#it's just way crunchier and the cream tastes better

[mariverses]

the white buenos are better than the normal ones and if you think otherwise i think you are lying to yourself

[ravenquingvax]

Inspired by @ghostofwhitestone, who answered an ask about this on this post here, I wanted to think about my own Vox Machina fruit headcanons.

Because, oh boy, do I love doing posts like this! (tone = genuine; they spark joy!)

This time, I'm going to be doing it in order of my age headcanons from oldest to youngest - just for fun!

(I love ghostofwhitestone's take on this btw, this isn't shade at them! I just found the idea really cute and wanted to take a shot at it!)

~

Scanlan (68 as of 811PD) -

As someone who has lived a long time (should you believe any of his many long, winding, dramatic stories), Scanlan has eaten a lot of different foods of all types.

Despite being a fruity little man, he's actually not super big on fruit himself.

Pomegranate, however, has wormed its way into his heart (and his stomach) with Scanlan loving to pop little pomegranate seeds into his mouth as if they were candy.

He gives nobody any reason as to why, but secretly it's because his mother loved them and was always snacking away on them.

~

Pike (36 as of 811PD) -

Pike Trickfoot grew up with a gardener, her Papa Wilhand loving to home grow his own fruit and vegetables.

Wilhand was always partial to a good bowl of fresh strawberries and cream, but Pike's favourite were the raspberries - which she'd eat with reckless abandon if Wilhand would allow it.

She always takes a bunch with her whenever she stops by, eating them on the road towards her next adventure.

~

Taryon (30 as of 811PD) -

Taryon grew up in a very strict household that sources its crops from only the best of the best Zemnian farms.

That being said, Taryon loved nothing more than sneaking out into the encroaching woods surrounding the lonely little Darrington Estate to pick himself some lunar berries.

Lunar berries, growing off the thin and twisting branches of the short but thin lunar trees native to Wildemount, are small orbish fruits of a pale greenish turquoise colour.

They glow a faint pale blue in the dark, and they taste rather sweet, usually forming separately but occasionally forming in pairs or clusters.

Not only are they a great snack, but the act of sneaking out to pick them gives Taryon quite the little thrill.

His father disapproves of this, calls it uncivilised and unnoble-like, but Taryon just can't get enough of them.

~

Grog (30 as of 811PD) -

Grog eats… Everything.

He especially loves bacon, but bacon isn't a fruit.

Apples, however, are.

He loves apples, the bigger the better; The redder the better; The juicier the better; The sweeter the better; The crunchier the better…

He loves apples a lot.

~

Vex (27 as of 811PD) -

Growing up in Byroden, Vex'ahlia took things like the wild berries in the woods and the fruit in her mother's garden for granted.

When taken to Syngorn, she quickly learned to regret this - something about the soil used in Syngorn, as well as the fruit that they grow there, just wasn't… Right.

She misses her mother's strawberries a lot, but most of all, she misses the weird little fruits that grew in the summer on the trees that stand tall and broad around the mysterious Gladepools.

They were tough little fruits with a thick, almost-jelly like feel to them while being a translucent pinky red in colour with a bitter flavour to them that sweetened as you chewed away on them.

Apparently they were planted there by the first Elven settlers on Tal'Dorei, if Vex believes her mother's bedtime stories like Vax did.

She has no idea what they are called or how they got there, but she won't lie if she said that they did make her think of The Feywild a little.

Whatever they were, Vex never did find herself back out that way even after her and her brother ran away.

~

Vax (27 as of 811PD) -

Blueberries.

Vax'ildan has always loved blueberries, they make him feel a burst of joy and excitement like nothing else.

They technically didn't grow in his mother's garden, but their neighbour's blueberry bush had overgrown and crept into it at some point.

Whenever Vax is able to, he always buys (or steals) some when he's in town. If that's not possible, he'll get Vex to find him some blueberries next she goes out foraging.

~

Keyleth (25 as of 811PD) -

Keyleth loves all fruit.

Well, expect from pears and bananas… But that's because the texture of pears are gross and bananas were pretty different in Zephrah compared to how they are commonly and Keyleth just doesn't have the heart to try the universal yellow things.

Her little fat, lime green-skinned and pale blue, tough bananas would always be better than the long, pale-white, thin, and mushy yellow-skinned bananas that Scanlan always tries to make her eat for some reason.

That being said, Keyleth's all-time favourite fruit would have to be pineapple.

She tried it once while Vox Machina was in Ank'Harel, and she fell in love with it.

She has Gilmore import it from Marquet just for her, something that the man is more than happy to do - especially if it makes Vax very happy whenever he sees Keyleth very happy.

~

Percy (24 as of 811PD) -

Percy has a very refined palate when it comes to food, having grown up in a minor royal house as second in line to the throne.

(Vesper had been more than happy for Percy to skip over her, having even less interest in ruling than him.)

Whitestone was Emon's little brother in a way, its own royalty not quite on par with Tal'Dorei's ruling family but still being just as respected and important.

This meant it was just as strict, especially when it came to meals and snacks.

Fruit salad accompanied every lunch Percy had growing up, something he and his siblings all quickly grew sick of but had to tolerate for their parents.

Percy did become quite fond of the grapes, though, that would usually be a part of the dinner starter every night - especially the sweet, dark red ones that splash you with bright red juice when squashed by an annoying younger sibling.

They were used to make wine by the de Rolo family winery, 'The Old de Rolo Wine House', and Percy loved to sneak into the vineyards around the city to pluck some off the vines.

After the Briarwoods laid waste to his home, Percy vowed to one day bring the vineyards and winery back to their previous excellency.

~

Trinket (9 as of 811PD) -

Trinket is a simple bear.

He loves honey, bacon, chocolate (don't tell Vex that Vax sneaks it to him), and salmon - grilled or raw.

He also really likes…

Cranberries.

More than once, he's come back from foraging looking like he's mauled something to death, but in reality, he's only gone off to eat every cranberry he can find.

Sometimes this has been picked cranberries left in a basket by someone.

Vex has lost count of the number of times she's paid someone off because Trinket ate their whole basket-worth of cranberries.

[mangoesandpalmtrees]

15 Best Pecan Recipes To Try Today

Pecans are one of those ingredients that are incredibly easy to implement into a recipe, but they add so much more flavor and a tremendous amount of texture that there really aren’t many reasons not to use them. Their sweet nutty and buttery flavor is incredibly unique and works well with such a wide range of different foods that it can initially seem a little hard to know exactly where they work best. Luckily, we’ve got some delicious recipes that use pecans right here. Here are 15 of the tastiest and most appetizing recipes, from baked goods all the way to meat-filled salads, that all benefit from adding a few pecans into the mixture. 15 Best Pecan Recipes To Try Today 1. Pecan Pie Whether it’s as a simple dessert to finish off the day after a big and hefty meal, or as a crunchy party appetizer that you know everyone is going to love once they take that first bite, pecan pie is a buttery, sweet, and downright delicious pie recipe that can be made in just a few minutes. Be sure to add a wallop of whipped cream or ice cream to compliment the nutty texture of the pecans which cover the entire pie on both the outside and the inside. 2. Turtle Cookies The core of turtle cookies is made from the delightful pairing of chocolate chip (see also "How To Make Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Cake"), caramel pieces, and pecans, making each cookie extremely soft and chewy, rather than ever being too stale or a little hard to chew on. An entire batch can be made in just a few minutes, so feel free to whip them up as a dessert for guests to enjoy after evening dinner, or just as a surprise for the entire family to snack on later in the day. 3. Butter Pecan Chicken The key to this recipe is cooking the chicken until it’s nice and juicy before then brushing it over with butter which will make the texture as creamy as possible, before then adding chicken broth, brown sugar, honey, thyme, and of course, a few pecans while it’s still in the pan. Heating up pecans gives them an even crunchier texture and a lovely nutty aroma that goes so well with chicken, and to make things even better, you can use any kind of chicken you want for this recipe, whether it’s breast, thighs, or even wings, the choice is entirely up to you. 4. Caramel Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars Looking for a bite-size pecan recipe that is still packed full of that nutty and slightly buttery flavor that so many of us can’t get enough of? Try out these pecan pie cheesecake bars which use a graham cracker crust to add even more crunch to the recipe and a cheesecake filling topped off with pecans to make for one of the tastiest Thanksgiving and fall desserts out there. 5. Pecan Pie Brownies Pecan pie brownies are a fan favorite when it comes to crunchy desserts since they manage to still maintain the dark and chewy texture of the brownies while still having a little more firmness and a whole new level of sweetness added to the flavor thanks to the pecans which are added to the recipe. The good news is they can be made in huge batches in just a handful of minutes, making them perfect as a tasty dessert to enjoy after family dinner, and even better as a seasonal treat for everyone to enjoy to celebrate the holidays. 6. Butter Pecan Layer Cake Butter and pecans really are the perfect pairing when it comes to making a smooth and delicious dessert, and there’s no better way to combine the two than as part of a large and filling cake. The vanilla extract in this recipe helps to enhance the flavors even more, alongside adding a tremendous amount of sweetness to the frosting that rests on top. The amount of pecans you add will depend on how crunchy you want the cake to be, though the more you put in, the sweeter and nuttier the overall taste and texture will be. 7. Maple-Pecan Pork Chops It’s not only baked goods and desserts that pecans pair well with, but they are also a fantastic addition to many meat dishes, especially pork which tends to be a lot firmer and a little chewier than many other types of meat, and perfect for layering over with pecans. This recipe also smothers the chops in apple juice and maple syrup to make the overall taste as sweet as it can be, putting a mouthwatering spin on the basic pork chop recipe that so many of us are accustomed to by this point. 8. Roasted Beets, Plums & Pecan Salad While this recipe does use beetroot which, for some people, can be a little too strong and potent in its taste, the sweet and fruity plums, alongside the sweet aroma of the pecans even the whole recipe out to make it one of the tastiest salads you can try. If you wanted to turn this into a seasonal feast, you can even add some meat into the mix with lamb usually being the best type to use (see also "15 Best Ground Lamb Recipes To Try Today"). 9. Marrow Cake The combination of grated marrow and pecans really is a joy on the taste buds, but they both taste even better when used as ingredients in a sponge cake to keep the texture moist while also adding just a small amount of crunchiness. When topped with soft cheese frosting, this cake becomes one of the creamiest and most delightful that you can make (see also "Best Mini Bundt Cake Recipes"), and is a perfect recipe to whip up when you want to enjoy something light and refreshing that still makes use of crunchy pecans. 10. Butter Pecan Cookies Soft, crumbly, and a pure joy to bite into, these cookies can be made in just 15 minutes and use a delightful mixture of unsalted butter, vanilla extract, and pecans to make some of the most addictive cookies you’ve ever tried. Make sure to make a few batches of these small snacks as you can be sure people will be asking for seconds after that first bite. 11. Candied Pecans This is a recipe that you can guarantee the kids, and anyone with a sweet tooth is going to love. The pecans in this recipe are covered with a sticky caramel coating and then sprinkled with a dash of flaky sea salt to make the overall flavor as sweet and delicious as possible (see also "How To Make Hawaiian Sea Salt And Palm Sugar Caramel"). If you’re a little short on time and want to make use of some leftover pecans in a fun and creative way, these candied pecans are the perfect recipe. 12. Apple-Honey Pecan Muffins When muffins are toasted, they already gain a slightly more crunchy texture than usual, so by adding in a few pecans, it adds even more crunchiness and a nutty aroma to the overall taste, not to mention the honey and apples help to give these muffins a very light and refreshing taste that goes down so well in the warmer months. 13. Pecan Brie Brulee If you want a snack that’s a little saltier but still offers that nutty taste and texture from the pecans, this brie brulee recipe is made up of a medley of different ingredients to make each and every bite and explosion of flavor, especially due to the chile past which is layered across the bread (see also "How To Make Cherry Beer Bread"). On top of this, these small and bite-size snacks can be made in no time at all, making them the perfect treat to serve up at a party while they’re still warm, or even just as a late-night snack when you want something small but still very satisfying. 14. Mini Pecan Monkey Bread Loaves If you’ve never tasted monkey bread before, it is known for being soft, sweet, and sticky and consists of very small balls of dough coated in butter, sugar, and cinnamon. When you sprinkle a few toasted pecans over these loaves, it creates one of the most delightful bitesize snacks that you can make in just a few minutes. Ginger is also used in this recipe to add a tiny hint of spiciness to the overall flavor, making for an incredibly unique taste that really does need to be tasted to be believed. 15. Butter Pecan Sundae When used as part of a sundae, pecans help to add some much-needed texture to the creaminess to give you something to chew down on, and since it can be whipped up in just half an hour, you won’t want to miss out on preparing this recipe when the temperatures start to rise. Summary If you’re looking for an easy way to include some extra pecans into a delicious and fulfilling recipe, these are 15 of the tastiest that you need to try out for yourself today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFbVjrn1PPE #food #foodporn #foodie #instafood #foodphotography #foodstagram #yummy #foodblogger #foodlover #instagood #love #delicious #follow #like #healthyfood #homemade #dinner #foodgasm #tasty #photooftheday #foodies #restaurant #cooking #lunch #picoftheday #bhfyp #foodpics #instagram #healthy #chef Read the full article

[san96van]

Shake Things Up With Fun and Appetizing Milkshakes

Milkshakes have been around since the days of drugstore soda fountains. In recent times, people tend to drink milkshakes generally when they go out for lunch and dinner at a fast food restaurant. Milkshakes are healthy and delicious and the most common flavors available among milkshakes are vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate.

However, why do you need to wait for your next food trip to enjoy appetizing cold milkshakes? You can easily prepare a milkshake at your home with the use of a blender. Milkshakes are extremely easy to prepare and only take a minute or two. Kids generally love milkshakes and they love to have milkshakes during breakfast.

How to make a healthy milkshake at your home?

 The recipes for making milkshakes are several; however, let’s start with the basics. All you have to do is to purchase a blender and make sure that it shouldn’t be that much expensive, you can easily get it from any superstore. Simple milkshakes generally depend upon the preference, whether you like apples or oranges. Whatever your preference, you can simply mix it with ingredients including the two cups of skimmed milk which taste better.

Another way to make a milkshake, if it is really hot, is just to get low-fat ice cream and adds it to the mix which makes a refreshing milkshake. However, if you have a very busy routine, you can simply order milkshakes from any store and get it delivered to your doorstep easily.

Milkshake option for Bodybuilders 

If you are a bodybuilder or fitness freak, you can also add protein powder along with a couple of egg whites for better results. However, for making such a milkshake, make certain you keep it in the fridge and don’t consume it after two days if you don’t want to risk the eggs going bad.

Other Milkshake variations 

You can also try various variations with ice cubes instead of using ice cream which gives you a crunchier feeling and a different taste. It is demonstrated that old chefs who prepare milkshake and dessert near me used to add a little bit of ginger to make almost anything taste good. 

Some people also love to get vegetable shakes which means they can easily put the vegetable in the blender depending on their preference and such shakes seem ideal for those with gastric and ulcer conditions.

Protein Source

A Milkshake shop near me prepares nutritious milkshakes because of their main ingredient i.e. milk. It is significant to understand that no matter how young or old a person is, nutritionists always recommend drinking a glass of milk daily for bone development.

Is Milkshake a healthy option for you?

However, milkshakes are not usually on the healthy list, if you prepare your milkshake with quality ingredients, there are some benefits always available such as preparing banana milkshakes. All you need to do is to forgo ice cream, but you can also use milk, frozen bananas, and yogurt to mimic the consistency level while increasing the nutritional value of milkshakes Glasgow.

The result will be a protein-rich banana milkshake that is also filled with healthy fats, probiotics, antioxidants, and other minerals and vitamins. By searching the milkshake shop near me you will get the list of the best options available to you if you don’t have enough time to prepare a milkshake at your home.

[your-highnessmarvel]

Mundane

Requested by @greatkingunderthemountain​: I have an RDJ one in my head where she is a nobody that He Meets on one of the marvels Sets...she is in in her mid 20’s and he likes her because she isn’t Hollywood 😊

AN: OMG YAY MY FIRST RDJ REQUEST!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Warnings: none

*gif not mine

Enjoyed this and want more? Send in your requests!

Request Guidelines

MASTERLIST

The weather was hot in Atlanta Georgia. Robert was feeling the slick of the heat slipping down his back, parching his mouth, and gathering across his forehead. It was beginning to wear him down; muscles tired, eyes drooping. He needed a cold damn water bottle. 

“Alright, that’s it,” he mumbled, getting up from his chair, where he’d been sitting and watching Chris Evans drag out a scene like only he could. “If no one’s going to offer a water bottle to a hot old man, I’m getting myself one.”

No one seemed to notice or even hear him. 

Robert huffed. “Wow, I’m invisible.”

His irritability and the heat combined served to make him even more moody. He was never a hard actor to have on set, but today, under this indescribable heat,he’d had enough. 

“This is basically inhuman,” he grumbled as he made his way across set, wiping sweat off his forehead. He was bee-lining for the actor’s lounge where he could perfectly picture the fridge full of glorious cold bottles. But when he walked in and found the fridge empty, panic began to settle in. Upon seeing the basket of ice usually filled with sodas as empty as the fridge, Robert’s mouth began to feel sticky. 

Deciding to take matters into his own hands, he scrambled out into the sun, across the set, and out onto the streets of Atlanta. Looking around like a lost man in the desert, Robert found a Deli around the corner. Water called to him and he broke into a run. Who cares if TMZ snapped a pic of him running with a wild look on his face? A man had to do what a man had to do. 

He all but burst into the Deli, the bell above ringing, announcing his presence. The clerk looked up, sweat on his brows, and frowned deeply. 

“Water,” Robert demanded, his voice cracking. He sounded like Tom Hanks in Castaway. 

The clerk pointed slowly to the back. “Help yourself, sir.”

Robert rushed, pushing aside a client that was standing in the chip row. Ignoring the small “Hey”, Robert ripped the door of the fridge open, savoring the cold on his palms, grabbed a bottle, and twist the cap open. Water dribbled and poured down his chin as he gulped, darkening his shirt, cooling his chest. 

Finishing that bottle in half a second, he grabbed another, and this time, he sighed and leaned against the cold fridge door to savor that bottle. He’d buy the whole damn inventory if he had to. 

“That ought to give you a belly ache.”

Robert frowned and turned, breathless from gulping on a whole bottle, and looked to see the woman standing before him. She stood with her hip jutted out, arms crossed over her chest. Her hair in a braid, sweaty strands curling beside her rosy cheeks. Something in Robert’s chest shifted. 

“Who are you?” he asked defiantly, sipping on his water. 

Her left brow rose. “I’m Y/N.” When he shrugged, she added, “And you bumped into me without saying sorry.”

He was expecting some form of reconnaissance. Some sort of, “Oh my God, you’re RDJ.” Or maybe something along the lines of, “Iron Man!” He’d also heard variations of, “Aren’t you famous?!”

But she looked at him with the air of a woman who’d been bumped into by a savagely parched man. And she looked at him like he was crazy. Well, he was covered in water and sweat, breathless, gulping on water like he was straight out of the desert. 

“I was thirsty,” he said, still evaluating her. She was pretty, but not in the breathtaking, heart-stopping, Hollywood glam sort of way. She had a round chin and a soft jaw, her face still adorning the roundness of youth, even if she was clearly in her mid-twenties. Her hair was simply drawn back into a braid, and the color was vibrant against the color of her skin. But the thing Robert kept getting drawn back to was her eyes; intense and grasping, he was unable to look away. 

“And I’m hungry for some Doritos, but you don’t see me pushing people like they’re trash.” Her lips pouted. 

Robert smiled, easing up against the fridge door. Oh, this was good. “I never said you were trash, darling.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m still waiting for an apology.”

“I’m sorry, princess,” he said, bowing, smirking. 

“It’s Y/N,” she corrected. 

“Y/N.” He tasted her name in his mouth. “I like it.”

Then she gave him a once over. “You look like a crazy asshole.”

“That’s because I am,” he laughed. Then he pointed to the chips. “And you should go with Miss Vickies. Way better. Crunchier chip. Fulfilling taste.”

Her frown turned into a raised brow. It softened her face, and the darling shape made Robert want to run his knuckles against her cheekbones. 

“I didn’t know I was in the presence of a chip expert,” she retorted. 

Robert laughed, shrugging. “I am a man of many trades.”

She looked between him and the chips, weighing her options. Then she sighed. “Miss Vickies, huh?”

And the innocent, purely mundane way that she bit her lip, hesitating between her preferred choice and his suggestion, made his stomach twist. A magnetism pulled at his insides, urging him to her. Fingers inching, itching, trembling. And suddenly, for the first time in a really long time, Robert Downey Junior was nervous in front of a woman. All thoughts of water evaporated from his mind. 

Clearing his throat, he said, “Well, usually I pick plain, but if you’re having a rowdy night, I’d go with the party pack of sour cream.”

She wrinkled her nose. “It’s just me and my cat.”

He saw his opportunity. “You live ‘round here?”

“Yeah, south a few blocks.”

He nodded, fiddling with his bottle. “I’m sure your boyfriend is going to like sour cream.”

She smiled, a slow, slick knowing smile. Not looking at him, she laughed. “I don’t have a boyfriend.” And before he could ask, she said, “Or a girlfriend.”

That was it, right? She was basically telling him to make his move? Oh man, RDJ the man had courted many women. He was a stallion in flirting, but with her, with this seemingly ordinary yet magnetic Y/N, he couldn’t seem to distinguish his right foot from his left. 

He cleared his throat again. Awkward. “I - uh - I’d like to participate in your chip tasting with you.”

Idiot. 

She turned on him a questioning look, smirking lingering on her mouth. “Chip tasting?”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m trying to ask you out.”

“I see.”

After a beat, he said, “Well?”

She smiled. “Bring your kind of chips, I’ll provide my own.”

He beamed from ear to ear. His heart swelled, a strange sort of heat spreading across his belly. “That’s - that’s amazing.” Then he took out his phone, offering his contact list so she could enter her contact information. “I’m off around seven.”

Handing him back his phone, Y/N smiled, still that knowing and slick smile. “Text me and I’ll tell you where the chip headquarters are.”

He laughed, but before he could ask her something else, to prolong his time with this strangely magnetic mundane girl, she was walking out. He followed after, but before he could catch up to her, the clerk yelled out for him. They both stopped, Y/N in the open door, Atlanta sun washing across her like the halo of an angel. 

“Are you going to pay for your water?” the clerk asked. 

Robert’s mouth hung open.

Then the clerk frowned, cocked his head. “Hey, aren’t you Robert Downey Junior?”

Before he could answer, RDJ looked back to where the girl was, to gauge her reaction, but she was already gone, the door swinging behind her.

[papafluffyae]

4 Ways to Find a Best Cheesecake Dubai

A cheesecake is one kind of dessert that I can never say no to. I've been a big follower of cakes ever since I was a little girl. The spongy texture and the sweet frosting are just way too good to resist. However, I grew up getting used to cakes that later on, I wanted something more. The cakes sold in bake shops were so common for my taste already.

1. The Look

It is safe to say that people do not eat only with their mouth. They eat with all of their senses. One of these senses is the eyes. The plating and presentation of a slice of cheesecake is an open invitation to great taste. When the look of the cheesecake is nicely made, the eyes already receive the invitation to taste it. Before one knows it, a bite has already been taken. The crust must be intact and the filling must be firm.

2. The Make

Mass production of commercial cheesecakes has two problems: its taste becomes too common and the freshness is not guaranteed. This makes bakeries better options when searching for the perfect cheesecakes. These bakeries can ensure that everything is always freshly made.

3. The Taste

The taste of a great cheesecake must have the perfect balance of everything. It must be sweet with a little hint of saltiness. These two must be also complimented with the tangy twist of its fruit topping. Every bite must be a harmony of these tastes.

4. The Texture

Finally, the classic cheesecake must have a smooth filing that is made more interesting with the crunch of the crust. However, some like their filling a little crunchier. Sometimes, nuts are added to the cream cheese for that extra crunch.

Are you looking for a Best Cheesecake Dubai offering buttery and great tasting cheesecakes? Look at our diabetic welcoming menu items at https://www.papafluffy.com

Article Source: – https://www.articleted.com/article/306248/58077/4-Ways-to-Find-a-Best-Cheesecake-Dubai

[jeshikawa]

For my big summer trip, I traveled down to the island of Shikoku to visit one of the least visited prefectures in Japan, Kochi.

At my JET interview 3 years ago, I was asked if I enjoyed history (yes) and if I had a famous Japanese historical figure. I blanked on the spot and blurted out a safe and easy answer-- Sakamoto Ryouma. The Japanese woman at my interview nodded her head approvingly and wrote something down. The former JET asked me to do a demo lesson for elementary school students about him. I fumbled, started over once, and manage to throw something together on the spot. When I left the interview, I joked that if I made it to Japan, I’d go to where ever Ryouma came from as a sort of tribute.

Well, I made it and since then, I’ve been to Kyoto and Nagasaki, two places affiliated with Ryouma’s life. This year, I went to his home prefecture, Kochi for four days. I had a vague itinerary made up. Vague because I had things I definitely wanted to do but some of them depended on the weather (and a typhoon was coming!).

Anyway, below the cut is the details of my trip! 

But the tl;dr version is:

1. Had local food! The specialty ramen is nabe ramen, served in a hot pot with a chicken broth based and sliced chikuwa. The most popular type of ice cream, aisukurin, is a traditional kind based on a recipe from the 1800s. 

2. Katsurahama Beach is easily accessible with a lot of stuff to visit nearby like the Sakamoto Ryouma museum, a cute shrine on a cliff, an aquarium, and places to eat. The Sakamoto Ryouma Museum was A+ super informative and very English friendly.

3. Kochi is the home for some very famous Japanese figures. Sakamoto Ryouma is one of the most famous historical figures in Japan (second only to Nobunaga in some rankings!). The creator for Anpanman is from Kochi and I had the theme song stuck in my head the whole time. The founder for Mitsubishi is from Kochi, too.

4. Kochi is home to the first yosakoi festival in Japan. Naruko, one of the required elements for yosakoi, is traditionally from Kochi and you can make your own at the yosakoi museum.

5. Kochi loves chickens, especially a certain breed. 

6. Kochi Castle was a struggle to climb up to in the summer but the view was amazing. If you go on Sunday, you can visit a 300 year old open market nearby. I saw an 800 yen whole watermelon.

7. Kitagawamura is home to “Monet’s Garden,” a garden inspired by Monet’s paintings and the only place outside France to be allowed to officially use the title.

8. You can get delicious food and eat next to locals at Hirome Market.

9. Not many people spoke much English if at all but oh my god the locals in Kochi were some of the friendliest people I have ever met in Japan and I was so touched by their kindness and willingness to make my trip the best it could be.

Every prefecture has their own style of ramen. Kochi’s is nabe ramen; ramen served in hot pots that simmer when you remove the top. Traditionally, the ramen has a chicken broth base and comes with sliced chikuwa and green onion. I went to one place that specialized on it and they also served the ramen with chicken skin and shredded chicken. 

It was hot so at Katsurahama Beach and Kochi Castle, I had aisukurin. It's ice cream made from eggs, sugar, and powdered skim milk. It’s a little crunchier and lighter tasting than regular ice cream because there’s less fat. I don’t like having dairy in the summer because it feels so heavy in my stomach but I really liked this.

While at Katsurahama, I climbed up a small cliff (which is honestly a lot easier than it sounds!) to visit a small shrine that looked over the beach. The Sakamoto Ryouma museum nearby was extremely informative and very English friendly. When it comes to museums in Japan, I think this one was one of the most English friendly ones with very detailed and comprehensive translations for about 85% of the things on display if you got their audio guide. The only thing that didn’t really have English translations was the new special and temporary exhibit about the women in Ryouma’s life (which was honestly really cool to see). We visited the aquarium that was there and it was okay... I don’t really like a lot of aquariums and zoos and this one didn’t really impress me. But it was close to the shrine and the museum and next to the bus stop so it was convenient. 

Kochi loves their boy, Ryouma. He’s on all of the omiyage, his statue is every where, there are photo op cut outs all over the place, and it’s honestly really cute. Kochi isn’t a very popular prefecture but when your local boy is one of the most famous figures in Japanese history (I’ve seen him ranked as #2 on some lists, second only to Nobunaga!), you run with it. Do you know what else is from Kochi? The creator of Anpanman is from Kochi! The artist designed characters for all of the stations on the train lines and they greet you on all of the signs. Whenever a train leaves Kochi station, you can hear a jingle from the show. In Kochi City, there are statues of the characters every where. The founder for Mitsubishi is also from Kochi and the Mitsubishi logo is based on the crest for the Tosa Clan.

Kochi is home to the first yosakoi festival in Japan. It’s one of the biggest festivals in the prefecture and one of the biggest yosakoi festivals in Japan. At the yosakoi museum in Kochi City, you can make naruko which are a requirement for yosakoi. Naruko originated from Kochi as a tool farmers used to scare off crows.

Kochi Castle was a work out in the summer because it’s up a hill... but the view from the top of the castle was amazing. It was also very informative with a lot of information in English. I learned a lot about Japanese castles. If you go to the castle on Sunday, you can also visit the open air Sunday Market which has been going strong for 300 years. I saw a whole watermelon there for 800 yen. A local told me Kochi is very small and agricultural so things are just cheaper, even in the city.

Near the castle, you can visit the Castle Museum and the Yosakoi Inari Shrine. The Yosakoi Inari Shrine has chickens and roosters running around. Imagine seeing chickens and roosters running around in the middle of a city! People often go to the shrine to pray for a successful Yosakoi festival and season.

Something that was on my Japan Bucket List was visiting Monet’s Garden in Japan. I didn’t realize it was in Kochi until I started planning my trip! It’s the only place outside of France allowed to use the title “Monet’s Garden” and it was designed with cooperation and support from Monet’s Garden in France. If you go in the summer, you can see the lilies on the pond and it really looks like some of Monet’s paintings come to life. It was about a 1.5 hour train ride one way so it was 3 hours all together... and we spent about 2 hours at the garden looking around and eating lunch so this was basically one whole day.

At night, we hit up Hirome Market which is a market place with a ton of food and drink stalls that you can enjoy with locals. You can try tons of delicious food there! Street food like okonomiyaki, karaage, and takoyaki but also full meals like ramen, nabe, sushi, and pizza. I had bonito tataki-- lightly seared bonito. It’s one of the signature dishes in Kochi.

Through out the trip, I hit up a few shrines and temples for goshuin. I didn’t actually do the 88 Temple Tour because those temples are scattered all across Shikoku but I hit up a few temples on the route that were easy to get to. 

It was really a full 4 days! But something that really stuck out to me on the trip were the people. Like I said, Kochi is one of the least visited prefectures in Japan, especially among foreign tourists. While I was traveling with my friend, locals were usually very curious to find out why we were there, especially before the big yosakoi festival. They were always so excited and willing to give us recommendations for places to visit and foods to try. Even if their English wasn’t very good and my Japanese wasn’t great, they were always proud to try and explain things to us. I was in a small mom and pop convenience shop looking for a drink to by and the owner tried very hard to explain the regional juices, sodas, and alcohol for sale. On the train, I saw an interesting building on a mountain and an old man did his best to explain to me it was a temple after I snapped a photo of it. At Katsurahama beach, we ran into a local high school field trip and the teacher invited us to go to the Ryouma museum along with them. One hot day, I went to a restaurant and fanned myself while waiting for food... the restaurant owner gave me a fan. When I tried to return it after dinner, he told me to keep it so I could stay cool on my trip. Even on the plane ride into Kochi, a local woman asked us what we were going to do in Kochi and gave us a few recommendations. it’s really ridiculous how incredibly nice everyone in Kochi was when they spoke to us. It was honestly one of the nicest experiences I’ve ever had dealing with local people.

My trip honestly ended up  being A LOT better than I thought it would go. It’s legit one of my favorite places I’ve visited and a big part of that is just how proud and kind the people were every where I went. It’s very obvious that there are people here proud of their history and culture and they genuinely want to share it with others. This was a great way to celebrate 3 years in Japan!

[blackknightgargiefoodtopia]

Swensen's Cafe Restaurant (Part 2)

Our soup of the day came in first, which is cream of mushroom (I think) and tastes pretty good, nice and thick, just the way I like it, and tastes even better with pepper

Our appetizer of calamari rings came next. The calamari tastes pretty fresh, though I was hoping it would be a bit more crunchier than it was

My order of fish and chips came in, and it tastes pretty good as I remembered the last time I ordered it. At least the fish was fresh and not one of those where you know it was defrosted from the fridge and out of some silly packaging or what not, and their coleslaw portion is huge and sourish as usual

My hubby ordered steak, and I tried a bit. It's quite succulent and juicy, and the sauce is absolute win, though I totally forgot what meat was it that was made to the steak, LOL!

Ah, the creme de la creme of Swensen's, which is the dessert, which is lauded for most of the time, just like Secret Recipe and their affinity for cakes and confectioneries. This is probably my most favourite dessert of all times: Swensen's Sticky Chewy Ice Cream. It's basically chocolate ice cream with whipped cream smothered with all things chocolate: chocolate fudge (that is bloody sticky and thick, ftw, earning its namesake), chocolate chips, chocolate-coated waffles and chocolate-coated cherry. Mm-MM! Chocolate haven right there~!! <3

There's the gist of our eating experience in Swensen's. Maybe if we go there again, I might do a reprisal. But for now, this is all there is to it. One note though, that it's advisable to go there if you have a fat wallet because the price is quite dear, and it's highly recommended to go there for its desserts

[ladywhaiyvern]

Musings of An Otaku #6- Worldly Potato Chips

This won’t be a typical musing from a form of entertainment. Not a video game, not an anime, not a manga, etc. Nope. Deals with food! My favorite type of snack food! Potato chips or crisps. Doesn’t matter what you call them- they can be delicious. 

Now here in the States (especially the midwest and the actual mitten-shaped state) we seem to have the same consensus on what a potato chip is. Thin, deep fried potato usually seasoned with salt or some sort of other flavoring. BBQ flavors- sure! Ranch flavor- why not! Salt and vinegar- yum! Cheddar and sour cream- oh yeah! Sour Cream and Onion- Yuppers! Even bizarre flavors have popped up- dill pickle, chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy. Not my cup of tea for chip flavors but to each his own. Some are wavy, others are not. Some have ruffles….which is just a fancy way of saying wavy. All of which are typically pretty darn grease-laden and leave your hands with the slippy feeling, glossy sheen of whatever oil they fried them in, topped with a layer of powdered flavoring. 

This is the one thing that I absolutely hate about American potato chips. Why so greasy? I shouldn’t set down a single chip on a napkin or paper towel- walk away for less than a minute, come back and see said napkin or towel with a large greasy spot forming under the chip. Shit, I’m pretty sure if I set up a time lapse video- one could prolly watch it slowly extend its way outward. This would be like watching paint dry or grass grow. Pointless and a time-waster. 

Sure, we have the different cooked styles like the baked chips and the kettle cooked chips that do not leave your hands feeling this disgusting after consuming and come in some of the same said flavors as regular chips. But a damn baked chip tastes more like a baked corn chip then a potato chip. Yeah, they are healthier but it sometimes feels like I’m biting into a small piece of cardboard enhanced with flavoring. I don’t think the kettle chips are healthier by any means but what do I know. I’m no potato chip scientist. Just an enthusiast. They are on the more crunchier side and tend to have a shit ton more “fold-over” chips in the midst. IMHO, those are the best chips! Still a little on the oily side but definitely NOT as grease-laden as regular potato chips. 

It all depends on the brand as well. Big name brands like Lay’s are notorious for being greasy as all get out. Store brands like Kroger, Meijer, etc. are just as bad. Better Made and other local Michigan chip makers (as there are quite a few of them now) vary in between being mildly oil covered to not even having a single drop on them. How do they make that even possible and why can't big name chip makers go that route?

For the past 6 months, I have been receiving the snack-food subscription box from Universal Yums. OMFG! Both the best and worst decision ever! Monthly subscription box sent to your door filled with snack goodies from different countries from around the world. Now you damn well know the Cultural Anthropologist in me is jumping up and down like a giddy child on Christmas morning. It’s like playing “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?”, only instead of following Carmen around the world to catch her, you're following a trail of snack foods to the country they are from. “Where in the World is Universal Yum?” Hmm…...I’ve got connections to Rockapella….maybe they can give a new jingle! LOL!

Also, during these same said months I have also been part of another snack-food subscription box. Japan Crate. This one- only hailing from Japan…...obviously. This one is typically filled with Japanese snack goodies ranging from salty to sweet. Usually more of the sweeter items then salty. Which disappoints me to no end because I absolutely love salty snacks more than I do sweet. And being an otaku since the late-90’s, I have already tasted and tried a good majority of these sweets. Thank you, local Asain markets and the long gone Anime store here in Michigan- Wizzywigs. Shit now you can walk into brick and mortar stores and pick up a box of Pocky and bottle of ramune. Now….do not even get me started on this American ramune that you can purchase from Meijer or even GameStop. It’s obviously bottled and manufactured here and not imported. It sure as hell does not taste the same and have that same satisfying fizz and flavor as ones I have drank years upon years ago. BUT! This is about potato chips and not Japanese sweets and drinks. These boxes will sometimes feature a bag of flavored chips. One said box contained a bag of sour cream and onion chips.

In all seriousness- well about as serious as a musing on a snack food can get; almost every single month I have gotten said potato crisps/chips from said different countries. England, Scotland, Egypt, Russia, Columbia, Italy, Taiwan. And each one, no matter what country or what flavor- all have the same consistency. They sure as hell are not thin ass pieces of paper like what you get here. It’s got some bulk to it! It’s crunchy. It’s crispy. IT”S NOT FULL OF GREASE!! It gives you that satisfying crunch when you bite into it. Like how a chip is supposed to taste and feel as you bite into it. 

Your lips lightly graze the surface of the chip and do not become painted in oily dissatisfaction. Your lips thank you as you start to taste the seasoning mixed with an actual hint of potato. Your fingers are surprisingly dry after you eat the rest of the chip. Yes, you still notice flavoring powder left over on said fingertips but you sure as hell don’t feel guilty licking that off. As you reach your hand into the bag to grab another handful, you can actually grasp chips and hold onto them. You're not fishing your hand around inside the bag trying to pick up a handful of what feels like wet moving chips. Another thing that is worth mentioning, is that you do not feel an oily, greasy feeling on the tops of your fingers or hand after it scrapes across the sides of the bag when entering and exiting. 

How are all these chip/crisp manufacturing places around the world able to accomplish this task? And yet, here in the good ol’ United States- we are still stuck on selling this crap. This super greasy, super oil laden thin ass fake tasting snack food. Why do we have to pay more for said snack food to not be this way? Why the hell do we have to import them from other countries to have them taste better (in most cases) then what is purchased here? Yes, I have tried some not too flavorful crisps. Haggis and Black Pepper?! Black Truffle Flavor? Not my cup of tea at all. But you know what it did have regardless. That thick ass crisp with a satisfying crunch. 

I honestly think after trying crisps from all over the world, I have become a bonafide chip snob. The more chips that I encounter from different regions of the world, the more and more I am disliking the chips here in America. But this is AMERICA!! They have to be good! Whatever- as someone who was born and raised here and grew up eating the chips sold here I can honestly say that America- your chips suck ass! Sorry, not sorry at all! 

[easyfoodnetwork]

Against Kettle Chips

For some reason, there are people out there who find it a sensory pleasure to chew on handfuls of spud shards that jab at their gums

At some point in the past decade, it felt like kettle-cooked potato chips started to appear everywhere: on grocery store shelves, alongside the likes of classic Utz and ridged Ruffles; in workplaces young and hip enough to boast free office snacks designed to keep workers mindlessly sated; even on airplanes, one of a variety of treats in baskets proffered by attendants on better-than-average flights.

There’s a sheen of handmade wellness that accompanies kettle chips — or if not wellness, then at least wholesomeness. When the chips were revived in the 1980s, the New York Times reports, they were largely reintroduced to the market as artisan chips, from brands like Cape Cod, Tim’s Cascade, Zapp’s, and Kettle Brand. Kettle chips, unlike their continually processed brethren (what you might picture when thinking of the standard Lay’s chip), are fried in batches, dipped and swirled around in hot oil for longer periods of time until they’re crunchier and caramelized to a deeper color. It’s the same process that was used pre-1920s, before technological innovation enabled mass-market chip production, and the same cooking method you could use to make chips at home.

But the old-fashioned appeal of kettle chips belies one highly subjective truth: They are bad.

While some might find it a sensory pleasure to chew on handfuls of spud shards that jab at their gums, I confess I do not. Kettle chips are too hard, too edged, too committed to a brutality of texture to deliver a balanced gustatory experience. No matter the flavor of the chips, the taste nearly always smacks overwhelmingly of oil. Eating a small bagful feels like coating one’s mouth in grease, almost like a salve left over to make up for all the vigorous chomping that tooth and tongue and gums had to engage in to facilitate consumption. All that work, and for what?

Classic thin chips are just as greasy, as evidenced by the shine of one’s fingerprints after reaching into the chip bag one or five or 20 times, but here, the oil is offset by the lightness of the crisp, dissolving on the tongue like a cloud of potato-perfumed air. These are the gentler cousins of the kettle chip, their ethereality of form and flavor miraculously born of industrial manufacturing. When it comes to snacking, there are fewer choices finer than a wholly intact sour-cream-and-onion chip, better yet one whose circumference is roughly that of a hockey puck, its delicate crunch giving way to an allium tang as salty as it is sour.

Baked potato chips, too, are preferable to kettle chips. Not the plain baked Lay’s, which some might liken to “cardboard,” but specifically the baked cheddar-and-sour-cream Ruffles, that perfect freak of nature. There was a time when this variety of chip seemed ubiquitous — in school cafeterias, big-box stores, gas stations — before the mainstream ascendancy of kettle chips. And what an era that was.

(I will not address health or nutrition in my consideration of these chips, as I’m not a goddamn dietician.)

I am not so prejudiced against kettle chips that I will not eat a packet here or there, mostly in the Eater office (office? What’s that?) when there was little else to pick at. But, as someone who has eaten a lot of chips over the course of a lifetime, I feel confident in saying: Don’t settle for kettle, there are better options out there. Ones that boast their own kind of crunch; ones that are not so oppressively thick; ones that bring no pain, only pleasure, to the masses’ endlessly gaping maws.

Goldsuit is a painter and graphic designer based in Seattle.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2ZDEqXV https://ift.tt/3mrx1V9

For some reason, there are people out there who find it a sensory pleasure to chew on handfuls of spud shards that jab at their gums

At some point in the past decade, it felt like kettle-cooked potato chips started to appear everywhere: on grocery store shelves, alongside the likes of classic Utz and ridged Ruffles; in workplaces young and hip enough to boast free office snacks designed to keep workers mindlessly sated; even on airplanes, one of a variety of treats in baskets proffered by attendants on better-than-average flights.

There’s a sheen of handmade wellness that accompanies kettle chips — or if not wellness, then at least wholesomeness. When the chips were revived in the 1980s, the New York Times reports, they were largely reintroduced to the market as artisan chips, from brands like Cape Cod, Tim’s Cascade, Zapp’s, and Kettle Brand. Kettle chips, unlike their continually processed brethren (what you might picture when thinking of the standard Lay’s chip), are fried in batches, dipped and swirled around in hot oil for longer periods of time until they’re crunchier and caramelized to a deeper color. It’s the same process that was used pre-1920s, before technological innovation enabled mass-market chip production, and the same cooking method you could use to make chips at home.

But the old-fashioned appeal of kettle chips belies one highly subjective truth: They are bad.

While some might find it a sensory pleasure to chew on handfuls of spud shards that jab at their gums, I confess I do not. Kettle chips are too hard, too edged, too committed to a brutality of texture to deliver a balanced gustatory experience. No matter the flavor of the chips, the taste nearly always smacks overwhelmingly of oil. Eating a small bagful feels like coating one’s mouth in grease, almost like a salve left over to make up for all the vigorous chomping that tooth and tongue and gums had to engage in to facilitate consumption. All that work, and for what?

Classic thin chips are just as greasy, as evidenced by the shine of one’s fingerprints after reaching into the chip bag one or five or 20 times, but here, the oil is offset by the lightness of the crisp, dissolving on the tongue like a cloud of potato-perfumed air. These are the gentler cousins of the kettle chip, their ethereality of form and flavor miraculously born of industrial manufacturing. When it comes to snacking, there are fewer choices finer than a wholly intact sour-cream-and-onion chip, better yet one whose circumference is roughly that of a hockey puck, its delicate crunch giving way to an allium tang as salty as it is sour.

Baked potato chips, too, are preferable to kettle chips. Not the plain baked Lay’s, which some might liken to “cardboard,” but specifically the baked cheddar-and-sour-cream Ruffles, that perfect freak of nature. There was a time when this variety of chip seemed ubiquitous — in school cafeterias, big-box stores, gas stations — before the mainstream ascendancy of kettle chips. And what an era that was.

(I will not address health or nutrition in my consideration of these chips, as I’m not a goddamn dietician.)

I am not so prejudiced against kettle chips that I will not eat a packet here or there, mostly in the Eater office (office? What’s that?) when there was little else to pick at. But, as someone who has eaten a lot of chips over the course of a lifetime, I feel confident in saying: Don’t settle for kettle, there are better options out there. Ones that boast their own kind of crunch; ones that are not so oppressively thick; ones that bring no pain, only pleasure, to the masses’ endlessly gaping maws.

Goldsuit is a painter and graphic designer based in Seattle.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2ZDEqXV via Blogger https://ift.tt/3c21nc4

[vietnamtour-blog]

10 Amazing Fruits of Vietnam

10 Amazing Fruits of Vietnam

Like the friendly Vietnamese people, exotic fruits greets you in almost every corner of Vietnam. The country’s fertile deltas and tropical climate, as well as its more temperate plateaus, means that a whole lot of species, fruit-bearing ones would thrive here. In fact, Vietnam ranks among top bio-diverse countries regardless of its small land area.

Not only are fruits packed with a bunch of vitamins and flavors, but they also have very good prices here. What a better way to rehydrate yourself with this superb healthy snack? If you are looking for tropical fruits to try in Vietnam, look no further as this article is about the lush exotic world of Vietnam’s fruits!

Mangosteen | Măng Cụt – the Queen of tropical fruits

Photo: Cooky.vn

Fresh mangosteen is quite rare outside Southeast Asia, so it is definitely a must-eat. Mangosteen looks like a giant purple nut, its thick rind protects the juicy white flesh inside. Take a section and pop into your mouth, and you will love the distinctive sweet and sour flavor that reminds strawberry and grape.

How to pronounce it: Măng cụt (mang kut)

Mangosteen season: mid-April to August

How to try it: Eating raw or juicing

Custard apple | Na in the North, Mãng Cầu in the South

Photo: VnExpress

Custard apple, sometimes called sugar apple, is rich and creamy, full of antioxidants and vitamin C. It has quite an interesting appearance, with grainy “eyes”, which will turn from green to white when ripe. Peeling its skin, the inside is sweet and fragrant with notes of melon, apple, and custard.

How to pronounce it: Mãng Cầu /mang kou/ or Na /na:/

Custard apple season: late July to early September

How to choose and try custard apple: Pick ones that are firmer and bigger with white eyes, and possibly, a small crack between the stem and the pulp. The best way is to eat them as they are to fully enjoy this exotic yumminess.

Rambutan | Chôm Chôm – the Hairy Cherry

Photo: Thanhnien.vn

Unofficially known as Hair or Colorful cherry, rambutans are delicious as they are vibrant. Peeling their red hairy rind away reveals a soft, white, translucent flesh of rejuvenating flavor. This fruit is mostly grown in the Mekong Delta, yet you would easily spot these typical bright red colonization in marketplaces around the country.

How to pronounce it: Chôm chôm

Rambutan season: May to Oct.

How to choose and try rambutan: Best to buy when it is still attached to the branches. Be prepared, eating this one can get a bit messy due to its juicy pulp. You might bite a bit of seed exterior at first, but will get adept soon, I’m sure!

Dragon Fruit | Thanh Long

As its name suggests, this fruit has quite an unearthly look, with thick pink skin and green extensions that resemble “dragon fin”. The pulp looks somehow like kiwi fruit in white or reddish color, yet the flavor is totally different. It is not very flavourful indeed, much on the watery and delicate side, hence, it is normally served at the end of a meal as a palate cleanser.

How to pronounce it: Thanh Long

Dragon fruit season: all year round

More on this: DRAGON FRUIT – A WONDERFUL “FIREBALL”

Mangos | Xoài

Among the best tropical delights, mangos come in varieties in Vietnam. Its sweet and refreshing pulp with notes of citrus, melon, and honey will leave you coming back for more. A few different ways of eating it – one national obsession is eating green mango as a savory snack dipped in chili salt or shredded to salad (gỏi xoài).

How to pronounce it: Xoài

Longan | Nhãn

A lesser-known sibling of lychee and rambutan, longan is much loved by Vietnamese for its booming sweet flavor. This fruit originates from Can Tho – Vietnam’s fourth-largest city and the largest in Vietnam’s southern Mekong Delta. It is called “dragon’s eye” in Vietnamese for the black seed that looks like an eyeball.

How to pronounce it: Nhãn

Longan season: June to August

Best way to try longan:

Chè hạt sen nhãn lồng (sweet soup with longans and lotus seeds) is the perfect treat on a hot summer day.

Long nhãn sấy khô (Dried longan) can be brought home as gifts for your loved ones. It is actually a traditional Vietnamese medicine that support sleeps and balance. Dried fruits will last pretty long – from 6 months to 1 year if properly stored.

Pomelo | Bưởi 

Pomelo is like grapefruit’s parent, but with a milder taste and no bitterness. From the outside, it has the same texture as grapefruits with green and faintly yellow skin. Once you peel off its distinctive thick rind, the fresh pulp appears with little sacs of juice. You can find numerous types of pomelo around Vietnam, yet the most popular one for sweet and slightly sour taste is Bưởi Năm Roi. The pomelo is a must-have fruit in Mid-Autumn Festival and Tet – Vietnamese Lunar New Year.

How to pronounce it: Bưởi

Pomelo season: all year round, best in autumn

Best way to try pomelo:

Pomelo is often eaten raw, dipped in chili salt to taste, or put in savory salads like gỏi bưởi. For its thick bitter rind, the Vietnamese have a very wise way to sweeten it into a superb sweet dessert Chè bưởi (Pomelo sweet soup).

Gifts from pomelo: 

Pomelo essential oil: this one will breathe new life to your scalp and hair for its antioxidants-rich properties. Say goodbye to hair fall!

Photo: Chè bưởi. Source: www.savourydays.com

Guava | Ổi

Amazingly rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber, guava is very much popular in tropical countries. It has light green skin with a mild sweet and sour taste. It comes in two kinds in Vietnam – either pink or white inside. The pink ones are best for juicing, and the white ones are crunchier and usually eat raw, with a chili salt mix.

How to pronounce it: Ổi

Guava season: all year round

Passionfruit | Chanh Leo

You can easily spot this purple, tennis ball-shaped fruit at any streetside cafe at any season. Inside its thick rind are a vibrant yellow jelly, edible black seeds with a refreshing aroma of lemony fragrance. It smell will definitely brighten up your day.

How to pronounce it: Chanh leo

How to try passion fruits: 

Eat raw

Passion fruit juice

Passion fruit yogurt served with crushed ice

Banana | Chuối

High in potassium, fat-free and cholesterol-free, a good source of vitamins C, B6 and manganese and fiber, bananas aren’t just monkey business. This tropical fruit is widely available in Vietnam, often sold in a bunch of 15 to 20 fruits, at a very good price. $2/bunch.

How to pronounce it: Chuối

Banana season: all year round

Jackfruit | Mít 

Easily confused with durian, jackfruits are similar in its bumpy mossy exteriors but much different once they are open. It has a milder fragrance than durian, with a note of honey and mango, coupled with the gummy texture and sweet peachy taste. In fact, jackfruit can grow to be the largest and heaviest fruit on earth.

How to pronounce it: Mít

Jackfruit season: All year round

How to eat it: 

Eat raw: tear the segment apart into strings and savor its delicate sweet taste

Hoa quả dầm (mixed fruits) or sữa chua mít (jackfruit yogurt), which usually contain a variety of tropical fruits, yogurt, tapioca pearls, and coconut cream. All add up to a sweet treat for all family members.

Dried jackfruit

Best way to try ‘em all: a bowl of mixed fruits!. Photo: Grab Vietnam

Should you need further information, please contact our travel consultants at consultant@evivatour.com.vn.

See more: 

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VIETNAM MARKETS

A WONDERFUL TRIP ON THE MEKONG DELTA

Source: https://blog.evivatour.com/10-amazing-fruits-of-vietnam/

[healthbolt-blog]

New Post has been published on Health bolt

New Post has been published on http://www.healthbolt.net/cooking/healthy-home-cooked-meals-recipes/

Healthy Home Cooked Meals Recipes

Contents

Creative recipes? quinoa

Fish healthy 4 simply delicious

Wrote 10 ways

Senior citizens. tingkat singapore

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Healthy Alternative To Double Cream In Cooking Healthy Substitute for Heavy Cream. by CHEF PARUL DESAI Oct. 03, … Chef Parul Desai. Chef Parul Desai began writing professionally in 2011. She maintains a healthy cooking blog and has taught cooking classes, worked in restaurants, created educational materials and written recipes. … try a low-fat alternative, sold under various brand names … Different Ways To Cook Eggplant Healthy Add a clove of garlic to cooking water … Canned tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and chickpeas. Add oregano and top with sliced olives. Almonds in water for 15 seconds and peel for a new twist on a heal… Healthy Cooking: How to Cook Eggplant EatingWell’s Jessie Price shares healthy cooking tips for how to cook eggplant two easy ways: how to grill eggplant and how to roast eggplant. These healthy, easy eggplant recipes make grilling eggplant and cooking eggplant easy. Remember when I wrote 10 ways to Cook with Eggplant … It’s understandable, as eggplant is not only healthy and filling, but also delicious with its creamy texture and meaty, savory flavor. It’s alwa… How To cook quinoa healthy Quinoa grows in a rainbow of colors, but the most commonly sold are red quinoa, black quinoa and white quinoa. Taste and nutrition aren’t key distinguishers; instead, white quinoa tends to cook up fluffier, while red quinoa and black quinoa have a crunchier texture and the grains don’t tend to stick together as much. Healthy Food To Cook For Dinner How To Cook Healthy Chicken Soup Make it at home and share the goodness of this amazing beetroot and carrot soup with your family. (ALSO READ Shilpa Shetty’s quinoa with steamed chicken and asparagus recipe is super-healthy and nutri… Healthy Cooking For One Cookbook Healthy Way To Cook Chicken Breast In Pan Here are some of Nosrat’s signature recipes: 3½- to 4-pound (about 1.5 kilograms) chicken … pan. 6. slide the pan all the w… How To cook healthy quinoa Either way you decide to enjoy it, be sure to drink it warm so it’s nice and cozy! Add a little ethnic flair to your kitchen while also staying healthy! Do you use quinoa for any creative recipes? quinoa can be prepared much like rice. It might need soaking first – check instructions on the packet – then boil two cups of water for every cup of the seeds, and simmer for 15 minutes. As the seeds … How To Cook Healthy Cod Fillets Marinades don’t have to be packed with salt or oil; you can make a healthy one … cod has finished cooking. The marinade will leave liquid in the bottom of the pan, which you can discard after the co… How To Cook Tilapia Fish Healthy 4 simply delicious baked tilapia recipes. Recipes; 4 Simply Delicious Baked Tilapia Recipes. By. Julie K – June 27, 2016. … this recipe is sure to be a go-to for busy nights when you barely have time to cook. ingredients: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened … Love The healthy fish… versatile, economical tilapia Healthy Ways To Cook Cod Fillets Healthy Alternative To Double Cream In Cooking Healthy Substitute for Heavy Cream. by CHEF PARUL DESAI Oct. 03, … Chef Parul Desai. Chef Parul Desai began writing professionally in 2011. She maintains a healthy cooking blog and has taught cooking classes, worked in restaurants, created educational materials and written recipes. … try a low-fat alternative, sold under various brand names … Different Ways To Cook Eggplant Healthy Add a clove of garlic to cooking water … Canned tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and chickpeas. Add oregano and top with sliced olives. Almonds in water for 15 seconds and peel for a new twist on a heal… Healthy Cooking: How to Cook Eggplant EatingWell’s Jessie Price shares healthy cooking tips for how to cook eggplant two easy ways: how to grill eggplant and how to roast eggplant. These healthy, easy eggplant recipes make grilling eggplant and cooking eggplant easy. Remember when I wrote 10 Ways to Cook with Eggplant … It’s understandable, as eggplant is not only healthy and filling, but also delicious with its creamy texture and meaty, savory flavor. It’s alwa… How To cook quinoa healthy Quinoa grows in a rainbow of colors, but the most commonly sold are red quinoa, black quinoa and white quinoa. Taste and nutrition aren’t key distinguishers; instead, white quinoa tends to cook up fluffier, while red quinoa and black quinoa have a crunchier texture and the grains don’t tend to stick together as much. Healthy Food To Cook For Dinner How To Cook Healthy Chicken Soup Make it at home and share the goodness of this amazing beetroot and carrot soup with your family. (ALSO READ Shilpa Shetty’s quinoa with steamed chicken and asparagus recipe is super-healthy and nutri… Healthy Cooking For One Cookbook Healthy Way To Cook Chicken Breast In Pan Here are some of Nosrat’s signature recipes: 3½- to 4-pound (about 1.5 kilograms) chicken … pan. 6. slide the pan all the w… How To cook healthy quinoa Either way you decide to enjoy it, be sure to drink it warm so it’s nice and cozy! Add a little ethnic flair to your kitchen while also staying healthy! Do you use quinoa for any creative recipes? quinoa can be prepared much like rice. It might need soaking first – check instructions on the packet – then boil two cups of water for every cup of the seeds, and simmer for 15 minutes. As the seeds … How To Cook Healthy Cod Fillets Marinades don’t have to be packed with salt or oil; you can make a healthy one … cod has finished cooking. The marinade will leave liquid in the bottom of the pan, which you can discard after the co… How To Cook Tilapia Fish Healthy 4 simply delicious baked tilapia recipes. Recipes; 4 Simply Delicious Baked Tilapia Recipes. By. Julie K – June 27, 2016. … this recipe is sure to be a go-to for busy nights when you barely have time to cook. ingredients: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened …

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25 Heart-Healthy Mediterranean Recipes Registered dietitian Wendy Jo Peterson prescribes meals like these better-for-you Mediterranean recipes to her clients. To round out any Mediterranean meal pair it with lean proteins, nuts, olive oil, beans and extra …

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Sure, sometimes it’s fun to dedicate a night to preparing a lavish meal at home. But most of the … who doesn’t?), this heal…

[natalieeatschocolate]

Genghis Khan, Millet, and Mongolian Script: Life in Inner Mongolia

Three hundred miles west of Beijing and three hundred miles south of the Mongolian border lies Hohhot, the capital city of China’s Inner Mongolia province. When my husband and I decided to move there, we had to search to find it on a map. When we tell Chinese people outside of the province where we live, they usually don’t know it, and if they do know our city, they are surprised we live there. As one Shanghai-born and New York-raised man put it, “Wow, that’s out in the boondocks!”

Yes, it is. It is the smallest town of three million people that you can find. It houses many universities, malls, and a museum, yet compared to the coastal cities of China, Hohhot is far off the grid culturally, even if it is close geographically. When we first moved to Hohhot, we were unsure of what would greet us there. (The answer: Genghis Khan. He is very popular here. Here we are at a park that bears his name and giant face with some of our friends.)

Filled with Mongolian influence, the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia is home to more ethnic Mongolians than the country of Mongolia itself. Only about 17% of the province’s population are Mongolian ethnicity, but that still constitutes over 4 million Mongolian people versus 3 million Mongolians living in the nation of Mongolia.

Inner Mongolia is also the only place in the world that retains the traditional Mongolian script, a vertical writing created with strokes and notches, creating keyhole-like shapes for each word. The country of Mongolia switched to Cyrillic writing in the 1940s because of their proximity to Russia. Where we are, the traditional Mongolian script sits alongside the Chinese characters on all signs and storefronts. (See below for our school crest with our name in Mongolian script on the upper left, Chinese on the upper right, and English across the bottom.)

Many parts of Inner Mongolian life seem to reflect this border between the two places. Public transportation announcements are always in both Mongolian and Chinese. The first Mongolian phrase we learned was: “Please get ready to get off the bus.” It was also one of the first Chinese phrases we learned. The hero of our area is Genghis Khan with parks named after him and statues in his honor. Most people who visit the province come for the famous grasslands or singing sands desert.

Beyond the signs and the language, the restaurants also reflect a melding of Chinese and Mongolian heritage. Mongolian restaurants will serve Chinese dishes alongside Mongolian food and they will often add the traditional Chinese spice, la jiao, to bring extra flavor.

To North Americans whose perception of food is a battle to be healthy, the historic Mongolian diet can be shocking. It isn’t about careful calorie counting, low carb, or getting enough fruits and vegetables. Because most Mongolians come from a nomadic background of herding on the grasslands, the food groups reflect their laborious schedules. According to a book on the history of the region, the three Mongolian food groups are: meat, grain, and “white,” meaning any of the dairy products that add substantial fat to the diet, such as cream, milk, and cheese.

Perhaps the best example of this style of eating is in the classic Mongolian milk tea. While it is technically a milk tea, it might be better described as a broth. It is salty and rich, and if you don’t go out and ride a horse after drinking it, you will probably feel way too full of food groups you usually limit.

When we go out for Mongolian food, we sometimes order milk tea in a large Thermos, set beside our table. When visitors come, we order it in the traditional style, where it is assembled in front of you. The staff brings a tureen to your table with a small flame underneath. In the bowl, they place dried beef, millet grains, and cheese skin (the top of the milk after it has been boiled). Over this, they pour the milk tea. Letting it simmer as you eat, the milk tea is infused with the meat, grain, and dairy, melding together all the nutrients that you might need to take on the chilly grasslands.

Going out for Mongolian also means indulging in the other two Mongolian food groups: grain and meat. One of our favorite foods here is tai yang bing, literally translated to sun flatbread, although it is closer to an empanada than anything else we eat in the States. These pockets of fried dough are filled with beef and onions. In China, beef is expensive and often scarce. One of the perks of living in Inner Mongolia is regularly indulging in local beef and mutton.

Our other favorite Mongolian food (and my personal favorite) is what we like to call “Mongolian cereal.” The true name is nai you ban chao mi, which translates to cream stirred with millet. The millet is puffed, so it is a lighter, crunchier version of regular millet. In the States, it is hard to find, but here, Mongolian specialty stores keep it by the barrel and sell it by the pound. (See picture below.) The cream is thick and tangy, and restaurants often small dishes of white sugar alongside the millet and cream so you can sweeten it to your taste.

When Matt goes to lunch with his Mongolian students, it is not uncommon for each of them to order their own bowl of this to go with the meal, just as Chinese students will add their own bowls of rice.

When Matt and I first found out we would be moving to Inner Mongolia, we were a bit disappointed. Last time Matt lived in China, he lived in an area with heavy Russian influence. This time, the Mongolian influence is strong. We were both hoping to be closer to the current of modern China in one of the major cities.

But living here has had unexpected blessings and perks: we get to eat beef when our other friends across China rarely see it. We have learned a bit of Mongolian in addition to our Chinese, and perhaps the best of all—we have made friends with Mongolians who live here, learning more about their heritage and their food. We have also been treated to several performances of Mongolian throat singing, perhaps the most hauntingly beautiful sound I have heard in my life.

China is a big place, and we are now grateful to have spent two years living here, at a crossroads of Chinese and Mongolian culture, and especially Chinese and Mongolian food.

[auburntiger-blog1]

Cooking 101: Steps To Make The Most Effective Food You May Ever Eat

Even home cooks can learn a few things concerning their craft. Understanding the proper methods and how to make applying them, will turn simple meals into amazing feasts everyone will remember you for. Try a number of these ways to make the meals intriguing and exciting! Adding cauliflower to the mashed potatoes is the best way to reduce the level of fat and calories they contain. You may use equal servings of potatoes and cauliflower when coming up with this delicious side. The bland cauliflower taste can certainly make it in order that you will not notice much difference from the taste, while accentuating the flavors of several of the other ingredients. Cauliflower offers the same texture and color as mashed potatoes, hence the dish will probably be turned into one who has more vegetables and much less calories. You may cook a lot ahead of cooking to streamline your cooking process. Recipes must be examined and products which won't spoil that could be prepared a couple of days ahead ought to be done ice cream business consulting first. The time just before the cooking happens, there could be a great deal of prep work done. This may cause preparing more complex recipes fun and fast. Garlic can be a delight cooking with, however its odor transfers easily into the hands. Once you have finished doing prep deal with the garlic, run both your hands down the steel interior of your respective sink. This will likely clean your hands and maintain the odor from transferring for some other foods you will be handling. In order to avoid wasting costly meat, try out your spice mixture in one small piece ahead of adding it to the other meat. Different cuts and kinds of meat have certain spice mixtures that really work great for them. Never prepare the total amount after its initial seasoning. Instead, come up with a small patty out from a little bit piece and cook that first. If it piece ends up well, you may follow the rest. Or else, you possibly can make modifications to the spices. If you need crispier and crunchier French-fried potatoes, then soak the potatoes in the bowl of cold water for a time period of no less than around 30 minutes before use. The potatoes should soak for the reason that fibers will probably be reinforced throughout the cold fluids which actually causes them to be fry better. They may handle the high temperature instead of break apart completely. When you have a wish to increase your cooking, you must be aware of advice and suggestions that could come towards you. Following the following tips must be not too difficult through taking your time and efforts and attempt one new thing at one time.

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Pork Bolognese Lasagna

So one of the things that did not get written about here was a somewhat-failed lasagna*. It was meant to use a kind of vegan sausage preparation that failed miserably and ended up tasting like sloppy joe meat, and the sauce wasn’t very good either. So I found myself looking to pick up the rebound.

I needed to make a better lasagna. So I set out to do just that.

I started by making the noodles. The advantage to making fresh noodles for lasagna is that you can then roll them out into a sheet and they’re a little thicker than the dried jobbers, which is kind of nice, especially for something like this where I was going to make a really hearty sauce to go over them. These were just regular nothing-special homemade noodles. Four eggs (usually it’s only three, but these were on the small side so I needed four to get to the right weight) and then enough flour to be 150% of the eggs by weight, kneaded and kneaded and kneaded, and then left to rest.

A better lasagna would countinue, I knew, with a bolognese. I had some pork shoulder (the other half, in fact, of the pork shoulder that I cooked the other day), so that was going to be my base. I started the heat under the dutch oven, and ran about half a pound of bacon through the grinder, sliding it into a bit of olive oil. When it was well along, I ran an entire onion, a carrot and a stalk of celery through the food processor, and added that to the bacon. I ran half a head of parsley, some garlic, some rosemary and some tarragon through the food processor and added that as well. That had started to soften, so I ground about a half-pound of liver** and got it in there***. I then added the meat. I had some leftover tomatoes from not using a whole giant Costco-sized can the other day (a hazard of buying tomatoes in giant Costco-sized cans), so I blended them up and then poured them over the meat. I added a bunch of heavy cream, some reconstituted chicken stock, and a bit of worcestershire sauce, then transferred the whole thing to the pressure cooker and let it pressure cook for an hour or so****.

I took this opportunity to put together a salad of some mesclun, some arugula, some basil, a sprinkling of granola for texture and some craisins for sweetness. I assembled a quick no-bullshit ranch dressing***** and called that salad. I ordinarily would have made a lighter dressing, but we are in the DEPTHS of greenhouse/grocery truck produce season, and none of it tastes like very much, so you kind of need to goose into having enough flavor to stand up to, say, a meaty, cheese-covered lasagna.

The salad thus taken care of, I then set about rolling out the pasta into sheets that were about the same size as the pan I was going to cook the lasagna in. I set them aside in between sheets of wax paper. I didn’t want them to dry out, necessarily (although if they had it wouldn’t have been any kind of problem - a huge wet lasagna is a very forgiving cooking medium), but I also wanted them to have plenty of time to do a second relaxation so they weren’t at all weird or stretchy post-cooking. I have no idea if this matters or not, but it seemed like the thing to do at the time.

The sauce came out of the pressure cooker and back into the dutch oven (I KNOW), and I let it cook for awhile until it was more-or-less the consistency I wanted, which is to say somewhat wetter than I’d want for a traditional, over-pasta bolognese******.

I ladled some in the bottom of the pan, then a layer of noodles, then another layer of sauce, then a layer of slices of mozzarella, then another layer of sauce, then another layer of noodles, then more sauce, more cheese, more noodles, I don’t know how to keep count of this but I made four layers of noodles so skip to the last layer of noodles, which was then topped with the remaining quantity of sauce (it wasn’t a whole layer’s worth). I then sprinkled gruyere over the top. Ordinarily this would be parmesan, but I had already fucked up one lasagna, and I wanted this one to be extra crowd-pleasing, and A and R both prefer meltier cheese to harder cheese*******.

The lasagna sat in the oven for awhile, and when it was brown and bubbly and looked like it was prepared for all the eating, I took it out and let it sit. Since I had to do something to keep myself idle rather than tear into the burning-hot, boiling vat of cheese and meat with my barre tender hands, I decided it was time to make garlic bread.

I melted a stick of butter with four cloves of smashed garlic and fortified it with some oil. I added some salt, some chili flakes, some dried “Italian Herbs” (why not?) and some garlic powder, which I find is a pretty good way to draw people’s attention to actual garlic in a recipe like this one. It’s like it says “hey, see how good I am at pretending to be this thing, well have you noticed that your tongue is surrounded by THE ACTUAL REAL THING?” and then you notice and then it’s all garlic everything and instead of just eating fatty bread with allium tendencies you are eating Garlic Fucking Bread and it is great. I dipped the pieces of bread into the butter/oil/garlic concoction and lined them up on a sheet tray. I skipped the parmesan because of all the cheese in the lasagna, but there’s usually cheese at this point also. I ran it under the broiler until it was toasty and brown, the end.

The garlic bread was great, although I used a bread I don’t usually use so it was a little crunchier than normal. It made a nice truncheon for the leftover sauce in the lasagna. The lasagna was great. Using somewhat thicker noodles an da thicker layer of cheese made the thing seem a little bit more substantial and less like a kind of gloppy excuse to eat a bunch of hot cheese (which, to be fair, is mostly what it was regardless). The salad played very nicely, and the ranch actually complemented the lasagna rather nicely, rather than fighting with it in a sort of “salad bar” way. It was a rousing success, and the leftovers were a delight for the next few days.

* I mean, it’s still in the freezer, so it may someday prove itself useful. Who knows.

** more considered recipes use chicken livers because they’re milder and provide the same iron-ish richness, but I actually kind of like the weird organ-y flavor so I just use whatever liver I happen to have available and am generally happy about it. In this case they were calf livers.

*** oh also, grinding livers is a disgusting, hideous process and it’s very important when you do so to not think about what it ends up resembling.

**** I couldn’t get everything together soon enough in the day to do it on the stove or in the oven, which is why this is a weird two-stop process, but this is a fine way to get it out there, especially when it’s there for lasagna, and will therefore be surrounded by cheese and noodles, and the texture is somewhat less important than it would be if I were just, say, dumping this over some tagliatelle.

***** the tendency to just make ranch dressing whenevs has really improved my life, since I don’t have to keep any more around than I absolutely need, and since I can vary the flavor profile from instance to instance.

****** the lasagna noodles were going to take up some liquid, and I was going to cook it uncovered so that it browned up quicker, which would also cost it some free moisture.

******* trust me when I tell you that their attitudes toward dry, hard, old Italian cheese baffle and perplex me, and I do not understand them at all, but I trust that they are not lying, because how would you pretend to be unimpressed by peccorino romano?