Hello, All!

Does anyone have any strong opinions as to the most authentic
Indian restaurants in the Washington DC metropolitan area? To
take an example, where would, say, a Bengali go for homestyle
cooking? There are a number of Indian restaurants that I like
but I know little about their authenticity and I will never
learn Hindi or Urdu.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:03:44 GMT, "James Silverton"
> wrote:

>Hello, All!
>
>Does anyone have any strong opinions as to the most authentic
>Indian restaurants in the Washington DC metropolitan area? To
>take an example, where would, say, a Bengali go for homestyle
>cooking? There are a number of Indian restaurants that I like
>but I know little about their authenticity and I will never
>learn Hindi or Urdu.
>
> James Silverton

james, i can't help you out of personal knowledge, but in case you
don't know of it, here's a pointer to tyler cowen's guide to ethnic
restaurants in the metro area:

this one is searchable, with some bullets for regional cuisines:

<http://www.tylercowensethnicdiningguide.com/2006/09/welcome_1.php>

this is most of the same information in a different format, along with
some comments about eatin' that kooky ethnic chow:

<http://www.gmu.edu/jbc/Tyler/tyler_cowen.htm>

as far as i can tell, he knows his onions. for instance, on joe's
noodle house in rockville:

Superb Szechuan food. Many little items. You order and they bring it
to your crowded table. As close to real Chinese food as you are going
to get around here. A very exciting place to visit, highly
recommended. Plus the best dumplings around.

he's been doing his blog quite a while, and covers a lot of places.

good luck.

your pal,
blake

blake wrote on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:38:07 GMT:

??>> Hello, All!
??>>
??>> Does anyone have any strong opinions as to the most
??>> authentic Indian restaurants in the Washington DC
??>> metropolitan area? To take an example, where would, say, a
??>> Bengali go for homestyle cooking? There are a number of
??>> Indian restaurants that I like but I know little about
??>> their authenticity and I will never learn Hindi or Urdu.
??>>
??>> James Silverton

bm> james, i can't help you out of personal knowledge, but in
bm> case you don't know of it, here's a pointer to tyler
bm> cowen's guide to ethnic restaurants in the metro area:

bm> this one is searchable, with some bullets for regional
cuisines:

bm> <http://www.tylercowensethnicdininggu...2006/09/welcom
bm> e_1.php>

bm> this is most of the same information in a different format,
bm> along with some comments about eatin' that kooky ethnic
chow:

bm> <http://www.gmu.edu/jbc/Tyler/tyler_cowen.htm>

bm> as far as i can tell, he knows his onions. for instance,
bm> on joe's noodle house in rockville:

bm> Superb Szechuan food. Many little items. You order and they
bm> bring it to your crowded table. As close to real Chinese
bm> food as you are going to get around here. A very exciting
bm> place to visit, highly recommended. Plus the best dumplings
bm> around.

bm> he's been doing his blog quite a while, and covers a lot of
bm> places.

bm> good luck.

Thanks Blake. I'll look at the URL a little later. We had a
power outage and I have just gottten everything back. The
internet connection took the assistance of a Verizon tech to
bring back up.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

blake wrote on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:38:07 GMT:

??>> Hello, All!
??>>
??>> Does anyone have any strong opinions as to the most
??>> authentic Indian restaurants in the Washington DC
??>> metropolitan area? To take an example, where would, say, a
??>> Bengali go for homestyle cooking? There are a number of
??>> Indian restaurants that I like but I know little about
??>> their authenticity and I will never learn Hindi or Urdu.
??>>
??>> James Silverton

bm> james, i can't help you out of personal knowledge, but in
bm> case you don't know of it, here's a pointer to tyler
bm> cowen's guide to ethnic restaurants in the metro area:

bm> this one is searchable, with some bullets for regional
cuisines:

bm> <http://www.tylercowensethnicdininggu...2006/09/welcom
bm> e_1.php>

bm> this is most of the same information in a different format,
bm> along with some comments about eatin' that kooky ethnic
chow:

bm> <http://www.gmu.edu/jbc/Tyler/tyler_cowen.htm>

bm> as far as i can tell, he knows his onions. for instance,
bm> on joe's noodle house in rockville:

bm> Superb Szechuan food. Many little items. You order and they
bm> bring it to your crowded table. As close to real Chinese
bm> food as you are going to get around here. A very exciting
bm> place to visit, highly recommended. Plus the best dumplings
bm> around.

bm> he's been doing his blog quite a while, and covers a lot of
bm> places.

bm> good luck.

I tried the first URL but the response was glacially slow.
Perhaps, I'll give it another try at a different time.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:45:39 GMT, "James Silverton"
> wrote:

> blake wrote on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:38:07 GMT:
>
> ??>> Hello, All!
> ??>>
> ??>> Does anyone have any strong opinions as to the most
> ??>> authentic Indian restaurants in the Washington DC
> ??>> metropolitan area? To take an example, where would, say, a
> ??>> Bengali go for homestyle cooking? There are a number of
> ??>> Indian restaurants that I like but I know little about
> ??>> their authenticity and I will never learn Hindi or Urdu.
> ??>>
> ??>> James Silverton
>
> bm> james, i can't help you out of personal knowledge, but in
> bm> case you don't know of it, here's a pointer to tyler
> bm> cowen's guide to ethnic restaurants in the metro area:
>
> bm> this one is searchable, with some bullets for regional
>cuisines:
>
> bm> <http://www.tylercowensethnicdininggu...2006/09/welcom
> bm> e_1.php>
>
> bm> this is most of the same information in a different format,
> bm> along with some comments about eatin' that kooky ethnic
>chow:
>
> bm> <http://www.gmu.edu/jbc/Tyler/tyler_cowen.htm>
>
> bm> as far as i can tell, he knows his onions. for instance,
> bm> on joe's noodle house in rockville:
>
> bm> Superb Szechuan food. Many little items. You order and they
> bm> bring it to your crowded table. As close to real Chinese
> bm> food as you are going to get around here. A very exciting
> bm> place to visit, highly recommended. Plus the best dumplings
> bm> around.
>
> bm> he's been doing his blog quite a while, and covers a lot of
> bm> places.
>
> bm> good luck.
>
>I tried the first URL but the response was glacially slow.
>Perhaps, I'll give it another try at a different time.
>
>James Silverton

hmm, i just tried it, no problem.

i take it, then, that you're not familiar with it? it's a fine
resource for restaurants in the d.c. area.

your pal,
blake

blake wrote on Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:08:20 GMT:

??>> blake wrote on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:38:07 GMT:
??>>
??>>>> Hello, All!
??>>>>
??>>>> Does anyone have any strong opinions as to the most
??>>>> authentic Indian restaurants in the Washington DC
??>>>> metropolitan area? To take an example, where would, say,
??>>>> a Bengali go for homestyle cooking? There are a number
??>>>> of Indian restaurants that I like but I know little
??>>>> about their authenticity and I will never learn Hindi or
??>>>> Urdu.
??>>>>
??>>>> James Silverton
??>>
bm>>> james, i can't help you out of personal knowledge, but in
bm>>> case you don't know of it, here's a pointer to tyler
bm>>> cowen's guide to ethnic restaurants in the metro area:
??>>
bm>>> this one is searchable, with some bullets for regional
??>> cuisines:
??>>
bm>>> <http://www.tylercowensethnicdininggu...m/2006/09/welc
bm>>> om e_1.php>
??>>
bm>>> this is most of the same information in a different
bm>>> format, along with some comments about eatin' that kooky
bm>>> ethnic
??>> chow:
??>>
bm>>> <http://www.gmu.edu/jbc/Tyler/tyler_cowen.htm>
??>>
bm>>> as far as i can tell, he knows his onions. for instance,
bm>>> on joe's noodle house in rockville:
??>>
bm>>> Superb Szechuan food. Many little items. You order and
bm>>> they bring it to your crowded table. As close to real
bm>>> Chinese food as you are going to get around here. A very
bm>>> exciting place to visit, highly recommended. Plus the
bm>>> best dumplings around.
??>>
bm>>> he's been doing his blog quite a while, and covers a lot
bm>>> of places.
??>>
bm>>> good luck.
??>>
??>> I tried the first URL but the response was glacially slow.
??>> Perhaps, I'll give it another try at a different time.
??>>
??>> James Silverton

bm> hmm, i just tried it, no problem.

bm> i take it, then, that you're not familiar with it? it's a
bm> fine resource for restaurants in the d.c. area.

No, it was new to me! I tried again this afternoon and speed was
fairly normal. He certainly has gotten to an impressive number
of restaurants and I was pleased to find myself in agreement
with him on a few that I know, particularly "Passage to India",
Faryab and Minerva.

I have not studied the Guide in detail yet but there are
certainly some that I must try, particularly Indique and Ruan
Thai. I don't get over to VA much so I won't try a number that
he recommends.

Another thing I have wondered about that he mentions is the
"Chinese Menu" that is sometimes recommended. What exactly are
those? I don't suppose most of us can really read Chinese
characters.

It may not be the easiest place to get to but I have a personal
recommendation for Pho. I find Pho Nam on Shady Grove Rd to be a
standout for Pho, IMHO. I am surprised that it never seems
listed in the guides. It is quite popular, the service is fast,
the prices are good and they have a favorite of mine: Pho Ga,
chicken Pho with white meat

Thanks again!

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:46:44 GMT, "James Silverton"
> wrote:

> blake wrote on Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:08:20 GMT:
>
> ??>> blake wrote on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:38:07 GMT:
> ??>>
> ??>>>> Hello, All!
> ??>>>>
> ??>>>> Does anyone have any strong opinions as to the most
> ??>>>> authentic Indian restaurants in the Washington DC
> ??>>>> metropolitan area? To take an example, where would, say,
> ??>>>> a Bengali go for homestyle cooking? There are a number
> ??>>>> of Indian restaurants that I like but I know little
> ??>>>> about their authenticity and I will never learn Hindi or
> ??>>>> Urdu.
> ??>>>>
> ??>>>> James Silverton
> ??>>
> bm>>> james, i can't help you out of personal knowledge, but in
> bm>>> case you don't know of it, here's a pointer to tyler
> bm>>> cowen's guide to ethnic restaurants in the metro area:
> ??>>
> bm>>> this one is searchable, with some bullets for regional
> ??>> cuisines:
> ??>>
> bm>>> <http://www.tylercowensethnicdininggu...m/2006/09/welc
> bm>>> om e_1.php>
> ??>>
> bm>>> this is most of the same information in a different
> bm>>> format, along with some comments about eatin' that kooky
> bm>>> ethnic
> ??>> chow:
> ??>>
> bm>>> <http://www.gmu.edu/jbc/Tyler/tyler_cowen.htm>
> ??>>
> bm>>> as far as i can tell, he knows his onions. for instance,
> bm>>> on joe's noodle house in rockville:
> ??>>
> bm>>> Superb Szechuan food. Many little items. You order and
> bm>>> they bring it to your crowded table. As close to real
> bm>>> Chinese food as you are going to get around here. A very
> bm>>> exciting place to visit, highly recommended. Plus the
> bm>>> best dumplings around.
> ??>>
> bm>>> he's been doing his blog quite a while, and covers a lot
> bm>>> of places.
> ??>>
> bm>>> good luck.
> ??>>
> ??>> I tried the first URL but the response was glacially slow.
> ??>> Perhaps, I'll give it another try at a different time.
> ??>>
> ??>> James Silverton
>
> bm> hmm, i just tried it, no problem.
>
> bm> i take it, then, that you're not familiar with it? it's a
> bm> fine resource for restaurants in the d.c. area.
>
>No, it was new to me! I tried again this afternoon and speed was
>fairly normal. He certainly has gotten to an impressive number
>of restaurants and I was pleased to find myself in agreement
>with him on a few that I know, particularly "Passage to India",
>Faryab and Minerva.
>

he does seem to have good taste (that usually means 'he likes the same
stuff i do').

>I have not studied the Guide in detail yet but there are
>certainly some that I must try, particularly Indique and Ruan
>Thai. I don't get over to VA much so I won't try a number that
>he recommends.
>
>Another thing I have wondered about that he mentions is the
>"Chinese Menu" that is sometimes recommended. What exactly are
>those? I don't suppose most of us can really read Chinese
>characters.

just a guess, but i think he's talking about the list of specials in
chinese that is sometimes appended to the menu (or displayed on the
wall) in places with a heavily chinese clientele.

>
>It may not be the easiest place to get to but I have a personal
>recommendation for Pho. I find Pho Nam on Shady Grove Rd to be a
>standout for Pho, IMHO. I am surprised that it never seems
>listed in the guides. It is quite popular, the service is fast,
>the prices are good and they have a favorite of mine: Pho Ga,
>chicken Pho with white meat
>
>Thanks again!
>
>James Silverton

i don't get out that way too often, but i'll bear it in mind. have
fun with the guide.

your pal,
blake

blake wrote on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:58:48 GMT:

??>>
??>> Another thing I have wondered about that he mentions is
??>> the "Chinese Menu" that is sometimes recommended. What
??>> exactly are those? I don't suppose most of us can really
??>> read Chinese characters.

bm> just a guess, but i think he's talking about the list of
bm> specials in chinese that is sometimes appended to the menu
bm> (or displayed on the wall) in places with a heavily chinese
bm> clientele.

I wonder what a person who knows no Chinese is supposed to do?
Asking a waiter for a translation or any complex question often
does not work in Chinese restaurants.


James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:13:22 GMT, "James Silverton"
> wrote:

> blake wrote on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:58:48 GMT:
>
> ??>>
> ??>> Another thing I have wondered about that he mentions is
> ??>> the "Chinese Menu" that is sometimes recommended. What
> ??>> exactly are those? I don't suppose most of us can really
> ??>> read Chinese characters.
>
> bm> just a guess, but i think he's talking about the list of
> bm> specials in chinese that is sometimes appended to the menu
> bm> (or displayed on the wall) in places with a heavily chinese
> bm> clientele.
>
> I wonder what a person who knows no Chinese is supposed to do?
> Asking a waiter for a translation or any complex question often
> does not work in Chinese restaurants.


Find someone fluent in both English and Chinese to help. Several years
ago, I took home a copy of the Chinese menu in my favorite Chinese
restaurant, and gave it my Chinese sister-in-law. She translated it
for me, and from then on whenever I went to that restaurant, I brought
my own menu with me.


--
Ken Blake
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Ken wrote on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:32:06 -0700:

??>> blake wrote on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:58:48 GMT:
??>>
??>>>> Another thing I have wondered about that he mentions is
??>>>> the "Chinese Menu" that is sometimes recommended. What
??>>>> exactly are those? I don't suppose most of us can really
??>>>> read Chinese characters.
??>>
bm>>> just a guess, but i think he's talking about the list of
bm>>> specials in chinese that is sometimes appended to the
bm>>> menu (or displayed on the wall) in places with a heavily
bm>>> chinese clientele.
??>>
??>> I wonder what a person who knows no Chinese is supposed
??>> to do? Asking a waiter for a translation or any complex
??>> question often does not work in Chinese restaurants.

KB> Find someone fluent in both English and Chinese to help.
KB> Several years ago, I took home a copy of the Chinese menu
KB> in my favorite Chinese restaurant, and gave it my Chinese
KB> sister-in-law. She translated it for me, and from then on
KB> whenever I went to that restaurant, I brought my own menu
KB> with me.

A good idea if the assistance is available, tho' it's not for
me! Restaurant critics who say "Ask for the Chinese Menu" are
not contributing to anything but self advertizing, in my
opinion.


James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

James Silverton wrote:
> Ken wrote on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:32:06 -0700:
>
> ??>> blake wrote on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:58:48 GMT:
> ??>>
> ??>>>> Another thing I have wondered about that he mentions is
> ??>>>> the "Chinese Menu" that is sometimes recommended. What
> ??>>>> exactly are those? I don't suppose most of us can really
> ??>>>> read Chinese characters.
> ??>>
> bm>>> just a guess, but i think he's talking about the list of
> bm>>> specials in chinese that is sometimes appended to the
> bm>>> menu (or displayed on the wall) in places with a heavily
> bm>>> chinese clientele.
> ??>>
> ??>> I wonder what a person who knows no Chinese is supposed
> ??>> to do? Asking a waiter for a translation or any complex
> ??>> question often does not work in Chinese restaurants.
>
> KB> Find someone fluent in both English and Chinese to help.
> KB> Several years ago, I took home a copy of the Chinese menu
> KB> in my favorite Chinese restaurant, and gave it my Chinese
> KB> sister-in-law. She translated it for me, and from then on
> KB> whenever I went to that restaurant, I brought my own menu
> KB> with me.
>
> A good idea if the assistance is available, tho' it's not for me!
> Restaurant critics who say "Ask for the Chinese Menu" are not
> contributing to anything but self advertizing, in my opinion.

If Cowen was discussing Hong Kong Palace, they have two menus (well, at
least two) - one is the American Chinese menu, and the other is the
'Traditional Chinese' menu, and if you are non-Chinese you should ask
for the Traditional one - and its in English. A third Chinese menu is on
the wall, and who knows what that says!

HKP is near 7 Corners in Falls Church and does Szechuan food pretty
well. Their Szechuan Cold Noodles are an instant hit with everybody I
have brought there.

Ian

In article >, says...
> If Cowen was discussing Hong Kong Palace, they have two menus (well, at
> least two) - one is the American Chinese menu, and the other is the
> 'Traditional Chinese' menu, and if you are non-Chinese you should ask
> for the Traditional one - and its in English. A third Chinese menu is on
> the wall, and who knows what that says!
>
> HKP is near 7 Corners in Falls Church and does Szechuan food pretty
> well. Their Szechuan Cold Noodles are an instant hit with everybody I
> have brought there.
>
> Ian
>
In a more general vein, I would be interested in the prevalence of what
Ian refers to as "Traditional Chinese" menus in restaurants. There is a
large number of Chinese restaurants in my small city (200,000) in Canada
across the border from Detroit, Michigan. About 20 out of 60 offer
mostly "Traditional" menus with a couple of pages of the
"American/Canadian Chinese" type items near the back of the menu. About
10 of those 20 also offer a one or two page listing of "Chef's
Specials" in both Chinese and English. The only restaurants that
actually have items written in Chinese only flyers or bristol board on
the walls are very small "diners" near the university that cater to
students who want cheap home-style cooking.

The odd thing is that for most of the group of 20 restaurants, their
menus are about 80% - 90% identical - often entire pages are identical.
In fact, I have been told that the templates from the menus often
originated from Chinatown restaurants in Toronto, Ontario where many of
the owners or chefs once worked. Perhaps a similar thing happens in
Vancouver (British Columbia), the other major Asian centre in Canada?

Has anyone noticed a pattern in menus in their particular cities or
regions in the USA or Europe?

Dennis

On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:13:22 GMT, "James Silverton"
> wrote:

> blake wrote on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:58:48 GMT:
>
> ??>>
> ??>> Another thing I have wondered about that he mentions is
> ??>> the "Chinese Menu" that is sometimes recommended. What
> ??>> exactly are those? I don't suppose most of us can really
> ??>> read Chinese characters.
>
> bm> just a guess, but i think he's talking about the list of
> bm> specials in chinese that is sometimes appended to the menu
> bm> (or displayed on the wall) in places with a heavily chinese
> bm> clientele.
>
> I wonder what a person who knows no Chinese is supposed to do?
>Asking a waiter for a translation or any complex question often
>does not work in Chinese restaurants.
>

take a chance and point?

your pal,
blake

blake wrote on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:45:05 GMT:

??>> blake wrote on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:58:48 GMT:
??>>
??>>>> Another thing I have wondered about that he mentions is
??>>>> the "Chinese Menu" that is sometimes recommended. What
??>>>> exactly are those? I don't suppose most of us can really
??>>>> read Chinese characters.
??>>
bm>>> just a guess, but i think he's talking about the list of
bm>>> specials in chinese that is sometimes appended to the
bm>>> menu (or displayed on the wall) in places with a heavily
bm>>> chinese clientele.
??>>
??>> I wonder what a person who knows no Chinese is supposed to
??>> do? Asking a waiter for a translation or any complex
??>> question often does not work in Chinese restaurants.
??>>
bm> take a chance and point?

There is a limit! I have usually had good luck trying anything
that seems popular but I do need to know what it is. There are a
few things that many people like and I don't. Some Chinese
restaurants attract people because of their unusual specialties
like Sea Cucumber but I've only tried that once! Another thing
I've tried, in Chinese, French and British cooking is tripe and
you can keep it! I suppose that last is to be expected, I don't
chew gum either.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

Dennis R. said...
>
> Has anyone noticed a pattern in menus in their particular cities or
> regions in the USA or Europe?
>
> Dennis
>


I only saw Chinese food in Berlin, Prague and Antwerp...


Gerardus

Dennis R. wrote:
> In article >, says...
>> If Cowen was discussing Hong Kong Palace, they have two menus (well, at
>> least two) - one is the American Chinese menu, and the other is the
>> 'Traditional Chinese' menu, and if you are non-Chinese you should ask
>> for the Traditional one - and its in English. A third Chinese menu is on
>> the wall, and who knows what that says!
>>
>> HKP is near 7 Corners in Falls Church and does Szechuan food pretty
>> well. Their Szechuan Cold Noodles are an instant hit with everybody I
>> have brought there.
>>
>> Ian
>>
> In a more general vein, I would be interested in the prevalence of what
> Ian refers to as "Traditional Chinese" menus in restaurants. There is a
> large number of Chinese restaurants in my small city (200,000) in Canada
> across the border from Detroit, Michigan. About 20 out of 60 offer
> mostly "Traditional" menus with a couple of pages of the
> "American/Canadian Chinese" type items near the back of the menu. About
> 10 of those 20 also offer a one or two page listing of "Chef's
> Specials" in both Chinese and English. The only restaurants that
> actually have items written in Chinese only flyers or bristol board on
> the walls are very small "diners" near the university that cater to
> students who want cheap home-style cooking.
>
> The odd thing is that for most of the group of 20 restaurants, their
> menus are about 80% - 90% identical - often entire pages are identical.
> In fact, I have been told that the templates from the menus often
> originated from Chinatown restaurants in Toronto, Ontario where many of
> the owners or chefs once worked. Perhaps a similar thing happens in
> Vancouver (British Columbia), the other major Asian centre in Canada?
>
> Has anyone noticed a pattern in menus in their particular cities or
> regions in the USA or Europe?
>
> Dennis

Yes, here in Northern VA I get flyers from several local Chinese places,
and the offerings are often remarkably similar. I suspected just what
you report - that they are copying from somewhere else, or from each other.

The other tendency I am seeing in Chinese menus is Thai and other Asian
dishes - creeping fusion, you might call it.

Ian

James,

The first time I had tripe was when I was living in
France. I hated it. It was the only French dish that I
disliked in 3.5 years.

HOWEVER ....

The next time you go to a good Mexican restaurant try some
Menudo.it probably contains some tripe which is tasty in
that dish. Or, you can get it in cans at the supermarket or
Latin market. I have seen it at Safeway and Shoppers Food
Warehouse. I treat myself to a can about once a month. I
first sampled it in California -- and liked it.

Nice info he http://tinyurl.com/y8crcs
Nice photo he http://tinyurl.com/453ydm

Also, try some tripe in a Pho (soup) as a Pho restaurant
(Vietnamese)

Nice article he http://tinyurl.com/74h82
Nice photo he http://tinyurl.com/44bdwg

There are plenty of Pho restaurants around you in
Rockville and Silver Spring.

Here's a trick (for all)
Go to http://maps.google.com
Select 'Find Businesses'
Enter 'Pho' in the What --- Enter 'Potomac, MD' (or any
city) in the Where and select 'Search Businesses'. A nice
map with the Pho restaurants will pop up.

I'm not sure about Montana or Wyoming. ;-)

Gary Hayman, Greenbelt, MD
Gary's WEB pages
http://snipurl.com/garyswebpages

On Apr 29, 10:20*am, "James Silverton" >
wrote:
> *blake *wrote *on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:45:05 GMT:
>
> *??>> blake *wrote *on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:58:48 GMT:
> *??>>
> *??>>>> Another thing I have wondered about that he mentions is
> *??>>>> the "Chinese Menu" that is sometimes recommended. What
> *??>>>> exactly are those? I don't suppose most of us can really
> *??>>>> read Chinese characters.
> *??>>
> *bm>>> just a guess, but i think he's talking about the list of
> *bm>>> specials in chinese that is sometimes appended to the
> *bm>>> menu (or displayed on the wall) in places with a heavily
> *bm>>> chinese clientele.
> *??>>
> *??>> I wonder what a person who knows no Chinese is supposed to
> *??>> do? Asking a waiter for a translation or any complex
> *??>> question often does not work in Chinese restaurants.
> *??>>
> *bm> take a chance and point?
>
> There is a limit! I have usually had good luck trying anything
> that seems popular but I do need to know what it is. There are a
> few things that many people like and I don't. Some Chinese
> restaurants attract people because of their unusual specialties
> like Sea Cucumber but I've only tried that once! Another thing
> I've tried, in Chinese, French and British cooking is tripe and
> you can keep it! I suppose that last is to be expected, I don't
> chew gum either.
>
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland
>
> E-mail, with obvious alterations:
> not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

wrote on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:42:57 -0400:

i> Dennis R. wrote:
??>> In article >,
??>> says...
??>>> If Cowen was discussing Hong Kong Palace, they have two
??>>> menus (well, at least two) - one is the American Chinese
??>>> menu, and the other is the 'Traditional Chinese' menu,
??>>> and if you are non-Chinese you should ask for the
??>>> Traditional one - and its in English. A third Chinese
??>>> menu is on the wall, and who knows what that says!
??>>>
??>>> HKP is near 7 Corners in Falls Church and does Szechuan
??>>> food pretty well. Their Szechuan Cold Noodles are an
??>>> instant hit with everybody I have brought there.
??>>>
??>>> Ian
??>>>
??>> In a more general vein, I would be interested in the
??>> prevalence of what Ian refers to as "Traditional Chinese"
??>> menus in restaurants. There is a large number of Chinese
??>> restaurants in my small city (200,000) in Canada across
??>> the border from Detroit, Michigan. About 20 out of 60
??>> offer mostly "Traditional" menus with a couple of pages of
??>> the "American/Canadian Chinese" type items near the back
??>> of the menu. About 10 of those 20 also offer a one or two
??>> page listing of "Chef's Specials" in both Chinese and
??>> English. The only restaurants that actually have items
??>> written in Chinese only flyers or bristol board on the
??>> walls are very small "diners" near the university that
??>> cater to students who want cheap home-style cooking.
??>>
??>> The odd thing is that for most of the group of 20
??>> restaurants, their menus are about 80% - 90% identical -
??>> often entire pages are identical. In fact, I have been
??>> told that the templates from the menus often originated
??>> from Chinatown restaurants in Toronto, Ontario where many
??>> of the owners or chefs once worked. Perhaps a similar
??>> thing happens in Vancouver (British Columbia), the other
??>> major Asian centre in Canada?
??>>
??>> Has anyone noticed a pattern in menus in their particular
??>> cities or regions in the USA or Europe?
??>>
??>> Dennis

i> Yes, here in Northern VA I get flyers from several local
i> Chinese places, and the offerings are often remarkably
i> similar. I suspected just what you report - that they are
i> copying from somewhere else, or from each other.

i> The other tendency I am seeing in Chinese menus is Thai and
i> other Asian dishes - creeping fusion, you might call it.

Not that I dispute the idea that one restaurant may copy
another's menu but, given the usual number of offerings,
similarities are not surprising. Sometimes you wonder what
dishes the restaurants *do not* make. The rather good (even if
the name sounds unlikely) Bob's 88 Shabu-Shabu in Rockville, MD
is a case in point. I might even be able to learn some Chinese
characters from their menu (in English and Chinese) if the
Chinese characters were not almost too small to read. I've yet
to be able to write the character for "chicken". I guess I'll
have to use a magnifying glass.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:38:26 GMT, "James Silverton"
> wrote:

>Not that I dispute the idea that one restaurant may copy
>another's menu but, given the usual number of offerings,
>similarities are not surprising. Sometimes you wonder what
>dishes the restaurants *do not* make. The rather good (even if
>the name sounds unlikely) Bob's 88 Shabu-Shabu in Rockville, MD
>is a case in point. I might even be able to learn some Chinese
>characters from their menu (in English and Chinese) if the
>Chinese characters were not almost too small to read. I've yet
>to be able to write the character for "chicken". I guess I'll
>have to use a magnifying glass.
>
>James Silverton

bob's shabu-shabu sounds like an interesting place.

your pal,
blake

Shabu-Shabu is a Japanese dish.
But it is a varient of the 'hot-pot.'
I often make it at home. It's easy to do.

However when I travel to California
I always find a restaurant that
serves it and I enjoy a a good lunch.

I highly recommend it.

See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabu_shabu

Gary Hayman
Gary's WEB Pages
http://snipurl.com/garyswebpages



On Apr 30, 11:31*am, blake murphy > wrote:
> On Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:38:26 GMT, "James Silverton"
>
> > wrote:
> >Not that I dispute the idea that one restaurant may copy
> >another's menu but, given the usual number of offerings,
> >similarities are not surprising. Sometimes you wonder what
> >dishes the restaurants **do not* *make. The rather good (even if
> >the name sounds unlikely) Bob's 88 Shabu-Shabu in Rockville, MD
> >is a case in point. I might even be able to learn some Chinese
> >characters from their menu (in English and Chinese) if the
> >Chinese characters were not almost too small to read. I've yet
> >to be able to write the character for "chicken". I guess I'll
> >have to use a magnifying glass.
>
> >James Silverton
>
> bob's shabu-shabu sounds like an interesting place.
>
> your pal,
> blake

>
> The first time I had tripe was when I was living in
> France. I hated it. It was the only French dish that I
> disliked in 3.5 years.
>
> HOWEVER ....
>

dearest christina's relatives have a restaurant in firenze (florence) italy.
i could not eat in a place this nice (read expensive) but they would refuse
me paying for anything. the third or fourth course came out and we asked
what it was. manuella said 'i tell you, you won't eat'. tell us tell us, it
smells wonderful.....okay, it's treepay. ?? treepay. ?? (you gotta roll the
r's) OH!!!!! it's tripe. in tomatoe sauce. wonderful. not my first choice of
texture but if i knew i could get this again, i'd order it.

On Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:38:26 GMT, "James Silverton"
> wrote:


> Not that I dispute the idea that one restaurant may copy
> another's menu but, given the usual number of offerings,
> similarities are not surprising. Sometimes you wonder what
> dishes the restaurants *do not* make. The rather good (even if
> the name sounds unlikely) Bob's 88 Shabu-Shabu in Rockville, MD
> is a case in point. I might even be able to learn some Chinese
> characters from their menu (in English and Chinese)


Interesting that a restaurant with the "Shabu-Shabu" (a Japanese dish)
has a menu in English and Chinese.

--
Ken Blake
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

On Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:36:36 -0700 (PDT), zydecogary
> wrote:

> James,
>
> The first time I had tripe was when I was living in
> France. I hated it. It was the only French dish that I
> disliked in 3.5 years.
>
> HOWEVER ....
>
> The next time you go to a good Mexican restaurant try some
> Menudo.it probably contains some tripe which is tasty in
> that dish.

I like French tripe, Italian tripe, Chinese tripe, menudo, etc. I
fact, I like tripe a lot. It's one of my favorite foods.

What I don't particularly like is the dish called "beef tripe," often
found in dim-sum restaurants. This is usually an assortment of various
internal organs, only one of which is tripe. I'm not fond of most of
the others.

--
Ken Blake
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Ken Blake said...
> On Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:36:36 -0700 (PDT), zydecogary
> > wrote:
>
> > James,
> >
> > The first time I had tripe was when I was living in
> > France. I hated it. It was the only French dish that I
> > disliked in 3.5 years.
> >
> > HOWEVER ....
> >
> > The next time you go to a good Mexican restaurant try some
> > Menudo.it probably contains some tripe which is tasty in
> > that dish.
>
> I like French tripe, Italian tripe, Chinese tripe, menudo, etc. I
> fact, I like tripe a lot. It's one of my favorite foods.
>
> What I don't particularly like is the dish called "beef tripe," often
> found in dim-sum restaurants. This is usually an assortment of various
> internal organs, only one of which is tripe. I'm not fond of most of
> the others.
>
>

Tripes as in Madrid is great too !


Gerardus

Ken wrote on Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:00:41 -0700:

??>> Not that I dispute the idea that one restaurant may copy
??>> another's menu but, given the usual number of offerings,
??>> similarities are not surprising. Sometimes you wonder what
??>> dishes the restaurants *do not* make. The rather good
??>> (even if the name sounds unlikely) Bob's 88 Shabu-Shabu in
??>> Rockville, MD is a case in point. I might even be able to
??>> learn some Chinese characters from their menu (in English
??>> and Chinese)

KB> Interesting that a restaurant with the "Shabu-Shabu" (a
KB> Japanese dish) has a menu in English and Chinese.

Bob is a good Chinese, i.e.. don't let ethnicity stand in the
way of profits! The owners are actually Taiwanese and may have
felt that Shabu-shabu was more recognizable than the other name
sometimes used in self-consciously Chinese places: Mongolian Hot
Pot. Even so, they do allege Mongolian origins for the dish.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:33:26 +0200, Gerardus > wrote:

> Ken Blake said...
> > On Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:36:36 -0700 (PDT), zydecogary
> > > wrote:
> >
> > > James,
> > >
> > > The first time I had tripe was when I was living in
> > > France. I hated it. It was the only French dish that I
> > > disliked in 3.5 years.
> > >
> > > HOWEVER ....
> > >
> > > The next time you go to a good Mexican restaurant try some
> > > Menudo.it probably contains some tripe which is tasty in
> > > that dish.
> >
> > I like French tripe, Italian tripe, Chinese tripe, menudo, etc. I
> > fact, I like tripe a lot. It's one of my favorite foods.
> >
> > What I don't particularly like is the dish called "beef tripe," often
> > found in dim-sum restaurants. This is usually an assortment of various
> > internal organs, only one of which is tripe. I'm not fond of most of
> > the others.
> >
> >
>
> Tripes as in Madrid is great too !


I would expect to like it there too, but I've never had the
experience.

--
Ken Blake
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Ken Blake said...
> On Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:33:26 +0200, Gerardus > wrote:
> >
> > Tripes as in Madrid is great too !
>
>
> I would expect to like it there too, but I've never had the
> experience.
>
>

This version add some snout to it...

http://www.belgourmet.be/en/world_re..._Madrilena.php


Gerardus unsure whether his had some or not

Gerardus > wrote:
> Ken Blake said...
> > On Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:33:26 +0200, Gerardus > wrote:
> > >
> > > Tripes as in Madrid is great too !
> >
> > I would expect to like it there too, but I've never had the
> > experience.

> This version add some snout to it...
>
http://www.belgourmet.be/en/world_re..._Madrilena.php

Sounds great, 'Gerardus'. I've never had beef snout, but I've had black
Southern home cooked tripe (wow, over 40 years ago) and it was wonderful!

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their families!
I've known US vets who served as far back as the Spanish American War. They
are all my heroes! Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not
forgotten. Thanks ! ! ~Semper Fi~

On Apr 30, 7:04 pm, Ken Blake >
wrote:

> What I don't particularly like is the dish called "beef tripe," often
> found in dim-sum restaurants. This is usually an assortment of various
> internal organs, only one of which is tripe. I'm not fond of most of
> the others.

In Chinese it's called "beef mixed", meaning a mix of organ meats. The
translation is at fault.

Tippi wrote on Thu, 1 May 2008 11:04:12 -0700 (PDT):

>> What I don't particularly like is the dish called "beef
>> tripe," often found in dim-sum restaurants. This is usually
>> an assortment of various internal organs, only one of which
>> is tripe. I'm not fond of most of the others.

>In Chinese it's called "beef mixed", meaning a mix of organ
>meats. The
>translation is at fault.

The restaurant that I have mentioned, Bob's Shabu-Shabu, has
some interesting things in addition to its namesake dish, like
"Pork Intestine over Rice" and "Spicy Pig Blood with Tripe",
that I've not had the nerve to try but the dishes I have had
were good. Those who have memories of the bath time scrubber
might like to try "Loofha with Clam".
--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On Thu, 1 May 2008 11:04:12 -0700 (PDT), Tippi >
wrote:

> On Apr 30, 7:04 pm, Ken Blake >
> wrote:
>
> > What I don't particularly like is the dish called "beef tripe," often
> > found in dim-sum restaurants. This is usually an assortment of various
> > internal organs, only one of which is tripe. I'm not fond of most of
> > the others.
>
> In Chinese it's called "beef mixed", meaning a mix of organ meats. The
> translation is at fault.


Yes, clearly. But regardless of the name, I'm not fond of it.

--
Ken Blake
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

On Thu, 01 May 2008 18:27:50 GMT, "James Silverton"
> wrote:

> Tippi wrote on Thu, 1 May 2008 11:04:12 -0700 (PDT):
>
> >> What I don't particularly like is the dish called "beef
> >> tripe," often found in dim-sum restaurants. This is usually
> >> an assortment of various internal organs, only one of which
> >> is tripe. I'm not fond of most of the others.
>
> >In Chinese it's called "beef mixed", meaning a mix of organ
> >meats. The
> >translation is at fault.
>
> The restaurant that I have mentioned, Bob's Shabu-Shabu, has
> some interesting things in addition to its namesake dish, like
> "Pork Intestine over Rice" and "Spicy Pig Blood with Tripe",


I've never had pig blood, but I've had duck blood. I like it a lot.


> that I've not had the nerve to try but the dishes I have had
> were good. Those who have memories of the bath time scrubber
> might like to try "Loofha with Clam".


Loofah is a zucchini-like vegetable fairly commonly seen in Chinese
markets and restaurants. It's pretty bland and doesn't taste at all
like bathtub sponges.

--
Ken Blake
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

"James Silverton" > wrote:
> Tippi wrote on Thu, 1 May 2008 11:04:12 -0700 (PDT):
> [ . . . ]
> The restaurant that I have mentioned, Bob's Shabu-Shabu, has
> some interesting things in addition to its namesake dish, like
> "Pork Intestine over Rice" and "Spicy Pig Blood with Tripe",
> that I've not had the nerve to try but the dishes I have had
> were good. Those who have memories of the bath time scrubber
> might like to try "Loofha with Clam".

I've had Pork Intestine soup and spicy pig blood with tripe at NE Thai,
Isaan and Cambodian restaurants. They're delicious!

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their families!
I've known US vets who served as far back as the Spanish American War. They
are all my heroes! Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not
forgotten. Thanks ! ! ~Semper Fi~

James Silverton wrote:
> wrote on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:42:57 -0400:
>
> i> Dennis R. wrote:
> ??>> In article >,
> ??>> says...
> ??>>> If Cowen was discussing Hong Kong Palace, they have two
> ??>>> menus (well, at least two) - one is the American Chinese
> ??>>> menu, and the other is the 'Traditional Chinese' menu,
> ??>>> and if you are non-Chinese you should ask for the
> ??>>> Traditional one - and its in English. A third Chinese
> ??>>> menu is on the wall, and who knows what that says!
> ??>>>
> ??>>> HKP is near 7 Corners in Falls Church and does Szechuan
> ??>>> food pretty well. Their Szechuan Cold Noodles are an
> ??>>> instant hit with everybody I have brought there.
> ??>>>
> ??>>> Ian
> ??>>>
> ??>> In a more general vein, I would be interested in the
> ??>> prevalence of what Ian refers to as "Traditional Chinese"
> ??>> menus in restaurants. There is a large number of Chinese
> ??>> restaurants in my small city (200,000) in Canada across
> ??>> the border from Detroit, Michigan. About 20 out of 60
> ??>> offer mostly "Traditional" menus with a couple of pages of
> ??>> the "American/Canadian Chinese" type items near the back
> ??>> of the menu. About 10 of those 20 also offer a one or two
> ??>> page listing of "Chef's Specials" in both Chinese and
> ??>> English. The only restaurants that actually have items
> ??>> written in Chinese only flyers or bristol board on the
> ??>> walls are very small "diners" near the university that
> ??>> cater to students who want cheap home-style cooking.
> ??>>
> ??>> The odd thing is that for most of the group of 20
> ??>> restaurants, their menus are about 80% - 90% identical -
> ??>> often entire pages are identical. In fact, I have been
> ??>> told that the templates from the menus often originated
> ??>> from Chinatown restaurants in Toronto, Ontario where many
> ??>> of the owners or chefs once worked. Perhaps a similar
> ??>> thing happens in Vancouver (British Columbia), the other
> ??>> major Asian centre in Canada?
> ??>>
> ??>> Has anyone noticed a pattern in menus in their particular
> ??>> cities or regions in the USA or Europe?
> ??>>
> ??>> Dennis
>
> i> Yes, here in Northern VA I get flyers from several local
> i> Chinese places, and the offerings are often remarkably
> i> similar. I suspected just what you report - that they are
> i> copying from somewhere else, or from each other.
>
> i> The other tendency I am seeing in Chinese menus is Thai and
> i> other Asian dishes - creeping fusion, you might call it.
>
> Not that I dispute the idea that one restaurant may copy another's menu
> but, given the usual number of offerings, similarities are not
> surprising. Sometimes you wonder what dishes the restaurants *do not*
> make. The rather good (even if the name sounds unlikely) Bob's 88
> Shabu-Shabu in Rockville, MD is a case in point. I might even be able to
> learn some Chinese characters from their menu (in English and Chinese)
> if the Chinese characters were not almost too small to read. I've yet to
> be able to write the character for "chicken". I guess I'll have to use a
> magnifying glass.
>
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland
>
> E-mail, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

The Chinese people I know here in NoVA insist that you have to go to
Rockville Pike to get the best Chinese. Actually, they insist that there
is no good Chinese food in NoVA!

Cheers,

Ian

On Mon, 05 May 2008 21:46:09 -0400, " >
wrote:

>James Silverton wrote:
>> wrote on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:42:57 -0400:
>>
>> i> Dennis R. wrote:
>> ??>> In article >,
>> ??>> says...
>> ??>>> If Cowen was discussing Hong Kong Palace, they have two
>> ??>>> menus (well, at least two) - one is the American Chinese
>> ??>>> menu, and the other is the 'Traditional Chinese' menu,
>> ??>>> and if you are non-Chinese you should ask for the
>> ??>>> Traditional one - and its in English. A third Chinese
>> ??>>> menu is on the wall, and who knows what that says!
>> ??>>>
>> ??>>> HKP is near 7 Corners in Falls Church and does Szechuan
>> ??>>> food pretty well. Their Szechuan Cold Noodles are an
>> ??>>> instant hit with everybody I have brought there.
>> ??>>>
>> ??>>> Ian
>> ??>>>
>> ??>> In a more general vein, I would be interested in the
>> ??>> prevalence of what Ian refers to as "Traditional Chinese"
>> ??>> menus in restaurants. There is a large number of Chinese
>> ??>> restaurants in my small city (200,000) in Canada across
>> ??>> the border from Detroit, Michigan. About 20 out of 60
>> ??>> offer mostly "Traditional" menus with a couple of pages of
>> ??>> the "American/Canadian Chinese" type items near the back
>> ??>> of the menu. About 10 of those 20 also offer a one or two
>> ??>> page listing of "Chef's Specials" in both Chinese and
>> ??>> English. The only restaurants that actually have items
>> ??>> written in Chinese only flyers or bristol board on the
>> ??>> walls are very small "diners" near the university that
>> ??>> cater to students who want cheap home-style cooking.
>> ??>>
>> ??>> The odd thing is that for most of the group of 20
>> ??>> restaurants, their menus are about 80% - 90% identical -
>> ??>> often entire pages are identical. In fact, I have been
>> ??>> told that the templates from the menus often originated
>> ??>> from Chinatown restaurants in Toronto, Ontario where many
>> ??>> of the owners or chefs once worked. Perhaps a similar
>> ??>> thing happens in Vancouver (British Columbia), the other
>> ??>> major Asian centre in Canada?
>> ??>>
>> ??>> Has anyone noticed a pattern in menus in their particular
>> ??>> cities or regions in the USA or Europe?
>> ??>>
>> ??>> Dennis
>>
>> i> Yes, here in Northern VA I get flyers from several local
>> i> Chinese places, and the offerings are often remarkably
>> i> similar. I suspected just what you report - that they are
>> i> copying from somewhere else, or from each other.
>>
>> i> The other tendency I am seeing in Chinese menus is Thai and
>> i> other Asian dishes - creeping fusion, you might call it.
>>
>> Not that I dispute the idea that one restaurant may copy another's menu
>> but, given the usual number of offerings, similarities are not
>> surprising. Sometimes you wonder what dishes the restaurants *do not*
>> make. The rather good (even if the name sounds unlikely) Bob's 88
>> Shabu-Shabu in Rockville, MD is a case in point. I might even be able to
>> learn some Chinese characters from their menu (in English and Chinese)
>> if the Chinese characters were not almost too small to read. I've yet to
>> be able to write the character for "chicken". I guess I'll have to use a
>> magnifying glass.
>>
>> James Silverton
>> Potomac, Maryland
>>
>> E-mail, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not
>
>The Chinese people I know here in NoVA insist that you have to go to
>Rockville Pike to get the best Chinese. Actually, they insist that there
>is no good Chinese food in NoVA!
>
>Cheers,
>
>Ian

maybe so, but they seem to have korea and vietnam pretty well covered.

your pal,
blake

blake murphy wrote:
> On Mon, 05 May 2008 21:46:09 -0400, " >
> wrote:
>
>> James Silverton wrote:
>>> wrote on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:42:57 -0400:
>>>
>>> i> Dennis R. wrote:
>>> ??>> In article >,
>>> ??>> says...
>>> ??>>> If Cowen was discussing Hong Kong Palace, they have two
>>> ??>>> menus (well, at least two) - one is the American Chinese
>>> ??>>> menu, and the other is the 'Traditional Chinese' menu,
>>> ??>>> and if you are non-Chinese you should ask for the
>>> ??>>> Traditional one - and its in English. A third Chinese
>>> ??>>> menu is on the wall, and who knows what that says!
>>> ??>>>
>>> ??>>> HKP is near 7 Corners in Falls Church and does Szechuan
>>> ??>>> food pretty well. Their Szechuan Cold Noodles are an
>>> ??>>> instant hit with everybody I have brought there.
>>> ??>>>
>>> ??>>> Ian
>>> ??>>>
>>> ??>> In a more general vein, I would be interested in the
>>> ??>> prevalence of what Ian refers to as "Traditional Chinese"
>>> ??>> menus in restaurants. There is a large number of Chinese
>>> ??>> restaurants in my small city (200,000) in Canada across
>>> ??>> the border from Detroit, Michigan. About 20 out of 60
>>> ??>> offer mostly "Traditional" menus with a couple of pages of
>>> ??>> the "American/Canadian Chinese" type items near the back
>>> ??>> of the menu. About 10 of those 20 also offer a one or two
>>> ??>> page listing of "Chef's Specials" in both Chinese and
>>> ??>> English. The only restaurants that actually have items
>>> ??>> written in Chinese only flyers or bristol board on the
>>> ??>> walls are very small "diners" near the university that
>>> ??>> cater to students who want cheap home-style cooking.
>>> ??>>
>>> ??>> The odd thing is that for most of the group of 20
>>> ??>> restaurants, their menus are about 80% - 90% identical -
>>> ??>> often entire pages are identical. In fact, I have been
>>> ??>> told that the templates from the menus often originated
>>> ??>> from Chinatown restaurants in Toronto, Ontario where many
>>> ??>> of the owners or chefs once worked. Perhaps a similar
>>> ??>> thing happens in Vancouver (British Columbia), the other
>>> ??>> major Asian centre in Canada?
>>> ??>>
>>> ??>> Has anyone noticed a pattern in menus in their particular
>>> ??>> cities or regions in the USA or Europe?
>>> ??>>
>>> ??>> Dennis
>>>
>>> i> Yes, here in Northern VA I get flyers from several local
>>> i> Chinese places, and the offerings are often remarkably
>>> i> similar. I suspected just what you report - that they are
>>> i> copying from somewhere else, or from each other.
>>>
>>> i> The other tendency I am seeing in Chinese menus is Thai and
>>> i> other Asian dishes - creeping fusion, you might call it.
>>>
>>> Not that I dispute the idea that one restaurant may copy another's menu
>>> but, given the usual number of offerings, similarities are not
>>> surprising. Sometimes you wonder what dishes the restaurants *do not*
>>> make. The rather good (even if the name sounds unlikely) Bob's 88
>>> Shabu-Shabu in Rockville, MD is a case in point. I might even be able to
>>> learn some Chinese characters from their menu (in English and Chinese)
>>> if the Chinese characters were not almost too small to read. I've yet to
>>> be able to write the character for "chicken". I guess I'll have to use a
>>> magnifying glass.
>>>
>>> James Silverton
>>> Potomac, Maryland
>>>
>>> E-mail, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not
>> The Chinese people I know here in NoVA insist that you have to go to
>> Rockville Pike to get the best Chinese. Actually, they insist that there
>> is no good Chinese food in NoVA!
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Ian
>
> maybe so, but they seem to have korea and vietnam pretty well covered.
>
> your pal,
> blake

You ain't kidding!

Ian

"James Silverton" > wrote
> The restaurant that I have mentioned, Bob's Shabu-Shabu, has some
> interesting things in addition to its namesake dish, like "Pork Intestine
> over Rice" and "Spicy Pig Blood with Tripe",

Spicy Pig Blood with Tripe must be a 'standard' dish ... I had it in
California with a (Chinese) woman who insisted. Not something I'd go out of
my way for, but not awful .. indeed I don't remember a lot about it. Either
a soup or kind of soupy as I recall, with (nicely tender) tripe and squares
of "pig blood" and a few other ingredients. The pig blood is somehow
solidified, a kind of smooth jelly like texture, and to my taste might
better be prepared as crisply fried, like some blood sausage that another
young lady tried to gross me out with in Puerto Rico, but which I thought
was yummy. But I'm not sure the Chinese style pigs blood would hold up to
that treatment.

It seems a lot of these things .. pigs blod, sea cucumber, etc ... are
better in small doses, which means having a large and adventurous table to
share with.