I have been enjoying her posts for probably 10 years.
I was not about to miss out on the opportunity to spend some time with
her while she was in San Diego.
She has been very generous with fellow rfc'rs by sending jars of jams
to our cookins' along with some Gedney Pickle Co. hats. Barb has
pictures of people in the pickle hats from where ever she and/or her
jams go. A very nice passerby took this for us.

http://i17.tinypic.com/332axle.jpg

I took Wednesday afternoon off work and met her at her hotel in
Mission Valley. She had never been to a Ranch 99 market so that
sounded like a plan.
I don't think I can come close to telling you how much fun we had, and
how much fun Barb is.
On our way to the market we saw a gift shop and had to check it out.

http://i12.tinypic.com/4gefdz4.jpg

There is just too much in that store to see in one visit, but we
tried. It's one of those shops that will take a few visits to take it
all in. Barb got a few things and I bought this cool serving piece.

http://i13.tinypic.com/4cvpb2o.jpg

I wish I would have gotten the name of the store; it's in a little
complex on Convoy Street adjacent to Jasmine Dim Sum Restaurant. They
are very friendly and helpful. I need to go back and get some matching
pieces to the bowl.
Off we went to Ranch 99 Market. I wasn't really dreading the parking
because we were there on a Wednesday afternoon and thought for sure
there would be plenty of parking. It was a little worse than I
expected but no where near what I've experienced before. We found a
spot near the front door, come to find out Barb is the lucky charm for
parking places.
Inside the market are a couple of restaurants, a "fast food" walk away
food stand, a book nook, jewelry store and toy store. We couldn't
resist some of the offerings at the little food stand so we had some
spring rolls and I had my first Boba, lychee flavor. Barb was not up
to trying one yet, especially after I showed her one of the rubbery
tapioca balls I had squished on a napkin.
We were intrigued with the machine they have that extracts the juice
from fresh sugar cane. The lady running the extractor would not let
Barb take a picture of her running the machine. I missed seeing that,
drat.
We strolled through the shops and went into Sam Woo's restaurant. It
has whole smoked ducks hanging up in a display case, I mean whole, as
in heads and all. Sam Woo's has a take out side and a dine in side. We
perused the display of take out food then went into the market. Barb
took pictures here.
We quickly went to the hot prepared buy, by the pound food counter.
That's where Barb gave me a lesson on how to use a chicken foot as a
hand puppet. I can honestly tell you I will never look at a chicken
foot the same way again.
We sat and visited over some steamed pork dumplings and bbq pork ribs.
We walked up and down the aisles, not knowing half of what we were
looking at, but that didn't stop foodies like us from taking it all in
and enjoying every minute of our adventure. Not only did we discover
exotic foods but we saw sweetened condensed milk in a squeeze bottle,
we really did.
We met some interesting people. Barb got a lesson on how to use a
particular veggie, the name of which I can't remember now, but I do
remember him telling her it tastes like celery root.

http://i15.tinypic.com/2nai32g.jpg

We struck up a conversation with some ladies in the produce dept. I
wish now we would have taken their pictures. One was here visiting
from Michigan. The lady she was visiting is someone she became
acquainted with on the internet in a scrap booking group. They invited
us over to celebrate Chinese New Year that Sunday. Dang!!! Barb would
be gone and I'd be in Lake Havasu. That would have been so much fun,
especially since their grocery cart was groaning with food and they
were still going strong.
We had been in the store for a few hours and alas, it was time to go.

On my drive back home I once again counted my blessings. I not only
got some jam.
I GOT TO MEET BARB !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For those that have not been able to go to a Ranch 99 Market this blog
has a little blurb on it.
http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/...ng_at_ran.html

I had such a great time and hope we'll be able to see each again.

Koko

--
New blog in progress
http://kokoscorner.blogspot.com

"There is no love more sincere than the love of food"
George Bernard Shaw

Steve Wertz > wrote in message
...
> [..] It's clearly written in standard Mandarin. Doesn't
> everybody read Chinese these days? How would
> you translate menus at a real Chinese restaurant?

I'd ask, point, and laugh at the waiter's consternation that an
Angry White Man was ordering from the alternative menu...

The Ranger

On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 17:07:51 GMT, Steve Wertz
> wrote:

>On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 08:48:17 -0800, Koko wrote:
>
>> On our way to the market we saw a gift shop and had to check it out.
>>
>> http://i12.tinypic.com/4gefdz4.jpg
>
>> I wish I would have gotten the name of the store;
>
>It says it right there above "Feng Shui Supplies":

Dang!!! I missed that
>
>"Mey Lee". It's clearly written in standard Mandarin. Doesn't
>everybody read Chinese these days? How would you translate menus
>at a real Chinese restaurant?
>
There is such a thing?

>Hrmp!
>
Indeed ;-)

>-sw

Koko
--
New blog in progress
http://kokoscorner.blogspot.com

"There is no love more sincere than the love of food"
George Bernard Shaw

In article >,
Koko > wrote:

snip
> We quickly went to the hot prepared buy, by the pound food counter.
> That's where Barb gave me a lesson on how to use a chicken foot as a
> hand puppet. I can honestly tell you I will never look at a chicken
> foot the same way again.

Our neighborhood Friday night follies group has mastered the art of
shrimp head finger puppetry. Suffice it to say that it requires some
alcohol.
>
>
> On my drive back home I once again counted my blessings. I not only
> got some jam.
> I GOT TO MEET BARB !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm jealous.
> For those that have not been able to go to a Ranch 99 Market this blog
> has a little blurb on it.
> http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/...ng_at_ran.html
>
We have 2 99 Ranches in the Seattle area (Edmonds and Kent). They're
both a little out of the way for us. We do most of our Asian food
shopping at Uwajimaya or at Central Market in Shoreline, which has a
good-sized Asian section. Recently an HT Market opened in what used to
be Larry's Market (high-end grocery that filed chapter 11) on Aurora Ave
and North 100 St. It has more Vietnamese-oriented ingredients than the
others. I found the bun bo Hue noodles there last Sunday that Uwajimaya
and Central Market didn't have.

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

Delete the obvious to email me

Steve Wertz > wrote in message
...
> [..] You should see the reactions I get when I buy
> the raw, fermented fish sold in bulk at the
> Vietnamese grocers [..o]r the Naturally Stuffed
> intestines at the Thanh Huong delis. [..]

One of these days you're going to eat something that is beyond
your body's ability to cope with... I can well imagine you
clearing out any brownbag meetings.

The Ranger

"Steve Wertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 09:26:04 -0800, Koko wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 17:07:51 GMT, Steve Wertz
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 08:48:17 -0800, Koko wrote:
>>>
>>>> On our way to the market we saw a gift shop and had to check it out.
>>>>
>>>> http://i12.tinypic.com/4gefdz4.jpg
>>>
>>>> I wish I would have gotten the name of the store;
>>>
>>>It says it right there above "Feng Shui Supplies":
>>
>> Dang!!! I missed that
>>>
>>>"Mey Lee". It's clearly written in standard Mandarin. Doesn't
>>>everybody read Chinese these days? How would you translate menus
>>>at a real Chinese restaurant?
>>>
>> There is such a thing?
>>
>>>Hrmp!
>>>
>> Indeed ;-)
>
> I'm not *all* fun and jokes. It really *is* called Mey Lee.
> Just so you know I'm not pulling your leg (100% of the time).
>
> I can see how people might overlook actual information in one of
> my posts ;-)

So how did you come to learn mandarine? I have no gift at all for languages,
though other languages fascinate me, I really admire anyone who can
speak/read in another language, and am always interested in how they learned
them. ( I suppose deep down I want them to tell me how easy it is if only
I...)
It's amazing the interesting things you learn about people on this NG.
Sorry if I'm being to nosy but I just thought I'd ask.

Sarah

Steve Wertz > wrote:

> The Chinese menu is pretty tame compared to a Vietanmese menu.

I don't think there is much difference in the lack of tameness.
Consider, for example, such dishes as Sliced Live Fish w. Fish Soup &
Spicy Pepper; Fish Head with Fish Soup and Spicy Pepper; Spicy and Sour
Shredded Pig Tripe; Pig Blood and Vegetables with Spicy Sauce; or
Aromatic and Crispy Pig Intestine. They are all from Grand Sichuan
International in Midtown Manhattan, but I can get some of them at a
local Sichuan place, BuJianBuSan, with a much smaller menu, too.

Victor

"Steve Wertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 19:56:35 GMT, Sarah wrote:
>
>> So how did you come to learn mandarine? I have no gift at all for
>> languages,
>> though other languages fascinate me, I really admire anyone who can
>> speak/read in another language, and am always interested in how they
>> learned
>> them. ( I suppose deep down I want them to tell me how easy it is if only
>> I...)
>> It's amazing the interesting things you learn about people on this NG.
>> Sorry if I'm being to nosy but I just thought I'd ask.
>
> Remember when I said:
>
>>> I'm not *all* fun and jokes. It really *is* called Mey Lee.
>>> Just so you know I'm not pulling your leg (100% of the time).
>
> I used Google to find out what other shops were in the same strip
> mall at the same address on Convoy street next to Jasmine Dim Sum
> Restaurant.
>
> Those Chinese characters really say "Feng Shui", as shown on the
> chart on the right at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feng_shui
>
> I know. I suck. ;-)
>
> ObFood: Instead of smoking my Greek-like brined chicken, I
> stuffed it with mushrooms, jasmine and wild rices, sautéed red
> bell pepper, poblano, onion, celery,and thyme + herbs de province
> (with that deadly lavnder) and it's baking away in the oven right
> now. I'll have sugar snap peas on the side with the stuffing.
>
> -sw
Wondered how you did it!!! Wouldn'd have thought of doing the google thing!

Sarah

In article >,
Steve Wertz > wrote:


> I'm not *all* fun and jokes. It really *is* called Mey Lee.
> Just so you know I'm not pulling your leg (100% of the time).
> -sw

Yes, yes it is. I have the charge slips to confirm that.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller - Winter pic and a snow pic
http://jamlady.eboard.com
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/amytaylor