response 1 of 27:

Jul 5 08:43 UTC 2003

Did the BBQ thing today with a new grill - the old one was stolen (who
steals used grills?).  20 pounds of beef chunks marianated in a sauce of
soyu, sesame oil, red hungarian paprika, white chinese pepper, rice wine
vinegar, sugar, and fresh chopped ginger root stuck on bamboo stick.  20
pounds of ground beef hamburgers with special spices - cellery salt for
one. Brauts and beef franks (it was all kosher).  Large gaggle, mostly
chinese - free food I quess.

response 3 of 27:

Jul 5 14:43 UTC 2003

Re #1:  Roughly what proportions are you using in the marinade?  I've never
        used paprika in anything like that.

response 5 of 27:

Jul 6 06:03 UTC 2003

re#3re#1:  Uh, I'd be hard pressed to answer that precisely.  Generally
I figure out how much meat I am cooking and choose an appropriate sized
bowl.  THen I pour in soyu.  Then I add sesame oil until the consistancy
seems right when wisked.  Then I shake the tin of red hungarian paprika
(not the yellow) until there is a good coating on the surface and then I
shake the tin of chinese white pepper similarly (much more paprika than
pepper).  THen I mix it up with the wisk again.   Then add sugar - not
too much as you are simply trying to cut the salty of the soyu -maybe a
table spoon or two.  Then add about a thumb of chopped fresh ginger and
a little rice wine vinegar.  You should have enough so that when you add
the chunked meat there is some above the surface.  Mix it and let it sit
in the fridge overnight.  In my opinion the critical ratio is that of
paprika to ginger.  It is too easy to add too much ginger.  Also the cut
of meat is somewhat important.  The cubed stew beef will be fine but
will be chewy but a heck of a lot easier to work with.  Flanksteak will
require more preparation - cut the meat into two by one inch strips and 
marinade them for at least two days - double them over when put on the
skewers.
"Breakfast steaks" cut into small strips and again doubled over are ok
too.  Generally I try to see what is on sale and buy accordingly.  You
don't need the best cut of meat but something that is lean is important
as you have anough oil from the sesame, melting fat will flame up and
you end up with charcoaled meat.  Oh, you soak the meat, then you put it
on the bamboo skewers right before cooking.  I don't really know why
this is important other than its much easier, and the bamboo skewers
don't catch on fire if they aren't soaked in sesame oil making it a
little easier to deal with.

response 7 of 27:

Jul 7 00:51 UTC 2003

Nothing special here.  Went out to din-din with me mum, which was an 
adventure:  First we hit our fav eatery, Pete's, but it was closed.  
Then went to Long John Silver, but left because there wasn't a smoking 
section for my Ma (we found out /after/ ordering our food, of course).  
We finally ended up at Big Boy, which is the last place I'd eat at.  Oh 
well.

response 9 of 27:

Jul 7 04:04 UTC 2003

July 4th went by here in the Philippines pretty much unnoticed.  I thought
that at some point Filipinos "observed" July 4 as "Filipino-American
Friendship Day", but there was nothing like that here in 2003.  Visited
Corregidor island yesterday, so I got my summer dose of American patriotism
and appreciation from another nation.

response 11 of 27:

Jul 8 17:21 UTC 2003

Tell me this is not Guinness from a bottle . . .

response 17 of 27:

Jul 8 20:32 UTC 2003

so you ran out of Guinness and switched to woodchucks?   Woodchucks must have
been real happy.

response 21 of 27:

Jul 8 22:15 UTC 2003

Edina - it was Guinness from a draught can poured into the proper glass.  The
Woodchucks were for people who didn't want Guinness.

Although, we discovered that Black and Tans made from Guinness and Woodchucks
are quite tasty.  :)