[jyl]

I agree the little shrimps are yuck, but she insists. It must be a childhood thing.

On the aspic, I'm trying to recreate this dish I had in a little alley restaurant in Taiwan, and the closest thing I can come up with is beef aspic. We'll see. If it sucks, and I'll know well before dinner, I have a Plan B which is broiled pork short ribs Korean style.

For grinding, I use a hand cranked grinder, it doesn't seem to heat up. I'm not patient enough to mince it by hand. Anyway I think it will have to be carpaccio, the response to my straw poll of anticipated diners was 75% "yuck". I'll make a little hachee for myself.