, etc all call attention to some aspect of life. *

And except for Thanksgiving, we don't do anything special for those,
either.
Our employers are kind enough to give us a day off (except Veterans'
Day),
but if they didn't, we wouldn't miss it.

If we had a Hooter's here, we might consider it for Valentine's Day;
it
might not be very crowded that day. When we lived near to one, we
often went there on Mother's Day or Easter for that reason.

Cindy Hamilton

In article >,
sf > wrote:

> On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:22:28 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
> > wrote:

> Chile and cilantro? Huh. Sounds like Southwest/Chinese fusion.

Chilis are very common in parts of China. Cilantro is often referred to
as "Chinese parsley".

> Have you done this before? It seems like a black bean sauce would
> overwhelm the flavor of your steaks.
>
> > The steaks are bone-in ribeyes which will be grilled over charcoal. Chinese
> > have a distaste for whole steaks on a plate; they consider it butchery to
> > cut up meat at the table.

My brother is an amazing cook. He is married to a Chinese woman, who
appreciates his cooking. However, the other Chinese relatives sometimes
consider him a terrible cook. A few years ago, he served a whole turkey
and whole ham for Thanksgiving. That pretty much did in his reputation.

> Which I find very odd, considering how large the individual pieces of
> "bite sized" meat are... at least in restaurants, where they should
> pay better attention to serving size.

The food served in US Chinese restaurants isn't always reflective of
what is done in China, or even in the home here in the US of the chef.
Still, I don't believe that Bob wrote "bite sized", just that it is
considered very rude to serve food that needs to be cut at the table.
It appears to me to be acceptable to serve food that takes more than one
bite. I haven't noticed if people put the food down in between bites (I
think they sometimes do), or just hold it in their chopsticks while they
eat it. The key is "chopsticks". It's OK to do anything that doesn't
require a knife at the table. Whole fish are fine. People just dig in
with their chopsticks.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

sf wrote:
> On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:22:28 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
> > wrote:

>> The steaks are bone-in ribeyes which will be grilled over charcoal. Chinese
>> have a distaste for whole steaks on a plate; they consider it butchery to
>> cut up meat at the table.
>
> Which I find very odd, considering how large the individual pieces of
> "bite sized" meat are... at least in restaurants, where they should
> pay better attention to serving size.


That is one of the problems I have with Sushi. Some of those pieces are
huge and the common wisdom is to eat the whole thing at once... and
sheesh, that just isn't possible. But take a bite and the darn thing
starts to fall apart and there you sit with your chopsticks flailing in
the air while part of your meal drops down the front of your shirt.

George L

On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:05:01 -0800, Dan Abel > wrote:

> In article >,
> sf > wrote:
>
> > On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:22:28 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
> > > wrote:
>
> > Chile and cilantro? Huh. Sounds like Southwest/Chinese fusion.
>
> Chilis are very common in parts of China. Cilantro is often referred to
> as "Chinese parsley".

Do you really think I'm that ignorant? It was a joke. My point is I
haven't heard of them as ingredients in black bean sauce and he left
out crucial ingredients of onion (scallion) and ginger.
>
> > Have you done this before? It seems like a black bean sauce would
> > overwhelm the flavor of your steaks.
> >
> > > The steaks are bone-in ribeyes which will be grilled over charcoal. Chinese
> > > have a distaste for whole steaks on a plate; they consider it butchery to
> > > cut up meat at the table.
>
> My brother is an amazing cook. He is married to a Chinese woman, who
> appreciates his cooking. However, the other Chinese relatives sometimes
> consider him a terrible cook. A few years ago, he served a whole turkey
> and whole ham for Thanksgiving. That pretty much did in his reputation.
>
> > Which I find very odd, considering how large the individual pieces of
> > "bite sized" meat are... at least in restaurants, where they should
> > pay better attention to serving size.
>
> The food served in US Chinese restaurants isn't always reflective of
> what is done in China, or even in the home here in the US of the chef.
> Still, I don't believe that Bob wrote "bite sized", just that it is
> considered very rude to serve food that needs to be cut at the table.

Again, I know what he said and I'm talking about American restaurants.
Why cloud the issue? He also mentioned cutting/butchery at the table
which is what *I* feel like I need to do with the so called "bite
sized" pieces of meat that I'm served in restaurants.

> It appears to me to be acceptable to serve food that takes more than one
> bite.

It's not acceptable to me.

>I haven't noticed if people put the food down in between bites (I
> think they sometimes do), or just hold it in their chopsticks while they
> eat it. The key is "chopsticks".

They don't put it down. They chew off a hunk, eat it and either chew
on it again if it's still too big or put the rest of it in their
mouth. Ugh. I hate that. I don't mind the rice bowl scooping thing,
it's biting chunks off hunks of meat that I don't like to do.

> It's OK to do anything that doesn't require a knife at the table.

I don't care what's ok for others, I'm talking about what's ok for me.
Chewing on a hunk of meat held by chopsticks has all the appeal of
forking a t-bone lollipop style and chewing on it that way.

> Whole fish are fine. People just dig in with their chopsticks.

Neither of us were talking about fish and they use chopsticks and a
spoon with whole fish.


--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:17:17 -0600, George Leppla
> wrote:

> sf wrote:
> > On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:22:28 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
> > > wrote:
>
> >> The steaks are bone-in ribeyes which will be grilled over charcoal. Chinese
> >> have a distaste for whole steaks on a plate; they consider it butchery to
> >> cut up meat at the table.
> >
> > Which I find very odd, considering how large the individual pieces of
> > "bite sized" meat are... at least in restaurants, where they should
> > pay better attention to serving size.
>
>
> That is one of the problems I have with Sushi. Some of those pieces are
> huge and the common wisdom is to eat the whole thing at once... and
> sheesh, that just isn't possible. But take a bite and the darn thing
> starts to fall apart and there you sit with your chopsticks flailing in
> the air while part of your meal drops down the front of your shirt.
>
I couldn't agree more. I order sashimi (tuna) which is two bites but
at least I don't have to gnaw and it's not messy to eat.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:22:28 -0800, Bob Terwilliger wrote:

> blake wrote:
>
>>> * Steak with black-bean butter sauce
>>
>> i'm having a little trouble visualizing this last item. could you
>> elaborate a little?
>
> The sauce starts out by grinding fermented black beans with garlic and hot
> chiles, then running in a food processor or blender to make a smooth paste.
> That paste is heated in a skillet until fragrant, then cold butter is
> whisked in to make a glossy sauce. Just before serving, chopped cilantro is
> added.

o.k., thanks. i don't think i've heard of fermented black beans and butter
together before.

your pal,
blake

sf wrote:
> I couldn't agree more. I order sashimi (tuna) which is two bites but
> at least I don't have to gnaw and it's not messy to eat.

Eating a whole piece of sushi is a problem for me, it is a bigger
problem for children. I don't let it stop me, though


Becca

"Becca" > wrote in message ...
| sf wrote:
| > I couldn't agree more. I order sashimi (tuna) which is two bites but
| > at least I don't have to gnaw and it's not messy to eat.
|
| Eating a whole piece of sushi is a problem for me, it is a bigger
| problem for children. I don't let it stop me, though

The Japanese, those of less than huge mouths, hold it in their
hand or chopsticks and bite off half of it. They lower the other
half onto their plates, then pick it up again, dip it into the sauce
if necessary, and eat the other half. They also do this with other
foods; if it is too big to eat in one bite they chomp off a bit and
return for the rest. I do not believe there has been anywhere
written that says one must eat it all in one bite, whatever it is.

pavane

pavane wrote:
> "Becca" > wrote in message ...
> | sf wrote:
> | > I couldn't agree more. I order sashimi (tuna) which is two bites but
> | > at least I don't have to gnaw and it's not messy to eat.
> |
> | Eating a whole piece of sushi is a problem for me, it is a bigger
> | problem for children. I don't let it stop me, though
>
> The Japanese, those of less than huge mouths, hold it in their
> hand or chopsticks and bite off half of it. They lower the other
> half onto their plates, then pick it up again, dip it into the sauce
> if necessary, and eat the other half. They also do this with other
> foods; if it is too big to eat in one bite they chomp off a bit and
> return for the rest. I do not believe there has been anywhere
> written that says one must eat it all in one bite, whatever it is.

Problem is that most sushi I have eaten doesn't stick together that
well. One bite and it starts to fall apart. Some pieces are better
suited to taking a bite than others. I'm fairly proficient with
chopsticks but holding sushi together while biting it in half is a bit
beyond my skill level.

And yet... somehow I manage! <vbg>

George L

On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:35:45 -0500, "pavane"
> wrote:

>
> "Becca" > wrote in message ...
> | sf wrote:
> | > I couldn't agree more. I order sashimi (tuna) which is two bites but
> | > at least I don't have to gnaw and it's not messy to eat.
> |
> | Eating a whole piece of sushi is a problem for me, it is a bigger
> | problem for children. I don't let it stop me, though
>
> The Japanese, those of less than huge mouths, hold it in their
> hand or chopsticks and bite off half of it. They lower the other
> half onto their plates, then pick it up again, dip it into the sauce
> if necessary, and eat the other half. They also do this with other
> foods; if it is too big to eat in one bite they chomp off a bit and
> return for the rest. I do not believe there has been anywhere
> written that says one must eat it all in one bite, whatever it is.
>
You missed the point in spite of it being repeated ad nauseum.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"George Leppla" > wrote in message ...
| pavane wrote:
| > "Becca" > wrote in message ...
| > | sf wrote:
| > | > I couldn't agree more. I order sashimi (tuna) which is two bites but
| > | > at least I don't have to gnaw and it's not messy to eat.
| > |
| > | Eating a whole piece of sushi is a problem for me, it is a bigger
| > | problem for children. I don't let it stop me, though
| >
| > The Japanese, those of less than huge mouths, hold it in their
| > hand or chopsticks and bite off half of it. They lower the other
| > half onto their plates, then pick it up again, dip it into the sauce
| > if necessary, and eat the other half. They also do this with other
| > foods; if it is too big to eat in one bite they chomp off a bit and
| > return for the rest. I do not believe there has been anywhere
| > written that says one must eat it all in one bite, whatever it is.
|
| Problem is that most sushi I have eaten doesn't stick together that
| well. One bite and it starts to fall apart. Some pieces are better
| suited to taking a bite than others. I'm fairly proficient with
| chopsticks but holding sushi together while biting it in half is a bit
| beyond my skill level.
|
| And yet... somehow I manage! <vbg>

Yes, don't we all. My Teacher on this said that once you pick the
sushi up his way, with forefinger on top and thumb and third finger
on the sides, you can feel whether it will stay together. Perhaps a
gentle squeeze to get it tighter, maybe it will simply go all over
the place, in which case whatever, live with it. He disliked chopsticks
as you could not get that feel of the piece of sushi. He approached
it as a piece by piece thing...no one toro was the same as the next.

pavane

"sf" > wrote in message ...
| On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:35:45 -0500, "pavane"
| > wrote:
|
| >
| > "Becca" > wrote in message ...
| > | sf wrote:
| > | > I couldn't agree more. I order sashimi (tuna) which is two bites but
| > | > at least I don't have to gnaw and it's not messy to eat.
| > |
| > | Eating a whole piece of sushi is a problem for me, it is a bigger
| > | problem for children. I don't let it stop me, though
| >
| > The Japanese, those of less than huge mouths, hold it in their
| > hand or chopsticks and bite off half of it. They lower the other
| > half onto their plates, then pick it up again, dip it into the sauce
| > if necessary, and eat the other half. They also do this with other
| > foods; if it is too big to eat in one bite they chomp off a bit and
| > return for the rest. I do not believe there has been anywhere
| > written that says one must eat it all in one bite, whatever it is.
| >
| You missed the point in spite of it being repeated ad nauseum.

....and what point would this be?

pavane

In article >,
sf > wrote:

> On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:05:01 -0800, Dan Abel > wrote:
>
> > In article >,
> > sf > wrote:

> > > Chile and cilantro? Huh. Sounds like Southwest/Chinese fusion.
> >
> > Chilis are very common in parts of China. Cilantro is often referred to
> > as "Chinese parsley".
>
> Do you really think I'm that ignorant? It was a joke.

Sorry. I lost my sense of humor 28 years ago and it never came back.


:-(

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

sf wrote:

> Chewing on a hunk of meat held by chopsticks has all the appeal of
> forking a t-bone lollipop style and chewing on it that way.

Heh... A frequent menu item I've seen is skewered lamb medallions, referred
to as "lamb lollipops."

Bob

sf wrote:

>> The sauce starts out by grinding fermented black beans with garlic and
>> hot chiles,
>
> No ginger and onion?

Sorry, I left some stuff out: Yes, the sauce will also contain ginger,
scallions, and sherry.


> Chile and cilantro? Huh. Sounds like Southwest/Chinese fusion.

The butter is what really makes this a fusion dish. Chiles and cilantro are
fairly common in Chinese cooking.


> Have you done this before? It seems like a black bean sauce would
> overwhelm the flavor of your steaks.

The steaks aren't going to be drenched in the sauce; they'll just have a
tablespoon of sauce on top, and more sauce served separately.


>> Chinese have a distaste for whole steaks on a plate; they consider it
>> butchery to cut up meat at the table.
>
> Which I find very odd, considering how large the individual pieces of
> "bite sized" meat are... at least in restaurants, where they should
> pay better attention to serving size.

Send the dish back and tell them to cut it up more finely!

Bob

pavane replied to sf:

> | You missed the point in spite of it being repeated ad nauseum.
>
> ...and what point would this be?

That sf wants her food cut into pieces which can be eaten in one bite, and
serving big chunks of food is indicative of laziness on the part of the
person who prepared it.

Bob

blake wrote:

> i don't think i've heard of fermented black beans and butter together
> before.

I can't take any credit for it; I got the idea from Ming Tsai.

Bob

On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:28:55 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

> sf wrote:
>
> > Chewing on a hunk of meat held by chopsticks has all the appeal of
> > forking a t-bone lollipop style and chewing on it that way.
>
> Heh... A frequent menu item I've seen is skewered lamb medallions, referred
> to as "lamb lollipops."
>
I've eaten those tiny chops (an appetizer to pick up with your
fingers) that are cut from the rack of lamb and have been frenched.
Yes, it's a meat lollipop. Skewered medallion of lamb... haven't
seen that.


--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:50:10 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

> pavane replied to sf:
>
> > | You missed the point in spite of it being repeated ad nauseum.
> >
> > ...and what point would this be?
>
> That sf wants her food cut into pieces which can be eaten in one bite, and
> serving big chunks of food is indicative of laziness on the part of the
> person who prepared it.
>
Thank you!

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:45:14 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

> Send the dish back and tell them to cut it up more finely!

When we met, we didn't get into stories about how I send things back.
The classic story is how I embarrass my family by the way I send Eggs
Benedict back - because it didn't meet my standards, How hard is it
to make poached egg with a firm white and a runny yoke? When they see
Eggs Benedict on the menu they chorus "don't order it" to me. Thank
goodness we don't go out to breakfast/brunch as a group very often.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"--Bryan" > wrote in message
...
On Feb 12, 7:49 am, Cindy Hamilton >
wrote:
> On Feb 12, 8:14 am, --Bryan > wrote:
>
> > On Feb 11, 9:37 am, Cindy Hamilton >
> > wrote:> On Feb 11, 4:16 am, "Bob Terwilliger"
> > >
> > > wrote:
>
> > > > It's only three days away! Is anybody else planning to cook on
> > > > Valentine's
> > > > Day? Here's the menu I'm planning. (It's got a Chinese bent because
> > > > this
> > > > year that day is also Chinese New Year, and Lin and I like to "play
> > > > Chinese"
> > > > on that day.)
>
> > > Naw, we don't do Hallmark holidays. No Valentine's Day, no Mother's
> > > Day, no Sweetest Day. Pah.
>
> > Valentine's Day is not a Hallmark holiday, silly.
>
> Sure, it is. I don't need anybody to tell me what day to show my
> husband
> I love him.

Sure, but Valentine's Day was not invented by the greeting card
folks. It has a long history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_Day

> Every day is Valentine's Day.

I'm happy for you, but there are cultural events to commemmorate lots
of things. Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day,
Veterans Day, etc all call attention to some aspect of life.
(snippage)
--Bryan


I understand Cindy's description of a "Hallmark Holiday". I sure don't send
out Thanksgiving cards, but Hallmark and other greeting card companies put
them out there! Never in my life did I send an Easter or an Independence
Day card, and it wasn't due to lack of the greeting card companies trying.
I don't send out Memorial Day or Labor Day cards, either. But yes, they're
out there. Along with Boss's Day, Assistant's Day, Secretary's Day, yada
yada yada. It's an industry. And not an industry everyone cares to spend
money on, especially not at about $3 USD per card plus postage, and they're
always oversized. No thanks!

Valentine's Day is fine if you do something nice like cook a nice meal or go
out to dinner. I think Cindy's point was it's become too commercialized.
Just like Christmas.

Jill

On Feb 12, 11:21*am, Ranée at Arabian Knits >
wrote:
> In article
> >,
> *Cindy Hamilton > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Feb 12, 8:14*am, --Bryan > wrote:
> > > On Feb 11, 9:37*am, Cindy Hamilton >
> > > wrote:> On Feb 11, 4:16*am, "Bob Terwilliger" >
> > > > wrote:
>
> > > > > It's only three days away! Is anybody else planning to cook on
> > > > > Valentine's
> > > > > Day? Here's the menu I'm planning. (It's got a Chinese bent because
> > > > > this
> > > > > year that day is also Chinese New Year, and Lin and I like to "play
> > > > > Chinese"
> > > > > on that day.)
>
> > > > Naw, we don't do Hallmark holidays. *No Valentine's Day, no Mother's
> > > > Day, no Sweetest Day. *Pah.
>
> > > Valentine's Day is not a Hallmark holiday, silly. *
>
> > Sure, it is. *I don't need anybody to tell me what day to show my
> > husband
> > I love him. *Every day is Valentine's Day.
>
> * *Actually, Valentine's day is a religious holiday. *Hallmark has
> co-opted it and turned it into an every person holiday, but it was
> actually for married Christians and those who were persecuted and in
> need of encouragement. *This is why I always objected to the stupid
> bring Valentine cards to school nonsense the children had to do. *It had
> nothing to do with the holiday and introduced immature ideas of romance
> and favoritism to little people.

If I end up teaching for my next career, I'm going to have to
participate in that "nonsense," and do it without noticeably
cringing. My son refused to bring Valentine cards to school
yesterday.
>
> Regards,
> Ranee @ Arabian Knits

--Bryan

"sf" > wrote in message ...
| On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:50:10 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
| > wrote:
|
| > pavane replied to sf:
| >
| > > | You missed the point in spite of it being repeated ad nauseum.
| > >
| > > ...and what point would this be?
| >
| > That sf wants her food cut into pieces which can be eaten in one bite, and
| > serving big chunks of food is indicative of laziness on the part of the
| > person who prepared it.
| >
| Thank you!

True, true indeed. But there were two points under discussion
(well, at least two), one of which was how Orientals eat food
that is cut too large to eat in one bite comfortably, the other
point was sf and her dislike of large-bite portions. I don't see
that I should be at all precluded from following the how they
eat it point of the discussion, it is equally valid for a theme of
Valentine's Day, isn't it?

pavane

On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:17:17 -0600, George Leppla wrote:

> sf wrote:
>> On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:22:28 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
>> > wrote:
>
>>> The steaks are bone-in ribeyes which will be grilled over charcoal. Chinese
>>> have a distaste for whole steaks on a plate; they consider it butchery to
>>> cut up meat at the table.
>>
>> Which I find very odd, considering how large the individual pieces of
>> "bite sized" meat are... at least in restaurants, where they should
>> pay better attention to serving size.
>
> That is one of the problems I have with Sushi. Some of those pieces are
> huge and the common wisdom is to eat the whole thing at once... and
> sheesh, that just isn't possible. But take a bite and the darn thing
> starts to fall apart and there you sit with your chopsticks flailing in
> the air while part of your meal drops down the front of your shirt.
>
> George L

i just pick up sushi pieces with my fingers and (carefully) bite them in
half. i read somewhere this was acceptable, even in japan, and if that
information is incorrect i don't want to know about it.

your pal,
blake

On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:35:45 -0500, pavane wrote:

> "Becca" > wrote in message ...
>| sf wrote:
>|> I couldn't agree more. I order sashimi (tuna) which is two bites but
>|> at least I don't have to gnaw and it's not messy to eat.
>|
>| Eating a whole piece of sushi is a problem for me, it is a bigger
>| problem for children. I don't let it stop me, though
>
> The Japanese, those of less than huge mouths, hold it in their
> hand or chopsticks and bite off half of it. They lower the other
> half onto their plates, then pick it up again, dip it into the sauce
> if necessary, and eat the other half. They also do this with other
> foods; if it is too big to eat in one bite they chomp off a bit and
> return for the rest. I do not believe there has been anywhere
> written that says one must eat it all in one bite, whatever it is.
>
> pavane

vindication!

your pal,
blake

On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:50:55 -0800, Bob Terwilliger wrote:

> blake wrote:
>
>> i don't think i've heard of fermented black beans and butter together
>> before.
>
> I can't take any credit for it; I got the idea from Ming Tsai.
>
> Bob

i just wanted to make sure you weren't talking about something like a nut
'butter' using the back beans.

your pal,
blake

Becca wrote:
>sf wrote:
>> I couldn't agree more. I order sashimi (tuna) which is two bites but
>> at least I don't have to gnaw and it's not messy to eat.
>
>Eating a whole piece of sushi is a problem for me, it is a bigger
>problem for children. I don't let it stop me, though


I could never see the draw of tasteless raw fish with tasteless plain
rice (they gotta pay me to fill up on plain rice). If not for the
dipping sauces sushi is not worth the effort to chew... okay, so it's
a visual experience... if I want visual it's gonna be a box o' godiva.
If I'm gonna eat raw fish with carbs, and spend that kind of money,
it's gonna be matjes herring or lox on a bialy.