the Mini-Apple / Sawatdee Holy Basil Supreme and mock duck.

[apropos of nothing]

Thai Holy Basil Supreme! It turned out delicously! Here's the recipe:
http://216.239.39.104/search?q=cache:Xq ... n&ie=UTF-8

Holy shit. I moved away from Minneapolis in 1993 and that dish was one that I missed the most. I spent awhile working to recreate it -- though the waiter at Sawatdee did tell me about the fish sauce, which is key.

One of my favorite dishes, though I make it vegetarian (except for the fish sauce, for which I've yet to find a decent veg substitute).

Best,
--JES

I moved away to Chapel Hill in '99. I wonder how many other former and current Minneapolitans we have on here. Great place. Shame about the weather. On the other hand, wish everyplace had public transit as nice as the MTC.

As far as Sawatdee, I understand that some of their business has been stolen by a joint in Calhoun Square called Chiang Mai Thai. Had it last time I was up there (this summer) -- very good.


When I made the Holy Basil Supreme, I used Companion brand chai pow yu, which is a mock-duck modelled on abalone. It comes in a can (pr'y available at y'r local asian market), and is is in little tenders-sized bits. The marvellous thing about it is that you can't make it squeaky by overcooking it like other wheat-gluten based meat substitutes. Totally love the stuff. You can use it anyplace that you'd used chunked chicken. The wifey makes an excellent mushroom stroganoff with it.

That's my little story.

[apropos of nothing]

Say, you didn't play with a band in Mpls called Catatonic Swell, did you?

[JES]

Say, you didn't play with a band in Mpls called Catatonic Swell, did you?

Alright, now this is downright scary. Yes, indeed I did. We had some good songs, and were totally clueless about a) recording, and b) the music business. But hey, it was a good time.

As for the mock duck, my spouse Carrie (perhaps you know her, too!) and I buy it by the case. We like both the chai-pow-yu and the mun-chai-ya. The latter is much better for barbecuing and the like, and it is a little less greasy.

Sooooo, you know my secret identity. What's yours? PM is fine if you don't want your real name popping up on a searchable BBS system (that's the only reason I use the JES monicker -- since my professional identity is readily available online, I'd rather not provide a direct link for students and colleagues to find me in political discussions on music boards or whatever).

Best,
--JES

[apropos of nothing]

Who do you know named Jj who would use a Syd Barrett avatar? Stretch back...!

...To say playing Interstellar Overdrive at my mom's house...?

Howya doin' mahn? Long time no see. Shoot me an e-mail, eh. My addy is in my profile.

[JES]

Blast from the past! Awesome. I just emailed you. . . .