Post by Nabeel IbrahimPost by Michael DixThe galangal on our patio is in bloom, and it smells great
(tropical flower smell). We originally grew it from a root we
bought at 99 Ranch.
How'd you grow it?
I've grown it several times, but only from roots I bought at the
Farmer's Market. The ones bought at the supermarket never sprouted,
which made me wonder if they were irradiated. (Note: this doesn't
mean that I think food irradiation is a bad idea.) I always formed
roots in water first rather than planting directly in the ground.
On a related topic, the lemongrass is one of the happiest plants in
our yard. We have one low spot that never seemed to drain well even
after I pitchforked in a bunch of sand. I planted the lemongrass
there, and it surely believes it is in Thailand.
ObFood: Ate at the newish Szechwan Home restaurant in Union City last
night. It's at Decoto and Alvarado-Niles in the El Mercado Center in
the northeast corner. When these folks say "Szechwan" and "Home,"
they ain't kidding. There are two menus, one a rather conventional
Bay Area Chinese menu, and the other with the "Szechwan Home" items.
We ordered from the latter 'cause that's what we went there for. The
food was fair I'd say. One item, spicy beef with preserved peppers,
was attractively prepared but contained celery. I always think that
celery in Chinese food is a sign that the kitchen has been too cheap
to buy a more expensive vegetable, perhaps bok choy or ong choy.
The second dish we had was "Chengdu Spicy Sliced Fish," which was just
weird. Our server tried to talk us out of ordering this dish, saying
"it has lots of condiments." Turned out he meant that it has lots of
whole spices, such as a whole pod of cloves, many whole peppercorns, a
few bay leaves and a whole bunch of stuff I wasn't sure about. I
persisted in ordering this item since it was rated "3 peppers" hot,
and spicy is what we like. Rather than being capsaicin-hot, the weird
spices made my lips tingle as if I'd had an electric shock. The fish
looked like tiny individual filets rather than slices and was quite
tender and moist.
The decor of the restaurant can be described as "former Denny's" or
perhaps "former Hobee's." There has been no redecoration beyond
exchanging mustard on the table for vinegar and ketchup for hot chili
oil. Dinner for two without alcohol was about $25. All in all, I'm
inclined to give the restaurant another chance, since I had no idea
what to order from the strange menu.
--
Alison Chaiken "From:" address above is valid.
(650) 236-2231 [daytime] http://www.wsrcc.com/alison/
The future will judge us, as it always judges the past, by our art
more than by our armies. -- Ned Rorem