Hansi wrote:
> Frog Sashimi ?. I do not agree with eating everything that fits through
>
> ones mouth. I like Sushi, but this is over my limit of tolerance:
> http://www.jumpingpixels.com/sashimi.html

Hansi wrote:
> Frog Sashimi ?. I do not agree with eating everything that fits through

> ones mouth. I like Sushi, but this is over my limit of tolerance:
> http://www.jumpingpixels.com/sashimi.html

Great video. Like to try it sometime. There are many factors in play of
what constitutes a pleasant, civilized dining experience.

Seems Japanese cuisine is sort of like the French who value escargots
and frogs' legs etc. I.e. haute. I've stated my opinion previously on
this.

============
Korean and Chinese cuisine are shamefully cheap and low class compared
to Japanese. A few random thoughts here on mother's day when food is
one of the main staples, even when prepared by your maid. (No in fact I
don't often eat Asian, but just to reveal my bias I like Japanese,
and no I did not eat Asian tonight, have not been snubbed by a Chinese
or Korean restaurant, but just random thoughts here, in no particular
order....)

First there is presentation. When you start deliberately mixing food
together on the table - haha how can you call it an 'art' with
those bibimbap or something, in a charred stone bowl or all that lo
mein on a sizzling plate? One of the hallmarks of haute cuisine is its
emphasis on preparation or presentation technique -not how you
reproduce your stomach contents for public view! In fact in haute
cuisine often different ingredients are cooked separately to the right
degree of 'ripeness' and then mixed together, hence the
extraordinary amount of time needed for preparation. Bento boxes -
and these are considered cheap Japanese - like 'rice boxes' -
nonetheless preserve or at least pretend to preserve this quality.
Koreans and the Chinese do not. Else you may as well go for an infant
diet or a pureed diet for old people. The fact that everyone digs into
a public plate in the case of Chinese - thus sometimes without a pair
of public utensil (i.e. chopstick) is yet another 'low class' sign
- it's probably a residual from an ancient powwow ceremony where
people just feast on a dead carcass after a long day's hunt. Very
very primitive.

Décor of the restaurant is another issue and is peripheral to this
subject of presentation. Even a middle class Japanese restaurant (at
least in North America) is quiet - meaning you can hear what your
neighbors are saying, unlike Chinese or sometimes Korean - and at
times you feel like you've entered a monastery or Shinto temple
inadvertently where you start your life journey and engage in some epic
meditation session. Chinese restaurants - even the so called more
expensive ones are like a flea markets or a public high school
cafeterias where you need to shove your way in and where you are
sometimes given a time limit on when you should finish your food, and
where you have to combat waiters from mixing residual food between
dishes together - just so they get a head start in dish cleaning, if
they do that at all....

The use of ingredients is important. Eggs or bean sprouts may be valid
ingredients but they are very cheap, and are definitely not suitable
for a main course dish at supper, and are certainly no showcase prizes.
No, in fact the use of these materials reflects a sign of historical
economic dearth when you think about it. It's not so common in North
America but I think in mainland China people are so poor they eat
tomatoes, scrambled eggs, and tofu as their main dinner dish day after
day, night after night! Whoa!!

I think 'high class' cuisine often seeks to preserve freshness and
the true, 'original' flavor of the food with a minimal amount of
seasoning. Chinese cuisine often resort to deep frying or stir frying,
and certain provincial Chinese (like Szechuan) use spices or MSG to
mask their flaws. Some Korean dishes encourage the use of hot sauce
(e.g. the bibimbap). Sort of like poor Indians using curry in
everything - thus you can really have a crappy piece of meat (if they
can afford it) but you still won't be able to tell what's in it.
It's like a woman who relies too heavily on makeup. That's why
ground beef is low grade but you'll never mince filet mignon. And why
many Chinese kitchens are so invisible - so secretive and furtive in
their preparation of food that they in fact don't even pass public
health standards!! One report I read demonstrated that it's cleaner
(measured in terms of a lack of bacterial count) to eat off the *floor*
of a university microbiology lab than a food tray at fast foods places
where teens spit on your onion rings (is that true, or is that just
Eminem lyrics) or at Chinese restaurants.

Another sign is quality vs quantity. Chinese buffets now abound in
North America - because they are cheap - and Chinese buffets love
to emphasize quantity at the expense of quality. They are geared
towards 300 lb trailer wives and inner city single moms and new
southeast Asian immigrants probably. In higher class restaurants the
emphasis tends to be more on preparation and not on quantity, and the
end product is presented perhaps as a psychological mechanism as a tiny
fraction of the entire plate surface area.

Also, practically, when was the last time at a quiet, sedate wine
'n' cheese inbred soirees or business meetings that they serve
Korean or Chinese food? Never! Never! Never! These just do not have the
same cachet at upper middle class or upper class/educated functions -
it's like wearing a tracksuit to a wedding. Japanese is however
increasingly served in these functions, and in fact I think it adds a
touch of cosmopolitanism to an otherwise dull mélange of French and
Italian.

And let's not forget also that at the lower middle class level, we
see Chinese and Koreans trying to operate Japanese restaurants, dishing
(pun huh?) out ersatz Japanese food. You just don't see things the
other way around.

Here is another practical reason. We now know how beneficial omega-3
acids are to health. These are found in cold-water fish amongst other
food items. Fish - sushi, sashimi - is one of the main staples of
Japanese diet. And the Japanese have one of the world's longest life
expectancy at ~81 years, last time I checked.

So why is all this important? Food is like sex. Hunger is one of our
natural, human, cardinal urges. It may be a non-topic and neglected
when it's abundant, such as in North America, but since food is
required by everyone to survive, i.e. it drives natural selection,
cultural varations hold a key to understanding something deeper
perhaps. I think what we eat and how we do it - like sexual norms and
mores - reflect and reveal ourselves more than anything else. I've
listed a few suggestions here, as a brute, who visits, occasionally,
Burger King. But if I can see it, I'm sure others can also.

But then as an aside here comes the counterpunch too. Let's compare
food with sex for the moment. Chinese and Korean cuisine - variety
notwithstanding - don't engage in foreplay. Which is why they're
so fun and very satisfying in private, with all those carbs and fat.
It's very to the point -- calories, if not healthy nutrition -- so I
guess that's a real strength of Chinese and to a lesser extent
Korean. See, I'm very objective. I've said before that Chinese food
is very much like porn: (1) best enjoyed private and takeout, (2) good
variety, (3) addictive to some, (4) cheap, (5) often dirty, and (6)
outlets are found in sleazy neighborhoods. That however still doesn't
erase the fact that they're still considered very 'low class'.

Yeah yeah I know, "de gustibus non est disputandum", i.e. taste is
not disputable. But in this mano a mano comparison between Japanese and
Chinese/Korean cuisine, I say the Japanese won hands down.

In article om>,
RichAsianKid > wrote:

> Korean and Chinese cuisine are shamefully cheap and low class compared
> to Japanese.

What point is there to compare it? Just picking a fight?

> Yeah yeah I know, "de gustibus non est disputandum", i.e. taste is
> not disputable. But in this mano a mano comparison between Japanese and
> Chinese/Korean cuisine, I say the Japanese won hands down.

You made no useful comparisons I could find. Essentially Japanese food
is better at being Japanese food that Chinese is at being Japanese
food. That's a stunning conclusion.

Most of the world's refined cuisines are good without some truly
apples-to-oranges comparisons.

--
"A Dictionary of Japanese Food, Ingredients & Culture" by Richard Hosking
(Tuttle, '97). All the hints one might need for exploring Japanese food.

"The Sake Handbook" by John Gaunter (Tuttle, '02). An excellent intro and
reference to sake.

Gerry wrote:
> In article om>,
> RichAsianKid > wrote:
>
> > Korean and Chinese cuisine are shamefully cheap and low class compared
> > to Japanese.
>
> What point is there to compare it? Just picking a fight?
>
> > Yeah yeah I know, "de gustibus non est disputandum", i.e. taste is
> > not disputable. But in this mano a mano comparison between Japanese and
> > Chinese/Korean cuisine, I say the Japanese won hands down.
>
> You made no useful comparisons I could find. Essentially Japanese food
> is better at being Japanese food that Chinese is at being Japanese
> food. That's a stunning conclusion.
>
> Most of the world's refined cuisines are good without some truly
> apples-to-oranges comparisons.
>

Do you think price (at least more objective than just 'taste') can
break the tie? Japanese tend to be more expensive than Chinese or
Korean food in areas outside Japan. Whether it's a lack of supply or
excessive demand, it seems Japanese food is more 'valued'.

> --
> "A Dictionary of Japanese Food, Ingredients & Culture" by Richard Hosking
> (Tuttle, '97). All the hints one might need for exploring Japanese food.
>
> "The Sake Handbook" by John Gaunter (Tuttle, '02). An excellent intro and
> reference to sake.

In article .com>,
RichAsianKid > wrote:

> Do you think price (at least more objective than just 'taste') can
> break the tie?

No. It's not a competition. I eat Japanese food and Chinese and
Korean and Lebanese and Vietnamese and Italian and French in myriad
rotations. The idea of croaking out bogus arguments about which is
better Picasso or James Joyce or Frank Kapra--they don't appraoch the
same art with the same tools. There is nothing to compare. Japanese
cuisine is the worst Chinese cuisine there is. French cuisine is the
worst Scandanavian quisine there is. This is bullshit.

> Japanese tend to be more expensive than Chinese or
> Korean food in areas outside Japan. Whether it's a lack of supply or
> excessive demand, it seems Japanese food is more 'valued'.

Money means nothing to my taste buds.

--
"A Dictionary of Japanese Food, Ingredients & Culture" by Richard Hosking
(Tuttle, '97). All the hints one might need for exploring Japanese food.

"The Sake Handbook" by John Gaunter (Tuttle, '02). An excellent intro and
reference to sake.

Gerry wrote:
> In article .com>,
> RichAsianKid > wrote:
>
> > Do you think price (at least more objective than just 'taste') can
> > break the tie?
>
> No. It's not a competition. I eat Japanese food and Chinese and
> Korean and Lebanese and Vietnamese and Italian and French in myriad
> rotations. The idea of croaking out bogus arguments about which is
> better Picasso or James Joyce or Frank Kapra--they don't appraoch the
> same art with the same tools. There is nothing to compare. Japanese
> cuisine is the worst Chinese cuisine there is. French cuisine is the
> worst Scandanavian quisine there is. This is bullshit.
>

Which is why I think that price becomes a common denominator - a
starting common point of comparison if you will - and that does NOT
necessarily imply competition. Like art pieces as you mentioned.
Besides, surely you have your favorite - Chinese, Korean, Lebanese,
Vietnamese, Italian, French etc. What about Indian? Which is your
favorite? I think very few people think cuisines around the world all
have equal or *identical* appeal. They probably just cannot voice why
they like one over the other; I provided some reasons. I'd also say
that it's interesting how I've met very few people who say that Czech
dumplings are gourmet, or Jamaican patties to be haute, if they are not
Czech or Jamaican themselves. Japanese and French (and to a lesser
extent, Italian) have however achieved a high degree of world-wide,
almost universal, cross-cultural resonance.

> > Japanese tend to be more expensive than Chinese or
> > Korean food in areas outside Japan. Whether it's a lack of supply or
> > excessive demand, it seems Japanese food is more 'valued'.
>
> Money means nothing to my taste buds.
>

In some cases, health may be at stake. Just so you know that I'm NOT
deliberately prolonging this thread, I did post on this (slightly
edited version) previously - to followup on my own thread - and I
deliberately avoided arguments because as I said before, 'tastes are
not disputable'.

-----
Replying to my own message yet once again....I'll avoid any debate
because ultimately tastes are not disputable as I said before. It's
like saying to a *** guy what he does is disgusting but he probably
relishes every moment of it. Personally I think that food is like women
and cars (no I'm not *that* sexist come on) - variety's important.
Variety is the spice (no pun there) of life and I think it depends on
the occasion and mood.

I'll offer two other points - so glaringly omitted from my "hasty"
thesis:

1. Price. Unless they're Chinese or Korean owned, Japanese restaurants
in general charge a premium for their food and services. While the free
market is not always rational, it does indicate that there is a demand,
at least in North America. And I think that's true in the Far East as
well outside Japan - Japanese restaurants are never considered 'cheap
food' or 'lower class food'.

2. Yes you can get real sick from Chinese food. It's called the Chinese
Restaurant Syndrome. Heard of it? He
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/001126.htm

"Chinese restaurant syndrome is a collection of symptoms that some
people experience after eating Chinese food. A food additive called
monosodium glutamate (MSG) has been implicated, but it has not been
proved to be the agent that causes this condition."

"Life-threatening symptoms may be similar to any other severe allergic
reaction and require immediate medical attention. These include the
following:

* Swelling of the throat
* Chest pain
* Heart palpitations
* Shortness of breath"

Whoa!!! Now those two points above are more objective than a lot of
what I presented originally. I won't argue about presentation, decor
etc, just stating my initial opinion - and everyone will have an
*opinion*. And that's precisely that.

But I think the above 2 points which are blatantly neglected
in my first go-around carry somewhat more weight. And let's not forget
that once
again in upper middle class/near-rich/educated functions, Chinese food
or Korean food [or SE Asian food, like Vietnamese] will never be
served, unlike Japanese.

But then again I said food is like sex right? Let's try to convince an
imaginary *** guy to give up his sex by telling him that his modus
operandi is defective - or at least not useful - and not because of
'taste' that it's disgusting. That is, you can't have children! It's an
evolutionary dead-end! Will he be convinced?

Same with food preferences. It's beyond objective economics or health
considerations - it's modulated by culture no doubt - and may well be
ultimately primal.

In article .com>,
RichAsianKid > wrote:

> Which is why I think that price becomes a common denominator - a
> starting common point of comparison if you will - and that does NOT
> necessarily imply competition.

A comparison is a comparison. I assume you will equate value in the
process. Expensive caviar versus inexpensive smelt. In comparing
cuisines, I use my palate not my pocket book.

> Besides, surely you have your favorite - Chinese, Korean, Lebanese,
> Vietnamese, Italian, French etc. What about Indian? Which is your
> favorite?

Ever made love? Which was the best time? I don't see any possible
utility in lumping hundreds of events loosely related to one cuisine
and saying that this vast uneven experience is better than that vast
uneven experience. I don't have a favorite cuisine.

> I think very few people think cuisines around the world all have
> equal or *identical* appeal.

Those words equal and identical are useless in reference to cuisine. I
can compare two pork chops, not a cuisine.

> They probably just cannot voice why they like one over the other; I
> provided some reasons.

In a stilted and narrow-minded way you made a series of hapless
comparisons that might serve some purpose to you, but I can't imagine
what it could mean to anyone else. You squatted down and this was the
very first stool you provided for our rapt inspection: "Korean and
Chinese cuisine are shamefully cheap and low class compared to
Japanese." Who really needs to read any more of your "reasons"?

> I'll offer two other points - so glaringly omitted from my "hasty"
> thesis:
>
> 1. Price. Unless they're Chinese or Korean owned, Japanese
> restaurants in general charge a premium for their food and services.
> While the free market is not always rational, it does indicate that
> there is a demand, at least in North America. And I think that's true
> in the Far East as well outside Japan - Japanese restaurants are
> never considered 'cheap food' or 'lower class food'.

Check it out! Wonder boy never at at a cheap kare joint! Thank god you
cleared that hasty thesis up. Now it can be flushed with the rest of
them.

> 2. Yes you can get real sick from Chinese food. It's called the
> Chinese Restaurant Syndrome. Heard of it? He

It's not that your claptrap is utter meaningless, which it is, but that
you spew it endlessly as if you were offering fascinating musings. It's
stunning. I'd pay to read your diary, it's gotta be a truly surrealist
dream.

--
"A Dictionary of Japanese Food, Ingredients & Culture" by Richard Hosking
(Tuttle, '97). All the hints one might need for exploring Japanese food.

"The Sake Handbook" by John Gaunter (Tuttle, '02). An excellent intro and
reference to sake.

A steak that costs $50 usually tastes better than a steak that costs $5.
Not all the time, but usually. A steak that costs $5 usually tastes
worse than a $50 steak. Not all the time but usually.

Cheap sushi usually means cheap ingredients. Cheap ingredients do not
taste as good as more expensive ingredients. Not all the time but
usually. Ingredients tend to be costly because of quality.

The more money you pay, usually you get a better quality ingredient. If
the ingredient doesn't taste good and is expensive, no one would by it.

The Japanese love quality. Thus in true Japanese owned and run
restaurants, the food tends to be much more costly.

Smelt eggs tend to be used because flying fish roe is prohibitively more
expensive and difficult to obtain.



Gerry wrote:
> In article .com>,
> RichAsianKid > wrote:
>
>> Which is why I think that price becomes a common denominator - a
>> starting common point of comparison if you will - and that does NOT
>> necessarily imply competition.
>
> A comparison is a comparison. I assume you will equate value in the
> process. Expensive caviar versus inexpensive smelt. In comparing
> cuisines, I use my palate not my pocket book.
>
>> Besides, surely you have your favorite - Chinese, Korean, Lebanese,
>> Vietnamese, Italian, French etc. What about Indian? Which is your
>> favorite?
>
> Ever made love? Which was the best time? I don't see any possible
> utility in lumping hundreds of events loosely related to one cuisine
> and saying that this vast uneven experience is better than that vast
> uneven experience. I don't have a favorite cuisine.
>
>> I think very few people think cuisines around the world all have
>> equal or *identical* appeal.
>
> Those words equal and identical are useless in reference to cuisine. I
> can compare two pork chops, not a cuisine.
>
>> They probably just cannot voice why they like one over the other; I
>> provided some reasons.
>
> In a stilted and narrow-minded way you made a series of hapless
> comparisons that might serve some purpose to you, but I can't imagine
> what it could mean to anyone else. You squatted down and this was the
> very first stool you provided for our rapt inspection: "Korean and
> Chinese cuisine are shamefully cheap and low class compared to
> Japanese." Who really needs to read any more of your "reasons"?
>
>> I'll offer two other points - so glaringly omitted from my "hasty"
>> thesis:
>>
>> 1. Price. Unless they're Chinese or Korean owned, Japanese
>> restaurants in general charge a premium for their food and services.
>> While the free market is not always rational, it does indicate that
>> there is a demand, at least in North America. And I think that's true
>> in the Far East as well outside Japan - Japanese restaurants are
>> never considered 'cheap food' or 'lower class food'.
>
> Check it out! Wonder boy never at at a cheap kare joint! Thank god you
> cleared that hasty thesis up. Now it can be flushed with the rest of
> them.
>
>> 2. Yes you can get real sick from Chinese food. It's called the
>> Chinese Restaurant Syndrome. Heard of it? He
>
> It's not that your claptrap is utter meaningless, which it is, but that
> you spew it endlessly as if you were offering fascinating musings. It's
> stunning. I'd pay to read your diary, it's gotta be a truly surrealist
> dream.
>

Gerry wrote:
> In article .com>,
> RichAsianKid > wrote:
>
> > Which is why I think that price becomes a common denominator - a
> > starting common point of comparison if you will - and that does NOT
> > necessarily imply competition.
>
> A comparison is a comparison. I assume you will equate value in the
> process. Expensive caviar versus inexpensive smelt. In comparing
> cuisines, I use my palate not my pocket book.

I've touched on this already - in many social functions, cachet becomes
important. This is the gastronomic equivalent of buying a Mercedes for
your neighbor and not the M3 for yourself, I know. Still my observation
is that Japanese restaurants in general charge a premium compared to
Chinese or Korean (or SE Asian). As for individuals, that may be a
different matter. One common denominator is caloric intake which both
'haute cuisine' and 'regular' cuisine if this is even the appropriate
term do similarly well in providing - in fact probably your
run-of-the-mill fast food probably gets you more calories which are the
prerequisite for survival, the basal drive and instinct for food. Seen
in this light and especially since you said you just use your palate
and not your pocket book, and since tastes are not arguable, perhaps
there is no such thing as 'refined cuisine' and no point in discussing
food at all. If comparisons are meaningless, what's the point of
talking about arbitrarily defined categories of "refined cuisine" or
culinary art? Aren't onion rings at Burger King art and rich in
calories? One man's trash is another man's gold. In the end it all
boils down to calories, carbs, proteins, fat when food is in your
stomach anyway. Either you like it or you don't.

>
> > Besides, surely you have your favorite - Chinese, Korean, Lebanese,
> > Vietnamese, Italian, French etc. What about Indian? Which is your
> > favorite?
>
> Ever made love? Which was the best time? I don't see any possible
> utility in lumping hundreds of events loosely related to one cuisine
> and saying that this vast uneven experience is better than that vast
> uneven experience. I don't have a favorite cuisine.
>

Well well.....I've never had '*** sex' (hahaha) but I would venture a
guess that lumping all 'straight sex' experiences together will prove
more satisfying to me than lumping all "*** sex" or "bisexual sex" etc
or pansexual experiences together. And yes, people have their favorite
girls (or mistresses). People have favorite cuisines. Some people
cannot stand goat cheese. Others cannot stand lamb. Others hate garlic.
Still others dislike curry etc etc.....

> > I think very few people think cuisines around the world all have
> > equal or *identical* appeal.
>
> Those words equal and identical are useless in reference to cuisine. I
> can compare two pork chops, not a cuisine.
>

But you said you don't like frog sashimi on this thread? See, there are
some foods that you wouldn't touch....choices, choices, choices. And I
know some (obviously not all) Japanese who would not even go near a
Chinese restaurant, especially one of those all-you-can-eat buffet
ones, and certainly NOT a Korean-operated Japanese restaurant!

> > They probably just cannot voice why they like one over the other; I
> > provided some reasons.
>
> In a stilted and narrow-minded way you made a series of hapless
> comparisons that might serve some purpose to you, but I can't imagine
> what it could mean to anyone else. You squatted down and this was the
> very first stool you provided for our rapt inspection: "Korean and
> Chinese cuisine are shamefully cheap and low class compared to
> Japanese." Who really needs to read any more of your "reasons"?
>

Just think of the converse as your litmus test: Japanese cuisine is
shamefully cheap and low class compared to Korean and Chinese. Now
THAT's way less plausible than the original statement.

I'm surprised that even with the topic of food, people still subscribe
to this, er, what shall we call this, cult of gastronomic correctness?
(LIke political correctness) "Judge not, and ye not be judged!"

Still just because some SE Asian foods are cheap doesn't mean that I
won't eat them. I like variety as most people do. Like women.


> > I'll offer two other points - so glaringly omitted from my "hasty"
> > thesis:
> >
> > 1. Price. Unless they're Chinese or Korean owned, Japanese
> > restaurants in general charge a premium for their food and services.
> > While the free market is not always rational, it does indicate that
> > there is a demand, at least in North America. And I think that's true
> > in the Far East as well outside Japan - Japanese restaurants are
> > never considered 'cheap food' or 'lower class food'.
>
> Check it out! Wonder boy never at at a cheap kare joint! Thank god you
> cleared that hasty thesis up. Now it can be flushed with the rest of
> them.

Again, see above. It's less plausible to state that 'outside Japan,
Japanese restaurants have a reputation of serving 'cheap food' or
'lower class food' compared to Chinese or Koreans'?

Also it's funny because many Chinese and Koreans operate Japanese
restaurants, but you seldom see it the other way around.

>
> > 2. Yes you can get real sick from Chinese food. It's called the
> > Chinese Restaurant Syndrome. Heard of it? He
> > http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/001126.htm
>
> It's not that your claptrap is utter meaningless, which it is, but that
> you spew it endlessly as if you were offering fascinating musings. It's
> stunning. I'd pay to read your diary, it's gotta be a truly surrealist
> dream.
>

You are what you eat. And in the case of Chinese Restaurant Syndrome as
quoted above, the consequences cannot be more glaring.

> --
> "A Dictionary of Japanese Food, Ingredients & Culture" by Richard Hosking
> (Tuttle, '97). All the hints one might need for exploring Japanese food.
>
> "The Sake Handbook" by John Gaunter (Tuttle, '02). An excellent intro and
> reference to sake.

No point reading these books, hahahaha - since to those who like the
sublime Japanese culinary delights no discussion is necessarily; and to
those who don't, no discussion is possible.

Hey, just one guy's opinion, that's all. No need to get riled. Here's
some sake to you, cheers,

"RichAsianKid" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Gerry wrote:
> > In article .com>,
> > RichAsianKid > wrote:
> >
> > > Which is why I think that price becomes a common denominator - a
> > > starting common point of comparison if you will - and that does NOT
> > > necessarily imply competition.
> >
> > A comparison is a comparison. I assume you will equate value in the
> > process. Expensive caviar versus inexpensive smelt. In comparing
> > cuisines, I use my palate not my pocket book.
>
> I've touched on this already - in many social functions, cachet becomes
> important. This is the gastronomic equivalent of buying a Mercedes for
> your neighbor and not the M3 for yourself, I know. Still my observation
> is that Japanese restaurants in general charge a premium compared to
> Chinese or Korean (or SE Asian). As for individuals, that may be a
> different matter. One common denominator is caloric intake which both
> 'haute cuisine' and 'regular' cuisine if this is even the appropriate
> term do similarly well in providing - in fact probably your
> run-of-the-mill fast food probably gets you more calories which are the
> prerequisite for survival, the basal drive and instinct for food. Seen
> in this light and especially since you said you just use your palate
> and not your pocket book, and since tastes are not arguable, perhaps
> there is no such thing as 'refined cuisine' and no point in discussing
> food at all. If comparisons are meaningless, what's the point of
> talking about arbitrarily defined categories of "refined cuisine" or
> culinary art? Aren't onion rings at Burger King art and rich in
> calories? One man's trash is another man's gold. In the end it all
> boils down to calories, carbs, proteins, fat when food is in your
> stomach anyway. Either you like it or you don't.
>
> >
> > > Besides, surely you have your favorite - Chinese, Korean, Lebanese,
> > > Vietnamese, Italian, French etc. What about Indian? Which is your
> > > favorite?
> >
> > Ever made love? Which was the best time? I don't see any possible
> > utility in lumping hundreds of events loosely related to one cuisine
> > and saying that this vast uneven experience is better than that vast
> > uneven experience. I don't have a favorite cuisine.
> >
>
> Well well.....I've never had '*** sex' (hahaha) but I would venture a
> guess that lumping all 'straight sex' experiences together will prove
> more satisfying to me than lumping all "*** sex" or "bisexual sex" etc
> or pansexual experiences together. And yes, people have their favorite
> girls (or mistresses). People have favorite cuisines. Some people
> cannot stand goat cheese. Others cannot stand lamb. Others hate garlic.
> Still others dislike curry etc etc.....
>
> > > I think very few people think cuisines around the world all have
> > > equal or *identical* appeal.
> >
> > Those words equal and identical are useless in reference to cuisine. I
> > can compare two pork chops, not a cuisine.
> >
>
> But you said you don't like frog sashimi on this thread? See, there are
> some foods that you wouldn't touch....choices, choices, choices. And I
> know some (obviously not all) Japanese who would not even go near a
> Chinese restaurant, especially one of those all-you-can-eat buffet
> ones, and certainly NOT a Korean-operated Japanese restaurant!
>

This statement is quiote true.
I go to good Chinese restaurants. Never an AYCE buffet.
I go to Korean restaurants to get good Korean dishes.
Not Japanese dishes which I can make better myself at home.
Every Japanese person I know fits this category.
Musashi

In article . com>,
RichAsianKid > wrote:

> But you said you don't like frog sashimi on this thread?

No, I did not.

You are an amazing source of noise and are now killfiled.

--
"A Dictionary of Japanese Food, Ingredients & Culture" by Richard Hosking
(Tuttle, '97). All the hints one might need for exploring Japanese food.

"The Sake Handbook" by John Gaunter (Tuttle, '02). An excellent intro and
reference to sake.

Gerry wrote:
> In article . com>,
> RichAsianKid > wrote:
>
> > But you said you don't like frog sashimi on this thread?
>
> No, I did not.

Gerry wrote:

"Certainly are a lot of delictable dishes on this website. The frog is
not one of them."

in reference to:

James > wrote:
> Hansi wrote:
> > Frog Sashimi ?. I do not agree with eating everything that fits through

> > ones mouth. I like Sushi, but this is over my limit of tolerance:
> > http://www.jumpingpixels.com/sashimi.html

> Gotta try it!

>
> You are an amazing source of noise and are now killfiled.
>
> --
> "A Dictionary of Japanese Food, Ingredients & Culture" by Richard Hosking
> (Tuttle, '97). All the hints one might need for exploring Japanese food.
>
> "The Sake Handbook" by John Gaunter (Tuttle, '02). An excellent intro and
> reference to sake.

Musashi wrote:
> "RichAsianKid" > wrote in message
> ups.com...
> > Gerry wrote:
> > > In article .com>,
> > > RichAsianKid > wrote:
> > >
> > > > Which is why I think that price becomes a common denominator - a
> > > > starting common point of comparison if you will - and that does NOT
> > > > necessarily imply competition.
> > >
> > > A comparison is a comparison. I assume you will equate value in the
> > > process. Expensive caviar versus inexpensive smelt. In comparing
> > > cuisines, I use my palate not my pocket book.
> >
> > I've touched on this already - in many social functions, cachet becomes
> > important. This is the gastronomic equivalent of buying a Mercedes for
> > your neighbor and not the M3 for yourself, I know. Still my observation
> > is that Japanese restaurants in general charge a premium compared to
> > Chinese or Korean (or SE Asian). As for individuals, that may be a
> > different matter. One common denominator is caloric intake which both
> > 'haute cuisine' and 'regular' cuisine if this is even the appropriate
> > term do similarly well in providing - in fact probably your
> > run-of-the-mill fast food probably gets you more calories which are the
> > prerequisite for survival, the basal drive and instinct for food. Seen
> > in this light and especially since you said you just use your palate
> > and not your pocket book, and since tastes are not arguable, perhaps
> > there is no such thing as 'refined cuisine' and no point in discussing
> > food at all. If comparisons are meaningless, what's the point of
> > talking about arbitrarily defined categories of "refined cuisine" or
> > culinary art? Aren't onion rings at Burger King art and rich in
> > calories? One man's trash is another man's gold. In the end it all
> > boils down to calories, carbs, proteins, fat when food is in your
> > stomach anyway. Either you like it or you don't.
> >
> > >
> > > > Besides, surely you have your favorite - Chinese, Korean, Lebanese,
> > > > Vietnamese, Italian, French etc. What about Indian? Which is your
> > > > favorite?
> > >
> > > Ever made love? Which was the best time? I don't see any possible
> > > utility in lumping hundreds of events loosely related to one cuisine
> > > and saying that this vast uneven experience is better than that vast
> > > uneven experience. I don't have a favorite cuisine.
> > >
> >
> > Well well.....I've never had '*** sex' (hahaha) but I would venture a
> > guess that lumping all 'straight sex' experiences together will prove
> > more satisfying to me than lumping all "*** sex" or "bisexual sex" etc
> > or pansexual experiences together. And yes, people have their favorite
> > girls (or mistresses). People have favorite cuisines. Some people
> > cannot stand goat cheese. Others cannot stand lamb. Others hate garlic.
> > Still others dislike curry etc etc.....
> >
> > > > I think very few people think cuisines around the world all have
> > > > equal or *identical* appeal.
> > >
> > > Those words equal and identical are useless in reference to cuisine. I
> > > can compare two pork chops, not a cuisine.
> > >
> >
> > But you said you don't like frog sashimi on this thread? See, there are
> > some foods that you wouldn't touch....choices, choices, choices. And I
> > know some (obviously not all) Japanese who would not even go near a
> > Chinese restaurant, especially one of those all-you-can-eat buffet
> > ones, and certainly NOT a Korean-operated Japanese restaurant!
> >
>
> This statement is quiote true.
> I go to good Chinese restaurants. Never an AYCE buffet.
> I go to Korean restaurants to get good Korean dishes.
> Not Japanese dishes which I can make better myself at home.
> Every Japanese person I know fits this category.
> Musashi

I think what you said is just common sense. Who would want to go to a
Hong Kong Chinese restaurant, as an example, to savor steak?

It's amusing that I've heard that some Chinese & Koreans go to
CHinese/Korean operated Japanese restaurants to savor Japanese for no
other reason than it's cheap!