Markets & Grocers – Page 27

Scenes from Jianyang, Sichuan

January 11, 2012 mmm-yoso China, Chinese Restaurants, Jianyang, Markets & Grocers, Travel

This is pretty much a COMC (Clearing Out the Memory Card) post. During our time in China we stayed in Jianyang for one evening, here are some photos we took during that time.

The hotel provided a buffet style breakfast, that looked quite typical, but had quite a few breakfast items that were interesting.

Sure there was rice porridge and the like…..but there were a number of spicy Sichuan dishes as well. I had really never given thought to what the typical Sichuan breakfast would be…..the thought of having some "ma-la" (numbing hot) dishes first thing in the morning seemed very different to me.

Just as tomatoes are often treated like fruits in China, potatoes are treated like true vegetables. It's not uncommon to see them stir-fried.

I wasn't sure how my body would react to having this stuff early in the morning….but it turns out that I enjoyed it to some extent.

Even though the population of Jianyang is pegged at 1.2 million and I'm assuming growing as the local textile industry does, the streets in the area where we stayed were wide and pretty much empty. Perhaps everyone had already gone to work……

This seems really great, but as anyone who has tried to cross the street in China knows……other than driving on the correct side of the street (something which is rather flexible in its own right), the "rules" here are different. Because there was no traffic, cars and trucks were driving as fast as they could on these streets….shades of Phnom Penh!

Many of the smaller businesses were located on the side streets…..

I heard a familiar buzz as we passed the Baozi stand…..I immediately knew what it was, as we turned the corner I found that my hunch was correct.

It was the local morning market……

For me, the most entertaining set-up were all the meat hanging for display, it was a literal "meat curtain".

The meat did look quite fresh……

The market itself wasn't too crowded, so after a cursory walk-through we headed back down the street to a bit more exploring. Daily life in Jianyang seemed a bit more laidback, though the speed of things in Chengdu seemed quite relaxed as well.

You never know what you'll see wandering down the street in a city that you don't reside in.

You see things that are unfamiliar, greeting them with almost a child like wonder…..

I loved the makeshift "ramp" built from rebar. You relaly couldn't make out the rebar from a distance. You'd suddenly see a jug zipping across the sidewalk!

We saw this hanging in front of a Jianyang Mutton Soup shop(luckily no carcasses of wild dog in sight), we saw a typical display of how the Chinese stretch the law a bit….

There was an older man with a large cutting board squatting on the sidewalk chopping and hacking at the mutton. Imagine if you will, someone doing this on a major four lane road in your city! He was dressed in the typical stained white teeshirt, white paper hat (after all there are hygenic standards, right?), cigarette dangling from his mouth, hacking away. Suddenly, a police vehicle drives to the curb and one of the guys starts yelling …..I'm assuming telling him not to portion his mutton the the sidewalk. The "chef" ignores the officer. So what does the guy in the car do? He grabs a megaphone and starts using the darn thing, loud enough to shake the leaves off the trees (which are falling on the chopped mutton meat). He screams for about five minutes, but is just ignored. So what does the officer do next? Does he and his partner get out of his vehicle to enforce the law? Heck no, they just swear at the guy (so the Missus says – through the megaphone) and drive off. Jianyang's finest on the job!

Later that morning, the Missus' cousin took us on the short tour of one of the lakes in the area. There are islands in these lakes that house hotels and resorts. You can get to them by boat.

We ended up having lunch at one of the hotel restaurants. Nothing particularly memorable.

Like I said earlier; potatoes are treated as a vegetable…..

Actually, the "saliva chicken" (so good you can't stop drooling) was decent. Not very spicy (La), but it numbed half your face (Ma).

As a whole, like we were told, the food in this part of Sichuan isn't as spicy-hot.

For dinner we were taken to a Hot Pot place.

Which was more of a "hip" hot pot shop, where the young folks seem to going for hot pot and socializing.

Actually, the broth was pretty good, though again, more numbing than spicy.

It was a nice side trip for the Missus as She got to meet relatives…….

Happy New Year!

December 31, 2011 mmm-yoso Cooking, Markets & Grocers

We've decided to keep things pretty low-keyed for this New Years. Nothing too fancy or difficult for our New Year dinner.

Just some fried shrimp and Karei Karaage , which is kinda becoming a New Year tradition for the Missus. I needed to have some soba since it is New Years eve, so went with some Cha Soba. Marukai had some really lovely young watercress and for some reason I'd been craving it. While putting it together I wondered if the shoyu-mayo dip is a Hawaii thing, Japanese thing….or is it just something my Mom used to do? Regardless, other than tempura, it's my favorite way to eat watercress.

I did the usual rounds of Nijiya, Mitsuwa, and Marukai, and noticed that the amount of Osechi-ryōri to be even less than last year. I'm guessing changing demographics, tastes, and economics are creating less of a demand as time goes by. It's something I really started noticing in 2010. There was just a fraction of the amount at Nijiya.

And even less at Mitsuwa.

As we turn the page on another year, we just wanted to extend our warmest New Year wishes to everyone. It's been a tough year for many, I just hope the upcoming year is a better one.

Happy New Year!

Monday Meanderings: Fresh Chanterelles from Nijiya, saying goodbye to a fellow blogger and other stuffs….

December 26, 2011 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

Here's one from the "I need to pay more attention when I'm shopping files." Walking through the produce department at Nijiyatwo weeks ago, something grabbed my attention….. I looked, then looked again, then read thelabel. Wow, it really was fresh chanterelles……..I don't recall seeing them at Nijiya before. I've seen Chanterelles at Bristol Farm and Whole Paycheck, where prices were pretty high. Here they were $9.98/lb, to me, perfectly affordable.

The Missus had never had chanterelles before….and now She loves them. I've had to go back every couple of days and pick up a pound or so.

Instead of chopping, I'll just "peel" the mushrooms ending up with nice sizes pieces.

I simply start the mushrooms in a cold, dry pan and over medium heat let all the liquid out of the mushrooms. After a few minutes I add a good amount of olive oil, garlic, herbs, then white wine bringing it to a nice bubble before tasting, adding salt and pepper, then cutting the heat. What's left can be used as a base for pasta, or perhaps like the Missus enjoys them; simply eaten with bread. Don't know how long these will be available…..but I'm making the most of it. I just saw FOY (Friend of Yoso) "Xiang Jiao" during my most recent visit.

I need to pay better attention, god knows what I'm missing…..

Nijiya Market
3860 Convoy St Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

Izakaya Sakura still not ready for business……

I drove by earlier today and it looks like a work in progress.

Saying goodbye to a fellow blogger:

About a week before Christmas, Dennis of A Radiused Corner contacted me with some terrible news. A bit later I read a post on Kat's blog about the passing of Nate, the author of Hwn Pake in Okinawa. I've always enjoyed Nate's no nonsense approach to food and life. Through the magic of blogging I was able to vicariously share in those meals and moments. Nate's "local" sensibility really struck a chord with me, and I can't thank him enough for sharing those moments over the years. Though I never met him, I could really relate to his posts and am thankful that he made space in his life to share them…

The ever-thoughtful Dennis was nice enough to organize a lunch in Nate's memory and kind enough to invite me. It was a nice moment, Dennis, Carol, Cathy, and I were able to share thoughts and memories……..

I did feel that I needed to order something appropriate, so made sure to have gravy all over my chicken cutlet and roast pork.

Goodbye Nate, we'll miss you…….

Valley Foods Mediterranean Market- lunch in the store

November 22, 2011 Cathy Markets & Grocers, Mediterranean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

See other posts about Valley Foods here and here.

The mmm-yoso!!! gang (Kirk, ed(from Yuma) and Cathy) all are busy finalizing details for Thanksgiving Day, while tying loose ends at work and making plans for seeing family and friends for days of meals, thanks and visiting in just a few days. Cathy has a short post.

Hi. The Mister and I have been busy planning some meals we are going to share this week and dropped in to Valley Foods, a Mediterranean Market, twice in the past week to grab a quick lunch (and some fresh flat bread, sammoon bread, kebabs, chicken, canned fava beans, chickpeas, fruits and vegetables). Here are some photos.

Falafel Plate ($6) Fresh made fluffy falafels, served with pita and pickles and fresh hummus, tabouleh and pickled mango sauce. I always buy the falafel here.

Schawarma Cheesesteak ($4.99). Yes. The beef schawarma is heated on the grill with onion and green pepper and cheese. It really tastes good this way, with the schawarma seasonings. This was unexpectedly wonderful.

.Here is a cross section view of the fresh falafel, so fluffy and delicately crisp. It's a meal or an appetizer (or a snack if there are leftovers to take home).

The other day we decided to get the kebab sandwich($4.49) and some polo rice($2.49)- there was about a pound of saffron rice topped with sliced almonds and raisins in one *large* styrofoam box, which we ate with both the properly seasoned, juicy, grilled kebab sandwich made with the fresh house made sammoon bread which was topped with onions and sumac. (and we had leftover rice for breakfast the next day)

This is the Schawarma chicken platter ($7.95) Pita, tahini, hummus, pickled turnip, shredded lettuce, red bell pepper slices and a huge portion of fresh hot chicken schawarma. A meal for two or two meals for me.

There is a fountain serving pomegranate juice and other beverages at the register, but sometimes I don't want sweet, and after Kirk mentioning ayran, a yogurt drink he enjoyed on his vacation adventure in Greece and Turkey this year, I was curious as to what that flavor point was and began drinking (and craving and eventually making my own) ayran this past summer . Buying 'Yogurt Drink' sold here is very similar- salty and sort of watered down yogurt. The mint flavor is not predominant in this brand (and the blue bottle by the same company is labeled as ayran) and these beverages are found inside the store- we have been trying something new with each meal we eat here. I do think the salty yogurt drink is complimentary to the foods we get here.

Now, more planning for Thanksgiving!

Valley Foods 1275 East Main Street El Cajon, CA 92021 (619)749-8355 Website

Selcuk: Ephesus

June 19, 2011 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Selcuk, Travel, Turkey, Turkish Food

We got up early on our Saturday in Selcuk, though both the Missus and I had enjoyed our time in Selcuk, we were here for one main reason; to visit Ephesus. We had an early breakfast, as with most of these places, breakfast is provided free. In comparison to other places this was just ok. Everything had been plated out ahead of time.

All the usual suspects were in attendance, the cheese, butter, tomato, cucumber, olives, honey….

And of course, bread…… lots of bread….

The best thing about the breakfast was the tea. Hotel Bella made a nice, fairly strong cup of Turkish Tea…..full bodied with a hint of Bergamot.

Breakfast did us good, in spite of the fact that the hotel provided free drop off and pick-up from Ephesus, we'd be walking the 5-6 kilometers to Ephesus.

We arrived at the upper entrance in a little over an hour, just after opening, and just before all the tour buses from the cruise ships ported at Kusadasi arrived. By not heading to the main gates, we'd be able to check out some of the major attractions before they too crowded. We also decided to spend a few more lira and do the audio tour, which turned out to be really informative.

It is believed that the city of Ephesus was founded somewhere around 10th century BC. Located at the crossing of major trade routes and being a major harbor town, Ephesus was once the second largest city in the Roman Empire, with a population estimated at 250,000.

Upon entering we walked down a short side path to the Church of Mary (above photo). Rebuilt and altered several times it is thought to have been built over and earlier Basilica.

Walking past the ruins of the gymnasium……

One sees the first of several amazing structures at Ephesus. The Great Theatre.

Dramatically located on the slopes of Panayir Hill, the theatre seated 25,000 and the seating is designed for maximum acoustics and view.

The theatre was also the scene of a well known biblical event. For three years the Apostle Paul lived in Ephesus, preaching the gospel. According to the book of Acts, Paul must have been pretty successful, as the silversmiths who made their living selling idols of Artemis (Diana) had started losing business and started a riot against Paul and the spreading of Christianity. You can read it here.

Stepping out of the theatre, I got a good look at Harbour Street, At 500 meters long and 11 meters wide, this was once the grandest street in Ephesus…. and probably still is.

Walking to the end of the restored area of the street, the obvious question you'd ask yourself is, "where's the harbor?"

Ephesus had become a power because of location. Besides being at the crossroads of trade, it was also located at the mouth of the Kayster River, right where it met the Aegean. In the end, it wasn't Christianity nor the Ottoman Empire that doomed Ephesus, it was the unconquerable build up of silt. Today, the last harbour of Ephesus sits over 6 miles from the river.

The beautiful marble paved "Sacred Way" goes South from the theatre. There are spots where you can see the sewer and water systems that lay beneath these streets. There are grooves in the marble which were created by carts and wagons……

Which probably made its way to the Agora which you can view from the street. This was probably the busiest street in Ephesus.

To the left of the Agora are the Gates of Augustus……

Which led to my favorite site, and possibly my favorite site on the entire trip (including the Parthenon), the Library of Celsus.

The Library of Celsus was built by Julius Celsus Polemaeanus by his son Gaius Julius Aquila. The library was built with double walls to protect the 12,000 scrolls and book from heat and humdity. The four statues in the niches in the walls of the library represent wisdom (Sophia), knowledge (Episteme), intelligence (Ennoia) and valor (Arete). That's Sophia to the right.

I had a bit of a difficult time tearing myself away from the Library of Celsus, but it was starting to get crowded…..

The street leading away from the library is called Curetes Way. Apparently it was a business and "high-rent" district of Ephesus.

Off one of the side trails along the road is what is one of the most popular sites in Ephesus…. the communal Roman Men's toilets. Yes, there were lines of folks waiting to check out the toilets. And most could not help but to "try them out for size." Says a lot about us, doesn't it?

You can see where the residents lived, walk past some wonderful monuments, and see the shopping areas on the street.

There are some beautiful mosaics alongside the street.

Along one of the side streets is the Temple of Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian. Remember the huge head and arm from the Ephesus Museum? This is where it came from.

There was just so much to see, and I'm heaing into over 850 words right now, so let me just put up a few more photos, ok?

Before we knew it, we had spent almost four hours at Ephesus. It was also pretty darn hot. When we exited the Missus asked audio tour booth folks if they could call the hotel (you gotta love Turkey) which they gladly did. About fifteen minutes later we were on our way back to the hotel.

I realize that there wasn't much food in this one, so thanks for reading!

Kaelin’s Mi Pueblo- A surprising market in El Cajon.

April 25, 2011 Cathy Markets & Grocers, Mediterranean Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

Hi again. You are reading mmm-yoso!!! It's a blog about food in all its forms. Today Cathy is blogging, because Kirk is on an adventure somewhere in the world and ed (from Yuma) is busy. Really busy.

Kaelin's Market has been in the same location in El Cajon on Main near Greenfield for more than two decades. It has had its ups (it was THE fancy IGA in East County) and downs (it got pretty scary for a long while) and recently is under new ownership. It is still IGA.

There are always weekly specials in each department.

It's been cleaned up and the variety of selections have expanded, in a good way. Prices are excellent. Some surprises have been added.

As with other Ethnic markets I have posted about, there is a small area inside where you can order food to eat in or to go. The Taqueria area near the doorway offers five different Aguas Frescas daily(three more five gallon jars are along the other side of the counter). Next to the cash register, you can see small bowls of salsas and other condiments. There are burritos and tortas sold here, in addition to what I am showing in these photos.

The salsa and condiments include grilled onions, radishes, lemons and three types of salsas. However when you order, a 'proper' salsa is put on your item.

Tacos are $1. Every day. (The fried fish taco is $2). The store sells corn tortillas, sopes, hurrache shaped corn tortillas, flavored (chipotle, cactus and other flavors, depending on the day of the week) corn tortillas in the store. Those fresh tortillas are used for the items sold at the counter.

The carnitas tacos have been simmering and are rich flavored. Those are my favorite. The fish ceviche tostada ($3) is fresh and brightly flavored. Both carnitas and ceviche are sold by the pound at the Deli counter in the store, as are guacamole, salsa, refried beans, chicharrones…

The birria, a beef stew, is very good here. I have had birria made with pork or goat and never beef. This version is really good, tender and rich flavored.

On another visit, we got a pork adobada taco ($1). The pork is marinated in a vinegar based marinade and that breaks down the meat to be very tender. The hot sauce which was made for this was complimentary and negated the tartness of vinegar.

Mulita ($2). Two corn tortillas, each with melted cheese surrounding (in this case) al pastor beef. You can choose the meat for this quesedilla on steroids…excellent, filling, fresh. Worth it. Of course, beef made in the al-pastor style is cooked on a spit…

The most interesting aspect of the new Kaelin's is noticed as you are walking in
Two spits of meats- Al Pastor and schawarma. Yes, schawarma.

Just past the spits, there are ovens for baking flatbreads.

The Mediterranean flatbreads sell for 75¢.

Gigantic super sized flat bread, as large as the top of the indoor picnic table where we eat. Hot from the oven…the freshest you can get. Fresh hummus ($2.99) sold in the refrigerator next to the cash register, is the accompaniment.

Then there are the kabobs. Beef kabobs $1.25 each (or 99¢ each if you buy ten). You read that right. These are large, juicy, nicely spiced, beef (or chicken) really meaty, tasty kabobs. Five is too many for The Mister and I to eat for a meal. We always order five and always end up taking at least 1 1/2 home, to use for breakfast the next morning.

This store is not at all selling only Mexican foods.
The Meat Department is NOT Halal. It can't be. Know that Kaelin's sells spices, vegetables, and ready to eat items are Mediterranean based and this is not just a Mexican Market. Stop in if you have the chance.

Kaelins Mi Pueblo 1435 East Main El Cajon 92020 (619) 440-1423
Here is a photo of a carnitas quesedilla ($2) to show you the size perspective, as well as a flour tortilla…The quesedilla is very stringy melty cheesy…

I hope everyone is starting out the week on a good note!

Kaelin's Mi Pueblo Market 1435 East Main Street El Cajon Ca 92021 (619)440-1423

Farm Market and Sandwiches

March 21, 2011 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Markets & Grocers, Sandwiches

**** Farm Market & Sandwiches has closed

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that Bale on Linda Vista was gone (again) , and in its place was Farm Sandwiches and Market. With a name like that, I almost expected a little mercado making tortas on the side. A bit confused I decided to drop by a couple of days later……

And noticed that not much had changed, except the name. The shop still made Banh Mi and the market side, though looking a bit worn was still trucking along.

Even the sandwich sign looked the same, as were the prices……. for some reason, I couldn't recollect seeing Bo Dao Phong (a peanut butter sandwich) on the menu before! (no kim chi peanut butter banh mi, though).

Since I was here, I decided to order a couple of sandwiches. This might have been my most unfortunate decision of the week. The guy in front of me started snickering when I placed my order. When I asked him what was up, he shook his head and told me he had ordered a dozen sandwiches, and was still waiting for them 25 minutes later. There was one woman who also placed an order for two sandwiches right before me. She was smart enough to leave and returned for her sandwiches later. The poor guy waited another 25 minutes for his sandwiches! Then it was my turn to be the poor guy……

Pacing the floor, I noticed how worn down this place is looking.

Half open containers, partially cut fruit, the place looked quite disheveled. Meanwhile, I looked and noticed that there were three people working on making sandwiches. The woman returned for her sandwiches, and still had to wait ten minutes. It really looked like the folks making the sandwiches were walking under-water…… another ten minutes, and my sandwiches were ready. Forty-five minutes for two sandwiches……

Carrying the bag to the car, I noticed how heavy these sandwiches were.

I started with the Dac Biet (House special combination – $3.50) first.

The bread (from Le Chef….. standing around so long, you couldn't help but pick up on things) for both sandwiches was severely under-toasted. Thus the always pleasing flaky-crusty texture was missing. The sandwich was stuffed with generous amounts of a very bland Cha Lua (defatted pork sausage) and a tough and bland BBQ Pork. The pickles were really cut thick and didn't have much flavor either. I won't even go into the very old and thick cilantro stems…..

I thought I would fair better with the Nem Chua ($3) Banh Mi. Nem Chua, a naturally fermented pork based sausage, is one of my favorite things.

In spite of having all of the sort-comings my other sandwich had, this was a tad better. There was quite a large portion of Nem Chua in the Banh Mi. Still, it was a lot milder than the sour-tangy-salty notes I love in my sour sausage.

I must admit, the folks looked to be trying real hard, but really seemed like they were not up to the task. I don't think I'll be rushing back for Banh Mi from here.

Farm Market and Sandwiches
6959 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA

Chiang Mai: Warorot Market (Kad Luang)

March 2, 2011 mmm-yoso Chiang Mai, Markets & Grocers, Thailand

Because of my recent (and hopefully short-lived) busy schedule, I've been lamenting not having the time to do posts which take a bit more time. When I mentioned this to the Missus, She told me, "you know, you never even finished your posts on Thailand", which we visited along with Laos at the end of 2008. I didn't believe Her, but when I checked my posts, I found that She was right. I need to correct this…..so here's one.

Did you know that Chiang Mai has a Chinatown?

If I recall, the main drag is Chang Klan Road…….

Once you almost hit the River Ping, you'll come across a very busy building…..not much to look at from the outside.

But it's quite packed on the interior……..

Unlike the pretty touristy Sunday Market, this is where real food shopping takes place.

As you can tell….. I was fixated on the "aquatic" section. And it's really hard to resist stuff like this:

Though the fragrance dancing through the air in the market was from this:

The Kaep Moo (Deep fried pork rinds) really smelled like heaven to me….. so we ended up buying two bags, which we ate a bit later on…..

And while it was not as exotic as the Morning Fresh Market in Luang Prabang, there was more than enough to keep me interested…..

Smile for the camera…..

Around the corner, and in back of Warorot Market is Pung Tao Gong Temple, the oldest Chinese Temple in Chiang Mai, which was built in the mid-1870's.

During Chiang Mai's 700th anniversary in 1998, the Chinese Community Council decided to rebuilt the temple.

If you walk along the Ping, past the Flower Market….. you can't miss it! It practically screams at you……

Thanks for reading…. I'm waiting for this busy week to be over, so I can spend more than 20 minutes on a post, and take care of my back log!

Suzhou: The Lingering Garden and a fairly familiar stop……

February 26, 2011 mmm-yoso Bakery, China, Markets & Grocers, Suzhou, Travel

Our first day in Suzhou was a busy one, and after walking back to our hotel room after dinner….. I was totally spent and crashed pretty quickly. I also knew that if the Missus had Her way, we'd have another full day coming up. And I was right, The Missus decided that we should walk from our hotel to the Lingering Garden (留園).

It ended up being a pretty long walk, but also gave us a pretty good look at some of the neighborhoods along the way.

In one of the shops along the way, we noticed that these "candidates" for dinner had made it out of the tanks, and were trying to avoid becoming the main course…..

We also came across a large "market area", and decided to take a detour….. I love these places…..

Scenes we've seen played out on a daily basis all over the world….

Meandering through the narrow alleyways…….

And over the canals….the ancient highway system for Suzhou.

Ending back up on the main street……

Out past the Changmen Gate….

You'll come across a simple long wall and gate……. the simple entrance belies the beauty of the Lingering Garden, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and along with The Humble Administrators Garden, The Summer Palace in Beijing, and the Imperial Mountain Summer Resort in Chengde, is considered one of the Four Famous Garden of China.

We'd arrived right at opening, but there were already a couple of tour groups in line. While waiting, a young lady walked up, and started chatting with the Missus. Apparently, University Students majoring in History and Tourism give free guided tours. We ended up having a free private tour, albeit in Mandarin (with the Missus translating). The young woman was very knowledgeable and pleasant, and we really enjoyed the experience.

The Lingering Garden was built in 1593, and had gone through several owners, each of whom added his own touch to the garden but still keeping within its grand design. The garden covers about two hectares and is divided into four parts, the central, North, East, and West. Which are connected by a corridor.

There's so much to write….and even more I forgot as the young woman was full of immense detail and stories of the garden. I'll stick to those that have really stayed with me. The first thing that I think of when it comes to the Lingering Garden was the wonderfully angelic song coming from this boat in the middle of the pond.

I've never been a big fan of this type of Chinese music, but here, in this environment, it was beautiful……. just plain beautiful.

The young woman told us we were lucky that it wasn't very crowded. When the garden is too busy, and the chattering gets too loud, the woman stops singing, since no one can really hear her.

The natural stones also grabbed my attention. Many of the large stones replicate mountains, landscapes, and in this case a scene. This one is called Eagle Fighting Wolf…. and looking closer it did indeed look like a eagle swooping down on a wolf.

This stone is probably the most well known…. we were told that it was headed to the Forbidden City… but the transfer was halted when the Communist regime took over.

For me, the most imp[ressive hall in the Lingering Garden is the "Yuan Yang Ting", the Mandarin Duck Hall.

The hall is divided into two saloons which are decorated differently. Even the beams and the roofs are different on each side of the hall.

There's so much more….but so little time. Here are a few other photos.

This is one place I'd like to return to.

There's a saying I heard several times while in China – "Shang you tian tang, xia you su hang" (上有天堂下有苏杭), "In Heaven There is Paradise, On Earth, Suzhou and Hangzhou".

My foot had started bothering me a little, so we decided to catch the bus back. Unfortunately, traffic was so bad we decided to get off the bus after a couple of stops and walk back to our hotel. Along the way, I noticed this shop…..

Look Familiar?

I'd been trying to get the Missus to 85C Bakery in Irvine, but She just didn't seem interested. But it was getting kind of hot, and we decided to take a short break….. and it ended up being just the perfect stop for us.

It turned out to be the perfect thing.

After this, every time the Missus was tired and needed a little pick-up, we'd look for a 85C Cafe…..

We were really enjoying Suzhou!

Unusual food items found around town. (COMC)

January 2, 2011 Cathy Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog. Just an online diary. Today Cathy is tying up loose ends. Kirk and ed(from Yuma) are being constructive. Elsewhere.

Hi. I was Cleaning Out my Memory Card (COMC) as one of my Resolutions and decided to put together a post of things I thought I would someday mention. That day is here.

One day, The Mister and I decided to go to Food 4 Less, (a bag-it-yourself grocery store, same company as Ralphs and Krogers). Within the cold cuts/hot dog section of the store (I am always looking for skin-on wieners) was this:
A one pound package of bacon wrapped hot dogs, as seen served from many taco trucks. The package was marked down to $1.98, and had an expiration date in ten days. I took this photo in the store and sent it to Kirk. Immediately. He said it was a post waiting to happen.

Five of those hot dogs were a pound. Most of the 'better' hot dogs are packaged seven to a pound. We needed large bread to hold these dogs. Costco. Less than $2.50 for 12 gourmet buns. (We used the extra ones for sandwiches and turned some into garlic bread). I just cooked the hot dogs in a large teflon coated pan on the stove top, turning until the bacon was crisp.

These are giant dogs (five filled that 12 inch pan) and needed that larger than normal Costco roll.
Topped with mustard and pickles, one was filling and two were too much to eat. Our good dogs (and cats) got some treats that day.

I could not figure how to make a whole post about this machine.
We saw it at Parkway Plaza, on the edge of the Food Court, near the Sbarro. I do sometimes crave spun sugar…
You put in $2 in coins, a stick slides over, then down…
The machine spins the candy floss around the stick.

Viola! A fresh made cotton candy treat!
This machine disperses heated almonds and peanuts. It was located in the Paddock Bar at the Del Mar Race Track. I saw it when we were taking a lunch break at the Del Mar Fair. Really brings out the flavor. Now I heat up nuts in the fry pan before we eat them at home.
This past summer, San Diego was a "Test Market" for two Starbucks iced beverages. Each was made with green coffee- raw- beans. Caffeine was in each beverage, which was juice based, but no taste of coffee (and no tea flavor). The one on the left was made with lime juice and had fresh mint in it, the one on the right had fresh blackberries and was made with pomegranate juice. They were refreshing and different and really good on hot days. I hope the testing went well and we can see these beverages as a regular item in the stores in the future.

Here is a photo of our Christmas Dessert plate…International this year. From 6:00: The apple strudel (German) was an experiment which turned out well. The espresso (Italian) was just perfect that day and the pink item is called Vatkattu Marjapuuro. It is Finnish. I call it cranberry whip. Made with fresh cranberries and farina. It could be a dessert or breakfast. It ended up being both. Again, it just wasn't enough to do a whole post.

The Costco on Morena Avenue. Only. Gelato.

Made daily. $1.50 for three scoops- mixed berry, pistachio and stracciatella (torn apart/ less chunky chocolate chips in plain (not vanilla flavored) ice cream). Gelato is more dense than ice cream, is lower in sugar and lower in butterfat. It is made at this Costco location daily and a quart for $5 is a wonderful deal. I like the pistachio the best…fresh crispy nuts.
The Vons at Liberty Station (not the standard footprint Vons)(when you walk in the center/cart area, go to the building on your left) has a 'make your own nut butter' bar. Between $5 and $7 a pound, these bins were just about to be refilled with fresh nuts. You turn the crank and fill the containers provided. Right next to it were fill your own honey containers, two types of honey.

So there. I got another thing off of my "To Do" list! I hope everyone is taking some time to tie loose ends.