one can fuss infinitely long about what constitutes
authenticity

One can simultaneously acknowledge a dish's roots while embracing
derivatives that evolve over time or are created in its diaspora and
even willful inventions by talented and imaginative cooks.

I have no problem with any of that, provided it's properly
labeled. Your poutine, for example. If you call it "Jim's
poutine," it can be just about anything. "Michael's poutine"
might look like poutine, but chances are it would not have
cheese curds and might not have Irish potatoes. Classic
poutine has a standard meaning. Michael's or Jim's or
bulgogi, not so much.

Consider pizza then and now, here and there. Or the many variations

Don't actually believe what you read about pizza. There is
a lot of nonsense going on about the godforsaken substance,
one of the bromides that I used to disseminate being that
it's different here and there. In fact, other than that we
have more and more abundant toppings and generally more
cheese, there's not much to choose from, and what we call
by the name would be recognized by a Roman as pizza and by a
Neapolitan as bad pizza. Any of the Italian products would
be instantly understandable by any of us, though we might
have the urge to put a few ounces of pepperoni on it.

made to Chinese dishes internationally.

I see the phenomenon slightly differently - in this case
it's fashioning out of whole cloth and calling it Chinese.
Sweet-sour chicken as interpreted over here is generally,
for example, no more Chinese than a fire drill.

chicken tikka masala ...
some say Indian, others Bangladeshi, Scots, or English.

Some British politician once tried to get it EU PDO status,

Ironic and amusing.

Heston Blumenthal's roast potatoes
The garlic and rosemary are optional. You can either add
them to the water when boiling the potatoes or to the
roasting tray 5 min before the end of the cooking time.

I hate to disagree with a guy with his reputation but I would do it
a bit differently. I salt the boiling water and reserve the garlic
and rosemary for the oil in the oven phase, at which point 1 head of

It appears he's looking for a more subtle seasoning with
the effect being from the texture of the potatoes themselves
rather than of the pine needles between your teeth.

garlic is more than enough and a full ounce of rosemary is too much.
When I oven roast potato wedges I grind 1 tsp of dried rosemary, 2

Grinding the rosemary is a good idea. Omitting it would
be even better.

tops, to sprinkle over a pound of potatoes. And I'd use a tsp or two
of garlic powder rather than use fresh garlic for this.

For a long time garlic powder was demonized by the food
writers until Emeril I think it was said, oh, yea, I use
the stuff all the time. Now nobody's ashamed to use the
various manifestations of garlic - I use granulated,
powdered, or fresh, though not interchangeably of course,
but avoid flakes except in long-cooked moist dishes.

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4 (360F).
Place the tray back in the oven for at least 75 min,
turning the potatoes gently every 20 min

I do 25 minutes at 425 turning just once (if I remember).

I'm probably going to do this sometime just to see. The
aim is to make a potato with many crooks and nannies to
achieve maximum crunch. I wonder about whether Heston's
method is superior to frying, though.

You'll note that Lois Flack had the good sense not to
put Chinese in the categories line here.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.00

Title: SWEET AND SOUR PORK SIRLOINS
Categories: Cyberealm, Meats
Yield: 4 servings

- - - - - MEAT - - - - - -
6 Pieces Boneless Pork-
Sirloins (approx. 1 1/2 lb.)
- - - - - BREADING - - - - -
1 c Bisquick
1 ts Salt
1/4 ts Pepper
1/4 ts Garlic Powder
Celery Salt (a few shakes)
1/2 c Oil
- - SWEET & SOUR SAUCE - -
1 tb Oil
1 c Pineapple Juice*
3 tb Corn Starch
1/2 c Sugar
1 tb Soy Sauce
3 tb White Vinegar
1/2 Green Pepper
1 Can thin sliced Pineapple
-Chunks*

* 20 0z. can of pineapple slices, drain off juice, approx. 1 cup, and
cut into chunks.
PREPARATION: Preheat oven at 350ÿ Meat: Shake breading ingredients
together in plastic bag, add meat and shake until coated. Heat 1/2
cup oil in large frying pan to hot and brown meat to golden brown
color, approx. 5-6 minutes, turning occasionally. Arrange in large
baking dish.

Sweet and Sour sauce: Heat 1 tbsp. oil and 1 cup pineapple juice on
low in saucepan. Whisk together cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce and
vinegar until smooth. Add to oil/juice slowly, stirring in well with
spoon. Stir until thickened and smooth. Add pepper strips and
pineapple chunks. Pour over meat in baking dish.

Bake at 350ÿ for 1 hour.

SERVING: Remove pork sirloins, arrange on platter. Put sweet/sour
sauce in dish to pass. Serve over rice or noodles, or just to top
meat with. (Bake potatoes or yams with it, if you prefer.)
Typed for you by Lois Flack, CYBEREALM BBS, Watertown, NY.

MMMMM
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