Last night, I used my remaining package of Little Sheep Hot Pot Soup Base. However, instead of using the pre-cut beef and lamb from 99 Ranch, I tried the shabu shabu meats from Mitsuwa Marketplace. From their shabu shabu selection, I picked up one package of each cut of beef:
Angus Chuck Roll @ $8.99/lb
Washugyu Chuck Roll @ $22.99/lb
Australia Beef Chuck @ $15.99/lb
Prime Rib Eye @ $21.99/lb.
Mitsuwa also offered a plate of imported Japanese wagyu beef for about $75 a pound. I skipped that one, but did pick up a tray of shabu shabu pork.
The Angus chuck roll was tender, but a bit thick. I liked the thinner cut prime rib eye and the washugyu chuck roll better. However, for some reason, the meats were not absorbing the flavor of the broth the same way they do at the restaurant. Maybe, one package of soup mix is not enough for a dinner and I should have refilled the hot pot with additional broth instead of diluting it with water. Next time, I will have to prepare two packages of Little Sheep Hot Pot Soup Base.
On the day that Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat went to the Republicans, the White House launched its new The White House iPhone app. However, parents beware. The White House is not safe for children because it may display “infrequent/mild realistic violence” and “infrequent/mild alcohol, tobacco or drug use or references.”
I have been using Transmit for a long, long time. For some reason, I just discovered today that Transmit has a search box. Odd. I use the application every day, but had not noticed it until just a few minutes ago. At some point, I must have developed some form of user blindness where I only focus on the familiar elements and ignore the rest, apparently to my detriment. After all, the search box is right there in the upper right-hand corner. Type in a few characters from the name of the file you are searching for and Transmit quickly displays a list of matching files. A true time saver if you have hundreds or thousands of files sitting in one folder.
The lesson is that if you cannot see something, all that means is that you cannot see it. It does not mean that the object does not exist.
Little Sheep is too popular. I knew that we were in for trouble tonight when we were a block away and I could hear the receptionist calling out ticket numbers over the loudspeaker. If you are coming with a large party (i.e., at least 6 adults), reservations should be mandatory. Otherwise, you risk not being seated.
Usually, we opt for the House Original Soup Base 祕製原味; however, some guests preferred the House Spicy 秘製麻辣, so we opted for the Half and Half Soup Base 秘製鴛鴦 which is served in a divided bowl. All soup bases are $3.75 per person, 12 and older.
As usual, we ordered several dishes of Supreme Lamb Shoulder Slice 極品羊肩肉 for $5.95 per plate and Hand Sliced Supreme Fatty Beef 手切極品肥肉 for $8.95 per dish. The meat from both dishes were sliced thinly and absolutely delicious. I know that we should explore the rest of the meat dishes, but those two are so good that we have not tried other variations of lamb and beef available. If you’ve already tasted perfection, is there any need to try anything else?
We also tried the Luncheon Pork 午餐肉 for $4.95, which tastes a lot like spam. Not sure that I will order that one again. We also ordered Sugar Pea Sprouts 大豆苗 for $5.95 and Tong Ho 茼蒿 for $3.95. Both of these are hot pot favorites. I wasn’t sold on the Sliced Potato 馬鈴薯片 for $2.95 or the Winter Melon 冬瓜片 for $.3.95. We also ordered the Frozen Tofu 凍豆腐 for $2.95, but I don’t think it had the same texture and flavor as when I had previously tried it at home. The U-Don Noodle 烏冬麵 for $3.95 and the House Special Wide Noodle 寬粉 for $4.95 were both delicious and a wonderful way to absorb the broth and finish off a meal.
If you bring some young children that have not developed an appreciation for hot pot, try the Egg Noodle 香港蛋麵 for $5.95, the Mongolian Pot Stickers 蒙古鍋貼 for $4.50, or the Mongolian Beef Meat Pie 蒙古牛肉餅 for $6.95. The Egg Noodle is just stir-fried egg noodle. Nothing too exotic, but has universal appeal. The Mongolian Pot Stickers are savory and delicious with a heavenly thick skin. But, you can find egg noodles and pot stickers pretty much anywhere. The Mongolian Beef Meat Pie is truly exceptional. But, it’s a flat “pie” that is filled with meat and crispy on both sides. It’s also a really large pie, so make sure you save enough room.
Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot is one of my favorite restaurants. Today, I was shopping at 99 Ranch when I spotted a package of Little Sheep Hot Pot Soup Base – Plain selling for $4.99 per package. Of course, I had to try it. However, I carefully scrutinized the package to make sure that the lamb wasn’t pointing in the wrong direction. With the soup base taken care of, I proceeded to collect the rest of my ingredients.
Being naturally inquisitive, I carefully read the list of ingredients.
The ingredients came in separate packages: 1 package of sunflower oil, 1 package of goji berry, 1 package of fermented soy beans, and 1 package of powder.
There’s a lot of dry powder, and I can’t believe that it’s all salt, MSG, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate. In the restaurant version, I always see something that looks like a small root. Maybe I should have tasted the powder. Oh well.
In addition to the package ingredients, I also had to add the holy trinity of Chinese cooking: green onions, garlic, and ginger. A lot of garlic. 20 gloves of garlic. Yum.
I also had to purchase a hot pot for use on the dinner table. Although a stand-alone gas burner would probably have been sufficient, I opted for the Tatung TICT-1500W induction cooktop. So, what worked well?
The Little Sheep Hot Pot Soup Base tasted pretty much like the soup at the restaurant. I don’t know if it was identical, but it was close enough. The firm tofu that I stuck in the freezer for about 30 minutes was outstanding. I loved both the texture and the taste, though next time I will drain the tofu before putting it in the freezer so that it will not emerge encrusted in ice. The tong ho 茼蒿and large pea sprouts 大豆苗 also came out well, and I will use these again in the future. I also added enoki mushroom and fresh udon noodles. Really loved the udon noodles as well. So, basically the soup and all the side dishes came out well. That leaves the meat. I had purchased the pre-sliced beef and lamb from 99 Ranch. The thickness of the meats were uneven. The beef was not paper thin like the one at Little Sheep. While the lamb was cut more uniformly, the texture of both meats left much to be desired. At Little Sheep, the lamb and beef slices just melt in your mouth. The 99 Ranch meats were way too chewy. Like chew, chew, chew and then spit it out. So, the lesson learned is that while hot pot seems simple in theory, executing it to perfection is quite a bit more complex. So, I either have to find a different vendor for hot pot meat or buy a slicer and attempt to slice my own. Still, overall a good first attempt.
My PowerBook G4 is on an unlucky streak. A few months ago, it developed a bulging battery problem. Since I always leave the PowerBook plugged in, I did not immediately notice the defective battery. What caught my attention was my sudden inability to close the PowerBook lid. After a bit of head scratching, I flipped the PowerBook over and discovered that the battery was bulging outwards such that it was pushing the keyboard upwards. Fortunately, a kind genius provided me with a complimentary battery. Since the PowerBook is the back-up computer, I left it in the computer bag after I returned home.
So, a few weeks ago, I needed to retrieve a file on the PowerBook. Unfortunately, whatever residual charge that existed on the new battery had vanished into the ether. I grabbed the power adapter and plugged it in. And, nothing happened. No glorious amber halo around the DC connector. Nada. Well, I was not expecting that.
No problem. I search around at work but discover that everyone has already upgraded to the new MacBook Pros with the MagSafe Power Adapter. That doesn’t help. So, the PowerBook sits in the computer bag some more until a friend shows up at my front door with the old style power adapter. Insert prongs into the wall. Insert DC connector into the PowerBook. The amber halo emerges telling me that the PowerBook still works, but the power adapter does not.
With that question answered, I look for a replacement power adapter. I am not thrilled by the $79.00 price at the Apple Store, nor its average 2-star rating. How does a power adapter go bad? There aren’t a lot of moving parts.
For no apparent reason, I switch the removable prongs between the good power adapter and bad power adapter and discover that my power adapter now works. Double mystery!! How does a prong go bad?
After some searching, I find a replacement prong lying around. I switch out the prong and the power adapter is fully functional again. Miracle! Fixed it all with existing extra parts on hand. I still do not understand how the removable prongs could go bad. I just stumbled on the solution through sheer dumb luck.
Yesterday, I heard a PRI report on Violins – Made in China. Initially, I was quite surprised to learn that China manufactures 70% of all the world’s violins. 70%!! However, after some reflection, I realized that China’s manufacturing prowess should not have been that shocking. As an experiment, I’m looking at the place of manufacture for various items within my immediate grasp.
So, 80% of the items within my immediate reach with stated places of manufacture were produced in China. As for the lone Made in U.S.A. item, is it an antique? How come I cannot find any reference to Punchodex on the Rolodex website? Great. The only item I possess that was manufactured in the U.S.A. just might have been discontinued. I’ll have to bring it to Antique Roadshow one of these days. Remember when we used to manufacture products in this country?
I love Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot. So, during a visit to Southern California, I was quite excited to try the Los Angeles Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot. Sometimes, Chinese businesses confuse me. I’m wary of bootleg CDs, DVDs and handbags. But, bootleg restaurants?
So, as I approach the restaurant, I see 小肥羊, the cute little lamb, and 中国内蒙火锅; however, in 繁体 instead of 简体. However, when we were presented the menu, the restaurant suddenly became 喜羊羊.
Basically, Happy Sheep worked the same way as Little Sheep. Order a broth and a selection of meat, seafood and vegetables for your hot pot. The Happy Sheep broth was very close in flavor to the Little Sheep broth with that distinct Chinese herbal aroma. I could taste the difference between the meats though. The lamb and beef from Little Sheep were much more tender. Also, because the meat slices from Little Sheep curled into rolls, they didn’t clump together like the Happy Sheep ones. Also, I would give points to Little Sheep for presentation. The way they served their raw vegetables, meats and noodles looked more appetizing. Little Sheep is also a LOT cleaner.
Happy Sheep did offer some complimentary appetizers, including sweet rolls that were delicious. They also had an outrageously tasty 鸡肉炒面, which was very popular at my table.
Out of curiosity, I looked up Little Sheep at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website. Both Little Sheep and 小肥羊 are registered trademarks of Inner Mongolia Little Sheep Catering Chain Co., Ltd. Corporation. Was this the reason why the Los Angeles Little Sheep became a Happy Sheep instead?
iTunes is selling Jackie Chan’s: The Myth for $9.99. However, a better deal is watching the film on Hulu for free. Preferably sometime within the next 48 hours because streaming rights expire on 12/31/2009 at 11:45 PM PST.
Sure, Hulu can run its Cadillac ads, but I think something is missing in the equation. Why isn’t Hulu selling complementary products like the soundtrack from the movie? I’m looking for a copy of Endless Love (美麗的神話):
If you are going to let me watch your movie for free on Hulu, at least let me pay you for a copy of this song on iTunes or Amazon.
Apple launched iTunes back in April 2003. 6 1/2 years ago. Why isn’t every song in the world already on iTunes? Totally frustrating.
If you are traveling to Lake Tahoe during the winter, be sure to check the road conditions for the major highways in the area. If you have an iPhone, add this California DOT page to your home screen to check on current conditions for 80, 89, 28 and 50. Highways 80 and 50 will cover the two routes to North Lake Tahoe and South Lake Tahoe. Highway 89 runs from 80 to Lake Tahoe, and is also the route to Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows. Highway 28 covers the remaining loop around Lake Tahoe.
The Weather Channel application is also indispensable in that it offers a quite a bit more detailed information than the default weather app. Just be warned that the 10 Day Forecast is not entirely reliable because the situation can change. The forecast gets more accurate the closer you get to your travel date.
If you are not fortunate enough to own a vehicle with 4-Wheel Drive, buying snow chains in advance is advisable. At worst, if you don’t need or use the snow chains, you can always return them. If you may be installing snow chains or tire chains for the first time, view several of the snow chain installation videos on YouTube. Inevitably, the written instructions that accompany the tire chains will be a little unclear, so having seen someone install snow chains first will be absolutely helpful. You should be aware that different snow chains have different designs, so the installation process will not be identical across different makes. However, having some basic idea on how to install a snow chain will not hurt. Seriously, all manufacturers who sell products that require assembly or installation should upload a video to YouTube to demonstrate how easy (or hard) their product is to assemble or install.
When I first watched the above video, I could not fully appreciate all the tips it offered. For example, the Oregon DOT advises that the tire chain installer should wear a rain coat. I thought it was to shield the installer from the elements. However, when it came time to actually install the snow chains, I finally understood their advice. Reaching around the wheel to install the chain can get your jacket really dirty if you are not careful. Next time, I’ll bring a rain coat or a poncho.
I would also suggest that you bring a pair of latex gloves. I wore two pairs of gloves: latex gloves inside and leather work gloves outside. I suppose heavy duty rubbers gloves might work as well. Anyways, if it has snowed outside, the leather work gloves will get wet and soak through. That’s where the latex gloves come into play. You don’t want to be working with wet hands when the weather outside is in the 30s or lower.
Another tip is to extend your windshield wiper each night. Just pull it away from the windshield so that if snow falls overnight, your windshield wiper will not be frozen stuck to the windshield the next morning.
: Made in China
: Made in China
: Made in China
