One of my friend from India send me this Madoorie estate Assam(SFD)
grade dust tea and also Madoorie estate Assam(FTGFOP1) loose tea. I
tried them side by side and the result was:-

Both have the same taste, difference was the dust one was- more
robust, deep colored, Malty etc.

Now my question is- as far as I understand, we drink Assam for its
robust and malty taste. So why many of us don't drink Assam
CTC,PD,SRD? Why do we spend more money for Assam OP,FOP,SFTGFOP etc?

I have also tried this Assam(SFD) tea with cream and used an expresso
machine for bubbles. I think at last, I have found something for
Sunday morning with my cheesy bagels.

What do you think my fellow tea lover friends.

Ripon
(From Bangladesh)

(Ripon) wrote in
om:

> What do you think my fellow tea lover friends.

As I have already fallen in love with a couple of Assams, I think I can't
wait to try it. Thanks for the tip.

--
fD

Ripon wrote:

> One of my friend from India send me this Madoorie estate Assam(SFD)
> grade dust tea and also Madoorie estate Assam(FTGFOP1) loose tea. I
> tried them side by side and the result was:-
>
> Both have the same taste, difference was the dust one was- more
> robust, deep colored, Malty etc.
>
> Now my question is- as far as I understand, we drink Assam for its
> robust and malty taste. So why many of us don't drink Assam
> CTC,PD,SRD? Why do we spend more money for Assam OP,FOP,SFTGFOP etc?
>
> I have also tried this Assam(SFD) tea with cream and used an expresso
> machine for bubbles. I think at last, I have found something for
> Sunday morning with my cheesy bagels.
>
> What do you think my fellow tea lover friends.
>
Frankly, I'm astonished that you can get bagels in Bangladesh.

dmh

On 9 Dec 2003 10:38:04 -0800, (Ripon) tripped the
light fantastic, then quipped:

>One of my friend from India send me this Madoorie estate Assam(SFD)
>grade dust tea and also Madoorie estate Assam(FTGFOP1) loose tea. I
>tried them side by side and the result was:-
>
>Both have the same taste, difference was the dust one was- more
>robust, deep colored, Malty etc.
>
>Now my question is- as far as I understand, we drink Assam for its
>robust and malty taste. So why many of us don't drink Assam
>CTC,PD,SRD? Why do we spend more money for Assam OP,FOP,SFTGFOP etc?
>
>I have also tried this Assam(SFD) tea with cream and used an expresso
> machine for bubbles. I think at last, I have found something for
>Sunday morning with my cheesy bagels.
>
>What do you think my fellow tea lover friends.
>
>Ripon
>(From Bangladesh)

My personal observation is that, since most of us don't use tea bags,
we avoid (for the most part) teas that are so fine that they will sift
through an infuser, possibly making the brew bitter. A paper filter
is the only thing I know of that would completely contain all
particles of a fine tea dust. However, if this is an exceptional
Assam, I'd be willing to sample it, brewed in any manner...Assams are
my weakness.


·.·´¨ ¨)) :¤:
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
Tee
((¸¸.·´ ..·´
:¤: ((¸¸ ·.·

http://www.geocities.com/tee_king
Remove -no-spam- to email me.

(Ripon) writes:

> One of my friend from India send me this Madoorie estate Assam(SFD)
> grade dust tea and also Madoorie estate Assam(FTGFOP1) loose tea. I
> tried them side by side and the result was:-
>
> Both have the same taste, difference was the dust one was- more
> robust, deep colored, Malty etc.
>
> Now my question is- as far as I understand, we drink Assam for its
> robust and malty taste. So why many of us don't drink Assam
> CTC,PD,SRD? Why do we spend more money for Assam OP,FOP,SFTGFOP etc?

I'm certainly no expert on Assam but I think the answer is clear:
because we might want qualities beyond robustness and malt.

> I have also tried this Assam(SFD) tea with cream and used an expresso
> machine for bubbles. I think at last, I have found something for
> Sunday morning with my cheesy bagels.

Hey Ripon: Ever try a dark Puerh brewed strong?

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

"David M. Harris" > wrote in message >...
> Ripon wrote:

> > I have also tried this Assam(SFD) tea with cream and used an expresso
> > machine for bubbles. I think at last, I have found something for
> > Sunday morning with my cheesy bagels.
> >
> > What do you think my fellow tea lover friends.
> >
> Frankly, I'm astonished that you can get bagels in Bangladesh.
>
DMH:

Why are you astonised. In this globalization era- everything is
available in the market. Maybe sometimes it limited or expensive. here
I can get everything I need from US. Did you forget- www.netgrocer.com
LoL.

Ripon
(From Bangladesh)

Lewis Perin > wrote in message >...


> Hey Ripon: Ever try a dark Puerh brewed strong?
>
> /Lew

Lew:

No, I haven't. How is it? Can you please tell me more about it. Thanks.

Ripon
(From Bangladesh)

Ripon wrote:

> "David M. Harris" > wrote in message >...
>
>>
>>Frankly, I'm astonished that you can get bagels in Bangladesh.
>>
>
> DMH:
>
> Why are you astonised. In this globalization era- everything is
> available in the market. Maybe sometimes it limited or expensive. here
> I can get everything I need from US. Did you forget- www.netgrocer.com
> LoL.
>
> Ripon

I'm in the U.S., and I can't get good bagels without having them
shipped. (Well, technically the U.S. Tennessee.) Maybe I'll go to
netgrocer.

dmh

"David M. Harris" > wrote in message
...
>
> I'm in the U.S., and I can't get good bagels without having them
> shipped. (Well, technically the U.S. Tennessee.) Maybe I'll go to
> netgrocer.
>
> dmh

I'm astonished that you can get bagels in Tennessee.

<g>

Warren (in NYC)

"Warren C. Liebold" wrote:
>
> "David M. Harris" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > I'm in the U.S., and I can't get good bagels without having them
> > shipped. (Well, technically the U.S. Tennessee.) Maybe I'll go to
> > netgrocer.
> >
> > dmh
>
> I'm astonished that you can get bagels in Tennessee.

I'm looking forward to visiting my family in Ohio and finally getting
some good fresh bagels. Jews do re-locate, you know, and central Ohio
is quite an outpost.

--crymad

"David M. Harris" > wrote in message >...
> Ripon wrote:
>
> > "David M. Harris" > wrote in message >...
> >
> >>
> >>Frankly, I'm astonished that you can get bagels in Bangladesh.
> >>
> >
> > DMH:
> >
> > Why are you astonised. In this globalization era- everything is
> > available in the market. Maybe sometimes it limited or expensive. here
> > I can get everything I need from US. Did you forget- www.netgrocer.com
> > LoL.
> >
> > Ripon
>
> I'm in the U.S., and I can't get good bagels without having them
> shipped. (Well, technically the U.S. Tennessee.) Maybe I'll go to
> netgrocer.

Dmh:

About netgrocer- I buy other stuffs not bagles. Bagles always better
when it is fresh. One company make many different kinds of bagles in
Bangladesh and few people around here used to with bagles . It is not
good as "Manhattan bagles" though but good. I remember in
Memphis,Tennessee I had good bagles. I think best bagles are available
only around the east coast in US,specially NY. I can be wrong.

Ripon
(From bangladesh)

It was open stage night in rec.food.drink.tea, when crymad stepped
up to the microphone and muttered:

> "Warren C. Liebold" wrote:
>>
>> "David M. Harris" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> >
>> > I'm in the U.S., and I can't get good bagels without having
>> > them shipped. (Well, technically the U.S. Tennessee.)
>> > Maybe I'll go to netgrocer.
>> >
>> > dmh
>>
>> I'm astonished that you can get bagels in Tennessee.
>
> I'm looking forward to visiting my family in Ohio and finally
> getting some good fresh bagels. Jews do re-locate, you know,
> and central Ohio is quite an outpost.

OOH! Corky and Lenny's Jewish Delicatessens. OH, that takes me back
to high school days.

--
Derek

There is an island of opportunity in the middle of every
difficulty. Miss that, though, and you're pretty much doomed.

It was open stage night in rec.food.drink.tea, when David M. Harris
stepped up to the microphone and muttered:

> Frankly, I'm astonished that you can get bagels in Bangladesh.

Why be astonished? They're a baked good. I mean, it's not as if he
said he got them at Starbucks.

--
Derek

There is an island of opportunity in the middle of every difficulty.
Miss that, though, and you're pretty much doomed.

(Ripon) wrote in
om:

> "David M. Harris" > wrote in message
> >...
>> Ripon wrote:
>>
>> > "David M. Harris" > wrote in message
>> > >...
>> >
>> >>
>> >>Frankly, I'm astonished that you can get bagels in Bangladesh.
>> >>
>> >
>> > DMH:
>> >
>> > Why are you astonised. In this globalization era- everything is
>> > available in the market. Maybe sometimes it limited or expensive.
>> > here I can get everything I need from US. Did you forget-
>> > www.netgrocer.com LoL.
>> >
>> > Ripon
>>
>> I'm in the U.S., and I can't get good bagels without having them
>> shipped. (Well, technically the U.S. Tennessee.) Maybe I'll go to
>> netgrocer.
>
> Dmh:
>
> About netgrocer- I buy other stuffs not bagles. Bagles always better
> when it is fresh. One company make many different kinds of bagles in
> Bangladesh and few people around here used to with bagles . It is not
> good as "Manhattan bagles" though but good. I remember in
> Memphis,Tennessee I had good bagles. I think best bagles are available
> only around the east coast in US,specially NY. I can be wrong.
>
> Ripon
> (From bangladesh)
>

Ripon,

You are exactly right about bagels. When I grew up, only a few cities in
the US with significant Jewish populations had bagels available. Then
bagels were "discovered". Now they are all over the place.
Unfortunately, a lot of what is being sold as bagels has little
resemblence to what I grew up eating. A lot of bagels these days are
very soft and almost fluffy. Also, bagels are made with strange flavors.
Yesterday I saw spinach bagels in the supermarket. When I grew up there
was no such thing. Bagels were dense and very chewy - good for a baby to
teethe on. They were fresh for a day at most. There was no question of
shipping bagels anywhere. By the next day, they would be rock hard.
Other than pumpernickel bagels (very dark brown, made with the addition
of rye flour and molasses and dark coloring agent), the only flavors were
onion, garlic, poppyseed, sesame, and salt. The flavors were in the form
of things sprinkled on the top of the bagel. There were no cheese
bagels, blueberry bagels, jalapeno bagels, and other flavors like that.
I'm not saying that people shouldn't enjoy those things if they like
them. Rather, I am saying that the only resemblance those things have to
the traditional bagels that I ate growing up in Brooklyn in the 1960s
(too young to notice in the 1950s) is that they are round, have a hole in
the middle, and made out of wheat dough.

When I was young one of my favorite snacks was a very salty salt bagel
(the top was fairly much encrusted in coarse salt) eaten along with a big
glass of very cold milk. There were bagel shops every few blocks along
the main streets of my neighborhood. One of the first errands I would be
assigned was to go to the bagel store. The bagels would always be
freshly baked, still at least a little warm from the oven. Oh the
memories!

Strangely enough, bagels were never taken with tea (in my family,
anyway). But then again, the only tea my parents knew was from big
companies well-known in America and sold in teabags, and my father, who
was very parsimonious, would save and re-use a teabag several times.

The thought of bagels in Bangladesh is very strange to me - I don't think
of Bangladesh as a place where high risen oven-baked breads (as opposed
to griddle-baked flat breads) made of white wheat dough are common, or as
a place where there is a significant Jewish community. Maybe you got
bagels from Bangladeshis who were exposed to them in the US, in which
case your bagels are probably more like new American bagels than the ones
of my childhood. Or maybe they are yet another generation of mutation,
and come in flavors like garam masala, jeera, and hing (warm-flavored
mixed spices, cumin, and asfoetida for folks who don't know what those
are), just as those flavors are added to pappadams. Actually, hing
bagels would be a lot like onion bagels and might be pretty good...

Debbie

--
Anti-spam advisory: The email address used to post this article is a
throw-away address. It will be invalidated and replaced with another if
and when it is found by spammers.

crymad wrote:
> I'm looking forward to visiting my family in Ohio and finally getting
> some good fresh bagels. Jews do re-locate, you know, and central Ohio
> is quite an outpost.

Are they still kettled there? Despite a large Jewish population in my
area, bagels have devolved into misted circular rolls, rather than
something you have to really exercise your jaws to consume. And I've
seen blasphemies such as ham and cheese 'bagels'. I think they were much
better before they became popular with the larger culture :-).

Karen

> >One of my friend from India send me this Madoorie estate Assam(SFD)
> >grade dust tea and also Madoorie estate Assam(FTGFOP1) loose tea. I
> >tried them side by side and the result was:-

> ...Assams are my weakness.


Gee, I'd have said "Assams are my strength."

Back OT, this is tantalizing. I love a really malty Assam. used to get good
stuff when I lived in the UK. Here in the US, I live near Mark Wendell,
whose house Assam is reasonable. Can anyone suggest a reasonably priced
vendor, near Boston or who does mail order, offering a broad range of Assam
grades?

Thanks-

DM

"Dog Ma 1" (reply w/o spam)> wrote in
:

>> >One of my friend from India send me this Madoorie estate Assam(SFD)
>> >grade dust tea and also Madoorie estate Assam(FTGFOP1) loose tea. I
>> >tried them side by side and the result was:-
>
>> ...Assams are my weakness.
>
>
> Gee, I'd have said "Assams are my strength."
>
> Back OT, this is tantalizing. I love a really malty Assam. used to get
> good stuff when I lived in the UK. Here in the US, I live near Mark
> Wendell, whose house Assam is reasonable. Can anyone suggest a
> reasonably priced vendor, near Boston or who does mail order, offering
> a broad range of Assam grades?
>
> Thanks-
>
> DM
>
>
>

Does Wendell have a store front? I remember one, many many years ago in
West Concord, across from the railroad station. However it is not there
anymore, nor is it listed in the phone directory.

Debbie

--
Anti-spam advisory: The email address used to post this article is a
throw-away address. It will be invalidated and replaced with another if
and when it is found by spammers.

Warren C. Liebold wrote:
> "David M. Harris" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>I'm in the U.S., and I can't get good bagels without having them
>>shipped. (Well, technically the U.S. Tennessee.) Maybe I'll go to
>>netgrocer.
>>
>>dmh
>
>
> I'm astonished that you can get bagels in Tennessee.
>
> <g>
>
> Warren (in NYC)
>
>
>
>
O.K., they aren't real bagels. (I know the difference; until a couple
of months ago I lived in New York.) But there are bagel-shaped objects
in some of the stores. They're nice and puffy and soft, and often have
fruit in them. (shudder)

And what you can get at netgrocer.com is even worse.

dmh

Ripon wrote:

>
> Dmh:
>
> About netgrocer- I buy other stuffs not bagles. Bagles always better
> when it is fresh. One company make many different kinds of bagles in
> Bangladesh and few people around here used to with bagles . It is not
> good as "Manhattan bagles" though but good. I remember in
> Memphis,Tennessee I had good bagles. I think best bagles are available
> only around the east coast in US,specially NY. I can be wrong.
>
> Ripon
> (From bangladesh)

Well, I've had good bagels in New Jersey, and in the parts of New York
close to New York City, and in Israel, and noplace else. It does seem
to be highly localized.

dmh

Derek wrote:

> It was open stage night in rec.food.drink.tea, when David M. Harris
> stepped up to the microphone and muttered:
>
>
>>Frankly, I'm astonished that you can get bagels in Bangladesh.
>
>
> Why be astonished? They're a baked good. I mean, it's not as if he
> said he got them at Starbucks.
>
All right, good bagels at a Starbucks would be astonishing.

dmh

Dog Ma 1 wrote:

>>>One of my friend from India send me this Madoorie estate Assam(SFD)
>>>grade dust tea and also Madoorie estate Assam(FTGFOP1) loose tea. I
>>>tried them side by side and the result was:-
>
>
>>...Assams are my weakness.
>
>
>
> Gee, I'd have said "Assams are my strength."
>
> Back OT, this is tantalizing. I love a really malty Assam. used to get good
> stuff when I lived in the UK. Here in the US, I live near Mark Wendell,
> whose house Assam is reasonable. Can anyone suggest a reasonably priced
> vendor, near Boston or who does mail order, offering a broad range of Assam
> grades?
>
> Thanks-
>
> DM
>
>
Upton is both near Boston and does mail order. I don't think they do
over-the-counter, though. http://www.uptontea.com/

dmh

Yes; they're on a little side street nearby - directions on the web.
"Storefront" is really a small office and display area; one can wander in
back to see luscious piles and crates of tea being received and baggeed, and
shop for occasion "use by" bargains on pre-bagged foreign products. Nice
people and pretty good tea; just not a huge variety. (And I like an EBT with
considerably more kick.)

-DM

----- Original Message -----
From: "Debbie Deutsch" >
Newsgroups: rec.food.drink.tea
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 12:11 PM
Subject: Assam Super Red Dust(SRD)


> Does Wendell have a store front? I remember one, many many years ago in
> West Concord, across from the railroad station. However it is not there
> anymore, nor is it listed in the phone directory.

"Dog Ma 1" (reply w/o spam)> wrote in
:

> Yes; they're on a little side street nearby - directions on the web.
> "Storefront" is really a small office and display area; one can wander
> in back to see luscious piles and crates of tea being received and
> baggeed, and shop for occasion "use by" bargains on pre-bagged foreign
> products. Nice people and pretty good tea; just not a huge variety.
> (And I like an EBT with considerably more kick.)
>
> -DM
>


Thank you!!!

--
Anti-spam advisory: The email address used to post this article is a
throw-away address. It will be invalidated and replaced with another if
and when it is found by spammers.

It was open stage night in rec.food.drink.tea, when David M.
Harris stepped up to the microphone and muttered:

> Derek wrote:
>
>> It was open stage night in rec.food.drink.tea, when David M.
>> Harris stepped up to the microphone and muttered:
>>
>>
>>>Frankly, I'm astonished that you can get bagels in Bangladesh.
>>
>>
>> Why be astonished? They're a baked good. I mean, it's not as if
>> he said he got them at Starbucks.
>>
> All right, good bagels at a Starbucks would be astonishing.

Right. There you go. That would be astonishing.

[ chuckle ]

--
Derek

It's best to avoid standing directly between a competitive jerk and
his goals.

Karen wrote:
>
> crymad wrote:
> > I'm looking forward to visiting my family in Ohio and finally getting
> > some good fresh bagels. Jews do re-locate, you know, and central Ohio
> > is quite an outpost.
>
> Are they still kettled there? Despite a large Jewish population in my
> area, bagels have devolved into misted circular rolls, rather than
> something you have to really exercise your jaws to consume.

My hometown things are the real deal, just like Debbie describes below.
Turn tooth-chipping hard by the next day.

--crymad

crymad wrote:
> My hometown things are the real deal, just like Debbie describes below.
> Turn tooth-chipping hard by the next day.

<envious sigh> I'm going to have to make my own one of these days so my
children will know what a real bagel tastes like.

Karen, brewing some rooibos chai

"David M. Harris" > wrote in message >...
> Ripon wrote:
>
> >
> > Dmh:
> >
> > About netgrocer- I buy other stuffs not bagles. Bagles always better
> > when it is fresh. One company make many different kinds of bagles in
> > Bangladesh and few people around here used to with bagles . It is not
> > good as "Manhattan bagles" though but good. I remember in
> > Memphis,Tennessee I had good bagles. I think best bagles are available
> > only around the east coast in US,specially NY. I can be wrong.
> >
> > Ripon
> > (From bangladesh)
>
> Well, I've had good bagels in New Jersey, and in the parts of New York
> close to New York City, and in Israel, and noplace else. It does seem
> to be highly localized.

Also in Washington D.C. and Arlington,VA(Manhattan bagles), also had
very good kind in London. The best one I have ever had was-in a brunch
place somewhere near Central park(NY). By the way, I have a question-
so bagles came to US by Jews community? Or would like to know, the
origin of bagles.

Ripon
(From Bangladesh)
>
> dmh

>
> The thought of bagels in Bangladesh is very strange to me - I don't think
> of Bangladesh as a place where high risen oven-baked breads (as opposed
> to griddle-baked flat breads) made of white wheat dough are common, or as
> a place where there is a significant Jewish community. Maybe you got
> bagels from Bangladeshis who were exposed to them in the US, in which
> case your bagels are probably more like new American bagels than the ones
> of my childhood. Or maybe they are yet another generation of mutation,
> and come in flavors like garam masala, jeera, and hing (warm-flavored
> mixed spices, cumin, and asfoetida for folks who don't know what those
> are), just as those flavors are added to pappadams. Actually, hing
> bagels would be a lot like onion bagels and might be pretty good...
>
> Debbie

Strange.. why is that. All kinds of bread are available here from
french to bagles. Bangladesh is a fast growing economy that means many
foreign investors live here. When a foreign company come, with the
company there local food chain also follow. We have many different
foods here from Japanese(East) to American(West). The city is very
multicultural. The people who opened the bagles shop, actually is a
french frenchise. Here we even have big super market like American
Giant or Fresh-field. All sorts of foreign food are there from frozen
to fresh Australian vegatables and fruits. From world famous Pizza Hut
to Swiss famous ice cream shop Move-in-pick.

Derek and DMH Starbucks is opening next year. So this year be
astonised but next year- please don't LOL.

Ripon
(From Bangladesh)

Karen > wrote in
nk.net:

> crymad wrote:
>> My hometown things are the real deal, just like Debbie describes
>> below. Turn tooth-chipping hard by the next day.
>
> <envious sigh> I'm going to have to make my own one of these days so
> my children will know what a real bagel tastes like.
>
> Karen, brewing some rooibos chai
>
>

I have a recipe. Let me know if you need it.

Debbie

--
Anti-spam advisory: The email address used to post this article is a
throw-away address. It will be invalidated and replaced with another if
and when it is found by spammers.

(Ripon) wrote in
om:

>>
>> The thought of bagels in Bangladesh is very strange to me - I don't
>> think of Bangladesh as a place where high risen oven-baked breads (as
>> opposed to griddle-baked flat breads) made of white wheat dough are
>> common, or as a place where there is a significant Jewish community.
>> Maybe you got bagels from Bangladeshis who were exposed to them in
>> the US, in which case your bagels are probably more like new American
>> bagels than the ones of my childhood. Or maybe they are yet another
>> generation of mutation, and come in flavors like garam masala, jeera,
>> and hing (warm-flavored mixed spices, cumin, and asfoetida for folks
>> who don't know what those are), just as those flavors are added to
>> pappadams. Actually, hing bagels would be a lot like onion bagels
>> and might be pretty good...
>>
>> Debbie
>
> Strange.. why is that. All kinds of bread are available here from
> french to bagles. Bangladesh is a fast growing economy that means many
> foreign investors live here. When a foreign company come, with the
> company there local food chain also follow. We have many different
> foods here from Japanese(East) to American(West). The city is very
> multicultural. The people who opened the bagles shop, actually is a
> french frenchise. Here we even have big super market like American
> Giant or Fresh-field. All sorts of foreign food are there from frozen
> to fresh Australian vegatables and fruits. From world famous Pizza Hut
> to Swiss famous ice cream shop Move-in-pick.
>
> Derek and DMH Starbucks is opening next year. So this year be
> astonised but next year- please don't LOL.
>
> Ripon
> (From Bangladesh)
>

Ripon,

Just as everyday Americans don't go shopping at the Bangladeshi (and
Indian and Pakastani) groceries here, I didn't expect that Bangladeshi's
would do significant amount of shopping at foreign groceries either.
Even the most cosmopolitain people usually stick to what they grew up
with for everyday food, at least in my experience. Foreign food is a
nice exception, but not staple fare. At least that's the case among
people who I know.

Debbie

--
Anti-spam advisory: The email address used to post this article is a
throw-away address. It will be invalidated and replaced with another if
and when it is found by spammers.

"Ripon" > wrote in message
...

| Also in Washington D.C. and Arlington,VA(Manhattan bagles), also had
| very good kind in London. The best one I have ever had was-in a brunch
| place somewhere near Central park(NY). By the way, I have a question-
| so bagles came to US by Jews community? Or would like to know, the
| origin of bagles.

Origin - legend has it they were created as in Austria by a Jewish baker as
a way to thank a ruler from Poland (who had helped protect the Austrians
from an invasion). They moved from Poland into Russia and then somehow got
proliferated around the world. Best served with a schmear.

"Debbie Deutsch" > wrote in message
. 97.132...
> (Ripon) wrote in
> om:
>
> >>
> >> The thought of bagels in Bangladesh is very strange to me - I don't
> >> think of Bangladesh as a place where high risen oven-baked breads (as
> >> opposed to griddle-baked flat breads) made of white wheat dough are
> >> common, or as a place where there is a significant Jewish community.
> >> Maybe you got bagels from Bangladeshis who were exposed to them in
> >> the US, in which case your bagels are probably more like new American
> >> bagels than the ones of my childhood. Or maybe they are yet another
> >> generation of mutation, and come in flavors like garam masala, jeera,
> >> and hing (warm-flavored mixed spices, cumin, and asfoetida for folks
> >> who don't know what those are), just as those flavors are added to
> >> pappadams. Actually, hing bagels would be a lot like onion bagels
> >> and might be pretty good...
> >>
> >> Debbie
> >
> > Strange.. why is that. All kinds of bread are available here from
> > french to bagles. Bangladesh is a fast growing economy that means many
> > foreign investors live here. When a foreign company come, with the
> > company there local food chain also follow. We have many different
> > foods here from Japanese(East) to American(West). The city is very
> > multicultural. The people who opened the bagles shop, actually is a
> > french frenchise. Here we even have big super market like American
> > Giant or Fresh-field. All sorts of foreign food are there from frozen
> > to fresh Australian vegatables and fruits. From world famous Pizza Hut
> > to Swiss famous ice cream shop Move-in-pick.
> >
> > Derek and DMH Starbucks is opening next year. So this year be
> > astonised but next year- please don't LOL.
> >
> > Ripon
> > (From Bangladesh)
> >
>
> Ripon,
>
> Just as everyday Americans don't go shopping at the Bangladeshi (and
> Indian and Pakastani) groceries here, I didn't expect that Bangladeshi's
> would do significant amount of shopping at foreign groceries either.
> Even the most cosmopolitain people usually stick to what they grew up
> with for everyday food, at least in my experience. Foreign food is a
> nice exception, but not staple fare. At least that's the case among
> people who I know.
>
> Debbie
>
That depends on what you would call foreign. Most Americans are not from
Mexico or Texas, but many of them eat Taco Bell. Pizza, foccacia, pasta, and
other Italian-based foods aren't really foreign in the US anymore. In the
70s bagels were still foreign to most Americans- they aren't now. Sushi
(usually of the cooked variety) can be found in many places around the US-
most people no longer think of it as 'bait'.
What this means is that some people did have to pick up food in ethnic
groceries, or eat in ethnic restaurants, and they would have to do it as
more than an exception for certain foods to catch on. Once there are enough
people who like a food to the point of some version being sold in a regular
supermarket (even just regionally) it's on its way to acceptance among
larger numbers of the population.

Part of this, I think, has to do with how many people in urban areas live
next to immigrant enclaves. I eat a lot more Japanese food (to the point
where eel has become a staple on my menu, and I almost always have soba
noodles in my freezer) because there is a burgeoning Japanese neighborhood
near me, with at least 3 markets within walking distance. I see lots (and I
don't mean that as an exaggeration) of non-Asians shopping in these stores,
because the produce and meats are very fresh, and come in portions suited
for students (I live near NYU in Manhattan). The Japanese restaurants in my
area also have an admixture of non-Asian and Asian college students, as well
as older people of many ethnicities; most of the older people are locals who
are used to eating various ethnic cuisines, since New York's East Village is
filled with places that serve good, hearty home-style dishes from various
parts of the world, and living in that section of Manhattan is popular with
bohemians of various stripes as well as perpetual students like me, all of
us tending to live on the cheap.

Just as many students who passed through NYU and Columbia, as well as other
local colleges returned to their native states with a taste for real bagels,
cream cheese, knishes, and other cheap foods that were culturally and
financially accessible when they were young, many students in my area are
now developing a taste for okonomiyaki, soba, real ramen soup (not just the
packaged kind), and yakitori that they will probably have for the rest of
their lives. These will be the people most likely to flock to Japanese
restaurants when they get back home, and to start combing 'Oriental'
groceries in the areas in which they settle. The students who live out in
Flushing, Queens (home of one of the US's larger Korean populations) will
probably develop a taste for bibimbop and kimchee. I won't be shocked if
ten years from now, ex-students who once lived up near Columbia aren't still
looking for tacos that taste like the ones they found in NYC's growing
Mexican community, or if they start making Cuban sandwiches at home (the
Dominicans make some of the best). Pad Thai is becoming so ubiquitous in NY
that it's turning up on Burmese, Korean and Chinese delivery menus in my
area - I would not be surprised if the dish became an American staple within
20 years, rather like fried rice, because it has great potential for
adaptability, and isn't as daunting as Night Market Noodles or curry dishes.

After all- one of the reasons spaghetti and pizza became popular outside of
the Little Italys around the US is because the foods were cheap and
non-challenging enough for hungry students and locals to wash down with
cheap beer on a semi-regular basis. Many of America's most popular
'semi-ethnic' cuisines- the foods that end up on mall menus and at chain
restaurants- are recreations of cheap foods found near colleges and poor
neighborhoods around the country that spread out among the general
population. This may explain in part why some dishes pass into the American
(and world ) lexicon of regular food while others do not. From what I've
seen the foreign dishes that tend to become popular are easily adaptable to
whatever ingredients are on hand, can often be made at home without too much
fuss (or can be easily bought from someone else), and have enough
recognisable ingredients that the dish doesn't scare people away. Once my
relatives understood that pizza was 'really' just bread and cheese with
stewed tomatoes, they were willing to eat it. I suspect the same thing
happened when average Americans saw tacos as cheeseburgers in a different
form, or as Sloppy Joes with a different kind of bread; menudo, on the other
hand, would be a much tougher sell for most folks, because most Americans
don't eat animal stomachs and the cleaning process and food texture make it
too daunting.

DM,

Both Upton Tea (uptontea.com) and SpecialTeas (specialteas.com) have good
selections.

Regards,
Dean

"Dog Ma 1" (reply w/o spam)> wrote in message
...
> > >One of my friend from India send me this Madoorie estate Assam(SFD)
> > >grade dust tea and also Madoorie estate Assam(FTGFOP1) loose tea. I
> > >tried them side by side and the result was:-
>
> > ...Assams are my weakness.
>
>
> Gee, I'd have said "Assams are my strength."
>
> Back OT, this is tantalizing. I love a really malty Assam. used to get
good
> stuff when I lived in the UK. Here in the US, I live near Mark Wendell,
> whose house Assam is reasonable. Can anyone suggest a reasonably priced
> vendor, near Boston or who does mail order, offering a broad range of
Assam
> grades?
>
> Thanks-
>
> DM
>
>