COLD WEATHER LAMB HOT POT

Eating lamb in Autumn and Winter is warming, and helps the body deal with the cold and wet. According to the Cantonese, who do not know what cold and wet is, because they live in a temperate clime, unlike pissy Dutchmen on the internet who still remember getting drenched every day in freezing rainstorms while bicycling to school (the distance between Valkenswaard and Eindhoven is six miles) from November through March, or that one time they visited their relatives who live in the centre of Canada during the middle of winter when there was snow outside covering the shivering corpses of local residents who went out shopping without wearing their furcoats, thermal underwear, and mukluks.

Hong Kong has eighty degrees Fahrenheit right now. Which is warm. Too warm. San Francisco is at sixty Fahrenheit. The Netherlands and Canada are up near the arctic, where what might warm you is côtelette de baby harp seal with a port wine reduction.
As well as furcoats, thermal underwear, and mukluks.

Because it is more temperate in HK and Kwangchow, the Cantonese far too often do a fairly miserable rendition of one of their favourite dishes, lamb and tofu stick hotpot (枝竹羊肉煲'fu juk yeung yiuk po'), which I've learned should not be eaten at some places. I'm still looking for a restaurant that does a splendid version. Which means that I might order it sometime soon.

The best versions include carrot chunks, large black mushrooms, good dried tangerine peel (新會陳年舊陳皮 'san-wui chan-nin kau chan-pei'), and bamboo shoot (竹荀 'juk seun', in addition to juicy lamb, and tofu sticks (腐竹 'fu juk', 枝竹 'ji juk').
Ginger, garlic, chopped scallion, star anise.
Dashes soy sauce and rice wine.



All of that aside, I'm probably going to have chops for lunch mid-afternoon with a cup of milk tea. It's not cold enough for lamb, nor rainy. Pipe and a walk afterwards.
After shopping, of course.

Best Brown Flake.
In an old briar.

TOBACCO INDEX


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