I didn't think about it while the thread about books was active a couple of weeks ago. But I had the thought the other day that some cookbooks are probably among the most read books, if you count every time somebody reads a recipe he or she is making or intends to make. And, actually, The Joy of Cooking is a book everybody should read. Also the Escoffier Cookbook, even though Escoffier assumes the reader is enough of a cook, that he doesn't need to be told what quantities to use.

Anyway, considering the diversity of the Archive's membership, I thought that members might know of some foods that aren't usually on home or restaurant menus, and which are better than average. One of these which I might mention is roast saddle of pronghorn antelope. The meat is somewhat drier than, say, steak, but part of the saddle is the same cut from an antelope that filet mignon is from beef. One recipe that is quite good has the meat roasted in gravy (This for the last half hour or so). Pronghorn is better if it comes from areas where the animals don't eat strong-flavored plants like sage.

I also like pepperoni lasagna. However, you have to be careful not to put in too much of the sausage. I've gotten into trouble by giving recipes on message boards, and assuming that people would have a tall enough hat, that they would know how to cook something. There are probably recipes for this on the net, and it might be a good idea to find one and follow it, rather than to try to cook the stuff up creatively.

I guess most people know about Oysters on the half shell, but there are probably some who haven't tried them. These are the ones with spinach and either bechamel sauce or cheese. Much better with Chesapeke oysters than with western oysters.

Another one which a lot of people haven't tried, is pozole, or Mexican pork and hominy stew. There are a lot of recipes--I like the ones with quite a bit of capsicum in it. Crumbling oregano over the stew really enhances the flavor.

I'm sure a lot of people know some foods that are good, and aren't eaten as everyday fare.

Incidentally, I once ate durian--and liked it!

There are some much humbler foods that revive warm memories for me. These are foods I ate as a child, and associate with love and family.

First is kasha. This is a grain (technically a fruit, although I don't know why). You can buy it in good markets. Wolf's is the brand, and it comes in fine, medium, coarse, and whole grains. I prefer whole. It has a rich, toasty flavor and a soft, puffy texture. Good on its own, it's also used in soups, and in "kasha varnishkes" - kasha mixed with bowtie macaroni, onions, and a bit of oil so it all sticks. Kasha is also used to make kasha knishes - thick mounds of kasha put inside dumplings and fried. Kasha is healthy and delicious. A staple food in Eastern Europe.

Another favorite is Romanian karnatzlach. Finely minced beef and veal, mixed with water, baking soda, paprika, pepper, salt, and *lots* of garlic. Let stand in refrigerator about 8 hours, then form into rolls and broil to taste. In effect, these are garlic sausages, without the skin. A Romanian delicacy.

Whitefish salad. Smoked, salted whitefish, ground and mixed with mayonnaise. Wonderful on rough-textured whole-grain crispbreads.

These are just some sentimental favorites that come to mind. When I was a kid, I sometimes read sections of the Larousse Gastronomique, but I've learned that simplicity and feeling often beat the exotic or elaborate.

In NY City's Grand Central Terminal, the Oyster Bar has been serving seafood since 1913, and has become an institution. On a typical day, they offer ten or more different varieties of oyster. Also many varieties of clam and other shellfish. You can choose which coastal waters your oysters come from. The Oyster Bar sits in an underground part of the terminal, with vaulted tile ceilings, and simple, scrubbed decor. It's probably the best seafood restaurant I know, though I've never been to the legendary Bernardin.

I've often heard of durian, but never had the nerve to try. They sell it in the stalls of NYC's Chinatown. Can you describe the experience?

I love Kasha.

I could make a meal of it.

It is the highest protein grain.

And it amazes me we do not see more of it.

I use to put it in a dry frying pan

add a fresh egg

heat and stir until the egg is miraculously absorbed

then cook, similar to rice, with broth.

Many of my friends do not like it. I don't know why.

Best to get the whole grain or it is mushy.

And for Mushy it can be cooked with milk as a breakfast

cereal. Then the ground stuff is better, medium.

Kasha Yum <slobber> !

Yes! We can form a Kasha Eaters Club!

Also called buckwheat groats, but by either name, it's oddly unknown. It's in good NY area markets, and it's served in Jewish delis, but I've never seen it in any other restaurant. Even in markets that sell it, if I ask where it is, most staffers have never heard of it. My mother and grandmother made it, so I've eaten it my whole life. It's delicious and nutritious.

There are also some Asian foods I love. The Chinese eat pickled cabbage or bok choy. The cabbage is served in sweetened vinegar mixed with hot peppers. Also delicious and nutritious. In some Chinese restaurants this is on the menu, but I've found you can get it even in others. The staff eat it themselves and think Americans wouldn't like it! I've often surprised and delighted waiters in Chinese restaurants by asking for this.

A similar dish is the Korean kim-chee - cabbage pickled in a mix of garlic and cayenne pepper. Hot and delicious. Every restaurant, and Korean household, makes its own, so there are differences from place to place.

Then of course there's Japanese sushi (pieces of raw fish served on small mounds of rice). If made correctly, by a skilled sushi chef, it can be sublime. Sushi has become commonplace, but it's often poorly made. You need the very freshest, finest fish (often not what you get). There's an ideal proportion between the size of the fish pieces and the size of the rice mounds. (You often get too much fish, in a burst of misplaced generosity). The rice has to be moist and sticky, in the Asian style. (Once in Florida, an American chef proudly served me sushi made with dry, hard American-style rice. Horrible!) Served with wasabi (a hot dressing made from a ground root) and slices of pickled ginger, it's delicious and nutritious, although these days you have to consider the amount of mercury you're getting. Sushi is made especially enjoyable by the wide variety of fish a good restaurant will give you. Instead of a large portion of one fish, you get many different and surprising tastes. In NYC, we have Masa, which is, I think, the most expensive restaurant in the US. It's a small place run by a legendary sushi master from Japan - Masa. It costs extra if Masa serves you himself (about $550 per person!!). I've never been, but it's a dream.

I recently had some whitefish salad, which must have been similar to the salad Bobover describes. I was surprised at how good it was--I like pickled herring, in salad or otherwise, but the whitefish salad was better.

The mention of kasha reminds me that wild buckwheat was one of the most difficult weeds to eradicate when I was a child on the farm. But we used to have buckwheat pancakes, made from a light gray flour. Maybe Riverwind could see if buckwheat can be used in his recipe. The buckwheat pancakes were really good, especially with maple syrup.

Kasha, which I can't remember ever eating (but will have to try) also makes me think of couscous. The only way I've eaten it is in a salad. It's good that way, has a nice texture, and I think it's used in many types of recipes in North Africa.

I'll have to fess up--what I ate was canned durian, which came from somewhere in the Far East. It was sweetened, and, of course, the famous odor had been eliminated in the canning process. But it was good--somewhat like canned pudding, but with some chunks and fiber in it, and fruitier than most puddings. I think I got the can at an ethnic Indian grocery (Indian groceries are good places to get exotic foods and unusual varieties of tea.)

I can take sushi or leave it, though I always get some when I eat at a party or somewhere else where the sushi is out where I can just put a couple of pieces on my plate. Most likely, I would like it better if I ate the genuine hand-wrapped stuff, and not pieces cut from rolls. I wonder if the sushi is any good at the all-you-can-eat sushi places which have been opened in some cities.

Couscous is a sort of pasta, made from crushed and steamed semolina. It's often served with a meat and vegetable stew. Kasha is a grain, cooked husk and all, so it has a rougher texture than couscous. Orzo is similar to couscous. It's pasta shaped into bits that look like grains of rice. Popular in Greece, and often found here in Greek restaurants.

Durian sounds interesting. When I've seen it in NY's Chinatown, it's a dull gray-brown color, about the size of a cantaloupe, and covered in inch-long spikes. The inside is supposed to be like custard, just as you describe. Someday I'll work up the nerve.

Another fruit I've always wanted to try is the mangosteen. It comes from Indonesia. My local market sells them occasionally, but paying $4 apiece for a fruit about the size of a plum has always offended my sense of proportion. Legend has it that Queen Victoria offered knighthood to anyone who brought her fresh mangosteens. I've read the flavor described as "sweet and tangy, citrusy with peach flavor and texture."

All you can eat sushi doesn't sound promising. Freshness and proper preparation are so important that sushi manufactured in quantity is unlikely to be up to standard. Many markets now sell ready-made sushi wrapped in cellophane. I've always kept clear. Same thing for sushi made by non-Japanese. Many Chinese restaurants decided it was good business to sell sushi, but I prefer sushi made by people steeped in the tradition. Another original touch that's fading is to serve sushi on a thick block of wood. After each use, the wood is cleaned by being shaved with a plane. Purity and cleanliness being so important to sushi, this was the Japanese way. Now, sushi chefs tell me they've given it up because Americans don't appreciate the added effort. Sushi at its best expresses the Japanese aesthetic of simplicity and perfection.

I don't know if everyone should eat it, but I say, if one drinks coffee at all, one should go to all lengths to make it properly.

I have a new espresso machine; a San Remo 'Treviso' model. Semi-commercial. I found a place in the city that buys fresh coffee beans and roasts them on-site in the most amazing looking roaster; it's a big red thing that looks slightly like a small locomotive and belongs in a Tim Burton movie. They make a great espresso bean, so full of oil and fresh that they shine with their contained oils. They are often still warm and need to sit a day or two when I buy them.

A proper grinder, a proper tamping in the portafilter (the thing that 'screws' onto the machine head) (no deep purple jokes!), and fresh steamed milk... ahh, latte.

It's just silly how huge a difference there is in flavor, compared to your average coffee machine. Real coffee is so.. spicy.

Other than that... I think north americans should eat more pita and other flatbread. This habit of white bread has gotta stop.

As for naturopathic stuff, the only supplement I've ever taken is Noni juice. Excellent stuff, if pricey.

Keena!

Kasha Eating Eunuchs of North America!

StefanIsMe, you make coffee sound wonderful to this non-coffee drinker. I almost never drink coffee or tea - usually just for a sore throat - but your description is delightful.

I've always enjoyed coffee's aroma. There's a coffee store in NYC with scores of sacks of coffee beans. When the door is open, you can stand on the street and breath the rich smell. Years ago, I used to stop in Hoboken, NJ, on my way to NYC, and Maxwell House Coffee had its great plant there. You could smell the coffee from blocks away.

KEENAs Unite! Go KEENAs!