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Post by Sanji Himura on Jan 29, 2014 16:32:41 GMT -5
Apparently the forum upgrade did nothing to flush out existing members who are spammers. Something more drastic has to be done.
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Post by Sanji Himura on Jan 25, 2014 2:58:09 GMT -5
I think that it could work for both. The instructions were given when version 5 was in beta testing, to give you a time reference, so it should work for version 4. Unfortunately, I already upgraded my boards to version 5, and obviously I don't have admin privileges here so I can't tell you a definite answer one way or another if it works for version 4.
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Post by Sanji Himura on Jan 22, 2014 22:57:19 GMT -5
His Dallas, TX restaurant, Five Sixty, turned five today. The kitchen is currently headed by Patton Robertson, and the dishes have an Asian flair to the flavors. Though I can't visit for Chinese New Year, I intend to visit in late July-early August (as a birthday gift to myself) or in December.
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Post by Sanji Himura on Jan 22, 2014 17:56:59 GMT -5
I noticed, too. But actually I...sometimes don't see clearly if it's really a spam or not. Sometimes they have a link to something in their signature, mainly from the UK. Or it's hidden in a long paragraph. I kind of wish Proboards had a way of stopping this completely. Probably won't happen. Sorry for jumping late to the party, but there are a few ways for the MA to stop such nonsense. The obvious way is to have a moderator approve new members before they even post on the site. This way, if they have one of those junk emails that are only good for fifteen minutes, they can be flushed out quickly and without troubling the rest of the forum. Another way is to create a board that would temporary restrict new members based on rank to only post on this board. So for example, if you have 10 posts, you could only post on this new board until you achieved the necessary rank to view the rest of the board. Here is David Clark from the support board(because one of my forums underwent the same attack) to explain how to do it:
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Post by Sanji Himura on Jan 21, 2014 23:26:09 GMT -5
You make some good points, Sanji. I hear what you're saying about the alcohol, but I see Tets' point as well. If I may add another item for thought, a well prepared judge should be cognizant of the possibility of alcohol with some of the courses, and be prepared to only have a few sips to get the full effect of the combination of that wine with that dish. And, a bit of alcohol drunk with food will impair someone far less than alcohol on an empty stomach. To render your point as moot as possible, alcohol as an ingredient in cooking cooks out. As you should know, water boils at 212 oF. However, most drinking alcohols such as bourbon, Whisky and the like, are made of ethanol alcohol, or rather grain alcohol. Ethanol has a boiling point of 172 oF. So if you are preparing a dish that has bourbon, such as BBQ sauce, you would stand a better chance of cooking out the alcohol that you added into the sauce than you would boiling the sauce over.
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Post by Sanji Himura on Jan 21, 2014 7:59:30 GMT -5
Have you ever opened yourself up to the question, if I were an Iron Chef judge, what would I insist on to give the most accurate score possible?
As you may be aware, being a judge on Iron Chef, regardless of country, is a difficult task because you have to judge on the merits of each dish, and stray away from the temptation on judging the meal as a whole. So, wouldn't you agree that these tips (even if they are put into practice already) would help in judging properly, and get the proper intent of the dish, without the interference from the taste of the previous dish? Let's go over a few:
1. I would insist on crackers after every course. Why crackers, and specifically, saltines? Crackers share a unique property that absorbs flavors that are left behind after a course if consumed immediately. Saltines add a flavor of saltiness that really cleans a mouth after eating or drinking while being otherwise tasteless, which is the objective of cleaning a palate. Sure, other cultures have ways of cleaning a palate, but the saltine cracker is the most universal in both their use as a key ingredient as a crust, and absorbing unwanted flavors. It is for this reason that taste tests across America use the cracker to get rid of unwanted flavors for as long as I can remember.
2. If I were a judge on Iron Chef, I would insist on water, or if I must drink wine, insist that it is non-alcoholic. Religion aside (as I am a Baptist), there is a culinary reason why I would refuse to drink alcohol with my meal. Alcohol impairs judgment. To put it this way, let's say that you are reviewing a nice French restaurant, and you get two glasses of wine to go with your meal that you are eating alone as you are reviewing the place. You write some information down and you go home and sleep off the alcohol and you wake up the next day to find that you don't understand what you wrote. So instead of going back to the place and reviewing it properly, you make up some information to appease your editors.
Dumb move? Yes, I would say so, but without knowing what is actually in the glasses that the panel drinks, I would insist that the possibility of impaired judgment should be eliminated so that I can be fair to the chefs on the merit of their dishes, not on what is today's food and wine pairing.
3. I would insist [Read: Ask] on taking notes on preparation. There was a local store in my area called Sysco, where their motto is, "A well informed consumer is our best costumer." Sometimes to understand the intent of their dishes, one must see the preparation of the food. Now, I understand that most versions of Iron Chef would allow judges to see the actual cooking of the food, so the "intent of the dish" is laid to bare.
Agree with my list? Debate me on twitter @sanjihimurafood.
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Post by Sanji Himura on Jan 20, 2014 20:57:07 GMT -5
Is it Mexican, or is it Chinese? Why not both with this little fried rice recipe that takes a Chinese approach to Spanish rice.
Prep time: ~12 min Cook time: ~5 min
Ingredients:
Rice (prepared according to package directions for number of guests) 1 can of Rotel-brand chilies Original flavor - Drain Well!
Directions:
- Prepare rice in accordance to package directions.
- In a wok, stir fry a well drained can of Rotel-brand chilies until fragrant.
- Add rice and mix well and fry until rice is red, about five minutes.
Add even more flavor! Make it a risotto.
Heat two tablespoons of oil or butter, and quickly stir fry the chilies until fragrant. Add two more tablespoons of oil or butter and add uncooked rice and coat, about two minutes. Add chicken or beef stock and cook until rice is al dente.
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Post by Sanji Himura on Sept 30, 2013 23:13:31 GMT -5
Subscribed. Thanks.
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Post by Sanji Himura on Aug 28, 2013 22:58:25 GMT -5
Those who do visit, or live in Japan, perk your ears. If Wakiya's official Facebook page is to be believed, Iron Chef Japan could return to Fuji TV in the near future.
The page, which does speak English, responded to my comment posted earlier today(in Central Daylight Time if you are time confused) about Iron Chef Japan, something along the lines of recollecting memories of watching the episode live as it was airing in Japan.
Wakiya's reply:
Obviously this is nothing official from Fuji TV, so this is mere speculation at this point.
What do you think about Wakiya's comments? Do you think that Iron Chef is returning to Japan's airwaves?
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Post by Sanji Himura on Aug 4, 2013 21:14:16 GMT -5
I remember the interview that FN did with Wolfgang Puck prior to the Battle of the Masters specials for Iron Chef America, and in it he was telling a story from, I believe when he first came to America, he was finding a date, and one of the suitors asked what he did for a living. He responded, "Well, I'm a Chef." The date sunk like a stone. After Iron Chef gained popularity in the US, suddenly he noticed that the trend of the US importing fine cuisine chefs was reversed and local home grown talent suddenly grew in both notoriety and popularity.
I personally think that this special showcased some of that talent.
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Post by Sanji Himura on Jul 10, 2013 22:12:17 GMT -5
I'm going to raise from the dead this thread to share a bit of news about one of Ramsay's US spots on Kitchen Nightmares, Amy's Baking Company out of Phoenix, AZ. The only reason why I am sharing this here instead of the Restaurant Recommendations boards is that I never ate at the place when I visited Phoenix back in 2008, and I never will. In case you haven't seen the episode in question, ABC is a trendy place in that area, except they are too European in their approaches with how they treat their staff and guests. They force new employees to sign a contract that is so restrictive that it includes a one year "no compete clause" (fans of WWE know that each new signing that they have put on their shows have a 30 day clause) within 50 miles of the place, working holidays and weekends are required and if you don't show, $250, no family or friends may come see you while you are working, and worst of all, all tips are property of the house. Instead you get $8.50 to $12 an hour. www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/07/10/amy-baking-company-revises-its-employee-contract/
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Post by Sanji Himura on Jun 20, 2013 22:57:35 GMT -5
Yeah, I noticed that too. The scores were 57.5 to 61 in favor of the Thai Iron Chef. I don't recall the Sakai score, but I think that Chen was closer than his French compatriot, so that may have played a factor.
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Post by Sanji Himura on Jun 20, 2013 15:50:39 GMT -5
Two letters to go before you can use it.
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Post by Sanji Himura on Jun 20, 2013 2:58:46 GMT -5
If I am reading the final scores correctly, the Thai Iron Chefs are 2-0 against the Japanese ones. Am I right?
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Post by Sanji Himura on Jun 19, 2013 23:40:51 GMT -5
Massive Update time: We have a full slate on the block, so let's see how they did:
Todd English STAY: 0| GO: 3
Tyler Florence STAY: 0| GO: 3
Grant Denyer STAY: 0| GO: 3
Three up and three down!
UPDATE TIME: 81 players remain. Do your duty and vote today!
Yutaka Ishinabe Komei Nakamura -1 Kenji Fukui - 1O Toshiro Kandagawa - X [3O] Shinichiro Ohta - X Yukio Hattori - 2[3X] Mayuko Takata - 1O Akebono - 1 Kazuko Hosoki Tadamichi Ota - X Alton Brown David Bautista - 1 Lin Kunbi Yasushi Akimoto Tenmei Kanoh Chua Lam Masaaki Hirano Masahiko Kobe - 2O Bobby Flay - 1 Mario Batali - X Wolfgang Puck (Dupe) Cat Cora - 1 Takashi Kaga - 1 Jeffrey Steingarten - 1 Mark Dacasos Masaharu Morimoto Michael Burger - 1 Rokusaburo Michiba - X Shinichiro Kurimoto Ariki Omae Alain Passard Tamio Kageyama Chen Kenichi - X Julie Dreyfuss Kyoko Kagata Nagisa Oshima Hiroyuki Sakai - 1 [3X] Kerry Simon - 1 Michael Symon - 1 Asako Kishi - 1 Cheng Kazuhiko Kyoko Kagata (Dupe) Kazutaka Okabe Kenichi Miyanaga Adam Richman - 2[3X] Wolfgang Puck - 4 Jose Garces - 1 Marc Ecko - 2 Anne Burrell Robert Irvine - [\-/]* Paula Deen - 2 Kazunari Takeda Jun'ichi Ito Katsuyo Kobayashi Marco Molinari - 1 Anita Lo - 1 Ming Tsai - 1 Elizabeth Falkner - 1 Duff Goldman - 1 Michael Smith Emma Hearst - 1 Sozo Myamoto Tom Aikens - 1 Guillaume Brahimi - 2 Geoffrey Zakarian - 1 Vincent Tan - 1 Xie Huaxian - 1 Toshiki Kaifu Yoko Akino Yoshiko Ishii Hiromi Yamada Ryutaro Hashimoto Kazushige Nagashima Yukio Hatoyama Bill Bickard – 1X [3O] Duncan Hamilton - 1 Jeff Manning Yoshiro Mori Ukyo Katayama - 1 Rory Kennedy - 1 Liang Shuqing - 1 Ron Seigel - 1 [$]
Votes Aggergate: 7 | Danger Zone: 5
Sudden Deaths to vote on Today: None
Sudden Death Appeals to Vote on today: None
10-Spots to vote on Today: (1 Remaining) None
Cancelations to Decide today: None
Validation Sanji Himura (Valid) (2C) [No Strikes] herringchoker (Valid) (2C) [No Strikes] achen (Valid) (2C) [No Strikes] Iron Chef Mandy (5/2) (2C) [No Strikes] okonomiyagi (Valid) (2C) [No Strikes] [21 Winner] Free SEEK REVENGE (Taken: Ron Seigel)
Onix Division (36th through 40th Eliminated) Grant Genyer Tyler Florence Todd English
Crystal Division (31st through 35th eliminated) Tim Love Mario Frittoli Karine Bakhoum Kevin Braunch Ted Allen
Titanium Division (26th through 30th eliminated) Korn Yuji Wakiya Rachel Ray Roberto Donna William Shatner
Platinum Division (21st through 25th eliminated) Bryan Forgione Marc Forgione Scott Morris Dominique Corby[21] Andrew Zimmern
Gold Division (16th through 20th Eliminated) Joel Robuchon Makoto Okuwa Jean Francois Meteigner Pierre Gagnaire John Fraser
Silver Division (11th through 15th eliminated) Kentaro Benard Leprince Michael Noble Anthony Dias Blue Roy Yamaguchi
Bronze Division (6th through 10th eliminated) Jamie Oliver Rick Bayless[21] Alessandro Stratta Judy Joo Jacques Borie
Copper Division (1st through 5th eliminated) Joe Cipriano Sissy Biggers Nina Zagat Artur Rutter Tim Zagat
Jeff Manning deserves a vote today.
Sudden Death: Marc Ecko
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