I'd love to see a picture of your bay tree Julie. I've been trying to figure out how to grow them here. As a species they are notoriously hard to grow when seedlings, and much easier after they attain 3-4'. When I lived in Seattle, I started one that grew in a pot into a 6+' tree. For whoever wanted to know about cold tolerance, there in Seattle (which I think is zone 7B) they grow into 50' in ground trees. They didn't need cold protection there after they reach about 5'. When I moved here I started a new one in a pot. It has done abysmally. Puts out a flush of new growth, only to have it attacked horribly by insects & fungus to the point that it causes limb dieback. In the northwest, they happily grow in the shade. Figured it would be the same here. But on another forum user's advice I have moved mine into full sun. It does seem to be helping. A new flush of growth has been out now for 3-4 weeks and is still looking good. Fingers crossed that it will continue to be healthy getting full sun=)

Just read the Aug. 30 edition of The Independant, a 'give-away' weekly, and they had an article on ethnic markets in Lafayette. Among the Italian, Mexican, Lebanese, etc. markets was S&P Oriental Market, to my disgust within walking distance of me. (I thought it was a restaurant. Shoulda checked it out!) The article says Som Vang Sonemangkhala arrived in New Iberia via Thailand in 1986, and opened Asia Market on Hopkins Street in New Iberia. Since this is a Lafayette paper, it doesn't say anything about it beyond the fact that his wife got it in their divorce. He moved to Lafayette, where he opened in the small strip mall behind Baskin-Robbins on Johnson Street in 1999. The market carries Laotian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Filipino Thai, and Japanese specialties. Fruit it mentions is miniature royal bananas, green papaya, lychee, Asian pears, fuyu persimmons and hairy red rambutan. Also galanga root, which is the main reason I was looking for an Asian market!

I have no problem omitting spices that I think I will not like in a savory dish. Then I might try adding a few grains of the spice in one serving, but I would not risk ruining a whole pot with something that I know I don't like. There are a lot of Italian and Lebanese dishes that add nutmeg to them, and I really prefer the dishes without the nutmeg, but sometimes I will add in just a few grains. I think nutmeg ruins a spinach dish, but I can tolerate a small amount of it in ground lamb or kefta. The one cuisine that breaks the rules that really works for me is Indian, and I will use cinnamon and cardamom in savory dishes (in small amounts) and still appreciate the combinations of flavors, but these are extremely complex spice combinations. I do not like any cinnamon at all in Thai curry, and I always check ingredients before I buy pre-made Thai curry - otherwise I just make it myself. I do like ginger in savory dishes, but that is very different from cinnamon and allspice. I do not like cloves in ham either, BTW. Mole is one of those Mexican dishes that I really dislike, and it is ubiquitous in Oaxaca (or used to be), and I would have the most difficult time finding a restaurant in Oaxaca that I would like. I used to spend quite a bit of time in Oaxaca, shopping and visiting ruins, and so when I would find a restaurant there that I liked, I would always go back to it. I can take mole is small doses if it is not too sweet, but it really does nothing for me. The last time I was in Oaxaca, there was a much better variety of restaurants - it reminded me a lot of Santa Fe. I like to make my own BBQ sauce also and leave out cinnamon, allspice, or any other spice I do not like. Texas BBQ does not use those spices and relies on the chilies for most of the flavor. Lars

Ann, try saving it to your Clippings. Look to the right of your last post (just above this). You will see the word Clippings in green letters. Under that it will say Clip This Post. For each recipe or comment you want to save, click on Clip This Post. Another way to do it is to highlight the entire thread, or the parts you want, right click with your mouse and then click on Copy. Start a new document in Word and paste the thread into that document, then save it to your computer. If you want me to do that for you and then email it to you, let me know.