Many things suck. Spilling fish sauce onto your white pants right after you washed them ranks high on my list of sucky things.

For those of you unfamiliar with fish sauce, it’s a condiment made from fish extract like anchovies. It’s a common ingredient in Vietnamese cooking. It also is tasty if you stir fry it with spinach or bok choy. Its odor is incredibly pungent, however.  Many people find the smell repulsive.

On an unrelated note, isn’t it ironic that “Squid” and “Oyster” are two brands of fish sauce (see photo)? I prefer Squid brand.

misc food

The refrigerator is a great place to extend shelf life of products, whether edible or not. Batteries or film will stay fresh for years in the fridge if kept in proper humidity. Storing preservative-free eyedrops or Forteo (for osteoporosis) in the fridge will also help maintain their efficacy.

I keep chocolate in my fridge. Large amounts of it. Right in the left crisper drawer. Ever since I started counting down the weeks before my move, I’ve been frantically trying to clear out my food items. I’ve amassed a formidable stash of European delicassies in my fridge and cabinet over the last year, and it’s been difficult whittling down my stores. The photo above shows about a fourth of what I had 2 months ago. I simply am unable to consume this stuff in large quantities because the chocolate is overpoweringly rich and it seems like a waste not to savor it. In NYC, the Leibniz cookies sell at $5 for 3.3oz. The Swiss waffle chocolates? $6 for 3oz. I bought 5 boxes of each earlier in the year. (The gold standard for cookie comparison is the Oreo, which usually sells for $3 for 16oz)

I’ve started distributing some of my goodies in the hospital, and they go like hotcakes. A box of Ferrero’s lasted 3 hours. I wonder how long a box of French schoolboy cookies (Le Petit Ecolier) will last…

misc food, humor, life

As I specialize further in my career, I increasingly wonder how much my time is worth. In the hospital, we often see a strict division of labor. Physicians seldom perform phlebotomy or vital signs–this is the job of lab techs and nurses.  Our time is valuable and should be spent on tasks that require our many years of specialized training.

Does this division of labor exist outside of the hospital? Numerous medical residents have told me that they hire housekeepers to maintain their homes or apartments simply because “it’s not worth my time”. Other chores that I’ve heard residents renounce include: 1) mowing the lawn 2) cooking 3) washing dishes [including putting dishes into the dishwasher].

I’ve renounced cutting/logging trees ever since I entered medical school, mostly because I find that operating a chainsaw may prematurely end my career as a physician before it even begins. I don’t particularly care for logging trees either. But what about other tasks? What tasks can you refuse to do before being labeled a pampered snob? Read more…

medicine, misc food, life

Several weeks ago, I experimented with competitive brand saran wrap. There was no doubt that the alternative brand was inferior. Since I don’t learn from past experience, I acquired a roll of brand-X aluminum foil. Fortunately, I also had a roll of Reynold’s wrap aluminum foil, which served as the gold standard in my head-to-head trial of foils.

As usual, the name-brand product was about 2.5x as expensive as the competitive equivalent. At first glance, it was clear that the cardboard packaging on the Reynold’s wrap was sturdier. The perforated sides of the box was cut with precision, allowing smooth unraveling of the roll while creating sufficient tension to keep the roll inside the box. The serrated edge of the Reynold’s box also appeared more substantial. However, I was able to cleanly tear a specified length of foil from both boxes, unlike with the saran wraps. Mostly likely, it’s due to aluminum’s tensile strength. The Reynold’s foil was at least 50% thicker than brand-x, which helps minimize risk of perforation by heavier foods in the oven.

For food preparation purposes, I feel comfortable in using a cheaper brand,  as long as the aluminum doesn’t melt in the oven (that should NEVER happen anyway unless there are impurities in the roll). My baked chicken tasted no different with either brand.

Of course as a techie, I also use my aluminum foil as a reflector material for increasing gain on satellite discs.  More on that subject in another post…

misc food, hobbies

After months of getting bombarded television commercials, billboards, tickers, and flyers about the “hip” java offerings at McDonald’s, I caved in and bought an iced latte. At $2.79, the McLatte is more economial than its Starbucks or Peet’s counterpart (usually $3.99+), but how does it compare in quality?

Frankly, I haven’t had an iced latte in at least a year. One, because they’re expensive. Two, because vendors these days mix in insane amounts of sugar to appeal to the masses. If I wanted to have my coffee as a dessert, I’d rather eat ice cream. Nonetheless, I think McCafe achieves its purpose in expanding its empire. I’m not sure where the McDonald’s java beans originate from, but I’d imagine they’re from the same batch that is used for all of their coffee. Their coffee brew is actually decent, mind you (as long as the employee isn’t combining old brew with the fresh). The clear, hemispheric lids for their iced coffees are the same as those used in the McFlurry and sundaes–this makes great economical sense. The coffee itself is slightly more dilute than the Starbucks rendition. They may have not considered the ice dilution factor in the iced coffees, or it may not have been practical to make two different concentrations given the overall sales volume. I actually prefer a more dilute drink anyway–caffeine is too addictive anyway.

I give them a thumb’s up. It’s good to see competition.

misc food