For side dishes this week, we decided on a dish submitted by our friend Teena, Braised Fennel. They found this recipe when loads of fennel showed up in a co-op veggie box, and it's been a hit with them ever since. It surprizingly tastes nothing like the licorice flavor of its seeds, instead more like a sweet artichoke heart. It went excellently with our chicken dishes, and we'll definately try it again.

And, as a comparison taste test, as we like to do here, we tried out La Choy's canned Sweet and Sour Chicken. It comes in two connected cans, one with chicken and sauce, the other with all the vegetables. For speed, it could not be beat; open each can with a can opener, drain vegetables, combine on stove and heat until warm, about 5 minutes. Taste on the other hand was as expected: processed, preservative filled, and too many bean curds, making the whole dish taste rather bland and earthy. The flavors of the vegetables, usually distinct with Chinese food, were mushy and bland, and even the sauce didn't have the fresh punch of our own. And we couldn't find many pineapples! So, if you're tempted to take the short cut, spare your taste buds and cook the authentic, that or order Chinese take-out.