The Market Coalition

It’s a long time since I’ve eaten at one of the Noodle Stalls of Spring Garden Lane, on Hong Kong Island, but the experience is one I will treasure all my life.

The street food stalls are what the Cantonese people call ‘Dai Pai Dong’, and they are wooden food stalls where you sit and eat at a raised bench, rather than a table and chair.

The food stalls are painted green and have a tin roof to keep off the tropical sun and the rain. They are built on four small wheels, because some past regulation must have said they have to be mobile. However, the wheels are set firmly into a block of concrete, so they can’t go anywhere. And the food stalls have electric power connected to them permanently, and even a telephone to take orders.

The Chinese cook creates everything in a giant-sized boiling pot in the center of the food stall, with a roaring kerosine burner underneath. He tosses in the indredients and stirs it with a wire scoop and 2-foot long cook’s chop sticks… Then he ladles out the noodles and wuntun into the large soup bowl placed in front of you.

My favorite food there was wun tun mein, a large steaming bowl of noodle soup containing Chinese Wun Tun - steamed dumplings contining chopped shrimp or beef.

You can even tell the cook what types of noodles you want; just point. The choice usully includes bright yellow egg noodles, white vermicelli super-fine rice noodles, brown thick wheat noodles or even white hor fun noodles (thick strips of hand-sliced rice pasta).

Living there as a local Gwai Lo (meaning ‘Foreign Devil’) for many years, I was reluctant to eat at a Dai Pai Dong for a long time. They looked so crude. But once I overcame my initial unease, I discovered the food was fantastic and cheap, and their hygene was tip-top as well.

You can always ask the cook to rinse your bowl and chopsticks in boiling water for you before you eat. They do it all the time for people and they won’t take offense.

Oh, you can use chopsticks, can’t you? They won’t have any knives and forks. I suggest you learn to use chopsticks first, before you try a street noodle stall.

If you just can’t make it to Hong Kong for the experience, there are Asian food stalls all around the Far East, in Singapore and Malaysia as well. But you really should give it a try somewhere. You’ll be glad you did!

David Harvey spent half his life in Hong Kong before moving to Australia. He now publishes web sites, and he still adores Chinese food. More info at Enjoy China.

A digital data logger is a device used to sample temperature
and/or humidity and then store it electronically. It is
primarily used as a temperature monitoring device in large
freezers and/or stores.

In most cases a digital data logger needs a PC to work with
(with notable exception of ThermaViewer, that can work all by
itself).

Important factors

When you decide to buy a digital data logger, you need to think
about a few things first. As there are many data loggers
available, choosing the one that will meet all your expectations
can be a daunting task. Before you go shopping for your digital
data logger you consider the questions below.

How much data do you want to collect?

Are you going to monitor temperature for a few days, or will
this installation be more permanent and collecting temperatures
over months and years?

Where will it be placed?

Placement is a very important consideration when you buy a
digital data logger, as this has a great impact on the digital
data logger properties. For example, if it’s going to be used
for temperature monitoring in the freezer, you will need a
digital data logger that uses remote sensors. You surely won’t
be opening the freezer all the time only to check the
temperature. On the other hand if you need to monitor the room
temperature, remote sensors will be only a nice add-on.

What do you need it for?

Do you need temperature monitoring as a safety factor that will
turn on the alarm when the temperature is too high or too low?
Is it going to be a helpful, but non-vital gadget in your server
room? Answers to these questions will tell you a lot about which
digital data logger you should buy.

There are a few items you will need to gather before you can start making your gel candles. The most basic are supply containers, gels, pans, wicks, and of course, your kitchen range. Below is a detailed list of the items you will need, and most of these items are available at your local craft and variety stores.

Containers: It’s best to use a heat resistant glass, but there are also many types of glass and acrylics.

Materials: Gel Wax, Paraffin when specified in a recipe, candle scent, candle dye, wick, wick clip, and wick base.

Supplies: Craft sticks, knife, spoon, candy thermometer, pliers, small sauce pan, double boiler for paraffin when used, cooking oil spray, non-stick cookie sheet, ice cream scoop, ice pick, Potato peeler for the dye, stove burner, small deep metal pans, and molds.

Wicks & Clips: Use large bleached wicks. Gel candles burn longer than paraffin candles so a large wick is required for the additional burn time. Do not use wire wicks these will leave debris in the gel. Use a metal base clip and crimp it to one end of the wick with pliers or use a small washer.

Dyes & Scents: Candles dyes are great to use because their color is translucent. Crayons can also be used if the proper dyes are not available at your local stores. Candle dyes come in different forms, from wax squares, to liquids and powders. You can mix colors to form additional colors.
Scents are fun to add to make the candle fragrant. Scents come in the form of oil based liquids, pellets and wax solids. You add scent before pouring the candle this avoids evaporation.

Additives & Release Agents: If using paraffin, add stearic acid to increase the hardness and raise the melting point. Use spray cooking oil or silicone spray to aid in the release of the molds.

Submerged Objects: In order to submerge objects in your gel candles they must be resistant to burning and melting. Items that work well are buttons, marbles, toys and jewels. Do not use highly flammable items. Some objects will float so you may have to add the items as the gel cools and thickens. This is where the craft sticks or knife comes in handy. You can push items down that float to the top.

Heating Wax: Paraffin should be heated to 130 degrees F to 140 degrees F. The melting point of gel wax is between 160 degrees and 170 degrees F. If you are melting Paraffin you should always use a double boiler. Gel wax can be heated directly on the burner set at a medium to low heat. Tip: Tear gel into small pieces to control the amount of bubbles.

CAUTION: Always be careful when melting wax. It is highly flammable. Make sure your area is well ventilated. Never leave unattended or around young children without supervision.

Clean Up: Use dish soap and hot water to clean utensils, counter tops and tools. Run paraffin under hot water then under soapy water. You can scrape wax off counter tops, or use small amounts of turpentine to aid in removal (be sure to test first).

For free Candle making recipes & tutorials visit http://www.bookdrawer.com/freecandles.htm

Once you learn to create your candles create a business plan and decide on what market to target for your product. You could do theme candles such as weddings, birthdays, etc. Possbily decide on making recipe candles, or whatever great ideas you may have.

Then discover where to sell your candles such as craft shows, sell them on ebay, create your own web site, take them to work, set up trade shows, contact local gift shops and talk with others about selling or starting a new business.

Resources for Candlemaking/Selling:
The Ultimate Gel Candle Book

Candlemaking For Fun & Profit (For Fun & Profit)

Any interior designer will agree about loft is stylish. What began as an inexperience-housing alternative is now a luxurious lifestyle. The centerpiece of interior design has shifted to include industrial pavilions and vacant warehouses. It can be a bit overwhelming when it comes to decorating a large open loft, even to an interior decorator.

These spaces are very spacious; in fact they are so spacious they seem industrious. Not only do they feel this way because of their size, but also because they are made with cold materials. Polished cement floors help spaces seem larger because of their brightness and lack of boards. One possible way to separate the open space into smaller spaces is by staining the concrete floor different colors for different “rooms”. A limited chromatic palette of very intense colors is advisable in this situation. Using limited chromatic palette is advisable, should be with very intense colors. In contrasting with the coldness of the concrete and further enhance the aseptic feeling that surrounds lofts, using bright colors such as reds, oranges, or greens in the kitchen and bathroom is recommended.

When talking about the furniture, few and large. Because we will be seeing the whole picture at a glance, placing too many pieces of furniture will make the room disappear disorderly. A loft shouldn’t be cluttered, and should have an aura of emptiness, not a lot of time or stuff, a fast paced life, lots of work and of an actual life.