Sweet potato

[Troll]

Here, again, I don't think we're talking about the same thing...Gyros are a blend of marinated beef and lamb slow roasted, with vegetables and a garlic/cucumber sauce in a pita bread...Usually served with a Greek salad, consisting of normal lettuce/tomatoes, onion, Feta, black olives, and pepperoncini ...with a healthy dose of Balsamic vinaigrette ......Here's a recipe for the pulled pork I was thinking of...http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Texas-Pulled-Pork/?prop24=hn_slide1_Slow-Cooker-Texas-Pulled-Pork&evt19=1

[John Hopkins]

Oh god,

I just looked up Gyro's, they are what we call Doner kebab.. Tastes like two week old road kill with added gristle..

Tried it once.. never again..

Good lean roast beef, roast potato's crispy on the outside fluffy inside, peas, cauliflower, puff pies and really nice gravy.. That'll do me... Or a white bread and vintage cheddar cheese sandwich. Sometimes when I am feeling really adventurous I will have some branston pickle on it.

John.

[CDNRatMan]

  This place has been in business for a long time, and their reputation is huge, in their old location, truckers used to stop right on the highway and fake a breakdown to pick up orders they called in for pick up.......
I will foot the bill for you any time.......but beware that after eating there you will need a nap before continuing your ride.......lol........I also know a really good place for fish and chips.....and an awesome ride for the day. Drag Mr. GB along with you.

[Troll]

It's REALLY TEMPTING....The best Gyro I can remember was in Germany, but there is a restaurant near me that does a pretty good job. That's kinda like the fad we're having now with the pulled pork. There used to be "Greek" restaurants all over, around here, now they're gone, replaced with something else....sometimes I'm not sure what the something else is...We have more of those Chinese buffets than anything else, right now,mostly run by Hmongs.

[CDNRatMan]

  Troll ride up here and I will stand the treat to the best Gyros you have had .........I would even pay to feed GB himself.....but wonder if he could eat more then 4 of them, the normal person gets full on  one.........

[John Hopkins]

somehow I don't think the pulled pork I'm thinking about is the same as the pulled pork you are thinking about...I can't see a Cajun Barbecue specialty in a Chinese restaurant...I'm into Sushi, though...and Gyros!

I think it is just belly pork, cooked until the fat has gone  and the meat is scraped with a fork into strings then flavoured with a sauce, the whole thing placed in a big heated tray and you just help yourself.

I can't compare the flavour of the sauce because I haven't tried both but I think the pork is probably similar..

They also sell what they call crispy duck which seems to be prepared the same..

Most of the meat I cook I wrap in cooking foil so that I don't have to clean the inside of the oven, chickens and other fowl get a few minutes to brown without the foil.

John.

[Troll]

somehow I don't think the pulled pork I'm thinking about is the same as the pulled pork you are thinking about...I can't see a Cajun Barbecue specialty in a Chinese restaurant...I'm into Sushi, though...and Gyros!

[John Hopkins]

Fish and chips are a disappointment in Australia, very small portions of fish, the best KFC was in New Zealand, Served with mash and gravy and little soft yellow rolls, the best Fish and chips anywhere in the world was in the Yemen, they called it Kingfish but I think it might have been barracuda, a nice strong flavour, The best steak I ever tasted was in Bombay, It was at a café inside a large cinema and they called it a sizzler, It was a large water buffalo fillet, dished up on a chunk of wood with a cast iron plate straight out of the oven, it was served with badly cooked peas, carrots and soggy French fries, but the steak had some spices on it, just enough to notice and you could cut it with a fork, it was so big that I couldn't finish mine the first time I went there, by my third visit I think I could have eaten two. And thinking back to that open chicken sandwich back in Vancouver, well that was pretty darn good as well.

I honestly can't remember eating anything really special in America, China, Japan, Africa or many other countries although I did turn down the offer of chocolate covered locusts in Kenya.

John.

[chief]

Yeah when I lived in Scotland, there was one McDonald's down in London and a KFC over in Edinburgh. The KFC tasted as if they left out a spice or two - not uncommon since Scots didn't like spices other than curry!!! or so it seemed and so it was reported to me by a couple of Dunoon restaurant owners!

In my travels I never expect to dine on things to which I am accustomed at home. I try to enjoy the local foods. Some things are always better - like fish and chips! Somethings simply aren't the same. We were eating just outside the Ayr airport (couldn't tolerate the cucumber sandwiches at the airport). A family from Australia sat at the table next to us, obviously having just arrived. The waitress was taking their order... the kid wanted a hamburger and chocolate milkshake. As the waitress stood perplexed, I had to laugh. That family was in for an interesting Scottish adventure.
Of course that was back in the olden days when men were made of iron and ships of wood.

[John Hopkins]

Oh Yes, Pulled pork..

It's a big thing in Chinese eat all you like buffets.

Britain has become a place where you can buy any foreign food you want now, KFC (which has gone downhill since the Colonel died), McDonalds, steak houses, carvery's, Kebab houses (I tried one of everything they sold the night the local one opened and threw most of it away), the Scots have deep fried mars (chocolate) bars, Indian and Chinese, a lot of bad fish and chip shops and a few great ones.. I rate a good fish and chips by the care taken in peeling the chips.. we still have some cafe's where you can buy eggs, baked beans, bacon and chips with a couple of slices of toast and a large mug of tea, and we have some where they sell the same thing sitting in a pool of fat with half raw or solid eggs.. But we don't have to eat the bad stuff just because it is there.

John.

[John Hopkins]

All this talking about food has me wondering...John, you have any special food plans for Shrove Tuesday?  Sweet potato pancakes comes to mind...

Ahh pancake day..

Our pancakes are a lot different to yours, Two or three eggs half a pint of milk, add flour until it reaches the consistency of custard or double cream before you whisk it, heat about a teaspoon of clear oil or fat until the pan smokes a little bit, pour some mix in until it covers the bottom of a large frying pan to about 1/8th inch or a thin skin, swirl the pan until the mix bubbles a bit or the pancake moves on the surface of the pan, then toss it.. serve hot with a sprinkle of sugar and a squirt of lemon..

Best served to a large family one at a time, cooking time is usually twice as long as a childs eating time if you do it right.

John.

[Troll]

Very common all over the U.S.   Chicken, Beef, Pork, and this latest craze (not my thing) pulled pork...

[John Hopkins]

Last time I was in Canada, about 50 years ago, I went to a diner and asked for an open chicken sandwich, I think it was the only thing I recognised on the menu. In Britain a sandwich used to be two slices of bread and butter with something inside them, Sliced Ham, beef, pork, chicken or even lamb, most common was cheese, and if we were feeling really adventurous sliced onion or lettuce. So back to Vancouver in the sixties, the waitress bought me a plate with a slice of bread and butter and hot sliced chicken breast in a white sauce.. After staring at it for a few minutes in stunned silence I ate it and enjoyed it but I have never seen it since.

John.

[Troll]

  It just occurred to me, as I was removing the 6" of global warming that fell overnight, that the reason you didn't like the pie is because my Grandmother made it.....

[greenbarn]

Seal blubber and flipper pie...  how were those??   Don't really sound good, but a lot of stuff doesn't.

[CDNRatMan]

  Sorry to give you the wrong impression there Troll, but I have always made it a thing that no matter were I am I try the local cuisine. This has lead to some really mind opening experiences.
Uqhuq was one such an experience. Seal blubber and seal flipper pie were others. I do like to try different things and enjoy a lot of them.

[Troll]

  All this talking about food has me wondering...John, you have any special food plans for Shrove Tuesday?  Sweet potato pancakes comes to mind...

[Troll]

  You definitely need to keep a more open mind to the whole eating experience... My wife is like you, when it comes to that..plain and simple stuff. Me, on the other hand, I will eat anything that doesn't eat me first...which is why I had to go on a weight loss campaign. Spicy octopus is pretty good, and one of my favorites is Habanero spiced Chili....I've lately discovered that I really like hot and sour soup.....and crawfish, and...and...and...

[CDNRatMan]

  WHAT.......because I don't like SP pie......boy you folks are some touchy about your foods.............I did try other things American

Love Carl Jr.'s.....

Breakfast burritos are awesome.....

not a Popeye's fan.......did like Perkins, was a huge fan of Country Kitchen, so there.........

[greenbarn]

Well John, I am with you buddy......
First off I do not like pumpkin pie, well don't like any pie, not my thing. So while living in CO all the Americans I worked with were making a big deal of their mama's sweet potato pie and how good it was. Being a dumb a$$ Canadian I had to ask what a sweet potato pie was.....duh.....1982 this was before the health food craze. So I had a couple of the people bring me a slice of the pie. I ate them and smiled and told them they were good.
They tasted like dirt, and were the worse thing I have ever eaten. I have had SP fries since and they are ok, I have had yams and they are ok......but SP pie I'll just pass on that thanks.

And you wonder why you have trouble getting people to mail you stuff from the US.... 

[CDNRatMan]

  Well John, I am with you buddy......
First off I do not like pumpkin pie, well don't like any pie, not my thing. So while living in CO all the Americans I worked with were making a big deal of their mama's sweet potato pie and how good it was. Being a dumb a$$ Canadian I had to ask what a sweet potato pie was.....duh.....1982 this was before the health food craze. So I had a couple of the people bring me a slice of the pie. I ate them and smiled and told them they were good.
They tasted like dirt, and were the worse thing I have ever eaten. I have had SP fries since and they are ok, I have had yams and they are ok......but SP pie I'll just pass on that thanks. 

[Troll]

Here, John...some recipes to try: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20600272,00.html   http://www.southernliving.com/food/entertaining/10-sweet-potato-recipes   http://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/sweet-potato.html

[greenbarn]

Hmmm...   I'm not too sure about that, John.   I've never tried them that way.  It might be really good, but here again- you're cooking it like a white potato and it's not a white potato so I'm afraid you'll be disappointed...   

[John Hopkins]

I've just steamed one with some carrots and potato's and will serve it to my son with roast chicken breast and gravy to see if he will eat it..

John.

[greenbarn]

John, you don't want to give up yet...

First start calling them "yams" ---there is a slight difference between an actual "yam" and an actual "sweet potato", but who cares - they are bot similar in nature (to each other) but like you said - they are not much like a regular potato.  Maybe if you think of them as Yams, you won't be expecting a "potato" and maybe will like them better for what they are.

Next- like some others have suggested - try some different recipes.

Troll's in the oven is good - just baked, and add butter - cinnamon and a little brown sugar if you like.  Delicious.

Fries:  this is how missus GB makes them - cut in strips bout the size of your fingers. Spray or brush on a wee bit of olive oil.  350 in the oven until they are getting a little crispy on the edges - I think this is about 20-30 minutes - might want to stir them up a bit half way through.    Add some sea salt when they're done.  These are great.

Sweet potato pie- now that's a great thing....