Tonight going out to Dinner. What type of food you having?

That was definitely one of the highlights of my trip to California a few years ago. In much the same way as Indian food is far better in Britain than it is in Australia, Mexican food in California was nothing like the boring nonsense that you get in "Mexican" places in Britain or Australia. Billy Connolly once did a long rant about Mexican food - about how everything on the menu was the same dish, just folded differently. And as far as Britain is concerned, he was right. But in California the Mexican food was spectacular.

 

Eating in this week.

 

Oooh, old school!

There's a lot to be said for old school stuff, though. I remember watching a TV cooking competition where someone was criticised for using sun-dried tomatoes because "they're so 90s". I don't care: sun-dried tomatoes are great.

The Mai Little China menu reminds me of something, and goes back to fuzzy1's comments about ethnic food being altered for local tastes. General Tso's Chicken and Mongolian Beef, for example, are distinctly American dishes (and none the worse for their being so).

There's a take-away place in the mid-levels on Hong Kong Island which sells "British Chinese food". Lots of British people who move to HK expect to get the same kind of Chinese food that they get at home, and they're terribly disappointed to find no sesame prawn toast, barbecued spare ribs, sweet-and-sour prawn balls, or egg foo yung. And they miss it. So some enterprising BBC opened a place that gives them what they want. It's popular among HK people who've lived in Britain or America too.

 

That sounds lovely. I've never been to Mexico, but I imagine there's a lot of very fine food. And lobster tails fried in lard sound delicious.

Yes. I had great food in Cambodia and Laos, but you had to watch out for land mines.

 

take it into town for making sausage to mix with venison but otherwise into the smoker or crockpot.

 

Yesterday's sauce was from a store brand, but the Korma still on the shelf is Patak's. I didn't notice the brands of the two jars previously used. DW first bought these just a few weeks ago. Most of the curry pastes I've used have been Mae Ploy.

DW tackles the shopping sport, supplying the frig freezer and pantry based on a mixture of need and current sales. When I cook, I rarely need to look beyond that.

 

Ah, so Patak's has made it to America. I'm pleased to hear it; they're based about 30 miles from where I grew up, and they're local heroes in North-West England.

Korma gets overlooked by a lot of people. I've heard people say it's "not a real curry" because it's not spicy enough. But much as I love extremely spicy food (hence the ma po tofu post earlier), Indian food isn't just about heat. And a good korma has a creaminess and a complexity that can be a real joy.

I stopped off at the supermarket on the way home last night - Tuesday evening is always a winner at my local supermarket - to buy something for last night's dinner, and some other stuff to cook and throw in the freezer.

So last night, we had steak (going out of date - 60% off), potatoes (going out of date - 30% off) and a pre-made salad (going out of date - 74% off). And then I cooked Scottish-style steak pies for the freezer, using carrots (buy one 1kg pack, get one free), diced topside beef (going out of date - 60% off), zucchini (going out of date - 90% off), mushrooms (going out of date - 73% off) and puff pastry (buy one pack, get one free). Hooray!

 

Well, Saturday we went round to friends and then rode together (in the Prius of course) to Bath and ate at J R Maxwells. I guess it 's "American" and was a mixture of good to average. I had onion soup and then a seafood quiche while others had steak and swordfish.

I shared a slice bourbon pecan pie which wasn't anything special.

I prefer another restaurant in that city, just a few doors down, Solo Bistro. But there are places we prefer in Brunswick, just a few miles away.

PS Fuzzy's tikka and korma (too sweet, not spicy enough) reminds me that our nearest Indian rsstaurant is over 42 miles away. No takeaway for us.

 

Passover Seder

 

Lunch! (Franklin Barbecue)

 

Now your talking!!!

 

Sauage, Pork Ribs, and Brisket.