Comments on: How this food adventure all started…

By: Angie

Angie — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:22:22 +0000

I wanted to leave here, Orlando, after we moved because of the restaurants too, and we just came from Panama City. Hard to believe our little panhandle town was so much better, I can imagine coming from San Fransisco, the horror! I know Tampa’s not much better than Orlando. Our established French restaurant closed, and our only Sushi place that’s any good, is so slow now I am afraid they might close. We’ve lost several of the few good locally owned restaurants lately in the bad economy.

By: Nilmandra

Nilmandra — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:09:49 +0000

What an inspiration I wish I read this a year ago (or longer) because I so feel like contacting the local community centre now to do a cooking class lol. But we’re moving across the Atlantic in a few months… oh well, we’ll see.

Btw, the husband used to dislike sweet and sour pork (soooo overdone in Chinese restaurants here in the UK, and usually in a funky radioactive pink/orange/red colour too) until I took him to a proper Cantonese restaurant in Singapore. Unfortunately, now that he likes it, it’s difficult to find somewhere that do it right in the UK, heh.

Any recipes with prawns is a winner to me. *drools at screen*

By: Coco

Coco — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 03:50:41 +0000

Thanks happy readiks for the inspiration Jaden. I felt so happy reading this post.

By: Justina

Justina — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:18:01 +0000

but Mongolia is not China! anyway, love your blog !

By: bee

bee — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:56:10 +0000

jaden, you are the best!!! yes, you can cook. and write. and take pics. you must be a great teacher too. i love all your recipes, even though i’m vegetarian. they just smell and look awesome, even across a computer screen.

By: Telegraph Hill

Telegraph Hill — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:55:31 +0000

Ok, I have half as much house inches from my neighbors, for three (four?, five?) times as much money, but I walk to work and cannot imagine not living in SF. Poor you!

More to the point: I make a similar dish with tequila instead of brandy, lose the cornstarch, and finish with a shot of lime and cilantro. Trader Joe’s frozen shrimp are always in the freezer, tequila is always in the liquor cabinet, and — you’re right — dinner can always be ready in less than a half hour (I usually make some rice to go with it). Very good, and very impressive to a new guest.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 00:11:08 +0000

Our business partners in LA were mostly Asian. A few from mainland China, a few Hong Kong (oh, and one from Mexico to keep us Midwest white folk from feeling like the total minority). The diversity of culture was wonderful.

Each month the owners took turns selecting a restaurant to eat at and I realized that until then, I wasn’t eating real Chinese food. They termed all the stuff we thought was Chinese food as “American Chinese Fast Food” and said the names “Panda” “Garden” and (get this) “China” in the title are dead giveaways.

I got a genuine appreciation for good food as a result.

By: Shankari

Shankari — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 01:34:19 +0000

Your story and mine sound similar. I started teaching cooking coz many thought that curry powder was the basis for the entire gamut of food from India:). Like you said I picked up the phone, and I am loving every moment of it. And guess where I moved from for this to happen?? Bay Area

By: Amy

Amy — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 23:32:43 +0000

It was awesome to read about how you got started! I think Tampa is definitely a better place because of you. Whooo goooo Jaden!

By: AMS

AMS — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 18:58:41 +0000

I was so enraged at “DrE” that I wrote a comment myself, then requested that the paper remove his diatribe. It has now been removed. I’m all for free speech (hey, I’m a lawyer!), but comment is one thing, ad hominem attack is something else.