B Vaughan

On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 15:49:22 +0000, The Reids
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >Following up to chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn

    >>We're used to eating plain rice as an accompaniment to otherwise richer foods.
    >Which they probably don't do in Spain, hence problem getting a
    >bowl of plain rice. In fact, how often do they cook anything much
    >separately?

It would also be difficult to find plain rice in Italy. It's normally
only served to people suffering from gastrointestinal disturbances,
although it's also used as a base for rice salads in summer.

My Italian cookbook has a recipe for plain rice. It calls for boiling
it in abundant water, then draining it, like pasta. That would remove
most of the taste and nutrients. However, that seems to be the way
Italians cook it, as confirmed by my housekeeper. The reason may be
that the short-grained rices most used in Italy would really stick
together if cooked until dry in just enough water.
--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

Chancellor Of The Duchy Of Besses O' Th' Barn

B Vaughan <[email protected]> wrote:

[]
    > It sounds similar to the Italian frittata, except that usually has
    > different vegetables.

It is very similar. In fact, before I met my partner (who is latino) I
called what I made a frittata. There are differences, but well, not all
frittatas or tortillas are the same.

--
David Horne- www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

Earl Evleth

in article [email protected], B Vaughan at
[email protected] wrote on 17/11/04 20:54:

    > The taste buds on the tongue contribute very little to taste, since
    > they distinguish only between sweet, sour, bitter and salty. It is the
    > nasal cavity that evaluates taste, and I suggest you don't introduce
    > any sauces there!


I have heard this

BUT---

I had a strange flu years ago which destroyed my sense of smell.

I don`t perceive a major problem with taste however.

Earl

Earl Evleth

in article 1100704905.mPWwI6/ETnhvOxGf8RD2fw@teranews, Tim Challenger at
[email protected] wrote on 17/11/04 16:23:

    > Rationalise it as much as you like.
    > Texture is also important, as much if not more that flavour.


Somebody wrote one that Americans are very texture minded, they like,
in particularly, "crispy".

Somebody suggested Styrofoam packing chips.

Earl

Ellie C

Doug McDonald wrote:

    > nhampton wrote:
    >
    >> "Donna Evleth" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:
    >>>> Boy, I eat out frequently and I've experienced nothing like you
    >>>> describe!
    >>>> Generally I am offered a wonderful assortment of salads and soups.
    >>>> And I live
    >>>> in a part of the country that isn't known for its good food. For
    >>>> example last
    >>>> Saturday the restaurant where I ate offered the following salads: 1)
    >>>> Field
    >>>> Greens with grape tomatoes, Gorgonzola cheese and candied walnuts 2)
    >>>> Roasted
    >>>> Beet & Fennel confit tossed with spinach & goat cheese fondu 3)
    >>>> Grilled Caesar
    >>>> with oven dried tomatoes and Peconion romano Cheese. The soup was
    >>>> Butternut
    >>>> Squash.
    >>>> Susie Q
    >>> What part of the country is this? I would like to visit. It sounds
    >>> like
    >>> what I get here in France. I know I would love it.
    >> Donna, this is more the norm in the US. I don't know where you and
    >> Earl eat but this is not hard to find if you look for it. Maybe not in
    >> the Red states so much but for sure in the Blue ones.
    >
    >
    >
    > It's everywhere there are respectable size towns (say
    > 100,000 people.) You do have to look for it, of course.
    >
    > In America we are in our Golden Age of food. It is amazing
    > the difference the last 15 years have made. The list given
    > above is practically a cliche list of salads. And they
    > are good.
    >
    > Doug McDonald
This is so true! America underwent an transformation in the past 15
years or so as far as food is concerned. It is *very* cool to know about
food, to want good food, to cook good food. And the restaurants
responded to the market.

Ellie C

Earl Evleth wrote:

    > in article [email protected], B Vaughan at
    > [email protected] wrote on 17/11/04 20:54:
    >
    >
    >>The taste buds on the tongue contribute very little to taste, since
    >>they distinguish only between sweet, sour, bitter and salty. It is the
    >>nasal cavity that evaluates taste, and I suggest you don't introduce
    >>any sauces there!
    >
    >
    >
    > I have heard this
    >
    > BUT---
    >
    > I had a strange flu years ago which destroyed my sense of smell.
    >
    > I don`t perceive a major problem with taste however.
    >
    > Earl
    >
Yes, I can understand. My husband maintains that when he has a cold he
can't taste anything, but to me there is absolutely no difference in
food flavors when I have a cold and can't smell anything.

Ellie C

Earl Evleth wrote:

    > in article 1100704905.mPWwI6/ETnhvOxGf8RD2fw@teranews, Tim Challenger at
    > [email protected] wrote on 17/11/04 16:23:
    >
    >
    >>Rationalise it as much as you like.
    >>Texture is also important, as much if not more that flavour.
    >
    >
    >
    > Somebody wrote one that Americans are very texture minded, they like,
    > in particularly, "crispy".
    >
    > Somebody suggested Styrofoam packing chips.
    >
    > Earl
    >
Nah. They don't have that real "crack" when you bite into them, more of
a squeaky crushing sound. Dried leaves maybe? ;-)

Chancellor Of The Duchy Of Besses O' Th' Barn

B Vaughan <[email protected]> wrote:

    > On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 15:49:22 +0000, The Reids
    > <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    > >Following up to chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn
    >
    > >>We're used to eating plain rice as an accompaniment to otherwise richer
    > >foods.
    > >
    > >Which they probably don't do in Spain, hence problem getting a
    > >bowl of plain rice. In fact, how often do they cook anything much
    > >separately?
    >
    > It would also be difficult to find plain rice in Italy. It's normally
    > only served to people suffering from gastrointestinal disturbances,
    > although it's also used as a base for rice salads in summer.
    >
    > My Italian cookbook has a recipe for plain rice. It calls for boiling
    > it in abundant water, then draining it, like pasta.

Yuck.

I've not had the same problem in Italy, where usually there's a fair
balance of different foods, even in simpler restaurants. Besides, if
you're having pasta, you don't usually want rice, and vice versa.

It's just that the idea of having a nice piece of fish, or lamb, or
something, with _fries_ and nothing else, gets boring after a while.

At home, we have steack with rice, and steamed potatoes. Delish!

--
David Horne- www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

Miguel Cruz

Ellie C <[email protected]> wrote:
    > Earl Evleth wrote:
    >> Somebody wrote one that Americans are very texture minded, they like,
    >> in particularly, "crispy".
    >>
    >> Somebody suggested Styrofoam packing chips.
    >
    > Nah. They don't have that real "crack" when you bite into them, more of
    > a squeaky crushing sound.

It depends on how you prepare them. They should be fried at a low
temperature and then immediately rinsed off and salted.

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

Adamadamant

Tim Challenger <[email protected]> wrote in
news:1100704905.mPWwI6/ETnhvOxGf8RD2fw@teranews:

    > On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 16:08:35 +0100, Earl Evleth wrote:
    >
    >> To maximize the taste one has to cover the tongue.
    >
    > Rationalise it as much as you like.
    > Texture is also important, as much if not more that flavour.

Or nobody in their right mind would pay the going rate for fillet
steak/ fillet mignon.

Andy.

Adamadamant

B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

    > On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 15:49:22 +0000, The Reids
    > <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    >>Following up to chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn
    >
    >>>We're used to eating plain rice as an accompaniment to
    >>>otherwise richer foods.
    >>Which they probably don't do in Spain, hence problem getting a
    >>bowl of plain rice. In fact, how often do they cook anything
    >>much separately?
    >
    > It would also be difficult to find plain rice in Italy. It's
    > normally only served to people suffering from gastrointestinal
    > disturbances, although it's also used as a base for rice salads
    > in summer.

A few years ago, I spent four days confined to an hotel in Parma
because of a bout of food poisoning. The Italian doctor prescribed
very soggy rice and lots of bottled water. After devouring c.24 small
bottles of acqua minerale in less than a day to combat dehydration, I
persuaded the hotel to send out for larger (2L?) bottles to combat
the drain on my wallet.

Andy.

Chancellor Of The Duchy Of Besses O' Th' Barn

B Vaughan <[email protected]> wrote:

    > On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 15:49:22 +0000, The Reids
    > <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    > >Following up to chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn
    >
    > >>We're used to eating plain rice as an accompaniment to otherwise richer
    > >foods.
    > >
    > >Which they probably don't do in Spain, hence problem getting a
    > >bowl of plain rice. In fact, how often do they cook anything much
    > >separately?
    >
    > It would also be difficult to find plain rice in Italy.

Just as a data point, I've eaten at a few (not very good) chinese
restaurants in Rome, and it was _very_ easy there! :)

--
David Horne- www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

Stephen Dailey

On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 08:29:44 +0100, Tim Challenger <[email protected]>
wrote:

    > On Tue, 16 Nov 2004 21:12:49 GMT, Frank F. Matthews wrote:
    >>> * Similarly, if they offer dishes from multiple cuisine styles, run.
    >>> See
    >>> note above.
    >> I have seen exceptions to your last point. Usually family places where
    >> the couple come from different cultures.
    > There's a really good Korean/Thai restaurant near me like that. But the
    > menu is short, so they don't overstretch themselves.

Withing walking distance of my office are

- a Vietnamese restaurant that also serves teriyaki*
- a sandwich shop that also serves Korean food (and teriyaki*)

* "Teriyaki" around here (Seattle area) means some chicken or beef grilled
in a glaze, a salad, and white rice. It's descended from Japanese
cuisine, but I've been told that the local version doesn't much resemble
what's currently popular in Japan. Back on topic, does this sound like
anything that's common in Europe?

However, I've learned to be wary of restaurants advertising "Chinese and
American" cuisine. IME most of them don't do either particularly well.

===
Steve
Shoreline, Washington USA
[email protected]
17 Nov 2004, 2018 PST

Stephen Dailey

On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 20:54:47 +0100, B Vaughan <[email protected]> wrote:

    > On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 15:49:22 +0000, The Reids
    > <[email protected]> wrote:
    >> Following up to chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn
    >>> We're used to eating plain rice as an accompaniment to otherwise
    >>> richer foods.
    >> Which they probably don't do in Spain, hence problem getting a
    >> bowl of plain rice. In fact, how often do they cook anything much
    >> separately?
    > It would also be difficult to find plain rice in Italy. It's normally
    > only served to people suffering from gastrointestinal disturbances,
    > although it's also used as a base for rice salads in summer.
    > My Italian cookbook has a recipe for plain rice. It calls for boiling
    > it in abundant water, then draining it, like pasta. That would remove
    > most of the taste and nutrients. However, that seems to be the way
    > Italians cook it, as confirmed by my housekeeper. The reason may be
    > that the short-grained rices most used in Italy would really stick
    > together if cooked until dry in just enough water.

I thought plain rice was supposed to be sticky? Or am I just too used to
Asian cuisines?

===
Steve
Shoreline, Washington USA
[email protected]
17 Nov 2004, 2024 PST

Frank F. Matthews

B Vaughan wrote:

    > On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 15:49:22 +0000, The Reids
    > <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    >
    >>Following up to chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn
    >
    >
    >>>We're used to eating plain rice as an accompaniment to otherwise richer foods.
    >>Which they probably don't do in Spain, hence problem getting a
    >>bowl of plain rice. In fact, how often do they cook anything much
    >>separately?
    >
    >
    > It would also be difficult to find plain rice in Italy. It's normally
    > only served to people suffering from gastrointestinal disturbances,
    > although it's also used as a base for rice salads in summer.
    >
    > My Italian cookbook has a recipe for plain rice. It calls for boiling
    > it in abundant water, then draining it, like pasta. That would remove
    > most of the taste and nutrients. However, that seems to be the way
    > Italians cook it, as confirmed by my housekeeper. The reason may be
    > that the short-grained rices most used in Italy would really stick
    > together if cooked until dry in just enough water.


That, of course, is the advantage of such rice when eaten with chop
sticks. You could starve with chop sticks unless the rice & sauce stick
together.