So...you want to see what we eat? The Tai-Tai has a blog entry over at the Perfect Pantry blog with photos of our under the staircase pantry full of stuff...not to mention my supply of beer.
Gawd we got a lot of crap...but like the Tai-Tai says...if you see it, buy it.
If you have never had this...you have no idea what you are missing.
A few years ago we tried this at the hotel in Langkawi we always stay at. I was asking the guys at the pool bar why they didn't have it on the menu, and they said because most foreigners don't like it. After chatting a while, one of the guys said he'd go into town and pick us up some at a local stall. I was hooked.
Each year after, we would ask if they could hook us up with some...and they would. But after that first year in which they bought some for us, from then on, they only made it for us at the hotel. Mainly, in the hopes that there would be some leftovers, so they could enjoy.
Tai-Tai finally took a stab at concocting the spicy fish/shrimp soup and all the condiments. She hit a home run...it was great. She asked me if I thought it was good last night and, I couldn't say much through the burning lips...and the constant eating of it.
Laksa is an aquired taste...but once you aquire it, look out.
If you haven't seen this one already...be sure to pop over to the Tai-Tai's website and check out the Mexican food she made the other day. Fantastic stuff...and the Ahogadas Salsa (recipe at the link) is absolutely killer...spicy hot, but so, so flavorful.
What are you waiting for??? Click!
While I am not the worlds biggest Simpson's fan...in fact, I don't really care for the show...this marketing campaign by 7-11 in conjunction with the movie is brilliant. Especially given the fact that I used to work at one of these bad-boy stores WAY back in the day, I thought the transformation of the store was really cool to see.
John took a trip into the only Kwik E Mart in BC and took a load of pictures...really fun to see the stuff they have created from the show. Having only been in 7-11's here in GZ and HK the past few years, its always fun to see what is the latest in snack food and drink at home (as they serve iced green tea and dim sum here!).
To prove how out of touch I really am...a photo on this Flickr set from the Burbank store that showed the new 'Squishee' machine, along with the prices; $0.99, $1.29, $1.49, $1.69. YIKES! This is how old I am...when I worked the counters at 7-11, they were 39, 49, 59 and 69 cents for each size. And, no, they didn't do Big Gulp Slurpees back then...the machines couldn't handle it.
Even Expat Son thought all of this was pretty cool when he asked, 'Yeah, but where is the Indian guy running the store?'
He should be in marketing, because even he thinks of everything.
HT: Miss 604
Tai-Tai has posted a little bit about our Saturday afternoon pizza breaks on the BBQ. We have a friend that showed us the techniques for this and its a great way to spend an afternoon; firing up the coals and putting together some pizzas you like. Check it out!
I've downed many a Guinness in my time. Always served best draught in a pub, I've always wondered
about the shamrock that appears on the head of some pints I have ordered.
During my recent trip into Hong Kong to have my eye gouged out, I convalesced in the local Irish pub with a pint of Kilkenny (figured the Guinness would be too strong for the eye at that time). I bellied up to the bar, which I usually don't do because I have the family with me. So, I had the treat of chatting with the bartender a little and watching what they do behind the bar.
In GZ at the local pub, sometimes we are treated to a small shamrock in the head of the pint. Cute...and a decent selling point to a moronic foreigner like me. I always thought it was done with a mold...you know...a sort of cookie cutter thing that they just set on top of the pint prior to serving it. Well, how wrong could one be! As I sat at the bar, I watched as the tender drew the three leaved clover into the head with the final pour (by moving the glass in the shape of the clover as the beer poured). Damn...and I thought I new everything there was to know about serving a pint of Guinness
After a little research, I find that the practice is somewhat well known...and not particularly loved by the people that love Guinness the most. Because, quite frankly, the logo for Guinness is a harp and not a shamrock. But, its a bit more difficult to draw a harp than a clover leaf.
The first meal Tai-Tai ever cooked for me was a cauldron of chili. Way back when we were first dating... Her chili still tastes the same, but is always changing. She is the type of cook that switches things up and adds a little more of this or a little less of that, so nothing ever turns out the same way twice. Her spaghetti is the same...
Now is your chance...here is the recipe. Tai-Tai's chili...and don't forget the cornbread too.
Ugh! Wheres the beer?
UPDATE: Tai-Tai and I attended a little bash on Saturday evening. We showed up and all they had to drink was wine...and a bottle of tequila. No beer. What sort of party is that? Alas, the beer arrived in about 30 minutes and was readily consumed by the participants. Let that me a lesson to ya! Ensure plenty of beer for whatever function you may plan!
My parents lived on martinis. They had one every night...probably explains the longevity of their lives. Although my father passed away a couple years ago, my mum still has her martini every night. Of course, as a kid, which I think every kid has ever done, I had taken a nip of mum & dad's drink just to see what it's all about.
Ewwwwwww.
The martinis that my parents drank were/are nasty (sorry Mum). I couldn't handle the strong flavor and the addition of the green olive with the pimento in the middle. But, as with everything in life, I have learned to appreciate some things a bit more than when I was a kid. Recently, it has been the martini.
When back in the states this summer, we were unwinding in a hotel room in Arizona after a long day of travel and sight seeing, I saw a program on Discovery about distilling liquor. In between each spirit, they had a bartender mixing up drinks. When they talked about gin, he showed the proper way to mix a martini.
Now...I don't like gin. I reminds me too much of juniper plants at home...which made me itch and sneeze like nobody's business. So, I go for the vodka martini. So, this is what the bartender on the program showed...
The key to that recipe...Splash! Vermouth is a pretty strong wine/flavor. Any more than a splash and you overpower the vodka in the drink.
Since you are now dealing with essentially a big glass of vodka, you need a quality vodka. This is where I think (sorry again Mum) where my parents fell off a bit. Especially growing up in the peoples republic of Oregon, in which the government controls the flow of liquor and the prices as well. My dad was into quantity at a decent price...understood. Also, his mix of vodka to vermouth was a bit heavier on the vermouth, in order to stretch the vodka (again, a frugal way of stretching your martini dollar). Having been overseas and been exposed to some of the finer things in life (ahhh...the expat life)...Absolut and Skyy are my vodkas of choice. Many prefer Stolichnaya (like my father-in-law), but it just isn't as smooth in my book.
One other thing that you must do with vodka after having dined in a couple Russian restaurants; you must put your vodka in the freezer. There is no two ways about it. Frozen vodka is the way God intended it to be drank. Think of it...you are living in the tundra of Russia, and the only place you have to store the extra booze is out in the pantry. Temperatures are routinely below zero...frozen. Vodka in its room temperature form is firewater...best consumed with a mixer. Frozen vodka adds a chill that soothes the fire.
Do me a favor...throw your vodka into the freezer overnight and then pour yourself a shot and sip it down. Do the same with room temperature vodka. Which do YOU prefer?
GZ Expat's martini...
If yas don't like that...then just open a bottle of beer, pour into chilled glass...enjoy. Because, as Stevo tells me:
You know where you are with beer.
But, with these simple instructions for a martini, you'll know where you are with this too.
In her never ending quest to make me as big as a barn...Tai-Tai continues to cook up the food that is only made in heaven.
But, alas, thanksgiving in our home this year will be free of people, dirty dishes, hot kitchens and leftovers. For the first time...ever...Tai-Tai doesn't have the will to cook a bird, stuffing and the taters to go along with it. We are going out. She just didn't want to deal with it. Actually, I'm looking forward to the change of pace.
I think a part of it is...its a ton of work. And another part of it is...we are one less in the house. Which, in a way, is a good thing. Because, I would be obligated to eat all those leftovers by myself, instead of sharing with expat daughter.
Another part of it...in the past, we always had people over for Thanksgiving dinner. There were enough expats working in my company that we always had single guys or gals that didn't have family, on a family event day. We always had our door open to those. Today, there aren't any. The office has downsized the expat staff...so what used to be up to 40 expats...is now down to 13. Part of the joy of Thanksgiving (or Christmas dinner), was cooking and entertaining people. Trying to give them a slice of home by hoarding football games on tape, chilling beer, preparing snacks, and cooking the bird.
And, to top it off, the office just doesn't give us the Thursday off anymore. We only get Friday...which is better than some offices, I guess. So, here I am, working on Thanksgiving day. I haven't done that since working for 7-11 way, oh, way back when.
It's off to dinner tonight...then, Friday, a full day of lazing, football, hockey and relaxing around the house. Nothing changes.
Ahhh hell...nearly everyday at my house is Thanksgiving with the tai-tai cooking up dishes like this, this and this. For her, I am truly thankful
