Anthony Rants

We have finally discovered a hunan/szechaun/americanized-chinese restaurant in Champaign that we really like. Its called Green Jade, and its located in the same shopping center as Sun Singer. I had a good feeling about the place that was confirmed by our very first experience there. While we were in line, the owner/operator was talking to the people in line ahead of us telling them that the difference between him and other places in town was that they used very fresh ingredients and that they actually cared. He emphasized that he took great pride in his work and that he had feeling in his cooking for you. I can really understand that. More often than not, the meals that I have the most carefree and happy mood with end up being the best tasting meals. When it was our turn in line, the man was very friendly. The menu is a lot like China Kitchen in Columbia, MO, but the food is much better. The prices are very reasonable, cheaper than the other place that we thought was ok. I definitely hope to be a repeat customer for him, if nothing else to insure that he stays around.

A few months ago, I was in the market for a new set of knives. It was the peak of the harvest season and I was throughly frustrated by our dull knives. Obsessed with getting something that was higher quality and less frustrating, I set out on a long research project. I quickly learned that there are two main schools of kitchen knives: east and west, namely German knives and Japanese knives. German knives tend to be heavier, softer steel, and a little more durable. Japanese knives tend to be somewhat lighter, hard steel, very sharp, but somewhat less durable because their beveled edge can get chipped. Another big debate is forged versus stamped. Forged blades are made the old school way. A long process beginning with a chunk of steel ending with a very sharp instrument. Stamped blades are made by rolling out a large sheet of steel, laser cutting out the basic knife shape, and sharpening that shape to a sharp instrument. Personally, I enjoy a lot of cooking because of its ceremonial nature. There is something satisfying about the ritual of cooking and only a forged blade would properly perform those ritualistic rites (in my mind anyways :p). This led me to Shun knives. Shun knives are a brand under Kershaw knives (now owned by KAI knives, a Japanese knife maker), manufactured with the traditional Japanese style in mind. Shun knives have a unique ebony Pakka wood (a manufactured wood product of sorts, used for knife handles) handle following a 'D' shape so that they sit in the palm of your hand very comfortably. The blades are made from VG10 steel with additional layers of Nickel steel over that. I ended up getting three of them, an 8-inch chef knife, a 6-inch utility knife, and a 3-1/2-inch paring knife. The knives weren't cheap, but if I add up all of the kitchen knives I've bought over the last few years, its really just a drop in the bucket. Plus, these knives have a lifetime warranty and a lifetime sharpening offer. Anyways, if you're looking for some new forged knives, I highly recommend Shun blades, they're even available on Amazon.

Speaking of cooking rituals, Chimay Ale is a great example of something very traditional, very ritualistic, and very tasty. Chimay Ale is brewed in Chimay, Belgium. It is a trappist ale, meaning its actually brewed by trappist monks. For any belgium beer to be labeled trappist, it has to be brewed in one of these monasteries (there are only seven trappist beer producers, Achel, Chimay, La Trappe, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle, and Westvleteren). Trappist monks are a Catholic sect that spends their days praying and working. The Notre-Dame de Scourmont monastery started brewing beer 144 years ago! The basic idea was to bring work and commerce to an area that was once the most poor in Belgium. Its interesting to think that the yeast in use at their brewery has been going strong for nearly 150 years. Trappist ale is a top-fermented ale that actually gets fermented multiple times with different strains of yeast. Almost all trappist ales age very well, unfortunately around my house, it rarely has the chance! If you can find some Chimay around your area, I very much recommend it. But two suggestions: One, let it warm up a bit before drinking it, 50 degrees fahrenheit seems to be about ideal. The second suggestion: serve it in a glass that can breathe, Chimay in particular (along with all trappist ales) are meant for sipping, enjoy the aroma, take your time and enjoy the flavor as well.