[Sca-cooks] OT: And From Our File of Ancient Traditions You NeverHeard Of, #716

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On Jan 28, 2009, at 4:52 PM, edoard at medievalcookery.com wrote:

>
>
>> -------- Original Message --------
>> From: "Kingstaste"
>>
>> If 'accident' is what you want to call it, then fine, but I believe  
>> you've
>> started a new tradition of your own, specifically honoring the  
>> kitchen god.
>> (Or maybe the take-out god?)
>
> It's in honor of the Restaurant kitchen god, as opposed to the home
> kitchen god.  Y'know, sort of like an amateur vs. professional thing.
>
> - Doc

My own belief is that this is about adding savor to the person's life  
for the upcoming year, but with the added dimension of long-term  
portability.

It's like eating lop-cheung, the preserved sausages, with the fish for  
the New Year: the fish represents regeneration and quick healing, and  
the sausage, which is preserved, means these qualities will last a  
long time.

Now they'll last a long time, and can be easily packed and transported.

It was kinda funny: each year we make the much-discussed jai, a.k.a.  
Presbyterian Delight, and there are usually leftovers, since somehow,  
unaccountably, big shrimp wrapped in bacon, that sort of thing, tend  
to be more popular. Well, a common treatment for leftover mixed,  
shredded vegetables and cellophane noodles is to drain off the gravy  
in a colander, and wrap the solids in spring roll wrappers and deep- 
fry them.

As a result, we had some spring rolls yesterday, and certain people on  
the premises were actively searching for duck sauce, which we don't  
normally keep on hand (we had a jar of plum sauce, which is much  
heavier, and not much use as a table condiment without doing something  
to it). Finally we found two or three of those little packets in a  
plastic bin in the kitchen.

I guess everyone I know is going to have an abundance of flavor in the  
coming year!

Adamantius






"Most men worry about their own bellies, and other people's souls,  
when we all ought to worry about our own souls, and other people's  
bellies."
			-- Rabbi Israel Salanter