anadian bacon, usually smoked and ready to eat,
is something entirely different in Canada. North of the border, it
is brined, rolled in cornmeal and sold uncooked. A juicy meat with a
sweet, nutty flavor hinting of cloves and a light saltiness, it
makes a delicious sandwich and will certainly ennoble eggs
Benedict.
Real Canadian Bacon — a brand name — is sold in slices for a
quick sizzle in a pan, or ready to roast in two-and-a-half and
five-pound sizes. About 20 minutes a pound at 325 degrees for the
smaller size and 15 minutes a pound for the larger is all it takes
for extremely succulent results. The coating is called pea meal,
because crushed dried yellow peas were originally used to make it,
and the name stuck.
A product of Ontario, the bacon is shipped to Troy, Mich., where
the Agriculture Department inspects it before it is distributed,
frozen. It can be ordered from www.realcanadianbacon.com for $7 to
$9 a pound, depending on the size of the order.
Transported by Tea? Try Putting It in Your
Shoes
Ines Sun, who opened the Wild Lily Tea Room on West 22nd Street
in Chelsea four years ago, now has a somewhat less Zenlike place
called the Wild Lily Tea Market, 545 East 12th Street. It has a
counter where teas are sold — many of them herbal — along with
pastries and light food, a few cafe tables and ample space for
displaying loose tea, teapots, green-tea soaps and writing paper,
and gift boxes. And $7.50 will buy a pair of green-tea deodorant
insoles for shoes. For the warming weather, Ms. Sun has a new iced
tea with mint, licorice and earthy Chinese Puer tea.
Like Cool, Moist Herbs, or Really Dry Ones?
Why do you need a special container for fresh herbs, I wondered,
when you can stick a bunch in a jar of water, cover it with a
plastic bag and put it in the refrigerator. The fact is that the
Fresh Herb Keeper by Progressive International in Kent, Wash., does
a better job. Small bunches of parsley, mint and sage held up
beautifully for about a week. Fill the bottom container with water,
screw on the top cylinder, add the herbs and put on the rubber cap.
Unscrewing the top section makes it easy to snip a sprig or two. The
herb keeper is $12.99 at Zabar's. For information about other stores
nationwide: (800) 426-7101.
And if you are after dried herbs, how about angelica, gentian,
meadowsweet or wild pansy, among others, all organically grown in
France and sold in pink and purple paper sacks in Fairway's store at
Broadway and 74th Street? How do you use meadowsweet? You are on
your own: the sacks contain no cooking suggestions, although the
herbs do make delicious infusions. They are $2 to $5.
Sound of Danes Invading: Smacking Lips
The Danes have kept Cocio, a delicious chocolate milk, all to
themselves for more than 50 years. But now the drink, made solely of
2 percent milk, sugar and cocoa, is here.
Cocio (the name rhymes with Tokyo) is not as sweet as most
chocolate milk, and because it contains no thickeners it's a bit
lighter on the palate. It is sold in New York at Grace's
Marketplace, Citarella and Dean & DeLuca. It is also available
at Dean & DeLuca stores and cafes in Kansas City, Kan., and
Charlotte, N.C. The 13.5-ounce bottle is $2.50 to $3.
Hand Over Your Folding Money and Watch It Live Up to Its
Name
Alfred Rios puts on his glasses, examines a dollar bill and
begins an intricate process of folding and unfolding. In a few
minutes he hands you a tiny camel, an elephant or a perfectly folded
shirt. Mr. Rios, a waiter at the Four Seasons restaurant in Midtown
for 36 years, said he learned origami in his native Ecuador. Now the
restaurant's offices are filled with his work, and perhaps, if he is
your waiter at a late lunch in the Pool Room and he is not too busy,
he will make a rabbit or a heart for you,
too.
