Posts by Bart Janssen
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It's the only rational response.
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Hard News: Press Play > Budget, in reply to Graeme Edgeler,
as a share of the economy
You mean they shrank the economy faster than they fired staff?
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I've never really been a soap watcher. I was simply never home at the same time every evening to watch something that regular. But I've watched a few episodes. Especially after I realised I knew one of the stars (Angela Bloomfield) - well I knew her when she was 6 :). I had to watch to make sure that the girl with that name that I knew was indeed a big time TV star, world famous in New Zealand even. New Zealand is small.
I can totally understand why expats want to watch it. If I'd been able to when I was in the US I would have happily watched it. It's a slice of New Zealand. And while it may not be perfect it shows part of New Zealand culture. When you're far away from home those pieces of New Zealand become so very important.
I may not watch it myself but I'm glad it exists.
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Hard News: Where do you get yours? (Food…, in reply to Russell Brown,
They were underdone
I think that's our feeling as well. But the next day if you reheat them in a frying pan with a lid they come out pretty much spot on, but at that price that isn't what you want. I like some of their combos but on balance Gorgeous is better.
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Hard News: Where do you get yours? (Food…, in reply to Islander,
In Oamaru, we also have “One Smart Takeaway”
Sadly not walking distance.
If we are going to diverge into takeaways, I'll vote for Gorgeous pizzas on Dom Rd, expensive though. I'm still an al Volo fan but I actually think the pizzas benefit from reheating in a covered frying pan which suggests I prefer the bases a bit more done.
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Hard News: Where do you get yours? (Food…, in reply to Simon Pound,
Mt Eden Fisheries on Dominion Rd opposite the Glengarry's, just around the corner is a stealth good fish store.
And this is the problem I have had with fish shops. We've been there twice for fish and chips and both times been sold old fish in batter. Just because you are battering it and frying it doesn't mean you can use the fish that didn't sell for the last two days.
For fish shops what you need is consistency. I'll have to check on Sophie's recommendation in Mt Roskill since it is walking distance and the last time I went in there was several years ago.
Down at the waterfront is consistent though, just a bit of a pain to get to and from.
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Hard News: Where do you get yours? (Food…, in reply to Hebe,
I would like to find out about smoking cheese – and mussels – some time …
Any excuse to link this
That's part 2 of the episode where he brines and hot smokes salmon using a cardboard box smoker.
This is the scrap iron chef episode where he builds a cold smoker and makes bacon
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Oh for Mexican ingredients Mexican specialties
cnr Marua rd and celtic cres. Lots of chilli sauces and tomatillos (those are the green fruit that form the base of so many great mexican dishes) -
Meat
Aussie Butcher Frost Rd Mt Roskill
The butchers are nice and will cut what you want, the meat is good and most times they don't do that annoying fold the bad bit under trick.
Farro's Mt Wellington for NZ Wagyu beef, we've been getting skirt steak it is great.
Both places stock freedom farms pork, rolled loin or shoulder for maximum cracklingveges
Fruit world right next door to the Aussie butcher in Frost Rd. They are almost perfect but they still chill their tomatoes, a sin that has a special circle in hell. For those that didn't know chilling tomatoes kills the enzymes that produce tomato flavour but doesn't stop the enzymes that degrade tomato flavour.supermarket
Mt Roskill New Worldbread
Eiffel on Eden. Sorry I'm not a lover of sourdough and my partner hates it. I personally feel the sourdough hides a lot of sins in breadmaking that the bakers at Eiffel avoid. New French place on Dominion Rd look interesting though.stuff
For those things you didn't know you needed.
Sabato small shopping bag, big price, but the flavours ... smoked paprika mmm
Farro's is a close second
Nosh Mt Eden is a lap behind those two for me, I find Nosh persistently over-expensive and they just don't have the range.Fish
Nada, zip nothing. Everywhere we've tried has at one time or another sold us old fish. The fish market downtown is good but a pain to get to and fish for me is the kind of thing I want to get just before I cook.wine
Just a note, we get a lot of our wine mail order from vineyards we've visited. But New World Mt Roskill has a good selection and it will get better if people buy good wine there. New World seems to allow each shop to have their own wine stock.
Caro's is the place for interesting bottles though. -
One part of the UoNZ question that is oft ignored is the role technical training institutes need to play. Techs have often been treated as poor cousins but they play as important a role in society as the Uni. Their students are as valuable to society in the roles they play as university graduates but are not accorded the respect they deserve.
I find it a great pity that the Techs have felt the need to become Universities.