jZepp

The Chopstick Chronicles: TV Dinners

Sometimes I think of Taiwan as one big convenience store. It is just so easy to buy all kinds of things, day or night. Food especially. Just about everywhere you look there are small, rustic restaurants. I am talking about your proper, walls-and-a-roof-sit-down place, rather than roadside stands, though there are plenty of these too. Typically they sell tasty traditional food that is cheap and quick – if you order at the counter on your way in, the food might be on the table even before you settle into your seat. However, if you are looking for a nice, quiet eatery where you can chew and chat, then you'll need to find one without a blaring television set, and that is not an easy thing to do. 

The Tasting Mosaic

Tasting notes are so yesterday.  Introducing the tasting mosaic (click to enlarge)..

Etienne Sauzet Saint-Romain AOC 2003

(Originally posted at Basic Juice)

Pomegranate Image

Following the excellent image of a seed-packed pomegranate by Digital Eyes I thought a recent photo by me would provide an alternative view of the fruit. So here it is! Not half as luxuriant as the digital eyes interpretation...

[Photo by Andrew Barrow]

White on White

annual pomegranate shot

By Digiteyes

Oh, so many category choices. Food, drink, culture?

I like to take pictures of pomegranates at this time of year. For some reason or another, I associate the fruit with Christmas. This year, I heard about pomegranate martinis -- I guess they're one of the latest drinks out there (who can resist? a drink with antioxidants, ooh, aaah). So I took a juicy pome apart and plunked some seeds around and in a martini glass (Bombay Sapphire in the glass -- yes, I drank it when the photo shoot was done. Yes, it got warm).

Fire-Walking Ceremony

By obachan

Many people attended the “fire-walking ceremony” at a temple to get rid of their sickness and worries, and pray for the happiness of the coming year.

December 4, 2005
Kohoji temple, Kochi, Japan

Gifts from the Bounty: Breadfruit

This beautiful cannonball shaped fruit with the bland taste and versatile use of a potato is deliciously included in this recipe to prepare crab rolls with a twist! To make it even more delectable, serve it with a colorful guacamole salad.

But, first, lets go through some very interesting facts to uncover the beauty and wonders of this unique food from the tropics:

When the crew of the H.M.S. Bounty mutinied in the South Pacific, it was carrying "breadfruit". Captain Bligh's goal had been to transport the seedlings from Tahiti to the Caribbean, so that natives there would have a substantial source of food.

Breadfruit seeds, leaves, and blossoms are also eaten. The seeds have a pleasant nutty flavor. Only very young leaves may be eaten. If the blossoms are picked when just ripe, before they are brown and hard, they may be eaten also.

Traditional methods of preparing breadfruit include baking in ground ovens or roasting over hot coals. It may be fermented by burying it in layers between leaves. The fermented breadfruit is removed from the pit, mixed with coconut cream, and baked into a sour bread.

Today, it can be prepared by traditional methods, or baked, steamed, or fried. The fruit is pricked with a fork before baking or roasting it, so that it does not explode. Bake it in a moderate oven (180°C or 350°F) until soft, about 1½ hours. When steaming or boiling breadfruit, peel it first. Mature grated breadfruit may be used instead of wheat flour in some recipes.

All varieties can be divided into two classes:

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