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Most Americans outside the "coffee milk belt" mistakenly confuse a "Bass Boat" with those logo-sticker-encrusted, disco-glitter-bedazzled plastic speedboats best known from basic cable fishing shows. In Non-Rhotic American English the word "Bass" refers to the Striper (Roccus Saxatilis) and a "Bass Boat" is a rugged, deep water inboard like the beautiful MacKenzie Cuttyhunk pictured above. Designed for the steep chop and swift currents of the Northeastern coast of the U.S., these chunky, no-nonsense boats are the precursors of the now ubiquitous deep-vee center console fishing boats. Like the Striper, these boats were seemingly everywhere at one point and then very nearly vanished completely in the 70's and 80's. Thankfully, both are enjoying somewhat of a resurgence now and several new companies have started making updated versions of this venerable design, both in fiberglass and wood. It's easy to see why, In addition to the rugged, good looks of the Bass Boat, the design is much more flexible, economical and family friendly than the center console. |
 The village of Nonantum is already justifiably famous for being the childhood home of Matt LeBlanc and for it's Big Santa, but the real attraction is the sausages. A friend turned me on to DePasquale's a couple of weeks ago and I had largely forgotten about it until I was penning the post on Ah-So sauce below. How do you go from a sticky sweet "Chinese" sauce to an Italian sausage place? Well, it's not as big a leap as one might think, as DePasquale's is the home of Chinese BBQ flavored pork sausage. I was initially a bit put off by the somewhat dilapidated looking exterior, but around here good things often come in inauspicious packages (see the Dudley Chateau.) and the interior was immaculate. After a brief transaction that had all the charm of a drug deal, I left with a tidy brown bag full of porky goodness. I don't know who came up with the idea of Chinese BBQ sausages, but brothers and sisters, it's lightning in a bottle. I grilled them up so the exterior was nicely caramelized and the result was almost bacon like in it's goodness, especially when paired with Chinese hot mustard. So next time you're down by the Lake (as Nonantum is known as locally) pick up a dozen of these, you won't regret it, I suggest them as party appetizers. On a side note, the Lake is also home to one of the most peculiar local dialects in America. I dunno where this bizarre patois came from (no one seems to) but you can check out some examples here : Lake Talk |
 Mention this stuff to any current or former Massachusetts resident over 30 and you bound to get a smile. This stuff dates back to the early Chun King dynasty, back when La Choy "Made Chinese Food Swing American" (click to re-live) and was a staple of New England regional cuisine. Basically this stuff tries to approximate the taste of traditional American-Chinese restaurant "spare ribs". Ah-So sauce is especially popular on appetizers like chicken wings, keilbasa slices and of course, pork ribs. Brush a little Ah-So on right before the food is done and pop it on the grill or under the broiler for a bit until the sticky sweet sauce carmelizes a bit. The reason it's just a regional oddity is that Ah-So was originally made in the Garden City of Newton, MA (Now Made In New Jersey) |
Some years ago, Kate's showed up on the shelves of our local Whole Foods. I like to buy locally made food, so I bought a pound and have been buying it ever since. Even though it doesn't cost an arm and a leg, this stuff is really really good. I used to buy Plugra, which while good, isn't as good as Kate's. Today's globe has a nice article about Kate's, which is still being made in the family garage from local cream. Boston Globe on Kate's Homemade www.kateshomemadebutter.com |
| I worked in the kitchen at P&E's in Thorne's Market, NoHo in the late eighties for a bit and they had some of the best food going (natural or otherwise). I was glad to see recently that they are still a going concern. Aside from one notably volatile personality, it was a really good crew who really cared what went out the door. Their Hummous, Tabouli, Cous-Cous, Tempura, Salads and Breads were all great, but to me, the absolute BEST thing on the menu, hands-down, full-stop, don't-stop ! was their Banana Cream Pie. P&E's also turned me on to the virtues of Japanese kitchen knives way before they became trendy and I have owned a Mac knife ever since. We are planning on taking a trip out to Northampton some time soon, and I can not wait to go drop in at P&E's for a slice or four of Pie. Oh yeah, and I hope the Herrel's is still there doing smoosh-in's. BTW: Apropos of nothing, back when we still had Blue Laws in MA and no liquor,beer or wine could be sold on Sundays, there was a pharmacy in the vicinity of Thorne's which used to sell beer out of the pharmacy on Sundays for "medicinal purposes". |
In 1927 Henry Beston from Quincy, MA moved into this little (20x16) cottage way out on the spit at Nauset Beach on Cape Cod. What had originally just been a vacation stay turned into a full year on the beach, documented in his book, "The Outermost House". The Nauset beach spit for those who have not been there is an extremely narrow barrier beach peninsula formed by sand washing down from the north. Below we see the house looking towards the mainland over the great marsh, what we cannot see is the open Atlantic on the other side of the dunes. The unique location, between the tranquil marsh and the open ocean really comes through in Beston's beautiful narrative. Beston's patient and thoughtful descriptions of the weather, wildlife, people and place really capture the essence of this dramatic setting, it is one of my favorite books. The house unfortunately is no more, having been swept out to see along with much of Coast Guard beach during the blizzard of '78 |  |
| The Crown Jewel of the New England culinary compendium is without question the New England Style Hot Dog (caps warranted). For those of you unfortunate enough to be born and reside outside of New England, you simply have not lived a full life until you have had a properly prepared NE Hot Dog (often referred to as a "Frank"). A properly prepared NE frank begins with a proper foundation, in this case the NE Hot Dog Roll (pictured below) and available in fine stores everywhere. Acceptable results cannot be achieved with the gastronomical apostasy that is the rounded "bun". Said roll should then be buttered on the outside and then cooked on a griddle in the manner of a grilled cheese, until crispy as pictured (right). The second crucial ingredient is a "Natural Casing" (don't ask) hot dog, easily identified by it's characteristic "snap" when biting into the cooked hot dog. For god's sake cook the dog in the butter left over from the roll, this is a crucial step and is required to achieve the all important "fond" prized by epicures the world around. The cooked dog, should then be placed in the bun, gently so as to avoid bruising. Properly prepared it should be topped with diced onion and mustard (relish optional). For bonus points it is ideally served in an open ended paper hot dog cozy to preserve it's delicate texture. |
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| Chow Mein Sandwiches
Food: Meat, Poultry, and FishSummer Volume: 1999 Issue: 6(2) On occasion, you come across a food that seems a total curiosity. The Chow Mein Sandwich is such an item. What is it, you ask and where do you find this Chinese American sandwich? Try New England. Specifically go to Fall River Massachusetts for this food specialty. Local neighborhood Chinese restaurants where both Chinese and American foods are served will, no doubt, still have it on their menus. Although the popularity of the Chow Mein Sandwich peaked some 40 to 50 years ago, it is still a favorite menu item in Fall River Chinese restaurants and as far southwest as Providence Rhode Island. One restaurant in East Providence reputedly sells between nine to ten dozen a day, perhaps a mere trifle compared to the largest Chinese restaurant in Fall River that sold more than two million during its 40 year existence. To many Fall River natives, the Chow Mein Sandwich is associated with their youth. Rather than stopping at a fast food drive in during the 1930's and thereafter, when hungry they would drop by the local Chinese restaurant for a sit down meal of a Chow Mein Sandwich, French Fries, and an Orange Soda. In the early 1990's in Fall River, the Chow Mein Sandwich was still popular. So much so that it remained a part of the school lunch menu. The question then is "What is a Chow Mein Sandwich?" The chow mein part is easy enough to describe. It is a mixture of minced meat (pork), celery, onions, and bean sprouts in gravy over deep fried noodles. This combination or blend of ingredients is more like a thick sauce or a stew. It is placed between a hamburger bun or between two slices of white bread. For the latter, brown gravy is ladled over the works. As with any category of chow mein, there are variations. In addition to pork (the standard), there are other choices such as chicken, beef, or shrimp. For those who do not like noodles, the Chop Suey Sandwich (with the same variations) is available, and even a Chow Mein/Chop Suey Sandwich can be had by an indecisive diner. Portability and inexpensive price were factors in its popularity. This was during a time before there were McDonald's, Burger King, and every other kind of fast food establishment. For a mere five cents (the original cost), you would be waited on and served in a booth! Many an older person has recalled that for a dime a Chow Mein Sandwich and a soda were preferred over an ice cream and soda that would have to be consumed standing up. Dining out made the individual, if young, feel grown up. Back then, and even today, the Chow Mein Sandwich provided an economical and filling meal. Although this sandwich is no longer as popular, it still has an avid following in southeastern New England. For many individuals, this sandwich is like the Madeleine of Proust's Remembrance of Things Past evoking specific memories of life in America. If you discover the Chow Mein Sandwich at your local eatery, please let the editor know because we are keeping tabs on where else one finds it. We know that Nathan's in Coney Island once served it; where else was or is it found? In the meantime, Happy Eating! If you want to try the Chow Mein Sandwich (a la Fall River), purchase one package (8 ounces) of "Original Hoo Mee Chow Mein Mix." Then prepare your chow mein according to directions. Place a hearty scoop of the chow mein mixture between a hamburger bun or between slices of white bread (square loaf required, to be authentic). When using white bread, also prepare the Chow Mein (brown gravy) Mix and ladle the resulting gravy over the sandwich as one would for a hot turkey sandwich. "Original Hoo Mee Chow Mein Mix" is available in southeastern New England supermarkets, or it can be ordered directly from: Oriental Chow Mein Company, 42 Eighth Street, Fall River MA 02720. When you prepare your own chow mein mix, or use the proper local product, another key to authenticity is in the noodles. They should be flat deep fried noodles. The sauce (which can be equal parts chopped onion and sliced celery cooked in stock, with if desired the addition of pork, beef, or chicken) is poured over the noodles immediately before serving. There should be some crunch to the textural mix. Imogene Lim, an anthropologist teaching at Malaspina University College in Canada, researches food culture and ethnicity. Research on the chow mein sandwich was done while a Rockefeller Humanities Post Doctoral Fellow. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Flavor and Fortune is a magazine of: The mein event Family business in Fall River has supplied Asian ingredients for more than half-century By Brian J. Lowney, Standard-Times correspondent
 If you ask any transplanted SouthCoast native what he misses most about the area, he might tell you that he yearns for a good chow mein sandwich. "I have customers in Florida, Arizona, Texas and California," notes Barbara Wong, the delightful and energetic owner of the Oriental Chow Mein Company, a family-operated business that has been supplying Southern New England's Asian restaurants and retail customers with chow mein noodles and other Asian food products for more than 50 years. Area retailers report that chow mein noodles and gravy mix, along with coffee syrup, frozen lemonade mix, meat pies, chourico and linguica are the most popular food products purchased by relatives seeking to send a touch of home to loved ones now living in other states. According to Mrs. Wong, a native of Canton, China, the well-known Fall River establishment is the only producer of fried chow mein noodles in the United States. "This is strictly a Fall River product," she continues, adding that chow mein noodles served in other parts of this country and in Asia vary in taste and texture. In China, for example, chow mein noodles are soft when brought to the table. According to Mrs. Wong's brother-in-law and plant manager Alfred Wong, the plan to produce fried noodles was conceived by his late father Frederick, operator of the popular Hong Kong Restaurant, a city landmark located in the then-bustling downtown section for almost 20 years, before it closed in the early 1950s. The noodle business was developed as a sideline, and eventually expanded. Today the company sells more than 10,000 pounds of fried chow mein noodles a week, in addition to two varieties of lo mein noodles, egg roll wrappers and gravy mix. The company also sells bean sprouts, which are grown from seeds planted in a computer-driven hot house, which was designed by Mrs. Wong's late husband Alfred, an MIT-trained engineer. The sprouts are not only popular with cooks of Asian cuisine, but also with vegetarians and those who are trying to develop healthier menus. According to Mrs. Wong, producing the chow mein noodles is a very labor intensive operation. Flour, salt and water are first combined in a large mixer. The dough is then rolled out into large sheets before it's placed in a noodle cutting machine. The noodles are then cut, fried, cooled and then boxed or bagged. The company employs 12 workers and operates a fleet of four trucks. Three of Mrs. Wong's children are involved in operating the small company: son Frederick helps to oversee the plant's operation, daughter Margaret serves as the bookkeeper, and son Nelson works as a driver, delivering Oriental Chow Mein products to Asian restaurants and supermarkets throughout Southern New England. When pressed for a recipe or two using her company's products, Mrs. Wong graciously defers to customer Jo Anne De Medeiros of Westport, who has enjoyed chow mein sandwiches for decades. "I've been coming here since I was big enough to hold the money," the inventive cook reminisces, adding that the fried noodles and gravy mix, sold in supermarkets under the Hoo Mee brand, are staples in her kitchen. "I make chow mein sandwiches for a quick meal, or I make smothered hamburgers by adding some Gravy Master, a little hot sauce and some fried onions to the gravy mix and simmering the patties in the gravy." Noting the gravy mix's versatility, the talented cook says that she uses the mix to make gravy for chicken, pork and meat loaf. She adds different seasonings depending on the dish she's creating and the taste buds of those being served. "My husband likes things hot and he's a great eater," she quips. For another quick meal, Mrs. De Medeiros makes egg rolls by using filling wrappers with sliced chicken breast or other meats, bean sprouts, chopped lettuce and other vegetables. "It's a great way to use leftovers," she observes. "All I do is roll them up and fry them." Both ladies agree that every cook has his own recipe for chow mein. Some cooks add shrimp, crabmeat, lobster, diced chicken, pork or marinated beef strips. Mrs. De Medeiros usually adds peapods, bean sprouts, cooked hamburger and a can of water chestnuts. "I've even used turkey after Thanksgiving," she adds proudly. "Sometimes you just don't know what to do with all that turkey after the holidays." While Mrs. Wong admits to being a traditional cook, she laughs when she tells about one customer, an elderly man who has been visiting the retail shop for more than 30 years, who has a big bowl of chow mein noodles with milk and sugar every morning instead of cereal. "Everyone has their own way of using the products," she concludes, offering the following recipe for a delicious sweet snack made with chow mein noodles | ||||||||||||||||||||
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