On Nov 17, 2004, at 0:30, Yvonne Farrell wrote:
I went out for malaysian one night and we were served similar with black
beans in it. Not to my taste at all.
I don't think I'd have enjoyed the Asian black beans with my desert (however subtly flavoured) either. The "black beans" I know (courtesy of of my step-daughter-in-law) are fermented - both sour and spicy at the same time. Wonderful as a snack to be picked up on by one (I think I'm the only person who does that <g>), and terrific as a flavouring to both meat and tofu but, as a complement to a *sweet*??? I don't think so :)
I like to permit foods to "sing their own song", which is why all of my American family members grab a salt-shaker of their own, before they even sit down to the table :) But I also have very firm beliefs (almost as firm as my "moral compass" <g>) about flavours which mix well, and flavours which do not, and "fermented beans, almond, sugar, milk", somehow do not not strike me as a "happy mix", since they come - in unequal proportions, at that - from totally different edges of the spectrum.
Sugar, milk, and almond flavourings are all in the "bland-to-pleasant" range. They *could* use something to "pick them up", but lemon juice, sour cherries, cranberries, or rhubarb pulp would - IMO - be as harsh contrast/complement as they could bear. Black (fermented) beans are *salty* and skew the sensory perception ino the "what the hell is this???" region...
Nobody enjoys a rude awakening :)
--- Tamara P Duvall http://lorien.emufarm.org/~tpd Lexington, Virginia, USA (Formerly of Warsaw, Poland)
To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
