Porthos
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Local food specialtiesI live on the Central California coast, where we have a mediterranean climate. The local cuisine features a lot of homegrown specialities, such as our wines, and strawberries, and local cattle, etc, along with the seafood from our shores. The traditional food of the area is that of a unique "Californian" cuisine, which is itself a mixture of French, Spanish, Italian, American southwestern/Mexican elements. We're also home to a lot of southwestern cooking and of course, loads upon loads of Mexican food.
One of my favorite things to do around here at this time of the year is to go surfing at the beach, run into a heated car, go offroading, and then retire to a warm bowl of the local clam chowder and a cup of joe at the Splash Cafe. At the beach, there's a lot of hot dog and burger stands, taco stands, small cafes, and seafood joints with delicious fish and chips.
I must say that I love the cold weather we're having at the present moment. It provides a perfect opportunity for cuddling. 
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Benjamin [inactive]
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I'm not Scottish yet, but I think that this thread provides an opportunity to mention the most famous food from Scotland — haggis; it always seems to amuse people anyway:
I've never eaten it, but here is how it's made:
1. Take the heart, liver and lungs of a lamb
2. Mince with onion, oatmeal, spices, salt and raw lamb fat
3. Mix with lamb stock
4. Put the mixture inside the lamb's stomach and boil it for an hour
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Irrintzi
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Hams of Bayonne:
Hot peppers of Espellette
The cheeses (ewes):
The basque cake (gâteau basque)
Poulet basquaise
The Hake
Las tortillas:
Izarra (the star):
Patxaran:
Cidre basque (with apple):
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Uriel
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Green chile, green chile, and green chile.
Oh, and anything made with green chile.
Chile relleno -- a whole green chile split, stuffed with cheese, battered, and deep fried
Green chile stew (caldillo), with flour tortillas for dipping
Even the fast food places offer it as a matter of course!
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Joanne
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Living in the NJ/NY area is kind of like living in a bubble, and I'm well aware the rest of the US is a lot different from this place, but....
Dude, I saw four Starbucks with drive-thrus two weeks ago in Miami and San Antonio!  Starbucks? Drive-thrus? When did this happen? The whole point of Starbucks is to get your lattés and lounge around pretentiously debating the finer points of Kant and Marx, surely? 
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Deborah
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| Quote: | | Green chile, green chile, and green chile. |
I think they eat pescado en salsa verde (fish in green sauce) everywhere in the Spanish-speaking world, but I like the Mexican* version best, since there are green chiles in the sauce.
* Also Salvadoran, I guess, since I've had this spicy salsa verde also in Salvadoran restaurants. But in the Mission district in San Francisco, there are lots of restaurants that advertise their cocina as "Mexicana y Salvadoreña", so I'm not always sure which country a particular dish is from.
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Pauline
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Here's some Belgian food:
The belgian prime Minister:  
 
 
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Deborah
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Pommes frites, moules, bière, chocolat — aren’t those 4 of the 5 major food groups?
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Travis
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This is less a local food specialty (I'm not really sure if we have any such things here, aside from the usual Midwestern fare, which I would not necessarily call local food specialties) and rather a traditional food-related practice here in Wisconsin (it is particularly prevalent here in the Milwaukee area, but one can find it in other parts of Wisconsin as well) is the Friday night fish fry. It is basically going out to eat (usually fried, hence the name) fish (generally cod, even though one may have other options of fish as well) on Friday nights. Often places that do not normally serve fish will serve fried and breaded cod on Fridays for dinner here, and many places that do serve fish to begin with will serve it for less than usual on Fridays for dinner.
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Yelina
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Here are some parts of the Breton Gastronomy:
This is the famous "crêpes" everyone knows. The traditional ones are the ones on the left, called "Crêpes de blé noir", whereas most people only knows the ones on the right called "Crêpes de froment".
This cake is called "Kouign-Amann", which means "gâteau au beurre". It's delicious but so much caloric!!! 
This is a "gateau breton". It's really good, but sometimes it's a bit dry.
This is a "far breton". I prefer it without the prunes! 
This is an alcohol called "Chouchenn". It's made with honey fermented.
We also have our Coke, called "Breizh Cola".
There are other things, but I can't enumerate everything! 
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Pauline
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Yelina
those foods and drinks look delicious!!!
Can you speak breton? Brezhoneg it's called, or something similar I think. I can't speak wallon, but I can understand it; I didn't learn it at school (it's not a subject) and in my family we don't speak it since some generations.
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Yelina
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| Quote: | | those foods and drinks look delicious!!! |
And they really are!!
| Quote: | | Can you speak breton? Brezhoneg it's called, or something similar I think. I can't speak wallon, but I can understand it; I didn't learn it at school (it's not a subject) and in my family we don't speak it since some generations. |
Yes, Breton in Breton is "Brezhoneg"
Unfortunately, I don't speak it. I just know some words, but that's all. I started to learn the figures with my grand-mother, but I couldn't learn more as she passed away.
I may try to learn it next year at University? It will depend on several things, but if I can, I'll do!
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André in Zuid-Afrika
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The older members already know about it, but no thread about local food can be complete without these.... and I'm sure our new members would like to know about it. 
Biltong (top_
and droewors (below)
And I guess I can add these as well... beskuit (rusks)
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André in Zuid-Afrika
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| Yelina wrote: | Here are some parts of the Breton Gastronomy:
This is the famous "crêpes" everyone knows. The traditional ones are the ones on the left, called "Crêpes de blé noir", whereas most people only knows the ones on the right called "Crêpes de froment".
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Our version of it....pannekoek! It's thicker and bigger than crêpes, and eaten with a variety of fillings (as on the pic) or with brown sugar.
Click to see full size image
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Yelina
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| Quote: | The older members already know about it, but no thread about local food can be complete without these.... and I'm sure our new members would like to know about it.
Biltong (top_
and droewors (below)
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Are these things a kind of sausage? What does their taste look like?
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Yelina
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| Quote: | Our version of it....pannekoek! It's thicker and bigger than crêpes, and eaten with a variety of fillings (as on the pic) or with brown sugar.
Click to see full size image |
It doesn't seem bad!
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André in Zuid-Afrika
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Biltong is strips of raw meat (cut in a very specific way), spiced and hanged out to dry (which takes about two weeks). Droewors is sausages (raw), yes, which are also spiced and hanged out to dry. Delicious!!  
It tastes, well, meaty and spicy!!
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André in Zuid-Afrika
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We usually cut biltong into pieces like this before eating it.
Some people prefer it still reddish inside, called "wet" biltong. (I like it dry as well as "wet")
But you can also take a whole piece, and then cut small pieces from it with a knife as you eat it.
This is practically our national food, everybody loves it!
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Yelina
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Well, actually they don't look appetizing. I'm not sure I'd ever try this if I went to South-Africa (unless I'm starving! ). Though many dishes don't necessarily look appetizing, they're delicious, then, if it's the national food, I'd try it! 
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André in Zuid-Afrika
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| Yelina wrote: | | Well, actually they don't look appetizing. I'm not sure I'd ever try this if I went to South-Africa (unless I'm starving! ). Though many dishes don't necessarily look appetizing, they're delicious, then, if it's the national food, I'd try it! |
You'll have to, it's compulsary! You'll hurt our feelings if you don't...  
And besides, everybody will keep offering it to you, so you'll have to eat it just to stop them nagging!! 
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Uriel
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I assume it tastes much like jerky?
I like my meat rare, so raw probably wouldn't bother me, as long as it's red meat.
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Deborah
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Yelina, there's a restaurant in San Francisco called Ti Couz that specializes in Bretagne-style crepes. They use buckwheat flour (ble noir) for the savory crepe and white flour for dessert crepes. I think the food is excellent, but, not have been to Bretagne, I have nothing to compare it with.
It's a very popular restaurant that doesn't take reservations, so you can wait quite awhile on weekend nights. The only thing I don't like is the noise level.
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André in Zuid-Afrika
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| Uriel wrote: | I assume it tastes much like jerky?
I like my meat rare, so raw probably wouldn't bother me, as long as it's red meat. |
Yeh, it's similar to jerky, but not quite the same. Ifyou eat jerky, you'll eat biltong. Of course, though it's eaten raw, it doesn't taste since it's dried. If you like your meat rare, you'd probably like "wet" biltong.
I looked at a few jerky recipes now, and the way it's prepared as well differs quite a bit from biltong. Also, biltong is left in a cool room to dry (for about two weeks), while jerky seems to be put in a hot oven to dry.
| Quote: | 2 lbs. of flank steak
2/3 cup of soy sauce
2/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons of seasoning salt (recommend Lawry's)
Slice flank steak diagonally with the grain of the meat into very thin slices (If slightly frozen it slices more easily). Combine ingredients and marinate meat overnight or 12 hours. Be sure all pieces are covered (coated) with marinade. Drain excess marinade. Place meat on paper towels to soak up marinade. Meat should be squeezed as dry as possible in paper towels. Place individual pieces of meat on rack in oven at 140 to 160 degrees for seven to 12 hours, or until meat is dry throughout. Leave oven door ajar (slightly open) during the drying process. Meat can also be hung in the oven by placing a wooden toothpick in each piece and strung from the rack. Store finished jerky in an airtight container.
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Biltong recipe
| Quote: | 3 cups coarse salt (not table salt or sea salt but the big lumpy salt)
2 cups soft brown sugar
5 ml bicarbonate of soda (this softens the meat)
2.5 ml coarsely ground black pepper
12.5 ml coarsely ground roasted coriander seeds
1.5 cups brown vinegar mixed with 100ml Worcestershire sauce.
Cut the meat into strips of approximately 1cm thickness.
Layer in a bowl with the vinegar mix for ½ hour.
Mix all dry spices together.
Roll meat in the mixed dry spices in a CLEAN bowl.
Allow meat to draw in its own brine for 3 hours.(thicker pieces to the bottom)
Remove meat and put back into vinegar mix for +/- 10 minutes.
Remove again and wipe meat with same vinegar to make sure NO SALT sticks to the meat.
Squeeze meat with your hand to get rid of as much liquid as possible.
Hang until ready.
I also noted that the jerky recipe says that the jerky should be placed in an airtight container. You don't need to do this with biltong, it keeps for months if you just keep it in a cool room.
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André in Zuid-Afrika
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Found this article, from the Christian Science Monitor.
Biltong: much more than just a snack
Don't equate South Africa's biltong with beef jerky. Biltong is much more than just a food.
By Stephanie Hanes | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – I was at a party when I first encountered biltong. It was in a pretty little bowl next to the crudités and brie wheel, brownish slivers of dried meat with spices stuck to the edges. I was new to the country, so was curious about these chewy, salty morsels placed so proudly on the table.
"Is that a type of beef jerky?" I asked my friend, another American, as I pointed.
She started laughing.
"Oh, my goodness, don't ever say that to a South African," she exclaimed. Then she lowered her voice. "It's biltong. They take it very seriously."
After I had lived here awhile, I started to understand.
Biltong, you see, is much more than a food. It is history and nationalism and neighborhood pride; the quiet of safari game drives and the chaos of South Africa's cities; the memories of refrigeratorless villages and the nostalgia of long-ago braais, or barbecues. When South African expatriates dream of their sunny home, the salty, smoky taste of biltong creeps onto their tongues.
"Biltong is this unifying thing among South Africans," says Caroline McCann, owner of Braeside Meat Market in Johannesburg. "You go anywhere in the world and say, 'I've got biltong,' and you'll get 10 South Africans running toward you."
To equate it with a Slim Jim, then, is blasphemous.
The word "biltong" is a combination of the Afrikaans words bil (rump) and tong (tongue or strip). According to legend, the Voortrekkers of the mid-1800s - those Afrikaners who left farms in the British-controlled Cape Colony to find new land in Zulu-controlled areas - tied strips of meat on their ox carts as they made their way across the subcontinent. They cured those slabs with vinegar, abundant in the wine-producing Cape region.
But biltong is not just an Afrikaans food. Many black villages in rural South Africa make their own biltong - it is a way to keep meat fresh without refrigeration. In the townships, some people fry biltong and add it to the tomato dressing traditionally served over pap, the maize porridge that is South Africa's staple starch. In urban Johannesburg and Cape Town, it is served in the top restaurants. Today there is even biltong pâté and biltong cheese spread.
I have become increasingly familiar with biltong. It is sold in grocery stores and butcheries, at roadside stands and specialty shops. In Johannesburg's malls, there are even biltong stores next to trendy clothing stores.
I have ordered biltong in salads, where the dried meat was mixed with baby greens, roasted butternut squash, and goat cheese. I have tasted it in pastas with sun-dried tomatoes. I have eaten it plain on camping trips. When I went to Kruger National Park on safari, our game ranger served it in a bowl next to dried mangoes, placed on a crisp white tablecloth.
"Everywhere you go in South Africa, you'll find biltong on sale," Ms. McCann says.
Of course, she adds, hers is the best.
But what exactly is biltong, I ask her. And what makes it good? Or bad? Or chewy, soft, hard, or crisp?
McCann beams. She loves talking about biltong. Biltong can come from any sort of animal. Venison and ostrich are popular choices, but beef is the old faithful. Good butchers use the silverside cut, she says, which is part of the leg. They carefully trim it of fat and sinews, douse it with spices and vinegar, and then let it hang for four hours. Next, it's moved into a drying machine. It is never cooked, just "well pickled."
The meat stays in the dryer for two days in summer*, one day in winter. Then it is hung up to air-dry for a bit longer in order to get to the proper moisture level - the longer it hangs, the drier it tastes.
Biltong comes in various states of chewy. Some is hard enough to snap; other pieces are as moist as a rare piece of meat.
"Every person has a different take on biltong," McCann says. "Personally, I like mine as if it were a medium steak."
Everyone in South Africa also has a favorite source for the dried meat. Almost all biltong is seasoned with some combination of brown vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and coriander. But usually butchers put in "a little something extra," says McCann. And that something else - which accounts for the differences from source to source - tends to stay secret, she says.
At the R&M Butchery in Johannesburg's Dunkeld neighborhood, Johnny Van Loggerenberg lists the nonmeat ingredients for his shop's popular biltong as "pepper, salt, and coriander."
"Anything else?" I ask.
He just smiles.
Mr. Van Loggerenbert says he sells about 330 pounds of biltong a week. Sometimes he packages it for South Africans going to visit biltongless friends and family members abroad - a skill, since most foreign customs agents are not keen on uncooked African meat entering their countries. "We vacuum-pack it, and people put it in between their clothes," he explains.
Across the R&M meat counter, Gerry Arnold clutches a bag newly filled with beef biltong. He is visiting from Canada.
"I haven't tried it yet," he says. "They told me I must try it," he adds, gesturing at the South African business associates who brought him here.
McCann agrees: Every visitor to South Africa should taste this specialty.
"It's biltong," she says. "It's part of us."
* REAL homemade biltong is not put in a dryer.
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Yelina
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| Deborah wrote: | Yelina, there's a restaurant in San Francisco called Ti Couz that specializes in Bretagne-style crepes. They use buckwheat flour (ble noir) for the savory crepe and white flour for dessert crepes. I think the food is excellent, but, not have been to Bretagne, I have nothing to compare it with.
It's a very popular restaurant that doesn't take reservations, so you can wait quite awhile on weekend nights. The only thing I don't like is the noise level. |
Hey, if I ever go to California, I'll definitely stop to this restaurant. If the runner is French, it's very likely he's from Britanny. Isn't the name rather "Ty Couz"? Because "ty" means "to someone's house" whereas "ti" doesn't exist.
How is the decoration inside the restaurant?
Personnaly, I don't like buckwheat flour crepes. That's a shame for a Breton girl!  Does this restaurant only serve crepes?
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Elaine
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Criadillas fritas (huevos de toro)
Real simple to make: Peel away the tough double skin, boil testicles in salted water, cool, cut into slices, dip in milk, roll in yolk batter, deep fry, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if you wish, serve.
You can also use lamb, goat, or calf testicles and turn them into bite size nuggets that you'll never find at McDonald's.
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Deborah
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| Elaine wrote: | | You can also use lamb, goat, or calf testicles and turn them into bite size nuggets that you'll never find at McDonald's. |
Lamb, goat or calf McBalls.
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Deborah
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| Yelina wrote: | | Deborah wrote: | Yelina, there's a restaurant in San Francisco called Ti Couz that specializes in Bretagne-style crepes. They use buckwheat flour (ble noir) for the savory crepe and white flour for dessert crepes. I think the food is excellent, but, not have been to Bretagne, I have nothing to compare it with.
It's a very popular restaurant that doesn't take reservations, so you can wait quite awhile on weekend nights. The only thing I don't like is the noise level. |
Hey, if I ever go to California, I'll definitely stop to this restaurant. If the runner is French, it's very likely he's from Britanny. Isn't the name rather "Ty Couz"? Because "ty" means "to someone's house" whereas "ti" doesn't exist.
How is the decoration inside the restaurant?
Personnaly, I don't like buckwheat flour crepes. That's a shame for a Breton girl! Does this restaurant only serve crepes? |
As for the spelling, I don't know why it's spelled "Ti". Maybe they thought Americans would pronounce "Ty" like "tie". (I read a novel that takes place in the Cajun region of Louisiana, where some of the characters were known as "Ti Jean" or "Ti Pierre", where "Ti" meant "petit". When I first saw the name "Ti Couz", I thought it must be some colloquial French way of saying "petit cousin".) By the way, how is the "y" in "ty" pronounced?
I believe the owner(s) is(are) from Brittany. There are lots of photos of Brittany in the restaurant. I'll post a link to the restaurant if I can find one that shows the decor.
They also sell soups, salads & some other dishes. I had a salade nicoise there that had a slight variation from the traditional: the tuna was grilled, fresh tuna, and it was delicious. I like the buckwheat crepes very much, just as I love American buckwheat pancakes.
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Deborah
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Yelina, I didn't find any good pictures of the interior of Ti Couz. However, I found one review in which they said that "Ti Couz" means "Old House". Is that possible?
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Elaine
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| Deborah wrote: | | Elaine wrote: | | You can also use lamb, goat, or calf testicles and turn them into bite size nuggets that you'll never find at McDonald's. |
Lamb, goat or calf McBalls. |
Excellent idea! I'll make that suggestion the next time I'm at McDs.
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André in Zuid-Afrika
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| Elaine wrote: | | Deborah wrote: | | Elaine wrote: | | You can also use lamb, goat, or calf testicles and turn them into bite size nuggets that you'll never find at McDonald's. |
Lamb, goat or calf McBalls. |
Excellent idea! I'll make that suggestion the next time I'm at McDs.
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Hmpf. ANother reason never to eat McDonalds.... 
BTW, am I the only one who hates McDonalds? (We joke here that the hamburger patties and chips (fries) are made in America and then faxed to the local stores...
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Loic
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| Quote: | | BTW, am I the only one who hates McDonalds? |
I am not too fond of the Golden Arches myself. However, it was not too long ago that I positively pestered my mother to bring me to McDonalds for a Happy Meal in order to collect whatever toy they have that comes along with the meal.
Sadly, I have too many of such toys. Ronald McDonald, Grimace and others whose names have slipped my mind.
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Deborah
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| Elaine wrote: | |
 Brav-oh, Elaine! You can be the new Julian whilst he's busy with his young.
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Uriel
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McDonald's is reputed to have the best-tasting fries in the industry, at least domestically. The only other country I've ever eaten McDonald's in is Japan, and their stuff tasted slightly different from the US version, so I bet it varies from country to country.
Re: biltong -- the famous Smithfield hams of Virginia and other "country" hams are dried and smoked, but not cooked during the process. Of course, being from a pig, they must be cooked before you can actually eat them, or you risk trichinosis (bear meat is the same).
I like my jerky teriyaki-flavored, so the idea of brown sugar and vinegar almost sounds appetizing.
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Elaine
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| Deborah wrote: | | Brav-oh, Elaine! You can be the new Julian whilst he's busy with his young. |
Well, I'll claim credit for the design concept, but I can't claim credit for the execution. I have a collaborator at our PR/Media Relations dept who'll do anything that I ask-- the sucker!! Just kidding, he's a sweet kid.
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André in Zuid-Afrika
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| Elaine wrote: | | Deborah wrote: | | Brav-oh, Elaine! You can be the new Julian whilst he's busy with his young. |
Well, I'll claim credit for the design concept, but I can't claim credit for the execution. I have a collaborator at our PR/Media Relations dept who'll do anything that I ask-- the sucker!! Just kidding, he's a sweet kid. |
Let's get serious here. Is he cute? 
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Elaine
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| André in Zuid-Afrika wrote: | | Elaine wrote: | | Deborah wrote: | | Brav-oh, Elaine! You can be the new Julian whilst he's busy with his young. |
Well, I'll claim credit for the design concept, but I can't claim credit for the execution. I have a collaborator at our PR/Media Relations dept who'll do anything that I ask-- the sucker!! Just kidding, he's a sweet kid. |
Let's get serious here. Is he cute? |
Yes, he's a really cute 19 or 20 year old Mexipino (or is it Jalapino?) who's still going to school full time while he interns here. What's so charming is how he blushes like a little boy whenever I flirt with him.
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André in Zuid-Afrika
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| Elaine wrote: | | André in Zuid-Afrika wrote: | | Elaine wrote: | | Deborah wrote: | | Brav-oh, Elaine! You can be the new Julian whilst he's busy with his young. |
Well, I'll claim credit for the design concept, but I can't claim credit for the execution. I have a collaborator at our PR/Media Relations dept who'll do anything that I ask-- the sucker!! Just kidding, he's a sweet kid. |
Let's get serious here. Is he cute? |
Yes, he's a really cute 19 or 20 year old Mexipino (or is it Jalapino?) who's still going to school full time while he interns here. What's so charming is how he blushes like a little boy whenever I flirt with him. |
 Well, can you blame him!?
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Uriel
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| Elaine wrote: | | André in Zuid-Afrika wrote: | | Elaine wrote: | | Deborah wrote: | | Brav-oh, Elaine! You can be the new Julian whilst he's busy with his young. |
Well, I'll claim credit for the design concept, but I can't claim credit for the execution. I have a collaborator at our PR/Media Relations dept who'll do anything that I ask-- the sucker!! Just kidding, he's a sweet kid. |
Let's get serious here. Is he cute? |
Yes, he's a really cute 19 or 20 year old Mexipino (or is it Jalapino?) who's still going to school full time while he interns here. What's so charming is how he blushes like a little boy whenever I flirt with him. |
What is that -- from Jalisco by way of Manila?
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Yelina
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| Uriel wrote: | | McDonald's is reputed to have the best-tasting fries in the industry, at least domestically. The only other country I've ever eaten McDonald's in is Japan, and their stuff tasted slightly different from the US version, so I bet it varies from country to country. |
Indeed, there's not the same things in each country. For example, in Spain they suggest many more salads than in France, and in Hungary they had just one hamburger similar to those here. Furthermore, I read in a book that Macdonald's tends to offer "local hamburgers". They meant that for instance, in the Middle-East countries, they sell hamburgers made with lamb instead of beef.
I don't know if this measure has been taken elsewhere, but now in France, they have to reduce the rate of calories in the sauces, in the hamburgers. They also suggest salads instead of chips and fruits as dessert, whereas few months ago it was still the high calories stuffs.
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Yelina
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| Deborah wrote: |
As for the spelling, I don't know why it's spelled "Ti". Maybe they thought Americans would pronounce "Ty" like "tie". (I read a novel that takes place in the Cajun region of Louisiana, where some of the characters were known as "Ti Jean" or "Ti Pierre", where "Ti" meant "petit". When I first saw the name "Ti Couz", I thought it must be some colloquial French way of saying "petit cousin".) By the way, how is the "y" in "ty" pronounced? |
Councerning "ti", I did a research and it turned out that we can write the both ways "ti" and "ty". "Ty" is pronounced like "ti". I don't know how we say "cousin", but petit is the word "bihan". You're right, "ty couz" could have meant "petit cousin" in colloquial French even if we'd rather "p'ti"!
| Deborah wrote: | | Yelina, I didn't find any good pictures of the interior of Ti Couz. However, I found one review in which they said that "Ti Couz" means "Old House". Is that possible? |
Well, given that I don't speak Breton, I may be mistaken, but I don't think it means "Old House". I'll ask Bretonspeakers to be sure.
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André in Zuid-Afrika
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| Uriel wrote: | McDonald's is reputed to have the best-tasting fries in the industry, at least domestically. The only other country I've ever eaten McDonald's in is Japan, and their stuff tasted slightly different from the US version, so I bet it varies from country to country.
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Well, I can report it's terrible in Holland, London and South Africa!
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Pauline
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| André in Zuid-Afrika wrote: | | Uriel wrote: | McDonald's is reputed to have the best-tasting fries in the industry, at least domestically. The only other country I've ever eaten McDonald's in is Japan, and their stuff tasted slightly different from the US version, so I bet it varies from country to country.
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Well, I can report it's terrible in Holland, London and South Africa! |
In Belgium as well 
One time we went in the car some hours and we were extremely hungry so we went to McDonald's. It was inetretsing to see it but it was horrible!!! Nasty chairs and tables (ugly) and the hamburger and fries tasted absolutly yuck!!! i like fries who're bigger and not thin, fake ones.
For such food (fast food) I'd prefer kebab or nice fries from fries shop.
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Elaine
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| André in Zuid-Afrika wrote: | | BTW, am I the only one who hates McDonalds? (We joke here that the hamburger patties and chips (fries) are made in America and then faxed to the local stores... |
I like McDonald's salads-- Asian Salad, Southwestern Salad, Fruit and Walnuts-- being my favorites. Although, I prefer Burger King's salads, especially their Chicken Caesar.
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Yelina
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Deborah, I made inquiries about "Ti Couz". I asked my father and he told me that "old house" is "Ty Coz". So, I don't know why it's written "couz", but you were right.
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André in Zuid-Afrika
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Now this is what a burger should look like...
Produced by Steers, a South African steakhouse chain
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Joanne
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My, that looks like a very tasty myocardial infarction!
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Joanne
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Burger, I mean.
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Uriel
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Every time I go to the grocery store (once every week or two), I have to check out the Weird Cheeses of the World fridge (my name, not theirs). I love cheese. Not all cheese -- I've had some that went straight from the bag to my mouth to the trash. Brie, for example. Everyone else loves it; I think it smells like feet, and doesn't taste much better. But I digress.
Personal faves:
Goat cheese. You can't go wrong! I just found it in Provencal-herbed crumbles -- those may not even make it onto the salad! We have a NM organic goat cheese outfit that makes the best herbed cheese inthe world, but after it got to be $13 for a little jar, I had to say mahhhhhbe not. Mine comes from Albertson's these days.
Asadero -- MMMMMMmmmmm! Like Mexican Muenster.
Dubliner -- semihard, pale, and a little bit sweet and nutty. To die for!
Feta. Again, I just eat it out of the package. I don't know what all that salt is doing to my blood pressure, and I don't care. There's a local brewery that uses it to make fancy spinach-tortilla quesadillas, with walnuts and artichoke dip on the side -- lord have mercy!
Cheshire. Not bad. A lot like Cheddar.
Today I tried something new -- triple cream Bergenost. Norwegian butter cheese. Ate it with a Pacific Rose apple -- scrumptious!
Domestically, my favorites are sharp NY Cheddar and the all-purpose Co-Jack (marbled Colby and Monterrey Jack cheeses).
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André in Zuid-Afrika
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Oooohhh, I love cheese!!
I eat all kinds of cheese, but Gouda and feta are my favourites.
Biltong eclairs with cottage cheese....YUMMY!!!
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André in Zuid-Afrika
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Now, if anyone wants to send me a gift, a hamper like this will do...
It consists of....
2 x Biltong 75gm pre-pack, 1 x Chilli Bites 75gm pre-pack, 2 x Droewors 75gm pre-pack, 1 x Stukkies Biltong 75gm pre-pack, 1 x Game 75gm pre-pack, 1 x Springbok 25gm Pre-packs, 1 x Kudu 25gm Pre-packs, 1 x Ostrich 25gm Pre-packs, 1 x NikNaks Cheese 175gm, 1 x Nandos Extra Hot Peri-Peri Sauce 125g, 1 x All Gold Tomato Sauce 375ml, 1 x Zoo Biscuits 150gm, 1 x Provita Bakers 250gm, 1 x All Gold Fig Tin Jam, 1 x Aromat Seasoning 75gm, 1 x Liquorice Allsorts Mini 75g from Beacon, 1 x Guava Fruit Rolls 80gm, 1 x Jelly Tots 100g Wilsons, 1 x Smarties 61g, 1 x pack of 5 Mixed Fizz Pop, 1 x pack of 5 Mixed Fizzers Beacon, 1 x Mild 470gm Mrs Balls Chutney, 1 x Jungle Oats 500gm, 1 x Tennis Biscuits 200gm, 1 x Romany-Creams 200gm, 1 x Buttermilk 500gm Ouma Rusks, 1 x pack of 5 Chappies-Fruit Gum, 1 x pack of 5 Wick Bubble Gum
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Pauline
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| André in Zuid-Afrika wrote: | | Now, if anyone wants to send me a gift, a hamper like this will do... |
Geen probleem : hier heb je er drie - drie betalen twee halen nee, ik bedoel twee betalen drie halen!!!!
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Uriel
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Well, I'll need some more information first:
2 x Biltong 75gm pre-pack,
1 x Chilli Bites 75gm pre-pack,
2 x Droewors 75gm pre-pack,
1 x Stukkies Biltong 75gm pre-pack,
Okay, we've established what biltong and droewors are, but what are chilli bites? (And is droewors something like "dry wurst"?)
1 x Game 75gm pre-pack,
1 x Springbok 25gm Pre-packs,
1 x Kudu 25gm Pre-packs,
1 x Ostrich 25gm Pre-packs,
What kind of game, and do springbok and kudu really taste that different? (Deer meat, for example, really tastes much like lean beef.)
Ostrich I've had, and I found it bland. There was a big fad for a while to farm ostrich and emu here, but it died out.
1 x NikNaks Cheese 175gm,
What's this?
1 x Nandos Extra Hot Peri-Peri Sauce 125g,
What's that?
1 x All Gold Tomato Sauce 375ml,
Oh, right, the low-rent ketchup.
1 x Zoo Biscuits 150gm,
Sounds like animal crackers!
1 x Provita Bakers 250gm,
????
1 x All Gold Fig Tin Jam,
Hmm, Fig Newtons without the crust....
1 x Aromat Seasoning 75gm,
What?
1 x Liquorice Allsorts Mini 75g from Beacon,
I can take licorice or leave it, really. My mom likes it, though.
1 x Guava Fruit Rolls 80gm,
I used to get the best guava paste from the ghetto grocery store!
1 x Jelly Tots 100g Wilsons,
I bet these are like Dots.
1 x Smarties 61g,
I think we established that these are like our SweeTarts.
1 x pack of 5 Mixed Fizz Pop,
1 x pack of 5 Mixed Fizzers Beacon,
Sounds like firecrackers!
1 x Mild 470gm Mrs Balls Chutney,
1 x Jungle Oats 500gm,
Jungle oats? Do I want to know?
1 x Tennis Biscuits 200gm,
Tennis biscuits?
1 x Romany-Creams 200gm,
Which are....?
1 x Buttermilk 500gm Ouma Rusks,
Eh?
1 x pack of 5 Chappies-Fruit Gum,
1 x pack of 5 Wick Bubble Gum
Okay, gum I understand!
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André in Zuid-Afrika
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| Uriel wrote: | Well, I'll need some more information first:
2 x Biltong 75gm pre-pack,
1 x Chilli Bites 75gm pre-pack,
2 x Droewors 75gm pre-pack,
1 x Stukkies Biltong 75gm pre-pack,
Okay, we've established what biltong and droewors are, but what are chilli bites? (And is droewors something like "dry wurst"?) |
Chilli bites are biltong, but chilli flavoured. I don't like it much. They're thinly cut, unlike real biltong. You also get garlic and pepper.
Yes, droewors (dry sausage) is simply a sausage which has been dried (and with certain spices added)
| Quote: | ]1 x Game 75gm pre-pack,
1 x Springbok 25gm Pre-packs,
1 x Kudu 25gm Pre-packs,
1 x Ostrich 25gm Pre-packs,
What kind of game, and do springbok and kudu really taste that different? (Deer meat, for example, really tastes much like lean beef.) |
I'm not sure why they differentiate between game on the one hand and springbok and kudu on the other hand. I would assume the biltong is sliced and a mixture of various kinds of game biltong. Springbok meat is finer than kudu, and more tasty.
| Quote: | Ostrich I've had, and I found it bland. There was a big fad for a while to farm ostrich and emu here, but it died out.
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It's not easy to prepare ostrich without it tasting bland. I only buy pre-prepared ostrich meat, it's just too difficult to get it right. It's very popular here (and very healthy). Properly prepared, it's excellent.
| Quote: | | 1 x NikNaks Cheese 175gm, |
Chips (crisps). It has a cheese flavour.
| Quote: | What's this?
1 x Nandos Extra Hot Peri-Peri Sauce 125g, |
Sauce produced for local chicken fast food (takeaway/takeout) chain. Very popular.
| Quote: | What's that?
1 x All Gold Tomato Sauce 375ml,
Oh, right, the low-rent ketchup. |
| Quote: | 1 x Zoo Biscuits 150gm,
Sounds like animal crackers!
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Biscuits with icing, and animal figures (in icing) on top. Very nice. Haven't had those since I was a kid, I should get some!
| Quote: | 1 x Provita Bakers 250gm,
???? |
Very healthy, very popular. Eaten with all kinds of toppings. Great with cheese, fish paste, Marmite, boiled egg, or simply with butter.
| Quote: | 1 x All Gold Fig Tin Jam,
Hmm, Fig Newtons without the crust.... |
Nope, it's jam (jelly).
| Quote: | 1 x Aromat Seasoning 75gm,
What? |
Popular seasoning, we use it in all kinds of meat dishes. Gives a lovely flavour. Also used on potato chips.
| Quote: | 1 x Liquorice Allsorts Mini 75g from Beacon,
I can take licorice or leave it, really. My mom likes it, though. |
This isn't just liquorice, it's liquorice with candy.
| Quote: | 1 x Guava Fruit Rolls 80gm,
I used to get the best guava paste from the ghetto grocery store! |
This isn't paste. It's dried fruit.
| Quote: | 1 x Jelly Tots 100g Wilsons,
I bet these are like Dots.
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A jelly sweet, coated with sugar. Softer that Dots (we have something the same as your Dots, I forget its name.)
| Quote: | 1 x Smarties 61g,
I think we established that these are like our SweeTarts. |
More like your M&M's, I would say. Chocolate inside.
| Quote: | 1 x pack of 5 Mixed Fizz Pop,
1 x pack of 5 Mixed Fizzers Beacon,
Sounds like firecrackers! |
Sort of!!
Fizz Pop has sherbet inside.
Fizzers has a ... well... fizzy taste.
| Quote: | 1 x Mild 470gm Mrs Balls Chutney,
1 x Jungle Oats 500gm,
Jungle oats? Do I want to know? |
Breakfast serial.
| Quote: | ]1 x Tennis Biscuits 200gm,
Tennis biscuits? |
Sweet biscuits, eaten with tea. Also used in tarts.
| Quote: | 1 x Romany-Creams 200gm,
Which are....? |
Chocolate cookie
| Quote: | 1 x Buttermilk 500gm Ouma Rusks,
Eh? |
Rusks are rectangular, hard, dry biscuits, baked like bread and then dried. It's eaten with coffee (you dip it in the coffee) and often serves as a quick breakfast. There are various flavours, but I would say buttermilk is the most popular. Many people (like me) like to eat it fresh from the oven, still hot, with butter. Lovely! (Ouma is Grandma)
| Quote: | 1 x pack of 5 Chappies-Fruit Gum,
1 x pack of 5 Wick Bubble Gum
Okay, gum I understand! |
Whew, thank goodness!! This post took a lot of work!!   
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Uriel
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That's right, Smarties = m & m's.
Did you know that they have made white chocolate M & M's? "Pirate Pearls -- product tie-in to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Sadly, they sound much better than they taste. I was unimpressed. And I really like white chocolate!
We have crispbread, too. Sort of like a bigger cracker, or like Melba toast.
I've seen fig jam, but never tried it. Wasn't a big fan of Fig Newtons (in which that is the filling).
We have fruit roll-ups and licorice all-sorts as well. (I think the licorice flavor overwhelms the other candy component, so I lump it in with regular licorice.) No guava flavor in our fruit roll-ups, though -- our common fruit candy flavors tend to be apple, lemon, orange, strawberry, raspberry, stuff like that. Only if you buy Mexican candy do you start seeing things like mango, tamarind, guava, etc.
Pretty sure I would love the Tennis biscuits, since I worship coconut! And the Romany creams -- that goes without saying.
The rusks -- well, I suppose I should try one before I pass judgment. Biscotti are good, after all -- but they're sweet ....
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André in Zuid-Afrika
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| Uriel wrote: | That's right, Smarties = m & m's.
Did you know that they have made white chocolate M & M's? "Pirate Pearls -- product tie-in to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Sadly, they sound much better than they taste. I was unimpressed. And I really like white chocolate! |
Pity, I like white chocolate too. We had M&M's here for a while as well, but they lost the fight against Smarties! Some stores still carry them, though.
| Quote: | | I've seen fig jam, but never tried it. Wasn't a big fan of Fig Newtons (in which that is the filling). |
Try it, it's wonderful!
| Quote: | | Pretty sure I would love the Tennis biscuits, since I worship coconut! And the Romany creams -- that goes without saying. |
Tennis biscuits are nice, and if you like coconut, you'll love them, there's a definite coconut aftertaste. And Romany Creams are delicious (the cookies itself have a chocolate taste, and there's melted chocolate (actual chocolate) between the two layers.
| Quote: | | The rusks -- well, I suppose I should try one before I pass judgment. Biscotti are good, after all -- but they're sweet .... |
Buttermilk rusks have a somewhat sweetish taste too. I'm not all that keen on hard rusks, I prefer them hot from the oven.
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Uriel
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Right now all the major chocolate companies in the US are on this gourmet, high-cacao content kick. And I mean not just the top quality ones like Ghirardelli and Dove and Target's fussy little Choxie brand, but frickin' Hershey's, even -- usually a purveyor of low-quality milk chocolate for the masses. Now they're touting special bars that are 60, 70, 80% cacao, and even specifying where it came from -- Tanzania versus Madagascar. It's turning into the new coffee.
Personally, I like my chocolate adulterated with sugar and milk -- and nuts, and fruit and coconut and coffee and anything else you can add to it -- I like dark chocolate too (what you would probably call bittersweet), but when it gets TOO pure it also gets bitter and untasty -- like those terribly traumatic childhood experiences where I bit into my mother's unattended baking chocolate and got a nasty surprise....
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Deborah
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Back to cheese...before I stopped eating the stuff, my favorite all-purpose cheese was Jarlsburg (berg?) from Norway. A couple of cheeses I liked very much which were less common in the US were Manchego (Spain) and Leyden (Holland), which has cumin seeds -- mm, mm, mm!
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Uriel
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You know, I've never tried any of those. (Due to my strong aversion ot cumin, I'll have to pass on the Leyden, I'm afraid!)
Havarti -- now that's a wonderful cheese!
But Camembert -- I'm afraid that's back in nasty Brie territory.
And I love bleu cheese when I don't think about it or look too closely....
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Deborah
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| Uriel wrote: | | Right now all the major chocolate companies in the US are on this gourmet, high-cacao content kick. [] Now they're touting special bars that are 60, 70, 80% cacao, and even specifying where it came from -- Tanzania versus Madagascar. |
Since I've been eating the bars that contain 70-75% cacao because they make me feel better, my tastes have changed, and now anything less than 70% just tastes too sweet. Green & Black's dark chocolate with hazelnuts and currants, which used to be one of my favorites, falls into that category.
My favorite brand now is Endangered Species chocolate, and my favorite flavors are Supreme Dark Chocolate:
and dark chocolate with raspberries:
[img]http://www.chocolatebar.com/shop/pc/catalog/grizzly_large.jpg
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