>  ML> follows the Alaska-Virgin marriage with its preceding 
>  ML> Alaska-Delta divorce.
> To much for me to follow.  Unless it's an Alaska flight I don't even look. 

Don't be a sissy - you have only one airline to
contend with. Consider Lilli, who one year had
top status on all three of the alliances -
Star (United), OneWorld (American) and SkyTeam
(KLM/AF).

> Just book a seat in the cabin.  Flown a lot of miles over the last 2
years and
> got very few of them back.  With my restricted flying now, I figure a
roundtrip
> to Honolulu, and an upgrade, will be it each year.

Of course, you can upgrade various ways (don't
need to worry about a seat that can accommodate
a cat carrier any more) or even, since you're
in better fiscal shape than most people flying 
around out there, even pay for first class once in
a while. They have finally figured it out, and on 
a lot of routes first costs just twice what cattle 
class does - I always maintained that I'd consider
actually paying for the comfy chair if they 
charged no more than double for it. I've been
tracking the prices on my routes, and domestically
at least the numbers have been 190-225% in a
fairly consistent way. Internationally, it's still
that bizarre 5 to 10 to 1.

Lion˙s Head
categories: holiday, CNY, main, pork
yield: 1 batch

1 1/2 lb (1 lg hd) Napa cabbage
4 oz bean thread (cellophane) noodles
1 lb lean ground pork
1/4 c (4 oz) water chestnuts drained, minced fine
1 Tb minced green onions, white part only
1 Tb peeled, minced fresh ginger
3 ts kosher salt
3 Tb premium soy sauce
1 Tb Shaoxing wine
1/2 ts freshly ground white pepper
Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
1 1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 c water

Trim off the root end of the cabbage head and 
reserve. Quarter the leaves lengthwise and then 
cut them again crosswise into thirds. Set aside. 

To prepare the noodles, pour hot water over them
in a bowl, and let them soak until they are soft,
about 15 min. Keep the noodles in the water until 
ready to use, as they tend to dry out quickly.

To form the meatballs, combine the pork, water 
chestnuts, green onions, ginger, 2 ts salt, 
1 Tb soy sauce, wine and white pepper in a bowl. 
Using your hands, gently mix all of the ingredients 
together until well combined. Don˙t overmix or the 
pork will become gummy. Lightly oil a rimmed baking 
sheet. Using a 1/2 c measure, loosely form the pork 
into 4 oz balls and place them on the prepared 
baking sheet. Set aside.

Line a plate with paper towels and have it ready 
near the cooktop. Heat a large nonstick skillet 
over high heat until a bead of water dances on 
the surface and then evaporates. Cover the bottom 
of the skillet with a thin film of oil and swirl to 
coat. Arrange the meatballs in a single layer in 
the bottom of the pan, but do not overcrowd them 
(depending on the size of your pan, you might need 
to cook the meatballs in several batches). Decrease 
the heat to medium and cook the meatballs, turning 
with tongs to cook evenly, until all sides are well 
browned, about 6 min. Transfer the meatballs to the 
prepared plate. Repeat this process for as many 
batches as needed.

Put the reserved root ends of the cabbage in the 
bottom of a large saucepan. Gently place the meatballs 
on top and pour over the chicken broth and 1/2 c water. 
Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, decrease the 
heat to medium-low and simmer the mixture, uncovered, 
until it has cooked down a bit, about 5 min. Add the 
cut up cabbage leaves and the remaining 1 ts salt. 
Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and continue 
to simmer until the meatballs are cooked thorough and 
the cabbage is tender, about 10 min more.

Drain the noodles, add to the saucepan with 2 Tb soy 
sauce, and stir to combine well. Remove the pan from 
the heat.

To serve, arrange the meatballs on top of the cabbage 
and noodles on a platter. Serve immediately.

Cecilia Chiang, Mandarin, San Francisco