So This Is Christmas

Merry Christmas is such an infectious feeling I like to feel that way all year around.

So if you are visiting just before Christmas, just after Christmas or even here on Christmas day I am sure you will find something of interest for you and in the spirit of Christmas.

It may be said that Christmas is no longer a celebration but this must be spoken by people that have never had trouble closing their eyes on Christmas Eve in an expectation of what maybe left for them on the carpet under the tree.

I continue to look forward to the surprise on my Grandchild's faces to this day at Christmas events.

Merry Christmas - Merry Christmas - Merry Christmas

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Asian Cooking: An Exotic Journey

By Dan Sewinski

When we think about Asian cooking, we envision rich, flavorful food mixed with exotic spices. In terms of size, Asian cuisine is probably the largest, consisting of many different cooking styles from different regions and countries.

Actually there are various cooking methods considering where the location is. Asian cuisine includes numerous kinds of cooking, a vast array of food items and can be prepared in different ways. Several of these are: East Asia (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese) A portion of the cuisine that symbolizes Asian culinary arts as far as the remainder of the world considers it originates from East Asia.

Flavors vary and so do cooking styles but there are also similarities. A staple of East Asian cooking is rice and/or noodles, followed by dishes that contain fish, meat and vegetables. While rice is considered as an important part of the meal, noodles and buns may also be used as substitutes, depending on the region.

In the East Asian region, the use of chopsticks is predominant when partaking of solid food while flat bottomed spoons are used for soups. Chopsticks are also practical for the type of cooking practiced in these regions, since most of the foods are cut up and prepared in small pieces, allowing for direct eating.

Interestingly, forks and knives are not used for eating because they are considered and were often used as weapons. South and Southeast Asian cuisine (Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Singaporean, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Filipino, Indonesian, Cambodian, Laotian, Burmese) Subtlety and surprise are two of the characteristics of Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly because it puts emphasis not only in taste and choice of ingredients but also in presentation.

A taste of a country's cuisine will provide a glimpse into the history of that country. You'll meet the area's people along as you chow down on the bounty of its land.

The region boasts wide diversity yet is united in certain food preferences. French flavors abound in Vietnamese cooking, yet the cuisine of the Phillipines features influences from Spain and America.

Middle Eastern cooking (Some Greek, Arab, Afghan, Palestinian, Egyptian, Turkish, North African, Lebanese, Moroccan) Middle Eastern cooking is also diverse and many of the dishes are quite exotic compared to Western tastes.Noodles and spices are commonly used in most regions.

Greek food preparation, for instance, is thought of as being somewhat Asian but its flavor and the way it looks is Mediterranean. As for the other ways to prepare food, they are alike in specific ways but it differs gradually as you travel from one area to another area.

The most commonly used ingredients in the region's cuisine include specialty breads such as pita, herbs such as sumac, parsley, and mint, and other spices including the fragrant sesame seed.

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