Au Revoir Freedom Frites

WASHINGTON (AFP) – French fries are back on the menu of cafeterias that cater to US lawmakers on Capital Hill, more than three years after they were replaced by “freedom fries” in anger over France’s refusal to join the US-led war in Iraq.

US lawmakers once again eating French fries rather than “freedom fries” – Yahoo! News

NJ Dining: Wondees

Wondee’s Fine Thai Food Noodle
296 Main St, Hackensack, NJ
(201) 883-1700

Thai Food is a popular cuisine in New Jersey, and no major town lacks a Thai restaurant. Be it as it may, when I want the authentic taste of Bangkok, my “go to” restaurant has got to be Wondee’s, in Hackensack.

Wondee’s certainly isn’t a fancy restaurant like its rival across the street, Bangkok Garden, and it doesn’t emphasize plating and presentation like some of the newer Thai restaurants in the Bergen County area like Kratiem, Thai Chef, Ridge Thai, or Pawana. But what it lacks in atmosphere and fussyness on the plate, it makes up for in value and flavor — which is why it’s the preferred eating destination for many of Northern NJ’s Thai residents.

Both the Tom Yum Goong (above) and Tom Kha Gai (below) are authentic renditions of the classic Thai soups, with a lot of galangal and lemongrass in it.

Pad Kaprow (Basil and Chili) Fried Rice is a real knockout.

These are special green long Thai eggplants sauteed with basil, pepper and chicken.

Moo Ping, marinated grilled pork with a spicy chili dipping sauce, is one of my favorite appetizers.

This Pad Thai is made with Bean Thread noodles, which I prefer to the standard rice noodle preparation (which you can also order). Other noodle dishes I like here are the Pad Siew (Soy Sauce Noodles) and The Spicy Kee Maow “Drunken” Flat Noodles.

Larb Gai

Fried Crispy Thai Catfish with Green Mango Salad with Cashew Nuts

Pumpkin Custard (dessert)

The Ultimate in Offsite Backup and Disaster Recovery

When the dust settles after World War III, or World War IX, humanity will still want to grow pineapples, rice, coffee and other crops. That is why in June on the island of Svalbard in the Norwegian Arctic, all five Scandinavian prime ministers met to break ground on a $4.8-million “doomsday vault” that will stockpile crop seeds in case of global catastrophe.

Life After Earth: Imagining Survival Beyond This Terra Firma – New York Times