(Re)learning Chinese
by test , at 9:09 PM , have 0
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I’ve never been a fan of Chinese food, or at least not the stuff that generally goes by that name in the U.S. When I was little, my family o...
Two holy trinities, failure, and the gratin that saved the date
by test , at 10:10 PM , have 0
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It’s been a long, mundane week. By day, I poke and prod at other people's punctuation. I cross items off the list. I fall asleep on the ...
Odysseus and the macaroons
by test , at 9:04 AM , have 0
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I’m generally very well-behaved, of a willpower that knows few equals. I can bake a whole mess of very treacherous and tempting stuff, stash...
The city of intrepid palates
by test , at 9:38 PM , have 0
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Intensive training in anthropology and ethnographic methods has taught me the delicate art of participant observation, and, because it’s a s...
On industry, indolence, and Italian vegetable soup
by test , at 1:40 PM , have 0
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Every now and then, something comes over me, and I produce. With no real hunger or purpose, I make, say, three mini-loaves of fancy banana b...
Outline of a Theory of Cabbage
by test , at 11:04 PM , have 0
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Be warned: I’m baring my geek stripes. If you’re of weak constitution, please avert your eyes.Since our lengthy discussion of soufflé, I’ve ...
On soufflé and trepidation
by test , at 7:03 PM , have 0
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In this world, there are plenty of things to be afraid of, but soufflé is not one of them. We know all too well the horror of a natural disa...
Sugar High Friday #4, or how I got my hands on a pain de Gênes
by test , at 8:24 AM , have 0
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It was a circuitous route that brought me to le pain de Gênes, the sunny yellow French cake rich with butter, eggs, and almond paste, and I ...
Feeding a cold: chicken stew and oliebollen
by test , at 5:31 PM , have 0
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Since Christmas morning, I’ve been nursing a mild but persistent cold, the sort of thing that manifests itself in unladylike snorts every fe...
2005: The first meal and a trend predicted
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Two thousand five has officially arrived, bearing hip-shakin’ hip-hop, sparkly lights for the Space Needle, an unwelcome nuzzle, and tater t...