I've traveled in circles beyond my achievements
and pocketbook for most of my life.

Indeed. Envy is too strong a word for it, but I must admit an
attraction for that sort of an existence... dunno as I'd really have
been all that comfortable with it in reality, but it does attract... :)

One enjoys what one can and hopes there's
more to appreciate than to endure.

There've been several custard buns on this trip,
with modest differences among them, some with
a bit more vanilla, some cooked longer. The
oddest was a salted egg yolk custard bun,
which wobbled the line between moreish and
disgusting, a phenomenon very few foods can
claim, durian being one. No durians on this
trip, though. Jackfruit ice cream came close
but was totally disgusting.

Too bad on the jackfruit.. ;) The different custard buns seem a nice contrast, though... :) Even the salted eggyolk one.... :)

There ended up being a couple more salted
egg ones. Not as bad as jackfruit, which
just don't have any redeeming social value.

Though there have been equally memorable
disgusting experiences.

Yes... then it might be more like a curse...

The way memory files off the sharp edges,
not necessarily.

Maybe... ;) If enough of the sharp edges get filed off.... ;)

Sometimes when only some of them are lost,
the objectionableness is lost as well.

It was that soupcon of high-school dropoutism
that she got right (she actually didn't drop
out until William & Mary, where she "majored"
in contract bridge before running off to get
married or something).

Hmmmm... :)

Well, she married well, her kids didn't
starve, and now she's (perhaps under my
influence) started cooking real food.
It's very, very plain.

Nothing at all wrong with plain... :)

Ideally, there ought to be a mix.

One can start with plain, and progress from there... :)

Unless one is totally satisfied with plain
and there's no incentive to progress.

Mixed Vegetables (Sajur menir)
[What sauce?]

For that matter, where did the water come from... ;) I'd figure the
sauce may have been generated from the onion and garlic (and whatever
they were browned in).... along with the cooking of the corn and
spinach..... :)

It's easy to add or subtract water, as a
recipe requires.

... Flavoured yogurt is highly processed milk with jam in it.

Highly processed milk with highly processed
fruit in it.

+

formulation is, which is to be first, the words
or the music. Strauss's answer, which I agree
with, was "Primo la musica, dopo le parole" -
i.e., the music first, then the words.

I prefer the music over the words, generally... A now long-gone morning announcer on WXXI used to play "opera without words" regularly... most
of it was quite listenable to... ;) I'll admit, though, that I do
enjoy opera a little better if I see it in person on stage, so that the story isn't lost in the screeching... ;)

Usually the story is negligible to laughable,
and the words fake meaningful commentary or
self-consciously witty, with frequent breaking
of the fourth wall. Clearly Mr. Hoffmannsthal
was a bit big for his britches.

True... it still makes at least negligibly better sense when seeing it staged, at least to me.... ;)

I guess I'm too unvisual, and my suspension
of disbelief organ is defective.

I'm reminded also of the "Columbian" Te Deum and the
"Indian" (as in woo-woo) violin sonata.

I guess even the best composers have their less than stellar moments...
as you've mentioned before, actually.. ;)

Some people work well under deadline or
on commission; some don't.

True. :)

I have oscillated between the one extreme and
the other.

Everyone should know what to do with gray
leftover potatoes and sprouted onions.

I suppose.... also sprouted potatoes.... (G)

Though those are mildly toxic.

Haven't killed us yet... ;)

Nature does try, sometimes.

We do try to keep a balance, of course.. :)

Some of us, sometimes ... .

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v7.04

Title: PHOENIX-TAILED SHRIMP
Categories: Shellfish, Chinese
Servings: 4

1 lb (medium) fresh shrimp 1 c Water, cold
1 tb Vodka 2 c Oil, for deep-frying
1 1/2 ts Salt 6 tb Salt, coarse
1/8 ts White pepper 1/2 ts Black peppercorns
1 c All-purpose flour 2 tb Szechuan peppercorns
2 ts Baking powder

Carefully remove the shells from the shrimp, leaving the tail sections
intact. Devein and wash under cold running water; pat dry with paper
towels. In a dish or bowl, marinate briefly in a mixture of the vodka,
salt, and pepper while you make the batter.

In a mixing, put the flour and baking powder; gradually add the cold
water,
whisking until smooth.

In a wok, heat the 2 cup of oil until it reaches 350 degrees F. Add 1
tablespoon of the hot oil to the batter and stir to combine. Take a
shrimp
by the tail and dip it into the batter (do not dip the tail), then slide
it
into the hot oil. Deep-fry all the shrimp, a few at a time, until golden
brown. This should take about 2 minutes for each batch. Drain on paper
towels, and serve tails up, in a serving dish, with the salt/pepper
mixture
for dipping. Makes 8 to 10 appetizer servings.

FOR DIPPING: In a bowl, combine coarse salt and the peppercorns. In a
dry
frying pan over high heat, brown the salt/pepper mixture. When browned
remove and run the mixture through a grinder.

Recipe: "Chinese Appetizers" by Verdi
Published by Irene Chalmers Cookbooks, 1981

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