offbeat

Where I ponder the question: Why do American cooks do things with cups, not weight?

House-hunting, and encountering old, vintage kitchens. Fun!

How to make moffles or mochi waffles, a relatively new but very popular snack in Japan, in a regular waffle maker.

Let's pretend that there are no tiresome restrictions like visas and such. If eating well were the only criteria, where in the world would you move to?

(Photo by scriptingnews)

Now that I know for sure that President Obama is a lefty, I wonder which hand he uses for chopsticks.

The other day I was having lunch at one of the Asian-fusion restaurants in Zürich with a (non-Asian) friend. At one point, he speared a piece of chicken with one chopstick, brought it to his mouth and pried it off with his teeth. I must have a strange expression on my face, because he looked at me and asked me what was wrong.

Of course he did not know that in Japan, what he just did would be considered to be terribly rude, in the same way that someone who didn't grow up in Europe might not know about not putting your elbows on the table. I explained this to him, and he sort of snorted and said "well why don't you write a guide to chopstick manners on your site then!"

So, here it is: A guide to chopstick etiquette, Japanese style.

From the archives. I did this 3 years ago, and will likely never do it again. This is offered as a cautionary tale should you be contemplating creating a Turducken for your Thanksgiving or other holiday feast. Originally published on December 28, 2005, and edited slightly.

I am not sure what came over us. We were planning a quiet, simple Christmas dinner - maybe roast a goose, or a nice chicken or two, or something. But then someone blurted out the infamous words.

"Hey, why don't we try a Turducken?"

In case you are not familiar with turducken, it is basically a Tur(key) stuffed with a duck(en) stuffed with a (chick)en. It supposedly originated in Louisiana, and has been popularized by famed New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme.

You want slime? I'll give you slime multiplied!

The 100 Japanese foods list is done. Plus, you know, Swiss breast milk.

Being pleasantly reminded of a classic piece of food writing.