asian food: US Offers Huge Potential For Asian Food Exporters July 20, 2006 14:53 PM By Christine Lim KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 (Bernama) -- The fast- expanding Asian population in major US cities, especially California, New York state and Hawaii, offers Asian food exporters a huge potential market. Vice president of FDA Registrar Corp, David Lennarz, said US imported a substantial portion of food from Asia, with China contributing a large quantity. "Malaysian food is still not widely known in US. However, potential exists for it to grow its popularity there," he told Bernama on the sidelines of the seminar on "Updates on US Food and Drug Administration Regulations" organised by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corp. FDA Registrar provides registration, US agent and compliance assistance for US and non-US companies in the food and beverage, medical device and cosmetics industries Lennarz said Asian food was also popular among non-Asians in US as it was perceived to be healthier and compatible with vegetarian diet. "From 2001-2002, retail sales of Asian-type food products rose 4.1 percent to over US$300 million (US$1=RM3.66). "By 2008, sales are projected to reach US$1 billion," he said. He said in addition to the growing popularity of Asian food, there was also growing demand for organic food as health-conscious Americans were willing to pay a premium for them. Lennarz also highlighted key points for Malaysian food exporters to take note to gain market access in US. "With the US Bioterrorism Act 2002, the Food and Drug Administration has more details about those in the industry than ever before, emergency telephone numbers, contact names, list of products, etc," he said. Lennarz said the aim was to require companies to register and then through prior notice, track the flow of food. He said incorrect labelling was the main reason for the detention of the products in US. "Products from Malaysia that were detained recently due to improper labelling were mango drink, vitamin supplement, ovaltine power, coconut milk, frozen steamed vegetables and noodles," he said. According to Lennarz, requirements for labelling varied according to the types of products. "For instance, the primary display panel (PDP) for retail labelling requires statement of identity (name of food) and net contents declaration. "The information panel is the label panel immediately to the right of the PDP and will require information on nutrition facts chart, ingredients list and manufacturer identity," he said. -- BERNAMA

asian food: Japan Fast Food Chains Feeding Global Appetite for Asian Fare 2006-06-26 09:37:58 Shanghai Daily If Morio Sase has his way, hungry teenagers around the world will soon be snacking on something more exotic than McDonald's hamburgers: takoyaki, or octopus dumplings. With over 350 takeout stores in Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan, Sase's Gindaco chain is one of a barrage of fast-food companies bringing lowbrow Japanese chow to overseas markets. Its first US store is scheduled to open in Los Angeles in 2007, with dozens more in California by 2010. "When I was a small boy, it was street food that made me feel good and warm inside," Sase said in an interview at the Tokyo headquarters of HotLand Corp, which runs Gindaco. Hand-grilled in iron molds by cooks behind a large display window, the octopus dumplings are made from wheat flour paste mixed with fish stock, spring onions and boiled octopus chunks, and drizzled with a sweet sauce, dried bonito flakes and seaweed. "Foods like takoyaki are closer to Japanese hearts than sushi or sashimi," Sase said. Faced with uncertain demand for fast food as Japan's population ages, an increasing number of the nation's chains are looking overseas for new markets. The domestic food restaurant market has declined for seven straight years since 1998, according to the Food Service Industry Research Center. One of the first Japanese fast food chains to head overseas was the beef bowl chain Yoshinoya D&C Co. Since its first US store in Denver in 1975, Yoshinoya's American network has grown to 82 eateries in California and New York. Last year, those eateries generated US$77.3 million in sales for a profit of US$2.5 million. "We initially had to tackle a preconception of Japanese food as haute cuisine, especially in America," said Yasunori Yoshimura, a spokesman for Yoshinoya in Tokyo. A far cry from pricey, elegant sushi, a regular bowl of the grilled beef over rice sells for US$3.18 at US stores. "We're convinced whatever people find tasty in Japan, people anywhere would find tasty," he said. Both Gindako and Yoshinoya hope to emulate the success of other Asian fast food chains like Panda Restaurant Group Inc's Panda Express chain, which serves Chinese food at over 800 eateries in the US, Puerto Rico and Japan. And they have a good chance, analysts say. "There's definitely an Asian food boom in the US at the moment" which Gindako could use to its advantage, said Maria Caranfa, a food industry analyst at the Chicago-based consumer research company, Mintel Group. A study by research company MarketResearch.com found that total Asian and Indian food retail sales across all sectors -from ethnic markets to convenience stores - jumped 27.3 percent between 2000-2004 to US$3.3 billion. Other Japanese chains going global include Shigemitsu Industry Co.'s noodles-in-soup restaurant, Ajisen Ramen - whose network now includes stores in China, Southeast Asia and the US - and beef-and-vegetable dumplings Osho Food Service Corp.

asian food: Taste for fine food By LOH FOON FONG Jess Ong Fact file Name: Jess Ong Age: 47 Profession: Head chef Hometown: Batu Pahat, Johor Education: Batu Pahat High School, Johor, William Amglis Commercial Cookery Schools, Victoria, Australia, Ryde Technical and Hospitality College, Sydney and Australian Institute of Management, Sydney Current base: Sydney, Australia Years abroad: 26 WHILE studying for the Diploma of Management at the Australian Institute of Management in Sydney in 1980, Jess Ong worked as a kitchen hand in a small French restaurant in Victoria to pay his rent. From his teen years, he knew that trade was what he was good at and he wanted to be a hotel manager. However, working in the French restaurant changed his mind about his career direction. At the restaurant, he helped prepare ingredients and simple dishes such as salads, soups and boiled vegetables as well as cook meals for staff members. Since he was not allowed to touch a lot of things in the kitchen because he was not a qualified chef, he experimented at home – making mayonnaise, roast chicken, roast potato and cream caramel for himself and his housemates. Ong, who loves to eat, soon fell in love with cooking. “It was then that I decided to be a chef,” says Ong who took a course in commercial cooking at the William Amglis Commercial Cookery Schools and later pursued a Diploma of Associate Hospitality at the Ryde Technical and Hospitality College, Sydney. Ong has been a chef for more than 20 years and is currently the executive chef (the highest chef position in a five-star hotel) for the Sofitel Wentworth in Sydney, Australia. His day starts at 8am and does not end until 9.30pm. He is in charge of two restaurants, 436 hotel rooms and 10 banquet rooms, including a 700-seat ballroom. A typical day begins with briefing his sous chef, spot-checking the entire kitchen and getting ready for the busy morning breakfast. Throughout the day he juggles with constant checks on the hygiene of workers and their food handling, quality of produce, tasting food and preparing menus for various clientele groups. Ong’s signature dish in the fine dining restaurant is the slow roasted pork belly with vanilla apple, a fusion of his Chinese heritage and the French cuisine techniques he learned from working with renowned French chefs, Paul Bocuse, and Albert and Michael Roux at the Sydney Intercontinental Hotel. The most interesting part of his work is experiencing the best of every facet of the food industry – working with well-known chefs, eating the best foods and travelling to interesting places. The main challenge is cooking good food consistently and keeping up to date with the changing style of food and consumer demands. Ong once cooked for Prince Charles when the latter attended a VVIP cocktail function for 3,000 guests at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre in 1997. “To service such a big event with precision, we used CB radios to coordinate the 30 service sections for the timing of cooking and serving. Minutes prior to serving, a Korean man fired at Prince Charles with an air pistol and caused pandemonium. I did not know what was happening then and could not co-ordinate with my chefs to delay the cooking process. We had 30,000 pieces of canapés in the oven and most of them were over-cooked!” he says. Ong cooks Malaysian food upon request and the most popular dish is satay with peanut sauce. “You will be surprised at how in touch the Australians in major cities are with Asian food. There are two top 10 worlds’ best restaurants in Sydney - Tetsuya and Rockpool – the equivalent of three Michelin Star of Allan Ducase in Paris, which not a lot of countries can claim,” he says. Ong plans to return to Malaysia when he retires or if there is a good job offer. “Ten years ago I applied for a job in a hotel in Kuala Lumpur and I was disappointed with the low perception that people have of Malaysian chefs,” he says. “It’s a shame that most of our hotels think that you have to be a Swiss, German or French to be able to manage and cook in an international hotel,” he said. Ong started out as a chef de partie and was promoted to sous chef and oversaw 16 chefs at the Sydney Intercontinental Hotel when it opened in 1985. He worked there for three years specialising in sauces, vegetables, ice carving and garde manger. He then served six years as executive chef at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, the largest conference centre in the southern hemisphere. Ong moved to the Summit Restaurant in Sydney, one of the few fine dining revolving restaurants in the world and which served contemporary food. He was executive chef there for six years. Later, he joined Accor Premier, a five-star international hotel where he took charge of 60 kitchen staff members and made changes to food styles and set culinary directions for the hotel before he moved to Sofitel Wentworth. “My career has been a steady progression of acquiring knowledge. There are no shortcuts, just plain hard work,” says Ong who lives a half hour’s drive away from Sydney with his wife and two teenage daughters. In his free time, Ong, a self-confessed sports freak, plays golf and watches sports religiously. “It helps me switch off from my work,” he says. He also likes dining out. If he does cook at home, Ong loves to fry koay teow, cook laksa and curries. Ong returns to Batu Pahat, Johor, where his parents and siblings are, every few of years.

asian food: NZ, Asia have common ground - poor people are screwed The core message of the recent Asia: NZ Foundation report "Get to Know Your Future Asian Overlords, Europlebs" - sorry - "Preparing for a Future with Asia", is that New Zealand is doomed unless it approaches Asian stuff with more intelligence and nuance. Oh no! But what is Asia to New Zealanders without moronic generalisations? Thankfully, that bitter pill was delivered in an attractive candy coating that crackled justifiably about Asia as a "world of opportunity", and the harbinger of a new wave of globalisation. Asia is now prestigious territory - Asia is the new cool. And doesn't it have awesome food? Does it? There's something rather ironic about that awesome food situation. Poverty reduction in the Asian region since the 1980s has been phenomenal, but assumptions that increasing inequality in the region is all "relative" inequality produced by rapid growth in middle class incomes, has disguised absolute increases in inequality in the last five years - including problems for food security and nutrition. Asia:NZ's report happened to coincide with the release of "Trade on Human Terms", the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) 2006 human development report for the Asian region, which brought this worrying news in its mixed bag. This report is exactly what people should be reading in order to prepare for a future with their Asian overlords. As if to prove that New Zealand's fate is aligned with the region, our Social Development Ministry has confirmed that in New Zealand, just like in Asia, inequality is increasing and our poor people are screwed. In both cases, this inequality is not just the kind where the poor people have gained less than the rich people but are still better off than they were, and are supposedly sitting around being envious of those with more SkyTV channels than them. It's the kind where the poorest percentage of people have unexpectedly become poorer in real terms. In New Zealand, more people in 2004 couldn't afford the same basic items as they could four years previously. Meanwhile, the structural consequences of the last decades of economic and trade reform are grinding on those at the bottom of the heap in the Asian economies. The trade story in Asia is familiar - agricultural trade is heavily distorted towards the self-subsidising OECD countries, pricing out local farmers in less-developed Asian countries. World Bank and IMF structural adjustment demands have exacerbated the dive in living standards for the rural poor. That "Asian boom" regional rush into export-led growth came at the expense of investing in agriculture and rural human development. According to the UNDP, malnutrition is on the rise in Thailand, the world's biggest rice exporter. Since China's accession to the WTO five years ago, living standards of the rural population have dropped by 6%, and income inequality has increased - the rural poor are bringing in less money than they did in 2001, and the urban middle classes and wealthy are bringing in more. One might hear China's economic elite bellowing in response: "We are no longer a nation of farmers! Who needs food? We make iPods!" However, if you're "picking winners" and trying to abandon the losers to die off, as well as appearing an absolute bastard, you might eventually find that you do actually need what these "losers" were trying to produce all along. In the case of New Zealand's increasing hardship for families on benefits, there is something the country needs from them that we're making difficult for them to produce, and which no one else in the country seems to want to produce: lots of healthy children. For Asia, it might be the "Asian food" that we all love so much. Because, as well as all the other socially and politically destructive domestic effects, the UNDP predicts the trade distortions of OECD subsidised food imports, the increased dependence of Asian countries on that food, and decimation of those countries' agricultural sectors could lead to global food shortages. Then where will we be in this Asian boom? Like those other New Worlds of opportunity that were the subject of so much epic narrative and dubious wealth accumulation in the past, the streets of New Money Asia are not literally paved with gold. Adventurers and opportunists alike must make informed decisions about whether or not to be complicit in systems that are out of balance and causing real harm. At the most facile level (without even going into labour standards), how will you react if you invest in a development on prime land in a rural area in China, and disgruntled villagers come to greet you rioting? Or if you go to Singapore for the World Bank summit this year, and not everyone in the country smiles at you despite the promises of the national smiling campaign? If you really are prepared for your future with Asia, you might be annoyed - but hopefully, you won't be completely surprised.

asian food: Shelf life of cultural fare up for debate State officials want traditional Vietnamese rice cakes pulled every four hours; assemblyman wants study done first By Edwin Garcia TIMES SACRAMENTO BUREAU SACRAMENTO - Some of the more popular items at Ken Trieu's San Jose sandwich shop are traditional Vietnamese rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves that his family has been selling for two decades. Now the pork-filled cakes -- and others like them sold at restaurants, shops and bakeries throughout California -- have come to the attention of state officials in a simmering debate regarding how long the cakes should be allowed to sit on store shelves. State health laws dictate that any unsold rice cakes must be pulled within four hours to prevent bacteria from developing -- but Vietnamese-American shopkeepers, community activists and customers are urging for an exemption in the regulations, saying the cakes can easily last two days without refrigeration. "We've been making these for 20 years, and we have no problem with the rice cakes molding or going bad," said Trieu, whose family owns the Huong Lan sandwich shop, where employees are told to remove unsold cakes within two hours. "I've never heard of people getting sick." The cakes are especially popular around cultural holidays such as Tet, when Vietnamese-Americans celebrate the lunar new year. State officials are not about to modify the laws anytime soon, but Assemblyman Van Tran, R-Costa Mesa, has introduced legislation to study the health and sanitation standards on the sale and consumption of the cakes. His measure would provide $120,000 for the Department of Health Services to determine, among other things, whether the shelf life for banh tet, banh chung and banh tet chuoi can be safely extended. "I see this as a sensitive issue that needs intervention and uniformity," said Tran, the nation's first legislator of Vietnamese descent. The rice cakes, public health experts say, are prone to attract bacteria because their ingredients do not withstand time or temperature tests, even though they could be wrapped with one layer of banana leaves and another of plastic wrap. Banh chung, a square-shaped package of sticky rice, mung bean puree and seasoned pork, was found to be "potentially hazardous" at room temperature in a test commissioned by the Orange County Health Care Agency, according to an analysis prepared for Tran's legislation. A similar outcome resulted from testing of banh tet chuoi, a bundle of sticky rice, pork fat and soy bean paste squashed into a banana leaf cylinder, the analysis stated. Under the California Uniform Retail Food Facilities Law, a potentially hazardous food must be stored at or below 41 degrees Fahrenheit, or above 135 degrees at all times. "But if you do that," Tran said with a quick laugh, "you won't have much of a cake; you ruin it, that's the problem." AB2214 has swiftly been approved by three committees and the Assembly, with a 75-1 vote. The bill will likely be heard in the Senate next month. Similar concerns over Korean rice cakes resulted in legislation passed in 2001 that allows food establishments to keep those products at room temperature for up to 24 hours, provided the packaging is stamped with an expiration date. Tran introduced his measure after environmental health officials in his district, Orange County, home to more than 135,000 Vietnamese-Americans, launched a culturally sensitive bilingual public education campaign to explain the dangers of "potentially hazardous" foods. Santa Clara County, home to more than 100,000 residents of Vietnamese ancestry, ran a similar campaign in the late 1990s. "We've got a very large Vietnamese community here, and we've been trying for years to come to some sort of a collaborative solution so that we'd be able to meet the health codes," said Jim Miller, program manager for Orange County's food protection program. "It is a difficult balancing act," he said, explaining that cultural values sometimes contradict with food safety laws. Environmental health officials in Orange and Santa Clara counties said their departments do not actively seek out such violations, which are classified as misdemeanors. But proponents of Tran's legislation are concerned that enforcement could become aggressive as a result of the Orange County public awareness campaign. And they hope the study concludes that rice cakes can be safely eaten within 48 hours. San Jose community activist Ky Ngo said California needs to update its food safety laws in the same way the federal government several years ago modified highway safety laws by increasing the maximum speed limit to 65 mph from 55 mph. Rice cakes, he said, should be allowed to remain on shelves for up to two days. Ngo, 53, said he has never heard of anybody getting sick from eating rice cake that was too old. "As customers, we are not stupid about buying bad food to eat, and the sellers, they don't sell bad food because someone will sue if they get sick." Ben Gale, director of Santa Clara County's environmental health department, supports Tran's legislation, known as the "Asian food study." "It helps the dining, consuming public out there," he said, "to have the level of confidence that the food that they're eating is safe."

asian food: The Wonderful Wok: Stir Frying Basics Want to enjoy the tantalizing taste of Asian food at home? Invest in a wok! Stir-frying is one of the easiest ways to create a delicious, healthy dinner in minutes. Learn to prepare meals the Asian way: light on meat, heavy on the vegetables, and quick-cooked on high heat to retain vitamins and flavors. A few basics is all you need to get cooking! Purchase your wok. You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars on state-of-the-art cookware ... by Dina Giolitto Want to enjoy the tantalizing taste of Asian food at home? Invest in a wok! Stir-frying is one of the easiest ways to create a delicious, healthy dinner in minutes. Learn to prepare meals the Asian way: light on meat, heavy on the vegetables, and quick-cooked on high heat to retain vitamins and flavors. A few basics is all you need to get cooking! Purchase your wok. You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars on state-of-the-art cookware. A standard, stainless-steel wok, purchased for less than $50, will serve its purpose well. The heavier the wok, the better it will retain heat. This is important because you must cook at a high temperature to avoid stewing or steaming your ingredients. Season your wok. Before you use your wok for the first time, you must season it. Seasoning the wok is a way to "break it in" to ensure even heat-distribution during stir-frying, and helps lock in the flavors of the food as it's cooking. When you remove your wok from its packaging, you may notice a greasy film on the surface. Wipe this film away, and wash your wok in warm, soapy water. To season your wok, put it on the stove over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Add a drop or two of oil, and swirl it around to coat the surface evenly. Remove from the stovetop to let cool for a bit, and then use a paper towel to wipe out the oily residue. You may want to season your wok once more before you begin cooking with it. Gather your utensils. Professional chefs use a mesh ladel to toss meat and vegetables around in the wok, but if you don't have one of these, a wooden spoon will do just fine. Place several large, clean bowls and plates on the counter next to your wok so you can set your cooked items aside as you prepare them in batches. Other items you'll need: a chef's knife, cutting board, and several bowls of different sizes to store liquid mixtures and chopped herbs and vegetables. Cut and dry food prep. The most time-consuming part of stir-frying is preparing the ingredients. You'll want everything portioned out and cleaned, chopped, sliced and diced in advance. The actual stir-frying is fast and furious (you've probably heard those pans rattling like mad while waiting for your Chinese takeout!) so meat, vegetables, noodles, spices and oils should be ready and within reaching distance so you can grab and get on with it. Chop everything into bite-sized chunks to ensure quick and thorough cooking. Make sure there's no extra water or other liquid in your wok while stir-frying meat and vegetables. As mentioned earlier, liquid in the wok will cause your meal to stew instead of lightly fry. Stir-fry in batches. Properly stir-fried food retains its crisp, firm exterior and tender, juicy inside by cooking small portions at a time. Heat the wok, drizzle in enough oil to coat the surface, and add enough small cuts of beef, pork or chicken to just cover the bottom. Fry on medium-high heat, tossing the entire time. When your first batch of meat is thoroughly cooked, remove from the wok and drain on paper towels. Fry the second batch in a little more oil, and then set aside. Oil the pan once more, toss in a few cloves of crushed garlic and/or ginger, and stir-fry the vegetables, adding the thicker ingredients like potatoes and carrots first, and then tossing in quicker-cooking ingredients like scallions and mushrooms at the end. When the vegetables are done, return the meat to the pot with the vegetables, and finish with your liquid sauces and seasonings. Give everything a quick toss, simmer for a few minutes and then remove from heat. Learn the flavors. Thai cooking is immensely popular right now; similar to Chinese, but with its own exotic spices and flavorings, some of which take their cue from Indian cuisine. Malaysian, Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean fare all boast their signature recipes as well. With practice, you'll learn which spices and sauces go with what and how to identify their flavors. You can buy most of what you need at an Asian specialty store. Always have some Asian cooking staples on hand: soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, fish sauce. Fresh ginger, garlic, chillies, galangal, Asian shallots, scallions, kaffir lime leaves, cilantro and lemongrass. Green or red curry paste, shrimp paste. Noodles and rice. And of course... plenty of fresh meat, fish, tofu and vegetables. Pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, prawns, scallops. Onions, carrots, broccoli, snow peas, bok choi (Chinese cabbage), mushrooms (regular, oyster mushrooms, shitake mushrooms). There really is no limit to what you can do with a wok, an assortment of meats, vegetables, spices and sauces. If you're the creative chef, feel free to experiment. If you're a "by the book" cook, go out and purchase a stir-fry cookbook which will explain each technique in detail as well as familiarize you with the exotic ingredients. Above all: know that stir-frying is a healthy way to prepare and enjoy the foods you love in the comfort of home. Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. About the Author Dina Giolitto is a New-Jersey based Copywriting Consultant with nine years' industry experience. Her current focus is web content and web marketing for a multitude of products and services although the bulk of her experience lies in retail for big-name companies like Toys"R"Us. Visit http://www.wordfeeder.com for rates and samples. Copyright Dina Giolitto - http://www.wordfeeder.com

asian food: Serving Wine Serving Temperatures The flavors of both red and white wines fall apart if they are too warm. It is advisable to chill your reds in the fridge for about twenty minutes before serving them, and whites... by Tynan Szvetecz Serving Temperatures The flavors of both red and white wines fall apart if they are too warm. It is advisable to chill your reds in the fridge for about twenty minutes before serving them, and whites can generally be left in the fridge altogether. When in doubt, it's better to serve the wine colder and let it warm in the glass than to serve it too warm. More flavorful, fuller bodied white wines can be served at a slightly warmer temperature than bone dry whites. There are an impressive amount of wine coolers on the market that allow you to temperature control the environment your favorite wines. If you have room for it, pick one up! They can add a great deal of enjoyment to your wine drinking experience - just be sure that there is an actual barrier separating the red wine and white wine compartments. Simply stacking the reds on the top portions of the cooler in the hopes that the air will be warmer there will could make your reds too cold and your whites too warm. Most reputable coolers have separate temperature controls for both types of wine. Choose Your Glasses Prevailing wisdom on the subject of wine glasses advises that it is in everybody's interest to show the wine the proper respect by serving it in a tulip shaped glass with a longer, slender stem. It is recommended that the glass be clear in order to best view the color and body of the wine as it is pored and sipped. However, we are going to take this a bit further and suggest that you have to balance the respect you show the wine with the respect you show the occasion. As world cultures blend and star chefs inspire us with their innovative, fusion like cuisine, more and more types of meals can be enjoyed with more types of wine. Today, it is not uncommon for a big Australian Grenache to be brought out for a barbeque or a fun and fizzy champagne to accompany fish and chips. There are more styles of wine glasses than ever before, so don't be afraid to make the glass casual if it fits the mood. Tumblers for barbeques, boxes for Asian food and Dixie cups for picnics are all perfectly acceptable! One thing to keep in mind with whatever glass you choose is to be sure you give the wine space - it's best to fill a glass no more than half way in order to give the aromas some room to come out. Click here for more information on wine glass basics: http://www.savoreachglass.com/articles.php/20 If you are using stemware, be wary of the type of detergent you use to clean them and how you store them. Detergent residue can negatively impact the flavor and aroma of wine - if possible, wash your glasses in hot water with no detergent at all and air dry them. Store them upright so odors in your cabinet are not trapped in the glass. Decanting There are a number of reasons to decant your wine, not the least of which is that it's fun and can add style to an event. It can also help to remove sediment in wines, particularly aged wines, and it helps the wine breathe. This allows its aromas to interact with the oxygen in the air and become more noticeable. Choose a decanter that suits your style. Like wine glasses, decanters come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, some plain and other wonderfully ornate. We find that decanting is particularly fun for family style events and opt for plain, unimposing decanters that remind us that we should keep our focus on the celebration rather than fanciness. For more formal occasions we opt to keep the bottle at the table! Breathing Breathing refers to allowing the wine to come in contact with the oxygen in the air. For some wines, this allows the full aromas and flavors to come to the surface. Keep in mind that too much oxygen can dull the flavors. Giving certain wines an hour or so before drinking them can do wonders to open-up their flavor and aroma. There are a number of pervasive myths regarding wine breathing that we would like to set straight. The first is that all wine benefits from breathing, which is patently false. Some reds, particularly big Bordeaux, well-made Syrah/Shiraz and Italian Barolos benefit greatly from having some time to open-up. Barring these players, most wines can be drunk immediately, and white wine in particular will not benefit at all from having time to breathe. The second major myth is that wine can breathe in the bottle. Simply popping the cork will do little to allow it to breathe, since so little of the wine is able to interact with the air. Allow wine to breathe either in a decanter or your glass. Handling Leftovers There are three major methods to preserving leftover wine, the first is simply recorking it and putting it in the refrigerator. If possible, poring the leftover wine into a half bottle and then putting in the fridge is ideal, as the fuller the bottle the less oxygenation can occur. Keep in mind that white wine can last a great deal longer (a week even) than red wine (simply recorking red wine and putting it in the fridge may give you two days - three at the most). The second method is to vacuum pump the wine with a special pump. This sucks out the air in the bottle and seals it for later use. The wine should still be placed in the fridge, but can last for several days in this fashion. The last method is a variation on the second, which involves filling up the unused portion of the wine bottle with a special gas that prevents oxygen from interacting with the wine. These canisters are easy to use and can be found at most wine merchants. About The Author Tynan Szvetecz is an editor for http://www.savoreachglass.com, an international wine directory that is helping explore the spirit of wine for a new generation. Wine hobbyists, sommeliers, merchants and growers have all come together to contribute content to this directory in an effort to make it as informative and easy to use as possible. Copyright Tynan Szvetecz - http://www.savoreachglass.com/articles.php/20

asian food: Super suppers for post-game pangs By Kf Seetoh July 03, 2006 WHOEVER said Singapore does not thrive after midnight must have done their research only along Orchard Road and at Suntec City. If your goal after catching a midnight Beckham curler is to shoot for some great makan corner, then you are in the best food corner in the world. Think or yearn about any local makan after 11pm and someone out there is likely to be selling it - freshly made. WHAT: Seng Kee Herbal Soup (Mee Sua Pork Soup) WHERE: 467 Changi Road OPEN: 6pm to 4am daily Forget the herbal soups. What almost everyone orders is the pork and kidney mee sua soup. The dark and lightly herbal pork soup is addictive and the mee sua is not overcooked and soggy. You sit alfresco by the cool roadside and there is a TV set airing live World Cup matches. They also offer a selection of zi char dishes like steamed Teochew-style fishes, prawn rolls and sambal petai. WHAT: Roti Kaya Fondue WHERE: Stall B, Makansutra Gluttons Bay, #01-15, The Esplanade Mall OPEN: 6pm to 2.30am daily They sell a plate of buttered and grilled toast sticks meant to be dunked in a pot of creamy kaya. A fresh pot of kaya is made daily and half of it is done Thai-style (kah-yang, a creamier version) and the other, normally, for spreads. The kah-yang looks more watered down but is very rich. WHAT: Bali Nasi Lemak (above) WHERE: 2 Geylang Lor 15 OPEN: 6.30pm to 2.30am daily The nasi lemak here comes with the usual condiments like ikan bilis with a sweet and spicy sambal, fried chicken wings, eggs and otah sticks are popular too. But what gives the stall an edge is the Bali-style fried chicken, first deep fried then tossed in a sweet and spicy kichup manis sauce. Very hearty and shiok. WHAT: Swee Choon Tim Sum Restaurant WHERE: 191 Jalan Besar OPEN: 6pm to 10am, closed on Thursdays The shiny, stainless steel kitchen at the back churns out fresh pau and dim sum in the wee hours of the morning. What you should wait for is their fried mee sua cake - a tray of tasty stir-fried mee sua with Chinese sausage, mushrooms and dried shrimp compressed and then cut into little blocks and deep-fried individually. The big pau is freshly-made with chicken, boiled egg and black mushroom. Sit out in the cool backlane alleyway. Makansutra, founded by KF Seetoh, is a company that celebrates Asian food culture and lifestyle. It publishes food guides in and around the region, produces food television series, develops interactive mobile content and services, operates food courts and eateries, organises food tours and events, and consults on culinary concepts. It operates the breezy and open-air retro push cart hawker centre, Makansutra Gluttons Bay, at the Esplanade Mall. Makansutra offers its searchable listings with discounts in its 3G mobile services for subscribers to local telcos. Its 6th edition of Makansutra Singapore 2007 will hit bookstores in the third quarter of 2006. Visit us at www.makansutra.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mini supper club, anyone? THE Trans Eurokars Makansutra Moonlight Food Safari, held in conjunction with the Singapore Food Festival 2006, is on at 7pm on 15 Jul. If you own, use or can get yourself into a Mini car for an evening, then come enjoy this supper car rally for Mini car owners. There are 10 makan-worthy supper sensations located all over the island for you to track down... with hardly any clues. The six-hour trail will take you all over Singapore. There's $18,000 worth of prizes - just for the winner and the first runner-up. For more information and registrations, visit www.makansutra.com or call Chloe on 6551-5500/1 or Hui Juan on 6438-4038.