Text 9856, 112 rader
Skriven 2014-02-12 22:36:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av NANCY BACKUS
Ärende: running codgers 196
===========================
 ML>> being the same. There was a curious deadness about the food
 ML>> there, as though someone had taken extra lessons on how to
 ML>> make food bland for the tourists.
 NB>> A bit odd... but a difference in cooks could explain it... 
 NB>> whether or not it was truly intentional...  :)
 ML> A difference in cooks based on what they were told to do
 ML> was my hypothesis. Americans don't like spicy food, that
 ML> sort of thing (and is largely true, compared  to local
 ML> tastes).
 NB> I guess so.  Do they cater primarily to Americans, then...?

Americans mostly, but there were a lot of Germans and
Scandinavians, neither set of people famed for dining
adventurousness; but in Chiang Rai, it was a similar
demographic, so something else was working as well.
Perhaps Chiang Mai, easier to get to and with most of
the trappings of a big city, caters to a somewhat more
conservative crowd.

 ML> Maybe. We didn't see a McDonald's in Chiang Rai; she had a burger
 ML> there at a place where I had beef jerky curry, though. It tasted
 ML> like meatloaf.
 NB> Probably had a lot in common with meatloaf... :)  The beef jerky curry
 NB> had to be better...  ;)

I was seduced by the name "crispy beef curry" and didn't
tumble to what it was until after ordering it. It wasn't
bad at all, just very resilient, and you knew that you
were eating filet of old animal. The burger/meatloaf was
pretty much as expected.

 Apparently Chiang Rai didn't feel the need so
 NB> much to make the tourists feel at home... :)

It's a working town, and they do what they do, and we
tourists can take it or leave it. It reminded me
powerfully of Jogjakarta but much cooler temperaturewise.

==
 NB>> Are there travel restrictions on those countries at the moment...?
 ML> Not at all, but there are certain places where your luggage
 ML> is sniffed extra carefully after you go there.
 NB> Ah...

I don't have anything to hide (more because I am not
interested in such things than because I'm notably honest),
but Lilli and I compete on who gets through the lines first
- anyhow, the ones we can't go through together. I usually
but not invariably lose, but when it's because I get some
kind of secondary, she laughs at me afterward. Of course, I
return the favor on the rare occasions when I can.

 ML> I think that Cuba is the only prohibited country, and even
 ML> then it's not difficult to get around the ban.
 NB> I thought there had been bans on some of the African and mid-eastern
 NB> countries, but maybe those are just travel advisaries...

No bans that I know of, but many cautions. Iran, Syria, and
Libya have had bans in the past as I recall, but they were of
relatively short duration and more commonsense than anything
else, whereas the Cuban one actually had penalties attached
to it and no common sense whatever.

 ML> On the other hand, North Korea isn't strictly forbidden, but
 ML> it's pretty hard to get there.
 NB> And some have found it even harder to get out of, once there...

That's so. I can understand the persecution of missionaries
(from the government's standpoint) but not the detainment of
some old guy who had just happened to fight there in the 1950s
- that struck me as arbitrary and pointless.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v7.07

      Title: Mrs. Humphries Scones
 Categories: Breads
   Servings: 8 to 10

      1 c  Unbleached all purpose flour
    1/2 c  Sugar
      2 ts Baking powder
      3 tb Butter or margarine
    1/2 c  Raisins (plumped in milk,
           -and drained, if you have
           -time)
      1    Egg
    1/2 ts Lemon extract
           less than 1/4 cup milk
           sugar to sprinkle on tops (optional)

  From the King Arthur Flour 200 th Anniversary cookbook.
  Mrs. Humphries was an elderly English woman who lived in
  a little pink house. Her scones are rich and delicious.

  Preheat your oven to 425F.  Combine the flour, sugar, and
  baking powder. Rub in the butter or margarine with your
  fingertips. Add the raisins, egg, and lemon extract.
  "MUSH IT UP AND ADD JUST ENOUGH MILK TO MAKE IT SAFT,
  BUT NOT TOO STICKY: were Mrs. Humphries original
  directions. Drop BIG tbsp of the batter onto a greased
  cookie sheet. Sprinkle the top with sugar if you want a
  sweet finished scone. Bake 12-15 min depending on size.
  Makes 8-10 scones.

  Origin: Cookbook Digest Mar/Apr 93 Shared by: Sharon Stevens.

MMMMM


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