I've found a new kitchen obsession. It's collapsible silicon almost anything. I've had a few pieces for a while, but it's really big in Japan (where I've been the past couple months). It works great for me because my kitchen at home is small, and of limited cabinet space. And it's much more affordable than my other obsession--handmade knives (but I did get one! YAY!). Have you found anything recently that has turned into an obsession (other than the ever-present proscuitto, good parm, good oil thing)?

My husband and I are in Thailand this week, and several street vendors were selling snakehead tonight. My husband had one last time he was here, and said it was good, so I gave it a try. It's just the fish, gutted, on a stick, and grilled whole. It's a tasty fish, with a mild flavor. It absorbed the flavor of the charcoal well. It has a skin, much like a catfish. Overall, a great fish. It's sad we don't eat them in the US, because they multiply quickly, and could be a great, cheap food source.

We discussed our last meal of 2011, but what about the best? Was it something your SO made? Something you got from a truck? For me, it was last Friday when my husband, a friend, and I went to Joel Robuchon's L'Atelier in Tokyo. It "fixed" some bad food experiences I'd had years before (In culinary school, I had tried salmon roe that had been left in the fridge too long by one of our teachers, and it was awful. Same with the foie gras.) Our lunch last Friday included both of those, and it was incredible. Our server (Sylvain) recommended we try Chartreuse, which we did. It was the most complex drink I've ever had. Every sip was a completely different flavor. Ok, enough about my lunch. What about your best meal of the year?

Today I was in the grocery store, and saw whole duck at a pretty decent price. I'm thinking about getting one to roast. I've cooked duck breast many times, but never a whole duck. Any recipes or tips? Thanks!

I got a new smoker today! For dinner, I smoked some Duroc pork shoulder. Very tasty. Of course there will be the chicken, ribs, and tomatoes, but what are some of your favorites to smoke? Any suggestions?

One year, I decided I would give raw tomatoes a try, and keep working at it until I liked them. The next year it was yogurt, and while I don't love it, I can eat it (Greek style, no HFCS). This year, I've already tried two new ones. Unagi-no-kobayaki (grilled eel with a teriyaki-like sauce over rice) is a new favorite, and tofu skin (has a texture like string cheese) is one I'm working on. So this year, are you trying to include a new food? If so, what?

Ok, I've been here in Japan for a couple weeks now, and have noticed the restaurants here seem to use their awnings as a sort of code of what they're serving. However, I haven't been able to find any information on what each color means. Does anyone know? Thanks.

I'm in Yokosuka, Japan, and these two drinks are in almost every vending machine. I tasted a little of the Bickle, and I think it might be yogurt...maybe? So what's a Bickle and Calpis?

I only make certain foods when the weather is cool. Marshmallows are one of them. Pumpkin breads and soup are only for cold weather. Do you ever find yourself looking forward to warmer/cooler weather because you can only cook certain foods during certain weather (because otherwise, it's just "not right")?

So today I attempted my first ever batch of pumpkin butter. I used less than the amount of clove the recipe called for, to accommodate for using fresh-ground instead of pre-ground. The fresh-ground turned out so potent, they numb the tongue and leave a bitter aftertaste. The possible solution I've come up with is to just divide the batch, and add more pumpkin. It will leave me with an industrial-sized batch, but it would be edible. Anyone else got any better ideas?

In a few weeks, I'll be going to Japan the first time. I'll be in Yokosuka, Yokohama, and Tokyo. What are some of the "must tries" besides ramen, udon, and yakatori?

In a couple of weeks, a friend and I will be driving cross-country, as she is moving in with me while my husband is stationed overseas. We'll be traveling from SC to New Orleans through Montgomery, to our first stop in New Orleans. That said, our stops will (most likely) be New Orleans, Dallas, Amarillo, Albuquerque, and somewhere in Arizona (most likely Flagstaff area). Does anyone have any recs? The ONLY thing she doesn't want is Cracker Barrell (nothing against the food, she's just tired of seeing it, since she worked there for a long time). If I stop there, I think she'll cry.

We've all had it. It shows up at every family gathering. It's that dish you can't stand the sight or smell of, yet the rest of your family oohs and ah's over it. When I was a kid, it was my mom's potato salad. At my MIL's house, it's Stove Top. What dish do you hope won't be at the big family Christmas gathering (even though you know in the pit of your stomach it will be there)?

For months I've been watering my citrus trees, and because of proximity, also my neighbor's. Part of his tree overhangs the fence, but since it's fruit, I'm not complaining. I just picked one of the little fruits. It has a thick yellow rind (like a lemon or sweet lime), almost no pulp, and is completely full of seeds. I licked it, and it's very bitter, with a hint of an orange flavor. Does anyone know what it is?

Every family has those little weird foods that only appear at Thanksgiving. Mine was no exception. My grandmother always served those little, hockey-puck shaped "yam patties." Yes, they were patty-shaped, but tasted nothing like "yam." (to clarify, "yam" in the South generally refers to a sweet potato). I haven't seen these since I moved away, but then again, I haven't really looked for them. They were a little weird, and kin of gross. So anyway, what was your family's little culinary quirk?

A few years ago, our dachshund-beagle, Noodle, was the happy recipient of the carcass of a 17 lb turkey, with quite a bit of meat still attached. He ate for about an hour, and then tired of it. So he took the carcass over to his blanket, spread out the blanket, placed the carcass in the middle, and carefully wrapped it. We let him keep it for a little while, then got rid of it.

My poor Daschund-beagle mix, Noodle, needs to lose a little weight, but is having digestive issues with the prescription food. It's basically a super low-cal, high fiber food. So, I'm thinking about making his food. Does anyone else do it, what do you use, and how does the dog like it?

When I was a kid, the fad among moms was to pack the lunchbox full of manufactured microwave convenience foods. To this day, I cannot stomach a Hot Pocket. Don't even want to smell them. However, what took the cake was those microwave french fries that came in a little box with a grid of the browning paper inside. They fries tasted like that paper. I haven't seen them in years, fortunately. So what now discontinued food were you glad to see go the way of the Dodo?

A friend recently gave me a juicer Tuesday. It's not something I would pay $100 for, but if it's offered to me, I'll take it. It's a Jack Lalanne. I've used it a couple times, and the juice is good. But I'm wondering how many of you are more proficient in fruit/vegetable combinations, and what you'd suggest. Thanks in advance.

Since the back-to-school season is in full swing, we're seeing a lot of ads for various lunch-box products, some of which are a little dubious in nutritional value. However, on the flip-side of that, a kid's got to have something trade-worthy. So what goes into your kid's lunch? What do they want to go into their lunch?

While we're still enjoying the great fruits and veggies of summer, I'm really looking forward to the fall crops. The winter squashes, apples, and root veggies. Of course, there's the brief period of time where summer an fall overlap, and you can get both. So, after all that, do you more eagerly look forward to the first crops of spring (lettuce, onions, and starwberries), or those great fall and winter ones?

Today a friend and I were in our favorite international grocery. They had a Turkish cookie press (shaped almost like a thick wooden spoon, with a cookie form carved in the middle). However, I have not been able to find any recipes or information on making this cookie. Does anyone know anything about them? Thanks in advance.

Ok, so they say money can't buy happiness, but it can buy you that one food that makes you happier. You're not necessarily angry or sad, just blah. For me that food would be a California Burrito from the taco shop around the corner. What about you?

Ok, so my husband and I were in NYC last week, and saw all the food carts, 80% of which seemed to be halal food carts (gyros, chicken over rice, etc.). The remaining were hotdogs, several ice cream trucks, a couple of Jamaican, and a couple dessert trucks. I think there may have been a crepe cart. So I started thinking if I had a cart/truck, I would have a baked potato truck. So what would your truck of choice be?

My husband and I just returned from our vacation in NYC. Vacation for us is just for grazing. Lots of grazing. We did the tourist thing in high school, so now when we go, we do the good stuff. I was surprised to see so many kebab and halal carts. We visited Salumeria Biellese on 8th. My husband hates sausage, but he's already planning to return to this place. He got a chicken and jalepeno sausage sandwich. We also went to the Shake Shack, which was totally worth it. We did end up having soup, as there were tons of soup places. We also went to Sunday brunch at Les Halles, then moved on to the street fair on 9th. Sadly, we had to reconcile ourselves to not being able to eat everything. But, with that said, we're already making next year's list. All that to say, thanks NYC SE'ers for the great recommendations.