On Fri, 04 Jun 2010 08:13:13 +0100, Stephen wrote:

>> Like the UK?  Or are you thinking about the French? ;-)
>>
> I wouldn’t ever say that about the French who are the epitome of good
> taste when it comes to food and drink. I have a fondness for Ricard
> Pastis

:-)  Personally, I prefer Italian, but my stepson is in Paris right now, 
and I know he'd agree with you.

>>> Here, some girlies drink Lager and Black(current juice). We give our
>>> kids Ribena to make them strong and healthy.
>>
>> LOL
> 
> For once I wasn’t being funny o_O

That happens? ;-)

Jim

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Le_Forgeron wrote:

> Exposure to oxygen, metals, light, or heat destroys ascorbic acid,
> 
> Putting it in hot tea is therefore a non-event.

I was wondering about that, actually. I guess I assumed that since it 
still tastes of orange skins there must still be some in there...

BTW, did you know that apparently most organisms can synthesize ascorbic 
acid? Humans actually have the entire synthesis pathway intact, except 
for one faulty enzyme right at the end. But because what humans 
naturally eat contains ascorbic acid anyway, it wasn't a 
life-threatening mutation...

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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On 04/06/2010 3:32 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Fri, 04 Jun 2010 08:13:13 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>
>>> Like the UK?  Or are you thinking about the French? ;-)
>>>
>> I wouldn’t ever say that about the French who are the epitome of good
>> taste when it comes to food and drink. I have a fondness for Ricard
>> Pastis
>
> :-)  Personally, I prefer Italian, but my stepson is in Paris right now,
> and I know he'd agree with you.
>

 From my reading “Italian” food is America’s preferred style of eating 
out. Personally I think it is over rated. My favourite “foreign” food is 
Chinese.


-- 

Best Regards,
	Stephen

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On Fri, 04 Jun 2010 19:51:45 +0100, Stephen wrote:

>  From my reading “Italian” food is America’s preferred style of eating
> out. Personally I think it is over rated. My favourite “foreign” food is
> Chinese.

That doesn't surprise me, though the difference between real Italian and 
"Americanised Italian" is quite striking.

Like the difference between authentic Chinese food and what normally 
passes as Chinese in both our countries (I've had Chinese in London, 
actually).  I have a friend whose mother visited (back when we were in 
high school) and she prepared "the real thing" - no Kung Pao Chicken 
there. ;-)

My real preference tends towards Indian (including "Indian" that 
originated in Scotland as I understand it - the curry dish), but we tend 
now not to go out for that, we make it at home. :-)

Jim

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On 04/06/2010 10:01 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Fri, 04 Jun 2010 19:51:45 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>
>>    From my reading “Italian” food is America’s preferred style of eating
>> out. Personally I think it is over rated. My favourite “foreign” food is
>> Chinese.
>
> That doesn't surprise me, though the difference between real Italian and
> "Americanised Italian" is quite striking.
>

Something I (will) remain ignorant of ;-)

> Like the difference between authentic Chinese food and what normally
> passes as Chinese in both our countries (I've had Chinese in London,
> actually).

Where in London? The place I generally eat is in Soho’s Wong Kei. There 
are a lot of “High Street” restaurants in Soho too :-(

> I have a friend whose mother visited (back when we were in
> high school) and she prepared "the real thing" - no Kung Pao Chicken
> there. ;-)
>

Lucky you :-)

> My real preference tends towards Indian (including "Indian" that
> originated in Scotland as I understand it - the curry dish), but we tend
> now not to go out for that, we make it at home. :-)
>
I’m not sure I follow you on this one. In Scotland as far as I remember 
it’s 10 pints of beer and a vindaloo. The only British Indian dish I can 
think of is Chicken Tikka Masala. Actually after Googling it I see that 
Glasgow claims it as its own. And Birmingham claims the Balti.



-- 

Best Regards,
	Stephen

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On Fri, 04 Jun 2010 22:33:03 +0100, Stephen wrote:

>> That doesn't surprise me, though the difference between real Italian
>> and "Americanised Italian" is quite striking.
>>
> Something I (will) remain ignorant of ;-)

Well, if you come over here, I can take you to a Japanese place that's 
pretty authentic (according to my Japanese sister-in-law <g>).

>> Like the difference between authentic Chinese food and what normally
>> passes as Chinese in both our countries (I've had Chinese in London,
>> actually).
> 
> Where in London? The place I generally eat is in Soho’s Wong Kei. There
> are a lot of “High Street” restaurants in Soho too :-(

It was in Soho, back in 2002, let me see if I can find it....

It looks like it would have to have been on Lisle Street, because I 
remember it wasn't far from Leister Square station, though we rode in and 
met the rest of our group at Westminster and walked from there.

But I also remember that the entrance was on the left-hand side of the 
front of the restaurant, and there was a stairway that led upstairs (we 
sat on the second floor).  It *might* have been Fung Shing, The interior 
shots on their website remind me of what I remember, if that's any 
indication.

But I also vaguely recall that the exterior was red and there were a fair 
number of awnings over the street, including in front of the entrance.

Unfortunately, for that day of the trip, I only have photos of the 
British Museum and Paddington Station - the dinner was an experience we 
didn't photograph (the food was good, but the experience was memorable 
for all the wrong reasons).

>> I have a friend whose mother visited (back when we were in high school)
>> and she prepared "the real thing" - no Kung Pao Chicken there. ;-)
>>
> Lucky you :-)

Unfortunately, while the flavours were really good, some of the textures 
didn't agree with me.  But certainly very different from what most 
Americans think of as "Chinese" food.

>> My real preference tends towards Indian (including "Indian" that
>> originated in Scotland as I understand it - the curry dish), but we
>> tend now not to go out for that, we make it at home. :-)
>>
> I’m not sure I follow you on this one. In Scotland as far as I remember
> it’s 10 pints of beer and a vindaloo. The only British Indian dish I can
> think of is Chicken Tikka Masala. Actually after Googling it I see that
> Glasgow claims it as its own. And Birmingham claims the Balti.

The Tikka is part of it, certainly.  :-)  I've read in some Indian 
cookbooks that what many westerners think of as "Indian" food is really 
British in nature, partially because some of the spice mixes aren't 
native to India.

That said, though, one of our favourite restaurants to visit in Salt Lake 
City does authentic Indian food - had a friend who grew up in India visit 
with us, and he said it reminded him of his grandmother's cooking (in a 
good way).  So at least one place here got it right (quite possibly 
because the family that owns it is from India and most of the staff are 
immigrants from India).  Next time I'm in there, I'll have to ask Avtar 
what part of India his family is from.  They're always happy to see us, 
but we've not gone as much recently because we do make our own.

Jim

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On 04/06/2010 11:20 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Fri, 04 Jun 2010 22:33:03 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>
>>> That doesn't surprise me, though the difference between real Italian
>>> and "Americanised Italian" is quite striking.
>>>
>> Something I (will) remain ignorant of ;-)
>
> Well, if you come over here, I can take you to a Japanese place that's
> pretty authentic (according to my Japanese sister-in-law<g>).
>

That’s worth remembering.

>
> It was in Soho, back in 2002, let me see if I can find it....
>
> It looks like it would have to have been on Lisle Street, because I
> remember it wasn't far from Leister Square station, though we rode in and
> met the rest of our group at Westminster and walked from there.
>
> But I also remember that the entrance was on the left-hand side of the
> front of the restaurant, and there was a stairway that led upstairs (we
> sat on the second floor).  It *might* have been Fung Shing, The interior
> shots on their website remind me of what I remember, if that's any
> indication.
>

I’ve not eaten there. So many restaurants so little time. :-(

> But I also vaguely recall that the exterior was red and there were a fair
> number of awnings over the street, including in front of the entrance.
>

Red is a popular colour. :-)

> Unfortunately, for that day of the trip, I only have photos of the
> British Museum and Paddington Station

Paddington Station is worth a photograph or two. :-)

  - the dinner was an experience we didn't photograph

Restraint well shown. ;)

>>> I have a friend whose mother visited (back when we were in high school)
>>> and she prepared "the real thing" - no Kung Pao Chicken there. ;-)
>>>

> Unfortunately, while the flavours were really good, some of the textures
> didn't agree with me.  But certainly very different from what most
> Americans think of as "Chinese" food.
>

Have you tried congee or chow ho fun? The textures of both are not what 
westerners are used to.

> The Tikka is part of it, certainly.  :-)

The story goes that someone wanted Chicken Tikka, which is a dry dish, 
but he wanted it moist? So the chef added Heinz tomato soup and viola! 
Chicken Tikka Masala was born.

> I've read in some Indian
> cookbooks that what many westerners think of as "Indian" food is really
> British in nature, partially because some of the spice mixes aren't
> native to India.

That is probably true. The posh Brits brought back curry in the days of 
the Raj. When it became popular it was modified to reduce the heat of 
the spices and to use whatever native herbs that could be used.

>
> That said, though, one of our favourite restaurants to visit in Salt Lake
> City does authentic Indian food - had a friend who grew up in India visit
> with us, and he said it reminded him of his grandmother's cooking (in a
> good way).  So at least one place here got it right (quite possibly
> because the family that owns it is from India and most of the staff are
> immigrants from India).  Next time I'm in there, I'll have to ask Avtar
> what part of India his family is from.  They're always happy to see us,
> but we've not gone as much recently because we do make our own.
>

That is what I am going to do this afternoon, pig curry.

-- 

Best Regards,
	Stephen

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On Sat, 05 Jun 2010 14:45:32 +0100, Stephen wrote:

>> Well, if you come over here, I can take you to a Japanese place that's
>> pretty authentic (according to my Japanese sister-in-law<g>).
>>
> That’s worth remembering.

Except, of course, I meant *when* not *if*. ;-)

>> It was in Soho, back in 2002, let me see if I can find it....
>>
>> It looks like it would have to have been on Lisle Street, because I
>> remember it wasn't far from Leister Square station, though we rode in
>> and met the rest of our group at Westminster and walked from there.
>>
>> But I also remember that the entrance was on the left-hand side of the
>> front of the restaurant, and there was a stairway that led upstairs (we
>> sat on the second floor).  It *might* have been Fung Shing, The
>> interior shots on their website remind me of what I remember, if that's
>> any indication.
>>
>>
> I’ve not eaten there. So many restaurants so little time. :-(

Especially in Soho.  I'm going to want to try the one you go to if the 
chance presents itself - whether it was Fung Shing or not, we just picked 
it by looking at the menu outside, and it's always better to have a 
recommendation.

>> But I also vaguely recall that the exterior was red and there were a
>> fair number of awnings over the street, including in front of the
>> entrance.
>>
>>
> Red is a popular colour. :-)

It sure is.

>> Unfortunately, for that day of the trip, I only have photos of the
>> British Museum and Paddington Station
> 
> Paddington Station is worth a photograph or two. :-)

Yep, and that's what we got.  I grew up reading Paddington Bear stories, 
and we've got a collection that we still read from time to time. :-)

>   - the dinner was an experience we didn't photograph
> 
> Restraint well shown. ;)

You have no idea how much restraint.  There was, at one point, an actual 
danger of one of the members of our party having someone shove chopsticks 
up her nose.  I'll give it this:  it was certainly memorable. ;-)

But the details of that story are better told in person over a few pints.

>> Unfortunately, while the flavours were really good, some of the
>> textures didn't agree with me.  But certainly very different from what
>> most Americans think of as "Chinese" food.
>>
> Have you tried congee or chow ho fun? The textures of both are not what
> westerners are used to.

I may have; that's been longer ago than the trip to Soho, and I have no 
recollection of what specifically we had.

All this talk about food is making me hungry. :-)

>> The Tikka is part of it, certainly.  :-)
> 
> The story goes that someone wanted Chicken Tikka, which is a dry dish,
> but he wanted it moist? So the chef added Heinz tomato soup and viola!
> Chicken Tikka Masala was born.

LOL, even if it's not the actual story, it's funny. :-)

>> I've read in some Indian
>> cookbooks that what many westerners think of as "Indian" food is really
>> British in nature, partially because some of the spice mixes aren't
>> native to India.
> 
> That is probably true. The posh Brits brought back curry in the days of
> the Raj. When it became popular it was modified to reduce the heat of
> the spices and to use whatever native herbs that could be used.

It's certainly a plausible story. :-)

>> That said, though, one of our favourite restaurants to visit in Salt
>> Lake City does authentic Indian food - had a friend who grew up in
>> India visit with us, and he said it reminded him of his grandmother's
>> cooking (in a good way).  So at least one place here got it right
>> (quite possibly because the family that owns it is from India and most
>> of the staff are immigrants from India).  Next time I'm in there, I'll
>> have to ask Avtar what part of India his family is from.  They're
>> always happy to see us, but we've not gone as much recently because we
>> do make our own.
>>
>>
> That is what I am going to do this afternoon, pig curry.

Ooooh, don't think I've had that before (pork obviously isn't often used, 
but you know that <G>).  One year for Thanksgiving we did a turkey curry, 
and that was quite good.  I prefer prawn, chicken, and lamb (in that 
order) myself.

Jim

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On 05/06/2010 9:23 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Sat, 05 Jun 2010 14:45:32 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>
>>> Well, if you come over here, I can take you to a Japanese place that's
>>> pretty authentic (according to my Japanese sister-in-law<g>).
>>>
>> That’s worth remembering.
>
> Except, of course, I meant *when* not *if*. ;-)
>

I'm a bit scared of SLC

>> I’ve not eaten there. So many restaurants so little time. :-(
>
> Especially in Soho.  I'm going to want to try the one you go to if the
> chance presents itself - whether it was Fung Shing or not, we just picked
> it by looking at the menu outside, and it's always better to have a
> recommendation.
>

Hmm! It is a bit of a cult place. I can’t remember the number of times 
I’ve taken people there to see a look of horror on their faces.
I remember one time when two tourists wanted a table to themselves and 
said that they would pay the difference. The waiter screamed “Rich men 
don’t eat at the Wong Kei. Get out!”
In the old days there was often a floor show from the waiters who were 
renowned for their rudeness. But the food is very good and very cheap.
<Dr John, what’s your opinion?>


>>> Unfortunately, for that day of the trip, I only have photos of the
>>> British Museum and Paddington Station
>>
>> Paddington Station is worth a photograph or two. :-)
>
> Yep, and that's what we got.  I grew up reading Paddington Bear stories,
> and we've got a collection that we still read from time to time. :-)
>

The Bear now eats Marmite.

>>    - the dinner was an experience we didn't photograph
>>
>> Restraint well shown. ;)
>
> You have no idea how much restraint.  There was, at one point, an actual
> danger of one of the members of our party having someone shove chopsticks
> up her nose.  I'll give it this:  it was certainly memorable. ;-)
>

O_O


> But the details of that story are better told in person over a few pints.
>

A deal :-D


>> Have you tried congee or chow ho fun? The textures of both are not what
>> westerners are used to.
>
> I may have; that's been longer ago than the trip to Soho, and I have no
> recollection of what specifically we had.
>

Congee is rice porridge and ho fun is flat rice noodles.

> All this talk about food is making me hungry. :-)
>
>>> The Tikka is part of it, certainly.  :-)
>>
>> The story goes that someone wanted Chicken Tikka, which is a dry dish,
>> but he wanted it moist? So the chef added Heinz tomato soup and viola!
>> Chicken Tikka Masala was born.
>
> LOL, even if it's not the actual story, it's funny. :-)
>

Well if it was Glasgow then the chances were he was drunk and …

>>> I've read in some Indian
>>> cookbooks that what many westerners think of as "Indian" food is really
>>> British in nature, partially because some of the spice mixes aren't
>>> native to India.
>>
>> That is probably true. The posh Brits brought back curry in the days of
>> the Raj. When it became popular it was modified to reduce the heat of
>> the spices and to use whatever native herbs that could be used.
>
> It's certainly a plausible story. :-)
>

I’ve eaten in Indian restaurants in OZ, Jamaica and Nigeria. The 
Nigerian Indian food blew my head off but the chef was from Southern 
India where hotter spices are used than in the north. Most British 
Indians are from the North of India or Pakistan or Bangladesh.


>>>
>> That is what I am going to do this afternoon, pig curry.
>
> Ooooh, don't think I've had that before (pork obviously isn't often used,
> but you know that<G>).

I used 1 Kg of diced pork and it is delicious. Unfortunately I only have 
Thai fragrant rice. But it does :-)

> One year for Thanksgiving we did a turkey curry,
> and that was quite good.  I prefer prawn, chicken, and lamb (in that
> order) myself.
>

Potato and cauliflower curries are very good too (Bombay potatoes, aloo 
saag and aloo gobi).

-- 

Best Regards,
	Stephen

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On Sat, 05 Jun 2010 22:02:58 +0100, Stephen wrote:

>>> That’s worth remembering.
>>
>> Except, of course, I meant *when* not *if*. ;-)
>>
> I'm a bit scared of SLC

Nah, don't be - it's the liberal part of the state. :-)

>> Especially in Soho.  I'm going to want to try the one you go to if the
>> chance presents itself - whether it was Fung Shing or not, we just
>> picked it by looking at the menu outside, and it's always better to
>> have a recommendation.
>>
> Hmm! It is a bit of a cult place. I can’t remember the number of times
> I’ve taken people there to see a look of horror on their faces. I
> remember one time when two tourists wanted a table to themselves and
> said that they would pay the difference. The waiter screamed “Rich men
> don’t eat at the Wong Kei. Get out!” In the old days there was often a
> floor show from the waiters who were renowned for their rudeness. But
> the food is very good and very cheap. <Dr John, what’s your opinion?>

LOL, sounds like our kind of place, though we do like personable wait 
staff, but if the food's good and it's not a place tourists tend to 
frequent, all the better. :-)

>> Yep, and that's what we got.  I grew up reading Paddington Bear
>> stories, and we've got a collection that we still read from time to
>> time. :-)
>>
> The Bear now eats Marmite.

Indeed, but there's no accounting for taste. :-)

>> You have no idea how much restraint.  There was, at one point, an
>> actual danger of one of the members of our party having someone shove
>> chopsticks up her nose.  I'll give it this:  it was certainly
>> memorable. ;-)
>>
> O_O

Yeah, that's the usual reaction to the story. :)

>> But the details of that story are better told in person over a few
>> pints.
>>
>>
> A deal :-D

You got it.  Now to find the cash for the trip. :-)


>> I may have; that's been longer ago than the trip to Soho, and I have no
>> recollection of what specifically we had.
>>
> Congee is rice porridge and ho fun is flat rice noodles.

We may have done the second, but I don't think we did the first.

>> LOL, even if it's not the actual story, it's funny. :-)
>>
>>
> Well if it was Glasgow then the chances were he was drunk and …

Indeed, I remember parts of my trip to Glasgow.  Good thing we took 
photos. ;-)

> I’ve eaten in Indian restaurants in OZ, Jamaica and Nigeria. The
> Nigerian Indian food blew my head off but the chef was from Southern
> India where hotter spices are used than in the north. Most British
> Indians are from the North of India or Pakistan or Bangladesh.

That sounds consistent with what I've heard as well.

>>> That is what I am going to do this afternoon, pig curry.
>>
>> Ooooh, don't think I've had that before (pork obviously isn't often
>> used, but you know that<G>).
> 
> I used 1 Kg of diced pork and it is delicious. Unfortunately I only have
> Thai fragrant rice. But it does :-)

One does with what one has sometimes.  We buy 20 lb bags of basmati here, 
never really seem to run low.  But I could see it mixing well with pork.

>> One year for Thanksgiving we did a turkey curry, and that was quite
>> good.  I prefer prawn, chicken, and lamb (in that order) myself.
>>
>>
> Potato and cauliflower curries are very good too (Bombay potatoes, aloo
> saag and aloo gobi).

I'm not a big fan of cauliflower, but I do like potatoes in my curry.

Jim

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