Along with some of your rather bold statements, it's nice to see you also have a sense of humour. Keep that part up.
Then you probably don't want to go back and look at what I have brought to the members in this thread.
Where I am from if you want "everything" on a pizza or burger or whatever, you say you want it with "the works"*. Not in Montreal. Here you say "toute garnie" in French or "all dressed" in English. A while ago I went to a local pizza joint for an emergency meal (I was leaving town the next day and had cleaned out the fridge), and as I looked at the menu I said to the man at the counter "I'll have a small... toute garnie". He kind of chuckled as he took the order, then went back to the kitchen, then came back out and said "I'm sorry sir, did you want a small toute garnie, or a petite all dressed?" We had a laugh. He grew up on a Greek island so it's all the same to him.
*If you are from certain parts of Atlantic Canada (PEI) you might go to a diner and order "fries with the works". That is a plate of french fries covered in ground beef in a flour-thickened gravy mixed with peas and carrots. Apparently it is very popular after binge drinking. I have never seen it on a menu but have seen people order it and get it.
*If you are from certain parts of Atlantic Canada (PEI) you might go to a diner and order "fries with the works". That is a plate of french fries covered in ground beef in a flour-thickened gravy mixed with peas and carrots. Apparently it is very popular after binge drinking. I have never seen it on a menu but have seen people order it and get it.
Oh, I've seen the stuff you posted... Chicharrones with Sriracha on top... that's a great snack while I make dinner.
Besides, I never eat anything that sticks its tongue at me... so rude. I like my food NOT rude. "Thank you for eating me, Tony!". You've ever noticed the tongue on the display case at the butcher? It's like it's sticking its tongue at the customers!
I have this good Taiwanese friend. Sometimes we go out and eat Chinese food (*). I once asked him what went into their sausages that made them so good. He told me to "eat and don't ask".
I'm sure I've eaten entrails from many types of vertebrates that I would not eat in their raw form. (Ever gone to an all you can eat Korean BBQ?)... In sausage form, that is.
Now, in regards to bold statements.... I have made NO such! People misunderstand me. But that's OK, I'm used to the Spanish Inquisition... people see my statements and think I am being a bit absolutist, when in reality am just right. Buggers! However, I do invite counter claims, no problem. I'm used to my ideas being challenged, even if it feels like a four by four is being used to clobber my genius (**).
And yes, I do have a very good sense of humor. I could have been a comedian, but I had a thick accent then. Then I came up short in being a porn star. So Physics had to do.
++++
I was listening to the same music in two different amp/speaker combos.... Disney's The Little Mermaid, Tidal HiFi.
Amazing, one set up had a deep stage with a front row image, the other had a shallower stage depth with a mid hall image. Both sounded fantastic, but so different. I had to shut it down to make dinner... we had leftovers today though.
(*) Chinese food is by far the hottest I've ever had. Have you ever tried Sichuan Cuisine? They put ground ghost peppers as garnish on top of five alarm dishes!!!
(**) I was in a job once... the boss told me that I had to have my stuff peer reviewed. I looked at him and told him (with a straight face ) that there were no peers of mine in the entire team. He was bewildered, had no idea what to do... I just broke into a wide grin and told him "Just Kidding...". I ended up getting a big raise. ;-)
I told you I wanted to be a comedian, huh? I've been in Internet forums since '92. Ever enjoy alt.evil ?
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Try food from coastal Andhra Pradesh or Kerala in India.
Find an Indian acquaintance , ask around.
There is a dish called Pepper Chicken Chettinad, look up the recipe.
There is also a dish called 'Laal Maas' in Rajasthan, one kilo of goat meat, and a half kilo of red chilies!
The name means 'Red Meat'.
The cloves, ginger and garlic, along with other spices make the cooking from coastal Indian states the hottest I have had, the Chinese food served here would not be recognized by native Chinese diners, it is heavily modified, almost beyond recognition.
Find an Indian acquaintance , ask around.
There is a dish called Pepper Chicken Chettinad, look up the recipe.
There is also a dish called 'Laal Maas' in Rajasthan, one kilo of goat meat, and a half kilo of red chilies!
The name means 'Red Meat'.
The cloves, ginger and garlic, along with other spices make the cooking from coastal Indian states the hottest I have had, the Chinese food served here would not be recognized by native Chinese diners, it is heavily modified, almost beyond recognition.
And to think the Western European food is not HOT spicy at all.
I find Indian Cuisines the most complex and varied of the lot.. much more than Chinese. I've tried making my own Garam Masala... Also, North African foods are very interesting. We love the combinations of spices.
Where I live we have lots of Indian restaurants, neighbors and coworkers.
The only cuisine that is missing is... Spanish. Short of chez moi and one place up in Long Beach where they make sausages, you have to go to the East Coast or Spain. It's sooo ironic.
I find Indian Cuisines the most complex and varied of the lot.. much more than Chinese. I've tried making my own Garam Masala... Also, North African foods are very interesting. We love the combinations of spices.
Where I live we have lots of Indian restaurants, neighbors and coworkers.
The only cuisine that is missing is... Spanish. Short of chez moi and one place up in Long Beach where they make sausages, you have to go to the East Coast or Spain. It's sooo ironic.
The Europeans came to get spices from India in about 1500 AD, they needed black pepper and so on to cover up the smell of stored meat during winter, it would partly rot, even in freezing conditions.
And of course the French are said to have developed perfume because of their aversion to bathing, may be a story...
Kerala State in South India is famous for its spices, look it up if you are interested.
How about the herbs used in Europe?
Basil, oregano, and so on?
Paprika?
And of course the French are said to have developed perfume because of their aversion to bathing, may be a story...
Kerala State in South India is famous for its spices, look it up if you are interested.
How about the herbs used in Europe?
Basil, oregano, and so on?
Paprika?
Oh, I know about that... mustard and heavy sauces were made to cover up for rotting meats.... in the Mediterranean they would use veal and sheep, which being smaller, could be eaten faster and were ranched/farmed, not hunted, so the food was always fresher.
Europeans use herbs, not so much spices. A very different aroma. The strongest I can think of is smoked paprika and saffron. Nutmeg too, but that's for sweets.
But the use of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, coriander, cumin, cardamon, anise, turmeric... those are "exotic" to Western Europe.
Oddly, chez nous, we do a lot of fusion... our main traits are Catalan and Japanese.. with a huge smattering of World Cuisines. Japanese is so interesting in that it's the master of subtlety: mirin, soy sauce, sake, rice vinegar, ginger and some curry. When I stir fry on the wok, a lot, I only put a bit of hondashi and soy sauce... so the flavor of the veggies and tofu comes through.
Japanese is a cuisine where the main "spice" is the natural flavor of the ingredients. As most classical Japanese, it's very subtle and color arrangements are fundamental.
Europeans use herbs, not so much spices. A very different aroma. The strongest I can think of is smoked paprika and saffron. Nutmeg too, but that's for sweets.
But the use of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, coriander, cumin, cardamon, anise, turmeric... those are "exotic" to Western Europe.
Oddly, chez nous, we do a lot of fusion... our main traits are Catalan and Japanese.. with a huge smattering of World Cuisines. Japanese is so interesting in that it's the master of subtlety: mirin, soy sauce, sake, rice vinegar, ginger and some curry. When I stir fry on the wok, a lot, I only put a bit of hondashi and soy sauce... so the flavor of the veggies and tofu comes through.
Japanese is a cuisine where the main "spice" is the natural flavor of the ingredients. As most classical Japanese, it's very subtle and color arrangements are fundamental.
Japanese cuisine has curry?
New information for me
How closely related to Spanish cuisine is Hispanic cuisine?
A mix of native and Spanish influences?
Paella is close enough to be a mildly flavored 'Pulao', the origins of that are in Central Asia... Tapas also is a set of starters.
Most of the Spanish food seems do-able, in that the ingredients should be available, so I wonder why there are no good Spanish restaurants in your area.
New information for me
How closely related to Spanish cuisine is Hispanic cuisine?
A mix of native and Spanish influences?
Paella is close enough to be a mildly flavored 'Pulao', the origins of that are in Central Asia... Tapas also is a set of starters.
Most of the Spanish food seems do-able, in that the ingredients should be available, so I wonder why there are no good Spanish restaurants in your area.
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Europeans were getting spices from the far east for centuries before 1500. The Romans and the Greeks before them had access to spices from Asia, though they were always luxury goods because they had to travel so far. The Greeks established colonies in Bactria (Transoxiana) and visited northern India. By the 1400's the trade between Asia and Europe was breaking down as Middle Eastern empires controlled the trade routes and took higher profits. In the early 1300's Marco Polo traveled overland to China and described what he saw. In one Chinese port city there were mosques, churches, and synagogues. He met other Europeans, Arabs, etc. And this was all before there was any ocean traffic between Europe and Asia.
By the late 1400s the Islamic empires controlled trade through Central Asia to Europe, and charged higher and higher tariffs. That's why people were willing to take a gamble on an idiot like Columbus, who was wrong about everything and died believing he had sailed to Indonesia.
Now paprika, core ingredient of Hungarian porkolt (goulash), they got from the Turks that ruled Hungary for a while. The Turks got chilis (capsicum) from the Portuguese, who got them from the Spanish, who got them from the native Americans (Mexico and Peru). Chilis were unknown outside the Americas before the Columbian Exchange, but they grow readily and spread like wild fire. Same with tomatoes, corn, potatoes, many species of beans and squashes.
They are very different.... just as Castilian is different from Mexican and Argentinian.
They are quite different... indeed, within Spain too, you have different cuisines. Catalan, Basque, Galician, Castilian, Andalucian, Levantan are different. All I can think it's common is bread, olive oil, garlic and wine... Con Pan Y Vino Se Anda El Camino
Foods from the New World and the natives there in also provide huge differences.
Indeed, food from Cataluña has more in common with Le Rousillon, Provence, North Eastern Italy and Sardinia than with Extremadura... never mind Caribbean nations or Mexico. IMHO, the only colony that is "sort of" Spanish is Cuba. They have a tradition of Galician cooking. Indeed, I find Cuban food to be amongst some of the best I have ever had the taste. There is a local Cuban place, Felix in the city of Orange, that we've been frequenting for eons. We went before the kids, when the kids were babies, teenagers. Took them when they could drink wine... and still take them today as adults. Whenever my son visits town he insists on going to Felix for Sunday Dinner.
Paella... you got to realize that rice is very common. Saffron likely came the Middle East as well. "Paella" is more a style of cooking than an actual dish, and it's really a summer dish. A fun dish, not serious. Of course, I make a mean paella and I've taught my kids to make it. Sometimes, in lieu of fish, I'll add some japanese hondashi which makes it very tasty. Then of course you got some Portuguese dishes known in Japan, "pan" for example. But other than that, I would not consider East Asian and Western European cooking to have much in common... after all, do you consider "English Cuisine" to be meaningful? Heck, I think the Indians taught the English how to cook palatable food. ;-)
Tapas begun as a slice of sausage to cover your sherry glass so the flies wouldn't get into it. The concept of salty food to sell booze is common in Japan too, the call it Izakaya. Go into a Mexican bar, get chips and beer, or go to a tavern and get pretzels and beer. In Spain they'll offer you olives and beer/wine. Any culture that has a tradition of people getting together and having a drink will have a tradition of "tapas".
I must say, however, that Spain has an extremely well developed tradition of tapas. I'd say that only Japan has bother to go there to that level. Which suits my wife and I quite well. Going to restaurants we'll often order a large salad to share, a bunch of appetizer and a good bottle of wine.
Protein style, mustard with grilled and raw onions.
Animal style.
Totemo yoi hanbāgā
Tony on an ANA flight from LAX to Haneda.... stewardess comes by and hands him the dinner menu: yaki sake or hanbaga. Tony, being tired, asks which is which.... Stewardess tells Tony, the white guy, that he will prefer the hanbaga... Light goes off on Tony, orders the grilled salmon. When the order comes, Tony asks, and gets, for the chop sticks and a Sapporo beer. Hence forth, I was treated really nicely by the stewardesses as a gaijin that knows what to eat! BTW, it was pretty good. I had the same thing on the flight back with a couple of glasses of barley sochu. ;-)
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They don't eat gators in La Ile De France.
Do they have viandes alligator grillées avec champignons et sauce au bourbon in Quebec? Somehow I doubt it.
I assume, though, that they got good cow milk cheeses in Quebec.
Stereo is warming up.
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Cajun and Acadian couldn't be further apart. Acadian food is incredibly bland, about the only "spice" is salted chives. Mind you, a well-made fricot is tasty, I suppose like anything else that is well made, but spicy it isn't. I guess when the Acadians moved south and became Cajuns they had more to work with.
