Text 1898, 88 rader
Skriven 2013-06-28 20:11:29 av Nancy Backus (1:261/1381.0)
   Kommentar till text 1790 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: Re: cross cultural 771
==============================
-=> Quoting MICHAEL LOO to NANCY BACKUS on 26 Jun 13  15:36:00 <=-

 ML>> Makes me wonder what the secret touches were.
 NB>> It might have been as simple as seasonings, or in the case of the
 NB>> pizza, using the oil at hand instead of olive or whatever...

 ML> I've got a thought for you. Do you think they use real
 ML> olive oil at Anastasios's Pizza and Fetid Cheese Market?

Haven't a clue... never eating at such places (probably a good thing,
from the insinuation there... [g])  Rather unlikely, from the sound of
it...  ;)

 NB>> In the case of their jello, they obviously were using real fruit
 NB>> juice in theirs... and in the case of their Chinese donuts, they
 NB>> managed to make them light and heavenly... (and neither jello nor
 NB>> donuts are usually anywhere on my favorites list)...
 ML> Interesting and in the case of the gelatin dessert atypical.

Just how atypical can be seen from the reaction of a friend of ours who
had been turned totally off any sort of jello... after a small taste of
it, she forever after referred to it as Her jello, and wanted to go back
for more.  ;)

 ML> At least one can justify the doughnuts by figuring there's this
 ML> big kettle of oil anyway, might as well make doughnuts, which
 ML> are cheap and wonderful made fresh and crummy and ugly made in
 ML> a factory.

Most buffets seem to have them now... but rarely are they particularly
scrumtious... :)

 NB>> Cook had a deft hand, kept the
 NB>> frying oil at the right temp... and generally was just very good at
 NB>> what he was doing.  Haven't run into food quite that good since, so
 NB>> haven't a clue if he's still in the area...

 ML> Ah. Cook is all. A pity you haven't kept track of him.

Quite.  :)
 
 ML> went back a couple times, as it was convenient to the homes of
 ML> some friends of mine, and it was mediocre at best (how can you
 ML> mess up fried seafood?). Then the word went around that Ed was
 ML> back, and of course the food was good again, and, as before,
 ML> suddenly it wasn't any more - Ed was in jail again. And as it
 ML> was some kind of repeat offense, the restaurant limped along for
 ML> a while and finally closed. It's been 20 years, and I bet Ed is
 ML> back out on the streets, and somewhere in eastern Massachusetts,
 ML> where you least expect one, there's a great Cajun place.
 
Sigh.  But maybe you'll stumble on that great Cajum place... if Ed can
keep himself out of jail long enough...   :)

 ML>> It was originally a crab boil, I think, with strong flavors
 ML>> meant to stick to the shell and be transferred only incidentally
 ML>> to the meat; now it's a main ingredient used to ruin crab cakes
 ML>> and broiled fish and meats.
 NB>> Now that makes some sense to me... as a crab boil...  for the others,
 NB>> a light hand suffices, if used at all...
 ML> Why they made the stuff for the purpose of obscuring the
 ML> taste of the finest, most delicate seafood in the world
 ML> I just can't fathom.

The necessity of gilding the lily...?

 NB>>> can say you've tried them and found them excessively wanting...  :)
 ML>> Yep. The So Delicious was especially disappointing because
 ML>> the brand's ice noncreams are pretty good.
 NB>> Apparently yogurt cultures don't take well to dairy substitutes...?
 ML> I wondered. There is a reason why the cultures are usually
 ML> in the Lactobacillus camp. I was curious once and found out
 ML> that some of these have adapted to be able to eat other kinds
 ML> of sugars than lactose, but by and large it seems that they
 ML> just sort of sit there suspended, which makes me wonder if
 ML> they do any good at all.

Perhaps more research is needed...  From empirical experience, the
yogurt cultures do work to replace the good gut bacteria... but just
how, or if their presence is more a stimulation for the good stuff, I
really don't know.  But they may not exactly do well with coconut or soy
or almond "milks" for their own propagation...

ttyl           neb

... A diplomat thinks twice before saying nothing...
--- Blue Wave/DOS v2.20
 * Origin: The Holodeck BBS  (1:261/1381)