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| Picture courtesy of Thai-blogs.com |
Basil, young green peppercorns, hot peppers and bamboo shoots come together in a truly Thai stir-fry dish. Excellent when served very spicy, intriguing at any temperature. Served on the stem, you can eat these peppercorns with your fingers, or you can use your fork to blend the peppercorns directly into the stir fry. Either way it's a peppery new twist on a classic Thai stir fry dish.
Nineteen-year-old Jason Stevens of Rochester does not deserve to be forgotten anymore than Ped does. He was an honors student and an athlete. The Highway Patrol is investigating, but it sounds like this hit and run driver was not courteous enough to leave behind any clues.
These reported events are like an arrow shot at my heart, but it lands at my feet. I choose not to bend over, pick it up, and stab myself with it.Ped was not an angry man. I think he would have been dismayed by all the anger there has been in the wake of his death. I think he would wish to remind us that, as the Dalai Lama has said, "In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher." But he would also remind us that the Dalai Lama also said, "Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace."
Ped is my brother and my best friend. When I was mugged last summer, Ped was the first person to show up to comfort and reassure me. Ped often stopped by the restaurant on his days off to make sure everything was OK. After my mugging, he would come around to check on me to make sure I was OK. I give some of our employees a ride home after work. After the mugging, Ped began stopping by on his nights off to give his coworkers a ride home so I could get a little more sleep.
Ped helped me to keep my feet on the ground, and gave me guidance when I wasn't sure what I should do. More than even me, he cared so much about True Thai and all of us who worked there but Ped loved everyone, not just his friends. Once he made me park my car so he could help a stranded motorist change her tire. When a panhandler would ask Ped for money, Ped would tell them to wait and then would run and cook them a meal.
Each night when I go to True Thai, I go into the kitchen because seeing Ped in his white t-shirt gives me comfort and lets me know everything is running the way it should. I will never see Ped in our kitchen again, but this week I have seen him many times. I will be working up front and I look up and there he is, smiling in that slightly sad, boyish way we all knew so well. His spirit is with us still at True Thai, guiding us, telling us everything is alright.
Ped, when I think of you, the one thing I always think of is your kindness and generosity, which were written all over your face. Such a kind person. Others always came first. You would feed your coworkers first, then you would eat. You always put others before you.
Ped once told me, "Anna, I know I am going to die before you do." Ped, I am so sorry you were right. I will remember you the rest of my life. You were the soul of True Thai. You are the soul of True Thai. You will always be the soul of True Thai. Thank you for always being there for us.Ped's family and friends and I all miss him very much. Only the Senser family knows for sure what happened that night, and they are not talking. Not to us, not to the family's attorney, not to anyone. But they do have friends in the media. At the press conference a reporter asked me something about "why the family is just after the money?" I was so shocked I could not answer him. The Phanthavongs did not "lawyer up" until after a Trooper suggested they should, and well after the Sensers had decided to speak only through their attorney. No one in the media is trying to find out what happened. It has been decided that the lawyers will do all the talking and that this might take years to be resolved.
The accident happened on the westbound ramp from Interstate 94 to the Riverside Avenue just after 11 p.m.
The State Patrol says the victim, a 38-year-old man from Roseville, was filling up his car with gas on the shoulder of the ramp when he was struck.
The unidentified motorist that struck him then fled the scene.
There was construction in the area but authorities do not know whether that played a role in this accident.
Anyone who may know anything about this fatal hit-and-run is asked to call the State Patrol.Anousone was an inspired chef and a very hard worker who had lived a very difficult life. He was separated from his parents while growing up in Laos during the years of terrible unrest that followed the Vietnam War. He was reunited with his parents in this country, and is survived by both his mother and father, three sisters and a brother.
We received word from the City today regarding the mill and overlay of the 25th & 26th Ave S-Curve between Franklin and Riverside.
From Stephanie Malmberg, Project Manger:
"As part of the 35W Bridge Detour Route Rehabilitation Project the City will be paving 25th& 26th between Franklin & Riverside. The work will begin Monday June 27th and should be completed by Thursday June 30th. We will be closing the road to thru traffic for the 3-4 day duration of this work. Local access will be maintained to businesses and residences and emergency vehicles will be able to get through the site. Working hours will be from 7pm to 7am."
For more information: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.
us/cip/25-26AvesS-R/index.asp
[W]hile it is still uncertain whether coconut oil is actively beneficial the way olive oil is, small amounts probably are not harmful. The new federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that no more than 10 percent of total dietary calories a day come from saturated fat. For a 2,000-calorie diet, that’s about 20 grams.
The "rice" is made by mixing potatoes, sweet potatoes and plastic. The potatoes are first formed into the shape of rice grains. Industrial synthetic resins are then added to the mix. The rice reportedly stays hard even after being cooked....
"A Chinese Restaurant Association official said that eating three bowls of this fake rice would be like eating one plastic bag.
I have never eaten a plastic bag but I cannot imagine that they are very tasty, even when cooked with MSG.
The really terrible thing about this story is that rice is already very cheap. Yes, yes — I know that prices went up last year and that rice hoarders almost created a shortage and that prices are still at historically "high" levels —but even at grocery store prices a cup of uncooked rice still costs less than 25¢.
That's why True Thai did not raise our menu prices when the price of rice went up. We go through at least one fifty-pound bag of rice every day, but when the wholesale price of rice skyrocketed, that still cost us less than $10 a day. Still, much smaller restaurants who go through much less rice used that as an excuse to raise their menu prices. I will not share with you what I think these restaurant owners have in common with people who sell fake rice, but maybe you can guess.
I am less reluctant to share with you a link to Jeremy Iggers' review of Tracy's Saloon, an outstanding casual dining establishment just a few blocks west of True Thai Restaurant. The next time you stop by on a Friday or Saturday night and there is a line of people waiting to get into True Thai, remember that Tracy's is just a few blocks down the street and they are Jeremy Iggers approved!
