Food Intelligence

Well, this isn’t food, and it’s been a while since I’ve posted, sorry.  Been a little busy with sickness, allergy season, etc.  But we’ll be back.

In the meantime, if you are not one of the 11 million (as of 16 Apr 2100 JST) viewers of Susan Boyle, I would recommend you check this one out.  I will admit, I have been watching American Idol this season, particularly following Adam Lambert because he is in a league of his own.  I think Susan tops Adam because of her humility…anyway, I won’t say more.

Food Agent Admin Soul Food

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This stuff is amazing.  We made this for the first time back in December 2007 and barely got a bite of it because it was such a hit at a get together.  We originally bought it because it was on sale for about $2, and it includes pretty much everything you need.  Didn’t know how it was going to turn out, and after the get together, we wish we had bought more.

So this time when I saw it on sale at the commissary, I bought two instantly.  I would have bought more, but didn’t want Bev to give me “the look”.  Funny, though, she went back a few days later and bought either four or five more packs!

We made a bundt cake shaped bread last night (read: Bev made it).  This was per Evan’s repeated requests for the pumpkin bread.  I guess he liked it!  I would recommend it with a light sugar glaze on top or chocolate chips inside, but Bev doesn’t recommend it for me, or rather, my body.

Food Agent Desserts Bread, commissary, pumpkin

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Peanuts are getting a bad rap. First they take it out of the Sees lollipop lineup, claiming that many people have allergies to peanuts, but, as revealed by the Oakland Tribune, “It’s rare for items to be pulled from production, but among those yanked after meager sales were peanut-butter lollipops.” Then they take it out of the snack mixes on US domestic flights, leaving us with pretzels that leave the consumer with bad breath to go along with the bad b.o. already existent.

Now there’s a new reason to avoid peanut products: according to WebMD, on Saturday, “the FDA and CDC are recommending that consumers not eat products containing peanut butter (such as cookies, crackers, cereal, candy, and ice cream) until information becomes available about whether those products are linked to an ongoing salmonella outbreak that may have contributed to six deaths.

At least 474 people in 43 states have been sickened by the outbreak strain of Salmonella typhimurium. Peanut butter has been associated with the outbreak. Peanut butter and peanut paste made by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) at a facility in Blakely, Ga., have already been recalled in the wake of the outbreak.”

Some articles say that the jars of peanut butter are okay to consume, it’s the products made from peanut butter that are problematic…good luck with that.

Good thing I still can eat my honey roasted peanuts.

Oddly enough, this is probably what Bev and I came down with yesterday and today, although I don’t think we had any peanuts — The salmonella bacteria can cause diarrhea, cramping and fever.

Thank goodness it’s a three-day weekend.  Still have Monday to play!

For more info, check out the FDA site and CDC site.

FindArticles - At 86, See’s expands by sticking to old-fashioned recipe for success
Oakland Tribune, Apr 22, 2007, by Michele ChandlerSTAFF

FDA, CDC: Don’t Eat Peanut Butter Products
WebMD Health News, Jan 17, 2009, by Miranda Hitti

Food Agent News cdc, fda, peanut butter, peanuts, salmonella

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I have to admit, while I was planning my trip to Seoul, I was thinking to myself, “what is there to eat in Seoul?”  I obviously forgot about the old college days at Sam Hawk, eating Bulgogi and Hamul Pajeon, and the older childhood days eating Chao Ma Mian.  And when I finally arrived in Seoul I realized there was so much more.

One of the disadvantages of staying at the W Walkerhill (there aren’t that many) is that it is not close to any malls or local eats.  To make up for it, there is a shuttle that takes you to two major subway stops: Gangbyeon (green line) and Gwangnaru (purple line).  I slept in the morning after I arrived and was starving by about 11am, so I took the shuttle over to Gangbyeon, where there is a Techno Mart, which includes about five floors of consumer electronics, a Lotte Mart supermarket, some other clothing shops, and a food court.  I found this food court after eating at Lotteria, a fast food McDonald’s clone, because that was the first place I saw.  The bulgogi burger was definitely a treat, though, and I recommend the Tandoori chicken burger if you happen to be near one in Japan.  

Anyway, I decided to return to the food court in the evening and stopped at a stall that had food on display, which turned out to be the right choice: the lady sat me down and waited for me to order, and I was waiting for a menu, which, I guess they don’t have, so she pulled me back to the food display and I pointed at the noodle soup above.  She probably said something like, “are you sure, it’s going to be painful”, and I agreed to it.  

It was a refreshing pain.  Everything about the Jjamppong (thanks, Wikipedia) was amazing.  Despite the spicyness, I could still clearly taste all the vegetables and seafood - which, if you were eating more typical spicy noodles like this, you would only feel the burn since your taste buds have been taken out of commission.  I finished it down to the last spoonful of soup (to my mother’s dismay, I always leave the last spoonful of soup in the bowl, because all the leftover spices and junk are there!).

Since that bowl of soup, I am now addicted to Shim Ramyun and Neoguri, both of which are available in our local supermarket (bonus!).  I used to wonder why/how my old college roommate, Gary, could eat that stuff all the time and still be alive.  I now know.

There were some other good eats at the food court, all for your typical food court prices: very cheap.  And as with all food courts, it’s easier to eat solo, but it’s just as easy to bring a family.

Last taste: 13 November 2008.

Location: Techno Mart Food Court, Just Outside Gangbyeon Station (Green Line #214), Seoul, Korea.

Food Agent Noodle Soups, Seoul chao ma mian, instant noodles, jjamppong, korean, seafood, spicy, w seoul

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Mr. H, who is the expert on all things Taipei, knew that I was a beef noodle soup (BNS) fan…what probably tipped him off was the fact that every time I visit, when he asks me what I am in the mood for, I always respond, mm, I don’t know, BNS?  Usually we would go to typical restaurants or hole-in-the-grounds for this stuff, but this time around, Mr. H brought me over to the Sheraton Taipei.  I am usually apprehensive of hotel restaurants, but trusted that Mr. H knew what he was doing.  The Lounge was the area just to the left of the check-in counter, and doesn’t really look like a restaurant.  There is a long list of items to choose from on the menu…I think…I don’t remember seeing the menu since we went specifically for BNS.  Mr. H said that the chef hand-picks very fresh beef — that is, slaughtered on cooking day.  The beef seemed to just melt in the mouth, it was quite tender.  Noodles were just the right thickness and texture.  The boomerang plate consisted of some pickled radishes, cucumbers, and eggs with yolks that had a cheese texture–odd at first, but really grew on me by the second one.  By the time I was finished with the BNS, I wished I had booked a room at the Sheraton this time, because it was definitely time for a nap.  

As with hotel restaurants, the charge for BNS was steep - about $15 USD equivalent.  Would I recommend this, you ask?  Only if you have tried at least four to five other BNS shops around Taipei (I’ll make some recommendations in upcoming posts), so you can taste the difference, because you definitely would not know if your first bowl of BNS was eaten at the Lounge.  But if you have done so, you would know that this is what BNS should taste like.

Last taste: 7 December 2008

Location: The Lounge, Sheraton Taipei, 12 Zhongxiao East Road Section 1, Taipei.  Five minute walk west of Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT on the Muzha (Brown) Line.

Food Agent Noodle Soups, Taipei beef noodle soup, chinese, hotel, sheraton taipei, taiwanese

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Welcome to Food Intelligence (FOODINT)!

At Food Intelligence, we aim to bring you some of the well-known as well as hidden treasures from around the world to satisfy your appetite.  I am a solo traveler who wants to find places where I can bring family or friends to on a future getaways or simply when someone asks about where to eat.

Let’s admit, it’s pretty lame to eat at a fancy restaurant alone, but it is far worse to eat fast, junk, or no food — especially when you are on the company dime!  So I am taking one for the team by doing all the lone eating so you don’t have to!  I’ll try to let you know the places I will be traveling to, and if you know or have heard of any possibly good eats, let me know and I will spot and assess the situation

Also, if you are a solo traveler and/or a food connoiseur, and would like to contribute articles, please contact foodint [at] changtheworld [dot] com.  The more the better!

Food Agent Admin about, contribute, welcome

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