By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

My restaurant in Laramie, Lost and Found, had a couple dishes that sold out whenever we put them on the menu.

The concept of Lost and Found was that we would find recipes from old cookbooks, usually from the periods of 1880s to 1930s.

We even had some recipes come to us from people who said their grandmother gave them the recipe and they wanted to share it with us.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

Sometimes good things happen by luck and being in the right place at the right time. That is how I feel about when I started working with Heaven Hill Distilleries. My first interaction with the huge American family owned liquor company happened because I was getting recognition as Jim Beam’s brand Ambassador in Taiwan.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

I never ate Ramen noodles growing up, in college, when I was married, lived in Hawaii or my first few years living in Taiwan.

I should clarify, that maybe in Taiwan I ate some Ramen noodles at restaurants, but I never picked them up in 7/11s or any convenience store where they took up an aisle or two. Even in grocery stores, there were many, many brands.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

I just read that in 2024 the Caipirinha, a cocktail from Brazil, was considered the third best cocktail in the world by Taste-Atlas.

I have not thought about this cocktail in years, but I used to make a bunch of them every shift when I worked at my bar in Taichung, Taiwan. That was also when the Mojito was very popular.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

I really enjoy eating chicken. The problem is, if it is even a problem, I prefer dark meat, specifically drumsticks.

I am the same way with turkey. The drumstick is my favorite, then thigh, then wing. White meat is fine and I eat it, but it doesn’t even come close to what my taste-buds prefer.

In Asia, the drumstick is popular, thank goodness.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

While in China I was exposed to Pisco. 

By Natalie Adams

Carbon County Comet Contributor

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

I am not sure when I had my first taste of moonshine.

Definitely when I was at least in my 20s.

I steered clear of alcohol for the most part 14 to 18 and when I did start drinking, it was mostly rum and cokes.

I really didn’t start drinking other spirits until I was working in a bar. Even then, it was more to see what different liquor tasted like.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

When I was a kid, my mother and stepmother used to make the dish Chicken Cacciatore. Since I loved spaghetti dishes, and enjoyed chicken, it was a favorite of mine when either one of them made it. My mother was a cook from scratch and my stepmother definitely took shortcuts.

I used to see this dish at many restaurants, and not just Italian.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

When drinking tonic with gin, vodka or whatever spirit, it might not be general knowledge, the quinine in it, has been a lifesaver for centuries.

The bark of the cinchona tree was first used by the Peruvian native tribe called the Quencua for the treatment of malaria.

By Dick Perue

Gather at the Table Correspondent

Everyone, especially the hungry and lonely, is invited to come in out of the cold and “Gather at the Table” for a free meal and fellowship Monday evening, Feb. 3rd, between 5:00 and 6:30.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

I remember there was a saying, “Real men don’t eat quiche.”

Well, that is just stupid in my opinion, since quiche is relatively easy to make and delicious. I should point out, it is easy to make if you buy the pie shell first.

I admire those who make the pie crust from scratch, but baking is not my strong suit, so I look for cutting corners when I can. 

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

You won’t see old bartending books from the 1930s and before with any recipes with any cocktails featuring the coffee liqueur Kahlua because it was not invented then. It was created in 1936 in Veracruz, Mexico by Pedro Domecq. He was a wealthy man whose family was in the sherry producing business.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

I remember the first time my co-worker at a Spanish liquor company in Shanghai made me dinner. 

I was blown away how simple cooking shrimp in olive oil with chopped garlic could make this amazing dish.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

I love fried rice dishes.

I make regular Chinese fried rice all the time. I learned how to make it in Taiwan.

Naturally, when I came across another type of fried dish called Nasi Goreng in Bali and Singapore, I was intrigued how to make it.

I mean it was everywhere and it was delicious.