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New vs. Old Tung Kee

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Chester

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Jul 18, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/18/00
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Just had lunch at the New Tung Kee at ECR and Lawrence--had to pick up
some photos at Wolf next door.

Does anyone prefer the New TK over the old (now known as "TK Noodle
House")? I, for one, far prefer the OG Tung Kee since the New employs
much more watery broth, overcooks the noodles, and generally does a
poorer job with everything they cook.

Though, I must say their ordering system is way cool.

Chester

Chris Knight

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Jul 18, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/18/00
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<chester [at] chesternet [dot] org (Chester)> wrote:
> Does anyone prefer the New TK over the old (now known as "TK Noodle
> House")? I, for one, far prefer the OG Tung Kee since the New employs
> much more watery broth, overcooks the noodles, and generally does a
> poorer job with everything they cook.

Agreed. Their service can sometimes be lacking as well, my girlfriend and I
waited at our table for a good 20 minutes without a single "are you ready"
or even any eye contact from the many servers working that day. Their
wontons and meatballs are lacking as well. TK Noodle is much better.

While we're discussing NTK, I went to National Foods (in the CompUSA/NTK
shopping center at Lawrence and El Camino) again last night upon the
suggestion of someone on this newsgroup with regards to buying Guava Juice.
What's wrong with that place? The stench of chemicals[?] was almost
nauseating, their layout is crap, and about the only drinks they had by the
case was about 20 different varieties of grass jelly. I'll stick with New
Castro Mkt for drinks and Marina for most everything else.

Additionally, I've still not been able to find any Thai coffee (grounds) in
Ranch 99, Marina Food, New Castro Mkt, or National. Any ideas (on-line
would be keen.) Marina had a couple cans of Thai tea recently that I bought
up, and they haven't had any more since...

Meg Worley

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Jul 18, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/18/00
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Chris wrote (attributions, Nick, attributions!):

>>Additionally, I've still not been able to find any Thai coffee (grounds) in
>>Ranch 99, Marina Food, New Castro Mkt, or National. Any ideas (on-line
>>would be keen.) Marina had a couple cans of Thai tea recently that I bought
>>up, and they haven't had any more since...

Nick writes:
>There's another Asian food store in Downtown Mountain View.....Dana Street
>Market (at the corner of Castro and Dana Street) comes to mind. Not sure
>though.

Easy Foods, to be precise. That's a good thought -- it's got
a very peculiar selection of mercantile (ie, non-refrigerated)
good... candies and cookies to die for, misc. dried bizarrities,
cookware -- generally a prowler's delight. They may well have
Thai coffee.

Rage away,

meg


--
m...@steam.stanford.edu Comparatively Literate

Todd Michel McComb

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Jul 18, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/18/00
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In article <8l3cl7$s...@steam.stanford.edu>,

Meg Worley <m...@steam.stanford.edu> wrote:
>Easy Foods, to be precise.

To be fair to Nick, it used to be called Dana Street Market.
Different (slightly) location though.


Nick

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Jul 19, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/19/00
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>Additionally, I've still not been able to find any Thai coffee (grounds) in
>Ranch 99, Marina Food, New Castro Mkt, or National. Any ideas (on-line
>would be keen.) Marina had a couple cans of Thai tea recently that I bought
>up, and they haven't had any more since...

There's another Asian food store in Downtown Mountain View.....Dana Street


Market (at the corner of Castro and Dana Street) comes to mind. Not sure
though.


-Nick

Stop Silicon Valley Sprawl-Save Coyote Valley
www.come.to/coyotevalley

Visit A Guide to Mountain View CA
www.travel.to/mtnview


orl...@newxvsxxol.killspam.us.com

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Jul 19, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/19/00
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i prefer new tung kee, and only for two dishes: their
pad thai and their broccoli/tofu dish. i rarely go
into the old tung kee anymore.

orlando


In article <3974d93f...@news.supernews.com>,


Chester <chester [at] chesternet [dot] org> wrote:
>Just had lunch at the New Tung Kee at ECR and Lawrence--had to pick up
>some photos at Wolf next door.
>

>Does anyone prefer the New TK over the old (now known as "TK Noodle
>House")? I, for one, far prefer the OG Tung Kee since the New employs
>much more watery broth, overcooks the noodles, and generally does a
>poorer job with everything they cook.
>

Geoff Miller

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Jul 19, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/19/00
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na...@aol.com (Nick) writes:

> There's another Asian food store in Downtown Mountain View.....
> Dana Street Market (at the corner of Castro and Dana Street)
> comes to mind.


Are you sure you're not thinking of the Easy Foods Company,
the little place on the corner across the sidestreet from
Printers, Inc.?

Geoff

--
"If this movie was playing on Salma Hayek's back while I rode her
like a mechanical bull, I still wouldn't see it." --Adam Carolla


Chester

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Jul 19, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/19/00
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orl...@NewXvsXXOl.killspam.us.com wrote:

>i prefer new tung kee, and only for two dishes: their
>pad thai and their broccoli/tofu dish.

On the former, er...I think their pad thai is horrendous. Well, it's
not horrendous, but it's not good by any means. I'd rather go down to
the Thai Pepper that's down the row from my local NTK.

On the latter, I love tofu. I love tofu. I really love tofu. But
the way they do it results in a pretty tepid dish, IMO. But, to each
his own.

In general, I think TK vs. NTK should be based on the merit of their
noodle soups--one wouldn't base a comparison between McDonald's and
Burger King upon their fish filet sandwiches.

And on those terms, will the real TK please stand up...

Chester

Steve Wertz

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Jul 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/20/00
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Chris Knight wrote:

> While we're discussing NTK, I went to National Foods (in the CompUSA/NTK
> shopping center at Lawrence and El Camino) again last night upon the
> suggestion of someone on this newsgroup with regards to buying Guava Juice.
> What's wrong with that place? The stench of chemicals[?] was almost
> nauseating, their layout is crap, and about the only drinks they had by the
> case was about 20 different varieties of grass jelly. I'll stick with New
> Castro Mkt for drinks and Marina for most everything else.

You smelled chemicals? Last I was in there a few months ago (and posted
my impression), a blind person could easilly find the meat counters.
Perhaps the chemicals were to cover up that previous stench.

I agree about the layout of the store. At first I thought it might
be by region/country, but that theory didn't pan out in the end.

-sw

Nick

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Jul 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/20/00
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>Are you sure you're not thinking of the Easy Foods Company,
>the little place on the corner across the sidestreet from
>Printers, Inc.?
>

Ya, you guys are right, I got the two confused. The Dana Street Market is at
299 Castro Street. The one I was thinking of is on the corner at 300
Castro....and that would be Easy Foods Company. Like Meg said, it looks like a
place that might have Thai tea.

The CBA's downtown guide has their number as (650) 969-5595 if the original
poster wants to call and find out.

orl...@newxvsxxol.killspam.us.com

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Jul 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/20/00
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In article <39756e45....@news.sirius.com>,


Chester <chester [at] chesternet [dot] org> wrote:

>orl...@NewXvsXXOl.killspam.us.com wrote:

>On the former, er...I think their pad thai is horrendous. Well, it's
>not horrendous, but it's not good by any means. I'd rather go down to
>the Thai Pepper that's down the row from my local NTK.

agreed that there are better pad thai dishes around.

>
>On the latter, I love tofu. I love tofu. I really love tofu. But
>the way they do it results in a pretty tepid dish, IMO. But, to each
>his own.
>
>In general, I think TK vs. NTK should be based on the merit of their
>noodle soups--one wouldn't base a comparison between McDonald's and
>Burger King upon their fish filet sandwiches.

well, i am not fond of either's noodle soups, and i've chowed through
a good portion of both menus. but in a pinch i will go to ntk because
when i want egg noodle, they have it; tk doesn't (i know, i know,
it's heresy, but i like egg noodles). the entertainment
value of ntk makes up for a lot of its shortcomings, and it was
convenient when i lived across the street from the one in downtown
sj.

as far as tofu goes, whole food$ in cupertino and campbell makes
killer tofu sandwiches, and i have them make one for me when
i need a quick tofu fix. also, the firm tofu that they make
available in their salad bar is quite tasty too.

i'm a bit hesitant to reach into the tofu bins at a lot of the
asian markets after seeing how a lot of people reach in and
fish around for a select piece...blech.

orlando

Geoff Miller

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Jul 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/20/00
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chester [at] chesternet [dot] org (Chester) writes:

> On the former, er...I think their pad thai is horrendous.

How can anyone screw up pad thai? That's like screwing up
instant oatmeal.


> On the latter, I love tofu. I love tofu. I really love tofu.

What's to love? Or hate, for that matter?

I've never understood how anyone can dislike tofu, except maybe
as a matter of principle. But by the same token, I don't see
how anyone could love it, either. The stuff is just kind of...
there, blandly inoffensive at best. I buy a brick of tofu
sometimes to use as a bulking agent in salads, but I've never
put it into any cooked dish.

Asya Kamsky

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Jul 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/20/00
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In article <8l7lfo$vtv$1...@slb7.atl.mindspring.net>,

Geoff Miller <geo...@netcom.com> wrote:
>> On the former, er...I think their pad thai is horrendous.
>How can anyone screw up pad thai? That's like screwing up
>instant oatmeal.

Not true. It seems to be easy to screw up pad thai since so
many restaurants do it. Thai Spot on Woodside road is a prime
example of that.

--
Asya Kamsky
webmaster, The Next Generation Swing Dance Club, http://www.tngsdc.org
never speaking in official capacity.

Chester

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Jul 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/20/00
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In ba.food geo...@netcom.com (Geoff Miller) wrote:
>How can anyone screw up pad thai? That's like screwing up
>instant oatmeal.

Go to New Tung Kee and you'll find out. And, to some extent, one
could say the same thing of gnocchi.

>I've never understood how anyone can dislike tofu...
>...The stuff is just kind of...


>there, blandly inoffensive at best. I buy a brick of tofu
>sometimes to use as a bulking agent in salads, but I've never
>put it into any cooked dish.

That would explain your feelings. I wouldn't like it either if I
mainly experienced it the way it's prepared by western health nuts.
It's not good plain, because it is fundamentally plain.

But in Chinese cuisine, it's usually cooked with sauces, fried, or
whatever. It's sort of a blank canvas upon which much can be done.

But in answer, I think I love it because of the texture--otherwise,
the taste is never uniform because the manner in which it's employed
is never uniform.

Do you not usually get a tofu dish at Cuisineer Six?

Chester

Geoff Miller

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Jul 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/20/00
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chester [at] chesternet [dot] org (Chester) writes:

> That would explain your feelings. I wouldn't like it either
> if I mainly experienced it the way it's prepared by western
> health nuts.

I don't dislike tofu, personally. I just don't understand how
it can create such strong opinions in people, either pro or con.


> Do you not usually get a tofu dish at Cuisineer Six?

Aside from the occasional order of Mongolian beef, I almost
always get a chicken dish -- garlic, five-spice, or general's.
Same with my friends.

I think a lot of people who weren't raised on that sort of
cuisine think, at the backs of their minds, that tofu is a
meat substutute, not a food in its own right -- and that
anything with tofu in it instead of meat isn't "real" food.
So when they order accordingly when they go to a Chinese
restaurant because they want to get their money's worth.

Something I've long been curious about: Who was the general
of "general's chicken" fame?

Peter L.

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Jul 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/20/00
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Probably General Tso, who was a real Chinese general. But I think the
dish named after him was invented in the US, and he had nothing to do
with it's origin.

Meg Worley

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Jul 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/20/00
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Geoffski wrote:
>>I've never understood how anyone can dislike tofu...
>>...The stuff is just kind of...
>>there, blandly inoffensive at best. I buy a brick of tofu
>>sometimes to use as a bulking agent in salads, but I've never
>>put it into any cooked dish.

Chester writes:
>That would explain your feelings. I wouldn't like it either if I
>mainly experienced it the way it's prepared by western health nuts.

>It's not good plain, because it is fundamentally plain.
>
>But in Chinese cuisine, it's usually cooked with sauces, fried, or
>whatever. It's sort of a blank canvas upon which much can be done.
>
>But in answer, I think I love it because of the texture--otherwise,
>the taste is never uniform because the manner in which it's employed
>is never uniform.

I disagree. I love tofu too, partially for the texture,
but also for the taste. One of my favorite Japanese dishes
is hiyayakko, which is cubes of kinudofu (the aristocratic,
fine-complected variety) with a little soy sauce on it.
Absolutely delicious.

Now, I'm not saying I'm particularly subtle in any way, shape,
or form, but if you can't taste that distinctive tofu taste,
you need more practice.

Peter L.

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Jul 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/20/00
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Tofu comes in so many different forms and textures it is difficult to say
that one likes it for its texture. What kind of tofu are you talking
about? Even the anticeptic tofu-in-a-box comes in 3 varieties.

It's like saying you like cheese because of the taste.

Chester

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Jul 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/20/00
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Heh, apparently tofu's a lot more controversial than Geoff thought...

Meg wrote:
>is hiyayakko, which is cubes of kinudofu (the aristocratic,
>fine-complected variety) with a little soy sauce on it.
>Absolutely delicious.

I'm sure, but without the soy sauce, I don't think I'd like it much.

As far as Japanese stuff goes, I really, really, like Agedashi tofu.

>but if you can't taste that distinctive tofu taste,

True...but I'm not saying it doesn't have a taste that's
distinctive...it just has a pretty subtle taste. In the same way that
breads have different flavors distinctive from one-another, and other
foods, but they don't have the intensity of a steak, or a bell pepper,
or whatever.

Which is why, most of the time, most people will eat bread with
something, whether that be butter, meat, olive oil, cheese, or
whatever.

Peter wrote:
>Tofu comes in so many different forms and textures it is difficult to say
>that one likes it for its texture. What kind of tofu are you talking
>about? Even the anticeptic tofu-in-a-box comes in 3 varieties.
>
>It's like saying you like cheese because of the taste.

Yeah, different tofu has different textures (what's the plural for
tofu?). But tofu is still, by and large, closer to one-another in
terms of texture than they are to something else, such as bread, or
cottage cheese, or plantains, or whatever.

Hence, I like the texture of tofu. I also like the taste of cheese.
I also enjoy eating pasta, but tend to not like vegetables quite as
much as I like meat. I am a human being. See what I mean?

Incidentally, Merriam-Webster states etymology of "tofu" to be linked
to, "Japanese 'tOfu,'" with a listed date of 1771. I don't know any
Japanese, but I'm disappointed to see that they fail to mention that
the Japanese "tOfu" undoubtedly originates from the Chinese "Dou-Fu."

Peace Outside,

Chester

Chris Knight

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Jul 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/20/00
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<chester [at] chesternet [dot] org (Chester)> wrote:
> Do you not usually get a tofu dish at Cuisineer Six?

Ok, that reminded me. My girlfriend and I drive past Cuisineer Six and
never seem to get around to going in. It looks ok enough and has been
around since I've been in Cupertino (since '95ish) so they can't be bad...

Our favorite Chinese restaurant still remains Hong Fu (De Anza/Stevens
Creek). Definitely the nicest atmosphere of any restaurant in the area,
IMHO (best atmosphere of any cuisine in the area? Perhaps.) Also, while
they are not traditional, they do have some interesting interpretations of
standards (I especially like the general's chicken, with the chicken in
large cubes...Very yummy.) Sometimes, though, I find Hong Fu's food to be
standard or slightly above standard, and their hours are a bit restrictive
and they can often be totally mobbed with people (with slowish service).
The last visit, however, was a joy (with the place looking better than ever
and the server was very nice.)

We used to go to Jade Tree occasionally (although my girlfriend wasn't too
fond of 'em) but their size is definitely a problem...And their food is
standard.

Chris Knight

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Jul 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/20/00
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"Meg Worley" <m...@steam.stanford.edu> wrote:
> Easy Foods, to be precise...
> ...They may well have Thai coffee.

Alas, no such luck, Easy Foods doesn't have any Thai coffee or tea (not
really much different of a selection from Marina/Ranch 99/New Castro...:^( )
My search goes on...

Carlo Milono

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Jul 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/20/00
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Chester wrote:
>
> Heh, apparently tofu's a lot more controversial than Geoff thought...
>
> Meg wrote:
> >is hiyayakko, which is cubes of kinudofu (the aristocratic,
> >fine-complected variety) with a little soy sauce on it.
> >Absolutely delicious.
>
> I'm sure, but without the soy sauce, I don't think I'd like it much.
>
> As far as Japanese stuff goes, I really, really, like Agedashi tofu.
>
> >but if you can't taste that distinctive tofu taste,
>
> True...but I'm not saying it doesn't have a taste that's
> distinctive...it just has a pretty subtle taste. In the same way that
> breads have different flavors distinctive from one-another, and other
> foods, but they don't have the intensity of a steak, or a bell pepper,
> or whatever.

You can make tofu very easily - it is essentially Queso Blanco made with
Soy Milk - a curdled protein - often made with Nigari (specialized salts
from the sea, not Sodium Chloride!), or Gypsum, or less often with an
acid blend of lemon juice or vinegar. It is the soy version of Indian
Panir.

I have also made equivalents from almond milk, the result is often found
in SE Asian deserts.

The quality of the soy bean, how prepared, and how pressed all
contribute to the final product.

Reduce the soy milk to a thicker cream? Different.
Add some salt? Press with more weight? Freeze-dry? All of these have
been done in Japanese cuisine. Indonesian Tahu is often boiled and then
freeze-dried, and packaged into cubes as a snack treat - like popcorn.

Message has been deleted

JD

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Jul 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/20/00
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On Thu, 20 Jul 2000 17:42:13 -0700, Carlo Milono <cmi...@cmilono.com>
wrote:

>I have also made equivalents from almond milk, the result is often found
>in SE Asian deserts.

I had forgotten about that. I had almond tofu at a hole-in-the-wall
chinese buffet in San Luis Obispo and it was very good. The almond
complimented the subtle tofu flavor quite well.

I don't recall seeing it in any restaurants in the Bey Aria although I
suspect that was an oversight on my part.

jd

Todd Michel McComb

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Jul 20, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/20/00
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In article <397772A0...@nospam.csus.edu>,

Peter L. <pet...@nospam.csus.edu> wrote:
>Tofu comes in so many different forms and textures it is difficult
>to say that one likes it for its texture.

Yes. What of the pressed tofu that has been braised in beef broth?
That's good sliced for an appetizer.

Standard dish... ground pork, fresh tofu, cracked coriander, wok'ed
up in an iron wok and served over rice with some vegetable. We eat
it often, and it sure wouldn't that that good without the tofu.

What about the Japanese tofu soup with the tiny fish inside?

Or the deep fried tofu?

Good tofu? Full House on Dana in MV has some good dishes.


Dr. Gee

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Jul 21, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/21/00
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In article <39776BC7...@nospam.csus.edu>, "Peter L." <pet...@nospam.csus.edu> wrote:
>Probably General Tso, who was a real Chinese general. But I think the
>dish named after him was invented in the US, and he had nothing to do
>with it's origin.
>

He lived in Ching (Qing?) dynasty. but my impression is it was not invented in
the US. maybe he (or his cook?) did invent the dish.

cheers,

--------
pam @ home
USDA zone 9, Sunset zone 15

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