Food & Drinks 2013

[sury]

Thank you Greg and Yildiz. They cook the Frond and once it is softened, they use rollers to squeeze the juice
out and distill it.

Here is the sequence of events that unfold in making the Tequila....

The gentleman in straw hat is the brew master....This is a boutique Tequila distillery and they
produce about 300 bottles a year.



The distillate



The finished product. The family with Brew master. This was in 2009 trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

[sury]

Thanks Yildiz, I didn’t post a few tea time shots, one because I don’t think pork was looked on too favorably perhaps, and one night was a light tea, just a bowl of tomato soup followed by some eggs on toast, and last night it was a make your own chicken sandwich from a store bought BBQ chicken, one supermarket here has very nice stuffed BBQ chickens.
Tonight’s tea was Moussaka (the eggplant/mince version) it’s quite nice for a change.
I’m waiting quietly for my all-time favourite, Chicken Risotto (the one we have on the rare occasion we have it is done with cubed chicken fillets, Arborio rice, currants, coriander, minced chili, garlic, thin slices of red capsicum, some fried onion, and topped with a sprinkle of toasted halved or quartered Almonds). It is absolutely scrumptious, I’ll have to drop some subtle hints maybe.
Greg

Greg,
You made references to tea time many times. My understanding of tea time was afternoon tea with snacks. Could you explain if it has a different meaning or context in which you are using?

Sury

[Greg Beetham]

I’m sure you are correct Sury although we never bother with afternoon tea but we do sometimes have a morning tea, usually because there are visitors.
My grandfather always called dinner tea so I just normally call it that too without thinking, I suppose it got the name because tea was always brewed, but then tea is brewed at lunchtime too and it’s called lunch not tea so I suppose we should say dinner and not tea.
And at breakfast I don’t have tea myself, that’s when I have my one and only cup of coffee (we do actually drink coffee as well as tea).
Greg

[sury]

Greg,
Thank you for the explanation. Now it all makes sense.
We have a similar ritual. Coffee in the morning and tea in the
evening. Of course, the weekends don't follow the pattern due
to imbibing many libations during the course of the weekend.

Sury

[Birma]

Hi Sury, I think it was a class based thing back in the day. It sounds like Greg's family was the same as mine. Ordinary families had breakfast in the morning, dinner as the midday meal, and then tea (also sometimes called supper) as the last meal of the day. The very well to do (i.e. posh ) would start the day with breakfast, have luncheon around midday, afternoon tea (really just for ladies in polite society) about 4pm, and then dinner as an evening meal. You may also have a late supper if you had been out to a ball or after the theatre .

The 'posh' "afternoon tea" would be small cakes, cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off, and tea in small cups with saucers. Expensive hotels in London are booked up weeks in advance for a proper afternoon tea. A classic ordinary family 'tea' as last meal of the day would be something wholesome, cost effective, and filling - e.g. bangers and mash!

None of this has much to do with the drink 'tea' which British people, and it sounds like the Ozzies too, drink in vast quantities throughout the day. The coffee bar chains are changing us slowly and the "skinny, de-caff, frapachino" culture is making some in-roads in to tea sales.

[sury]

Andy,
Thank you for that history and evolution of the terms.
It is interesting how these terms evolved. I remember learning in school
that you refer your biggest meal of the day as dinner but as time progressed it came
to be associated with evening meal. I guess Industrial revolution could be blamed for
that change. I am familiar with supper being an early evening meal or a late supper
being post dinner light meal thanks to Wodehouse and Conan Doyle works. I am familiar
with the "ritual" of afternoon tea thanks to all the BBC shows we get here and also hearing
from my Scottish colleagues. Actually my family and I had a afternoon tea at the Putnam and Mason (?)
on our visit to England quite a few years ago. It was more of a cucumber/mint sandwiches, scones and clotted
cream affair.

Sury

[pakodominguez]

The 'posh' "afternoon tea" would be small cakes, cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off, and tea in small cups with saucers. Expensive hotels in London are booked up weeks in advance for a proper afternoon tea. A classic ordinary family 'tea' as last meal of the day would be something wholesome, cost effective, and filling - e.g. bangers and mash!

I can hear that accent....

[Greg Beetham]

A posh afternoon tea makes me think of Mrs. Bucket http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyacinth_Bucket she would be able to do an afternoon tea with the necessary prim and proper decorum and manners, setting out the Royal Dolton (with the hand painted periwinkle) should someone ‘important’ potentially be in attendance.
Actually I’m not sure why we even drink tea, its tanning fluid, isn’t it? I don’t know if it has any benefit in reality for us, it’s probably just another social habit more than anything.
Greg

[david antony]

I think this might have been where you had your Tea in the UK Sury.

http://www.fortnumandmason.com/c-4-rest ... mason.aspx

[sury]

Very true. It was my error. Thank you for the link and the correct name.
The one I went to, was near Piccadilly Circus or near about I think.

Sury

[aster]

Good source of information there, Sury, all from location and firsthand. : )

Thanks for sharing.


Yildiz

[david antony]

Fine looking largers will do me. ;^)

No shortage of fine food & the finest restaurants where you are Pako. Thanks for sharing.

Great shots of the kofte with chick peas, appropriately laced with fresh mint Yildiz. Your friends don’t have to go to the Big Apple for the finest.

I can almost feel the heat from the Chicken Manchurian Sury. Its looks hot maybe it isn’t. ?
Never knew what the base for Tequila was. A bottle last quite while here, certainly a different kind of high you get from it. Yes that Fanta looks inviting.

That quiche looks cooked to a tee Greg, as does the moussaka. Your getting adventurous. ;^)

Nothing fancy here, just a surprise on the doorstep. My other neighbour Tom just got back from the Okanagan and left this at the front door.

[Greg Beetham]

That was a nice surprise DA.
My brother dropped in a huge fillet off something, Barramundi maybe, so there was fish and chips on the menu for tea a few nights ago, very nice.
And a Pizza another night.
Greg
Ps Apart from a handful, people don’t eat much here it seems, or don’t take photos.

A700 KM28-75

[david antony]

I think Toms friend has a small orchid. Have not spoke to him about it yet.

I do eat fish occasionally, fish & chips anytime, ;^) & they look really good, with just the right size portion.

Is the pizza home made Greg? from what I see its one for me. olives, red pepper & chopped onion. Thin crust big plus.

[pakodominguez]

No shortage of fine food & the finest restaurants where you are Pako. Thanks for sharing.

On a 8.245 million (2011) city, full of immigrants from all over the world (like myself), yes, you can find a huge diversity of fine food and restaurants (but also bad food...)