Learning to Cook and Other Things

My Korean neighbors were celebrating something the other day and they invited me to come over for some chat and food. Aside from the traditional kimchi the mistress of the house served what she called Korean Beef. I must admit it was kindda sweet for my taste but the beef was tender, to spicy for my palate. The chopped peanuts and the pear provided the relief and from the cholesterol count too. And today I realized Korean and Japanese food have something in common – mirin  Am I telling you?  With very little English on her part we were talking more through sign language. Her children are better English speakers than herself. The children really pick up faster than adults. Me thinks Before I left and with the best sign language I can master I politely asked her if she had the recipe for her Korean beef. She was motioning something and from what I made out of it she was promising to hand it to me the next day. Thank you and Good night. The next morning, her help was buzzing, my r

After posting about those delish cheeses from Europe, I go back to the Asian style of food preparation. Try Japanese. I am posting about that dish called Teriyaki? I am not from Japan . I have not lived nor visited Japan. Well, almost in 1994, the local Japanese Embassy in fact granted me a business Visa. Look, I didn’t know it was winter in Japan that time L . So my trip was cancelled although my scheduled companion-friend went ahead anyway. But I digress. Ah yes - never lived, never visited the cherry blossoms country. But I got me a couple of Japanese friends, okey? I met them when I attended a business conference in Singapore . With little English on their part, we talked about what else, food. Sign language you see. And yes, we were dining in a Japanese restaurant at that time. And Yessss we were feasting on teriyaki. That’s what I call a seguey :-) So, what is Teriyaki? Teriyaki is one of the many ways of Japanese cooking. The word, teriyaki is a com

I was supposed to write this in Feb 26 after applying for membership to Post Mama hoping I'd be able to take advantage of 100 Entrecard credits. However, I forgot all about it till tonight. Anyway, I'd still want to quote the invitation from their message board as follows: "A message to all members of Posh Mama Posh Mama is an online magazine and a social network exclusively for women from all around the world. The network is a supportive, interactive, and highly engaged community of Posh Mamas who share information on fashion, beauty, style, home interiors, art, book reviews, author interviews, fitness, nutrition, unique products for women, cool gadgets, high-tech toys and important product recalls". "You don't have to be a "Mother" to be a 'Posh Mama'. " So if you think this community is for you "come hang out with" us at www.poshmama.com .

“Cloned-animal products aren't on store shelves yet — the industry won't begin selling them for at least a few months, after a government-recommended "transition period" — but when they finally do appear in supermarkets you may not even notice, because they won't be labeled. "The FDA does not require labeling if there [are] no food safety issues," said Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, at a January press conference. That's where Dr. Patrick Cunningham, the former director of the Animal Production and Health Division of the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization, and Ireland 's current chief scientific advisor, comes in. Cunningham's 12-year-old company, IdentiGEN, specializes in DNA tracing of meat products — a process that can save valuable time during industry recalls, like the massive one on Sunday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) involving 143 million lbs. of

ASIAGO d'ALLEVO The name Asiago was previously classified as a trade name, in December 1978 but was recognized as a name of origin. This cheese is ewe's milk cheese made in the foothills of the Dolomites although now it is made almost entirely from cow's milk in the provinces of Vincenza and Trento and parts of Padua and Treviso . Asiago is a pressed cooked cheese that produces a firm,strong table cheese after two to six months. Cheeses ripened for longer periods are used purely for grating and Asiago d'Allevo is renowned as an extra strong cheese and used as table cheese. BEL PAESE (Beautiful Country) A mild, white creamy cheese made from cow's milk and one of the most popular cheeses in modern day history. Made in Melzo in Lombardi, the Northern part of Italy . Bel Paese is matured and ripened for about 50 days and contains 48%-50% fat in dry matter. It can be used to replace mozzarella in cooking. BURRINI A specialty cheese from Puglia and Calabr

I can only dream of these cheeses from my dream country, Italy. In the first place, my illness does not allow me to eat a lot of cheese. Aaargghh. But I can cheat can't I? I relish and salivate just thinking about it and even without the accompanying wines. STRACCHINO A fresh, cow's-milk cheese from Italy's Lombardy region. Stracchino contains about 50 percent milk fat. Its flavor is mild and delicate - similar to but slightly more acidic than CREAM CHEESE. Stracchino Crescenza has a somewhat higher milk fat content, which results in a slightly creamier texture. TALEGGIO Hails from Italy's Lombardy region. It is rich (48 percent fat), semisoft cheese made from whole cow's m ilk. Its flavor can range from mild to pungent, depending on its age. When young, Taleggio's color is pale yellow and its texture semisoft. As it ages it darkens to deep yellow and becomes rather runny. Taleggio is sold in flat blocks or cylinders and is covered either with a wax coating or

Greek Wines MACEDONIA produces the most well-loved Greek brusco wine (robust red). Naoussa is the best example AmYndeon made from the same grape is a light red and can also be a pleasant still or sparkling rose. XinOmavro combined with the NegOska variety-another Macedonian native - makes GoumEnissa , a meaty red. NegOska produces a soft red . Chalkidiki of the central peninsula produce the Cotes de Meliton wines, both white and red, from a combination of French (Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc) and Greek varieties. The secluded monastic community of Mount Athos , the monks, have been producing wines since the Byzantine times, and still cultivate both white and red wine-producing grapes. Visitors can explore Macedonia , a wonderful and less known area, following the Wine Roads . EPIRUS in Northwestern Greece is on this most isolated mountainous region ZItsa , a lively, fresh fruity sparkling white is produced from the DebIna variety. In the same region, KatOi