What are you a stubborn purist about?

[tatamagouche]

The bagel and cream cheese thread got me to thinking about the ways in which we chowhounds are a contradictory lot—so open-minded and adventurous in some ways and so vehemently opposed to what we consider breaches of cultural integrity on the other. It may simply amount to privileging knowledge—feeling people should know the rules before they break them—but at any rate:

Midlife inspired this thread by suggesting that pizza, bagels, pastrami, and hot dogs caused the most furor.

In my case, most of my indignance is reserved for certain Italian dishes—not pizza, because I accept that that has truly been adopted and adapted in no less genuine ways by nonItalians (which isn't to say I don't have my own preferences, just that some foods belong to us all—*unless* you're eating it in Italy, in which case don't insist in English that it's got to have 4 types of meat on it for God's sake, which I did hear once and felt sick with shame by association).

But for the moment, I'm thinking that the thing I can't abide being done wrong is a Caesar salad. No virtually raw egg, no anchovy, no Caesar! Hell, it's a Brutus. Heh.

Et tu?

[StrawberryChocolate]

As a Californian, and as a lucky girl whose parents always loved to eat out, as well as experiment in the kitchen, I have grown accustomed to eating 'impure' versions of classics. I enjoy Asian fusion, gourmet, fancied up Mexican, California-style pizza, and everything in between. I live in a town with a LOT of Chinese and Mexican food, and have liked both the authentic and Americanized/California-ized (is that a word? It is now!) versions of both.

But the one thing I'm a purist about is Greek food. My father is a full-blooded Greek man, and my mother learned to cook some of the classics from his grandmothers when they were first dating. There's a few 'Greek' and 'Mediterranean' restaurants in town that my friends always ask me about. "Is this real? Is this like your grandmother's? Is this how your church makes it at the food festival?"

The answer is always a huge, resounding, "NO, this is Americanized, tasty fare that doesn't come close to the real thing!" Out of all the Greek restaurants I've tried in my area, there's only one I'll eat at, and that's only because the food is always loaded with gorgeous produce and perfectly prepared meat. But at the end of the night, I still crave my yiayia's version of everything instead!

Greek food, much like Italian cuisine, is more about showing off the beauty, freshness, and natural flavors of simple ingredients blended together to form a symphony of flavor. It's easy, actually, to make honest-to-goodness, delicious Greek meals, and it's twice as easy to mess them up and destroy the integrity of the originals.

So, in particular, I will not eat a 'Greek' salad on any menu. (Horiatiki, in Greek.) Something always goes wrong. The olive oil is terrible, or they replace the kalamatas with regular black, canned, shiny ones, or worse, there's no oregano.

I also find that spanikopita is always, always disappointing unless I'm eating it at a church function or a relative's house. These measly triangles filled with bland green glop are ususally under or overdone. In fact, I avoid most things with phyllo in general - is it really that hard to handle?

Finally, the big one is LAMB. I adore lamb; sometimes I think I enjoy it more than a ribeye steak. When it's prepared properly, it's completely out of this world.

Lamb. Does not. Need. MINT. JELLY. !!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe I STILL see or hear about it in this day and age - who's eating that??? Who orders that? That's so disgusting. And I have had rack of lamb at many upscale restaurants, and it can be impeccable. But it seems like most people cannot prepare it Greek style without making it taste gamey or dry. Unless I'm at a very fine restaurant, I will not order lamb, Greek or not. I wait to eat it at Pascha (Greek Easter) or whenever my family and I can marinate and grill our own.

Oh, and don't even talk to me about store-bought baklava. I'll rage! LOL. Honestly, it seems so daunting, but homemade baklava is quite simple, and if you work quickly and carefully, you can have a gorgeous pan every time.

[crowmuncher]

just thought of another one...GARLIC; nothing like fresh garlic, i mean just peeled and pressed. That powder and those pre-peeled garlic containers don't even begin to compare with FRESH

[amazinc]

Iam a purist about SAFFRON. Please don't do the tumeric or paprika or annatto "thing". Nothing tastes like real saffron so there is NO substitute. Yes, it's expensive. Yes, it can be
hard to locate, but as I said, nothing else will do.

[sherriberry]

Crab meat. Years ago, you could get containers of Chesapeake Bay crab picked and packaged locally. Now, most is "blue swimming crab:" farm raised in asia-nowhere near the sweet flavor. Phillips at one time was a respected brand here, but now it is the blue swimming crab. I willuse this for crab dip because it is mixed w/ a lot of other stuff, but for crab cakes it must be Bay crab or at least gulf crab. Nowadays, we order more than we can eat of steamed crabs and I take the rest home and pick them for crabcakes. Costco also has regular seafood road shows w/ frozen dungeness crabs. I will buy those sometimes and pick for crabcakes although nothing beats the blue crab for this purpose.I can still special order the blue crab from my local Bloom grocery store but the price is exorbitant-upwards of $40.00/lb. sometimes-but when the craving hits it is worth it.

[crowmuncher]

very informative, didn't know about the "blue swimming crab". I'm a big fan of the crab cake (original ones: blue crab from ChesapBay, broiled not fried ;) but the big can from Costco I don't buy either since it's from Asia and would rather buy local. And it's not exactly cheap so if I'm gonna pay, I'd rather get the real stuff. I don't know why you can't find cans of local here in sofla. Maybe that would be a good thread to start in the Mia/FtLaud board. Meantime I'll keep flying to Baltimore to get a descent crab cake (i wish) :)

[sherriberry]

That is the style of crabcake I make. Now I'm thinking I may have to get some live crabs to steam and pick soon.

[ansluasi]

Kind of an odd thing to be a purist about but here is a pet peeve food issue of mine: junk food is called junk food for a reason and is not suppposed to be healthy. Chocolate chip cookies should be rich in butter and chocolate and calories. So should cake, pudding, ice cream and chocolate. Low fat, no fat, carob, tofu, applesauce and wheat germ are NOT adequate substitues for good old carbs and fats when making real goodies:)

[crowmuncher]

i agree 100% if not, what's the point?

[ansluasi]

Exactly. Kind of got on the soap box for this post yesterday after a visit to a friends house where I was served "cookies" made with almond meal, banana mash, egg, agave nectar and coconut oil, with a teeny tiny bit of dark chocolate grated in. Those were not cookies in anything but shape and the fact they were baked on a pan. Had to make a batch of Toll House bar cookies when I got home to reassure my poor taste buds:)

[02putt]

Steak: Medium Rare Steak maximum. Anything cooked more than that is an insult to the cow and a waste of money. I won't pay top dollar for steak to serve guests if they like it well done. I will buy good steaks but not the aged really expensive stuff. And if they overcook my steak in a restaurant I complain. (Pet peeve of mine)

[crowmuncher]

i was the same when i wast a meat-eater; i don't see the point of eating steak if you're going to overcook it; i do the same with my tuna steak- just sear it (2min-tops)

[serapharia]

Chocolate! I spend time scrutinizing a candy's ingredients. Even chocolate chips for baking. The angst when comparing store and name brands!

[crowmuncher]

I NEVER eat anything with artificial sweetener. It taste sooo nasty to me. I know some abstain because they're concerned it may cause health problems, but I think the taste is reason enough to avoid it.

[arktos]

Just no fish scales in my fish and no hair strands on my salad and I'll be happy.

[Passadumkeg]

Hamburgers! Sorry I&O and 5 Guys, you are a sad substitute for a real hand formed burger and real fresh cut double fried fries. One has to have standards.

Hot dogs. Gotta have skin and pop!

Pizza: Mom & Pop NYC style thin crust.

Dumkeg, the cultivated palate.

[debs20]

Poached eggs, if the yolk is hard, or the whites runny, I will send them back until they get them right or give up. I go so far as to forewarn the server. If they can't cook a poached egg properly, they shouldn't be on the menu.

[popcorn8]

Using the words Lipton.

And tea in the same sentence.

[meltygarden]

Margaritas should be over rocks, not frozen. I don't know if that's a purist thing, but I can't stand the frozen ones, too much like a daquiri. Other than that, I don't like people messing with my traditional Cajun staples, such as Gumbo and Jambalaya and Etoufee. I'm also not amused when people use lime flavoring or regular lime juice in something and then call it "Key Lime". The taste is extremely different, not even close. And while we're at it, you don't boil crawfish in Old Bay. You just don't. Stop that.

[alanbarnes]

Too much like a daiquiri? Aaaack!

A proper daiquiri is a thing of beauty. Rum, lime juice, and just a touch of simple syrup. Shaken, strained, and served up in a cocktail glass.

A blender has no more role in the preparation of a daiquiri than in the preparation of a margarita.

[tracylee]

I had to give up the default (around here) slushy drinks years ago when my esophagus rebelled. Over ice was so much easier to drink.

[goodhealthgourmet]

- iced tea – has to be brewed - no powdered crap.
- coffee – only buy whole beans. I don’t think pre-ground coffee should even be SOLD. and speaking of coffee, please don’t even *think* of putting any artificial flavoring anywhere near mine.
- hamburgers – no fillers of any sort, and seasoned only with a pinch of kosher salt.
- steak – when i’m eating steak, i want to TASTE the meat. no sauce. EVER. and never cooked beyond medium-rare at most.
- hot dogs – mustard only. NEVER ketchup.
- bagels – no chocolate. no vegetables. no fruit (ok, one exception for raisins in a cinnamon bagel). no food coloring. sesame seeds, poppy seeds, onion, garlic, or salt are the only acceptable variations.
- and to go along with the bagel, absolutely no fruit or sugar in cream cheese. vegetables are ok, as are lox bits...but nothing sweet.
- peanut butter – natural only, no sugar, oils or preservatives.
- whipped cream – it should be just that. CREAM. not some oil-based, preservative-laden, overly-sweetened concoction that only looks like whipped cream (yes, i’m talking to you, Cool Whip).
- sushi – i rarely eat actual rolls or even nigiri anymore, it’s mostly just sashimi for me. but there had better not be any cheese, fruit, wacky fusion sauces, or any other nonsense on/with my fish.
- maple syrup – i’d rather just go without than use imitation.
- french fries or home fries – i’ll only eat them if they’re ultra-crispy/well done.
- salt. i can't stand the standard, iodized table stuff - it tastes metallic & funky to me, so i only use kosher salt or any of a number of sea salt varieties.

i’m sure there are more, but i already sound like a rigid pain in the ass, so i’ll shut up now.

[finlero]

> coffee – only buy whole beans. I don’t think pre-ground coffee should even be SOLD. and speaking of coffee, please don’t even *think* of putting any artificial flavoring anywhere near mine.

I rapidly went from sharing this opinion to "please don't even *think* of roasting to second crack" to "please don't even *think* of brewing coffee you didn't roast yourself and rest for three days". So yeah, now I'm a roast-your-own evangelist. Go Sweet Maria's!

[Panini Guy]

Comments like that help restore my faith in America :-)

Speaking of 2nd crack... I tasted a friend's roast of a some Ethiopia Sidama Ardi last fall that barely touched 1st crack (if it even did), yet was fully developed. Made it into my top 5 coffees of the year. Reaching that level of flavor development in such a light roast is now my holy grail.

[italia84]

Most Italian foods (quelle surprise!). In fact, it took me years before I would even try creole pasta (pasta with usually shrimp in a creole flavored cream sauce), but I have to admit I do enjoy it. Most of the stuff that people call "pizza", for example, I would just call a flatbread. Don't get me started. And weird stuff, like a friend of mine who puts diced carrots and celery in his meatballs. wtf? Save that for meatloaf.

[quatrofromaggio]

Really funny - as an Italian this post's title caught my attention :) I think that I'm starting to relax my own rules on what is 'pure'... however, there are two things that still drive me up the wall, usually from 'wanna-be' Italian restaurants:

1) Pickled stuff used in pasta sauces. If I read on the menu that there is artichoke in the tomato sauce, I don't imagine it preserved in vinegar - not only is it not authentic, it's also plain disgusting in a sauce.

2) As mentioned by phoenikia, cooked prosciutto crudo on a pizza - as opposed to added on before serving. I know there is a place for cooked prosciutto crudo, but I agree that it doesn't taste any good on pizza.

[thew]

i'm just speaking based on nothing here, but i would bet that in the days before refrigeration and long distance trucking, pickled items often ended up in sauces during the winter.

[rHairing]

Wow. What an amazing thread. For me, I didn't realize how passionate I was about certain things!. Don't screw with my pho. I was listening to The Splendid Table last weekend. She mentioned pho and even posted a recipe. I'm sorry but Cheater's Asian Broth doesn't count! Oh and don't screw with my beer. I get that you can screw with wine but I don't want blueberries, cherries, or pumpkin in my beer.

[Passadumkeg]

Were we separated at birth?
My first pho was cooked by the Cong and drinking lite beer is like making love w/ ones clothes on. What's the point?

[thew]

there have been fruits in beer since beer began.

[c oliver]

I don't want any of those things in my wine either. Gag.

[gadfly]

A well made, dry or off dry blueberry wine can be a beautiful thing.

[Passadumkeg]

Bartlett's Estate Winery in Gouldsboro, Me. Makes a French Oak Bluberry wine the is listed in wine investor magazine. In a blind taste test in Nappa Valley, it was guessed to be a pinot noir.
I shipped several cases to different address in Napa Valley, when I worked there.
http://bartlettwinery.com/

I still do not like berries in my beer, Sam I am.

[gadfly]

How about chiles?

[Passadumkeg]

There is a God awful green chile white wine here in New Mexico.

[buttertart]

The thought of that makes my eyes water.

[gadfly]

White wine flavored with green chiles? That does sound terrible. I do think good wine can be made directly from (as opposed to flavored with) vegetables, however, perhaps because I grew up with my grandparents homemade beet wine.

There is some rather good green chile flavored beer available in New Mexico. I used to make a couple of trips a year to work with various ranches and slaughterhouses in New Mexico, and was frequently offered home brewed green chile beer on these trips. In later years, I started to see it being sold in brew pubs too, but I don't know of anyone bottling it commercially. Good as it was, it was never as good as beers I've had made with other types of chiles, particularly various smoked chiles.

Anyway, my question was a poor attempt at biology humor, as chiles are, botanically, a type of berry.

[Passadumkeg]

I query if it is an attempt to leech off the tourist hoard by adding chiles to already bad cheap wine.
I Scandinavia, to beat the hig cost of alcohol, I too made carrot, red current and gooseberry wines. My grandmother made excellent dandelion flower wine.
Bartletts Estate Winery in Gouldsboro, Me, gast their French Oakn Blueberry wine listed in Wine Investor Magazine!
ps I've not had the green chile beers, yet.

[tatamagouche]

Lots of green chile beer in CO too.

[Passadumkeg]

Green chile goes w/ beer, not in it!

[tatamagouche]

I dunno, there are some good ones. As long as it's the actual chile, that is, not the sauce! Because that would be weird. With a hunk of pork on the pint glass as a garnish.

[Passadumkeg]

JMG! I just saw a New Mexico Margarita wine! HL Menken was so spot on!

[EWSflash]

Ever had Cave Creek chile beer? There's a serrano in each bottle and I'd say I like it but i'M not a beer aficionado so I'll just say I like it.

[Passadumkeg]

I'm a beer and wine purist. Serranos & chiles belong in salsa.

[mamachef]

Righit there with you on the properly-prepared Caesar salad. My own quirk is, please toss the croutons in a bit of dressing too.

[c oliver]

But hasn't it been determined that the original Caesar salad didn't have anchovies?

[tatamagouche]

Yes, it has. This whole thread has been based on an embarrassing slip on my part!! Proving that I am not, in fact, a Caesar purist, assuming the pure version is the original. Still, it did have Worcestershire...so at least anchovy flavor was part of the deal. I think adding anchovies was a matter of perfecting the original... :)

[kellylee]

I just found this thread today and have had a great time scrolling through the thoughtful replies. What a great pretend dinner party!

[Passadumkeg]

You crossed The River Rubicon; no going back.

[mucho gordo]

pure maple syrup; not maple flavored corn syrup
peanut butter is peanuts and salt only; any other ingredients makes it candy, not PB
real foods; not 'processed, flaked, formed, etc.'

[thew]

so a meatloaf or a hamburger is not real food? tuna salad isn;t because the fish is flaked? (all food except raw, uncut, food is processed)

[mucho gordo]

You seem to have a problem with my posts, thew. Why? I think you know what I'm talking about: things like pre-packed sandwich meats, artificial crabmeat, etc.

[thew]

it isn't personal, i assure you.

i was just responding to what you said.

no attack intended

[mucho gordo]

We're cool, thew. Maybe I need to be more specific so there can be no misinterpretation.

[applehome]

not 'processed, flaked, formed, etc.'

Formed as in charcuterie? No sausage, terrines, galantines, pâtés? No saucisson, boudin? No Japanese oden from delicious fish cakes? No Maryland crabcakes?

Quel dommage

Processing is what happens to food before we eat it. How much and by who and to what extent the who gives a shit about the outcome (vs. the cost/profit) has a lot to do with how good the final product is.

[mucho gordo]

I can't argue with that, applehome. I do love sausages, pate( I don't know how to add the accent marks), etc.
The pre-packed sandwich meats, for example: I want an actual slice of beef or ham, not something that's made out of scraps and put together mechanically. I don't want fake crabmeat or food flavors that are chemical imitations.

[tatamagouche]

Option + i, then a gets you â; option + e, then e gets you é: pâté.

Voilà! (option + accent key, then a gets you à).

[mucho gordo]

I know you're trying to be helpful and I appreciate it but, please tell me where the "option" button is on my keyboard.

[tatamagouche]

Ah. Could be "alt"?

[finlero]

mucho: tata presumably has a Mac, you (and I) have a PC. PCs make it a lot trickier to do accents and the like.

[yfunk3]

You need to change your keyboard to "English - United States - International" under Windows (if you have Windows). Just go into the Control Panel on your computer, then find the keyboard icon (this varies with which version of Windows you're using). If still stumped, going to the computer's Help function and searching for "change keyboard region" should get you to the right steps.

After that, all you have to do is press the ', ", ~, ^ or whatever symbol buttons before a letter to get it to appear above the letter. Takes a bit of getting used to, but it's much easier than remembering which button combos to press!

\off topic

[finlero]

OK, yfunk3, it was a little trickier than you described, but you brought me to the doorstep, and you're now my hero...or perhaps my héro:

http://www.studyspanish.com/accents/t...

[tatamagouche]

Yes, OT, but important to purists who want to spell the words for the objects of their purist affection correctly! So hopefully it will stand...

[mucho gordo]

Great, yfunk3. I'll give it a try but, if it seems too complex for this ol' geezer, I'll wait for my son to come. He know all about these things.

[tatamagouche]

Yes. Why companies put sugar in PB is beyond me.

[mucho gordo]

I assume it's part of the process to prevent oil separation.

[Bekah1984]

Ack! Where to begin, I can't even comment on the sushi rants below because I'm from Southern Ohio and sushi is new here! What I can talk about is other lovely food I know and love.
Homemade butter- yay!
Local Maple Syrup- a revelation
Truly awesome real Italian food (perhaps not authentic, but with great ingredients used correctly!)- My family still thinks Olive Garden is better...I cannot abide heavy dull and greasy supposedly
authentic Italian!
I used to bartend and margarita mix makes me angry.... Just do it right!
The proliferation of "Slider Menus"!- Yuck! Suddenly tiny disgusting fast food burgers that are named after how quicky they travel thru your body are cool? This wins my award for stupidest food trend ever.
And for god's sake quit ordering the ribeye and complaining about the ammount of fat on it! Order the damn sirloin!
Last but not least if you judge a resturant by the pre dinner bread then I probably won't take your opinion seriously.
This topic really got me going, thanks everybody!

[tatamagouche]

Re the bread basket: why is that? I actually think a bread basket is an excellent litmus test—a place can't be judged by that alone, but a good bread basket is indicative of the care the kitchen takes with details.

[Bekah1984]

While that *can* be true, most often it is not. Decent rolls can be bought frozen. Unless I see someone baking with flour, not just a yeast roll mix I just don't put much stock in the bread. I guess I like fresh from scratch bread. Not parbaked hard rolls with a slathering of garlic or those white bread concoctions with cinnamon butter either. I don't eat out much locally usually only for family events. Always dissapointed unless I go into the cities near me which are a 2+ hour drive.

[tatamagouche]

Still not clear on your point; it actually seems to reflect mine, not contradict it. If the bread's good, that's a good sign (not a deal-sealer, but an indication that the kitchen puts thought into details). If it's not, that's not a promising sign (not a deal-breaker, but an indication that the kitchen is cutting corners).

I think you might be saying that housemade bread is for you the *only* good bread, and too few places make their own for it to qualify as a litmus test? That's fair—it's just not a criterion I share. If the restaurant buys good bread from a really good bakery because of limitations in their kitchen, it's still good bread, still a sign that someone cares for quality products.

[kateyjo]

I'm not sure if it falls in the "purist" category but I love peanut butter and I love chocolate but the two should never ever, ever be combined. I know I'm seriously outnumbered in this way of thinking.

[tatamagouche]

Nah, I'm with you. I don't really love chocolate, and I prefer PB straight up, no chaser.

[WeekendChowDown]

French Onion Soup that tastes like it was made of ocean water. We get it, it's time consuming to make proper caramelized onions, but showering the onions in a ton of salt to expedite the process ruins the food. French onion soup that comes from a can is just blasphemy, 1800mg per serving of sodium, really!!

[CapreseStacy]

Tomatoes. I can't abide the mealy, flavorless, artificially-ripened pseudo-spheres of mush that are sold in most supermarkets and put on sandwiches and salads in many restaurants. Off season, if I can't find heirloom tomatoes (sad that so many stores call them "ugly" tomatoes... they are beautiful to me!) I just go without, dreaming of the days when my tomato plants or the farmers' markets start offering up the "real" flavor gems.

[cuccubear]

I'm with you on this one. I'd rather enjoy great tomatoes for a short time in season, than choke down lousy tomatoes all year long. Same with corn on the cob.

[CapreseStacy]

You're right! Corn! My spouse brought home KFC the other day (which is good every once in a while but generally not a fave of mine) and he had picked the corn on the cob as a side. It was heinous! Inedible. I don't wholly eschew fast food nor processed food, but eeeeesh I can't fathom how some people mack that wrinkly, overcooked corn that perhaps only a pig (or maybe my greedy little tank-shaped chihuahua) would enjoy.

[cuccubear]

hehe, I don't think even MY tank-shaped chihuahua wouldn't eat that corn, but she loves green beans!

[grlwhoeats]

Cannolis. I will only eat the ricotta ones from Termins in Philly. The fluffy filling that other places make or those awful "mini cannolis" at weddings. Ewww...
I used to only eat Breyers ice cream, too, but since Unilever bought them, it's gone way downhill. A shame.

[coll]

When Breyers used to come in see-through plastic containers, it was the best! They made a raspberry swirl that we would eat all year round, such a shame they went downhill.

[Phood]

For me; bread.
wheat, water, yeast (preferably wild), salt, and heat.

[nooyawka]

I like my Asian cuisines distinguished from my Western cuisines. None of this Asian fusion crap. Pure dreck! Get that outta heah...

[alanbarnes]

European and Asian cuisines have been "fusing" since the first days of the spice trade. Never mind the introduction of ingredients from the Americas to both Old World cuisines in the 16th and 17th centuries. Is all of that dreck?

There's a difference between being a purist and simply being closed-minded.

[nooyawka]

Let me ask you something.....you ever see a "fused" food item and not think to yourself "oh... this is a variation on (blank)" What the heck is it? It's a hybrid. But in your mind, you still recognize it as a hybrid of 2 distinct things, right? It's some sort of new category, but it's not its own distinct category. It doesn't have its own identity. It's always a combo of 2 other distinct categories that have been thrown together.

[c oliver]

Ever been to Momofuku Ssam? Ever had his "pork bun"? If not, please do it and tell me if it changes your mind.

[nooyawka]

That's a deal. Never been to Momofuku. Always been curious due to its frequent mention...

[c oliver]

I LOVE an open-minded CH. Good for you and report back --- which will make my mouth water out here in NoCal.

[alanbarnes]

Every new food started out as a hybrid of two (or more) others. Some of the results are good enough to hold up on their own. Others fade quickly into oblivion. Eventually, the good ones make their own distinct categories and develop their own identity.

That doesn't mean that randomly "fused" foods are necessarily tasty. But Italian cooks found a way to make use of tomatoes. Thai food do wonderful things with chile peppers. And there's no reason that a contemporary Western chef can't put lemongrass to good use, too.

[Passadumkeg]

Read A Thousand Tables, The History of Food. Renaissance Italians were wining about that Asian Chinese noodle and those damn Central American tomatoes! Keep Italian food pure!

[thew]

so you don't want any hot peppers in any of your asian food, as that was a western fusion ingredient, introduced a mere 40 decades ago?

[woodleyparkhound]

I'm a stubborn purist about lots of things. Like the OP, Italian food brings this out in me a lot -- and I'm in complete agreement re: Caesar salad!

The thing that jumps to mind first for me is the "insalata caprese" as it's usually called. I never order this in restaurants because no one else makes it to suit me. All ingredients must be top quality, and in season, or it's a non-starter. Slices of perfect tomatoes, topped with slices of the best mozzarella buffala, salt and freshly ground pepper, and lots of basil leaves, with the best olive oil I have drizzled on top. Eating this means summer has arrived. It really annoys me when this is made with balsamic vinegar and/or when bocconcini is used.

Oh and then there is spaghetti carbonara...

[lilmomma]

what about the carbonara?

[tatamagouche]

I'm guessing the abominable use of cream.

[woodleyparkhound]

Right tatamagouche...it's the abominable use of cream!

[c oliver]

Now we did discuss WAY upthread that a Caesar salad is actually from Mexico and didn't have anchovies in it.

[tatamagouche]

Yes, and I was reminded that the anchovy flavor actually comes from Worcestershire sauce—although I think adding actual anchovies is still appropriate/authentic if not original, whereas bacon bits—bacon bits! The mind reels.

[c oliver]

Yeah, what's with bacon bits?????

[steakman55]

I detest flavored coffee (hazelnut, amaretto, etc) and the same with cheesecake.
And while we are at it, a grilled prime dry aged steak cries out for nothing but salt, pepper and maybe a shot of garlic.

[Passadumkeg]

Agreed, except for the garlic, substitute a fresh roasted green chile.

[spazita]

No bacon bits in a Caesar Salad!!!!!

[tatamagouche]

Wow, that's a new one on me. Foul.

[Isoldamay]

Flavored coffee should be kept in its own room in the supermarket, preferably with a separate ventilation system.

[EWSflash]

Ha! +1

[goodhealthgourmet]

+2. the stench from all that fake hazelnut & vanilla is sickening, and it takes over the entire aisle.

i tried a free sample of coffee at my local Sprouts Market one day a few months ago, and didn't discover until after i had it in my mouth that it had been mislabeled. the tag said French Roast, but apparently it was actually Snickerdoodle. yes, *snickerdoodle* flavored coffee. WTF???

[foodperv]

i am a purist about meatballs
they MUST be beef beef/pork or beef/pork/veal if they got turkey in them i say roll up some alpo cause you can't tell a meatball from dogfood

[tatamagouche]

Ha, while I disagree with the sentiment, I applaud the style.

[wonderwoman]

just happened upon this thread. for me, the deal breaker is a hot fudge sundae, which has to be real hot fudge (not from a jar) on sweet cream or vanilla ice cream topped with real whipped cream, preferably unsweetened. a fresh cherry or strawberry on top is acceptable, but not necessary.

[andwings2go]

Hamburger purist checking in. Quality chuck (not too lean) shaped into a patty and cooked on a CHARCOAL grill...thats it...if the meat is good enough you may not even need condiments.

I'll go to a friends party and it looks like they are making freaking meatloaf. Seriously, putting everything you can find in the fridge doesn't make a burger any better. Then cook it on a propane grill (sob). I'm so tired of pretending that I like it. I'm going to start being honest this summer.

[alanbarnes]

I'm with you on the composition of the patty. Six ounces of fresh-ground 7-bone chuck with a sprinkle of kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper. I disagree with you on the cooking method, though. You can get good results on a flat-top, in a skillet, or under the broiler. And as to the fuel your grill uses, neutral blind taste tests (as opposed to those conducted by Kingsford) indicate there's no discernible taste difference between a hamburger that's properly cooked on a good gas grill and one that's cooked over charcoal.

[andwings2go]

I'd be interested to see a link to these taste tests you speak of. I mean finding a hundred people that can't tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi wouldn't be that hard either.
Lets look at it this way...has anyone ever accused a propane grill of creating better taste than charcoal?

[alanbarnes]

Good Housekeeping did a study a few years back that you could probably Google up. As I recall, burgers and chicken were indistinguishable, but steaks tasted better over charcoal.

As far as flavor goes, both types of grill are just tools. Used improperly they'll produce bad results; used well the results will be good. I have both gas and charcoal grills, and have cooked plenty of burgers with propane that tasted significantly better than stuff other people cooked with charcoal.

[divya]

no curry powder
(from an east-indian prespective)
make your own mix of freshly ground spices for each individual dish, as the spices may be the same but the proportions are different.

[mdzehnder]

I would love to take this position, but don't even come close to knowing enough about indian cuisine to create my own mixes of spices. Care to recommend any resources to educate me?

[alanbarnes]

Recipes by the likes of Julie Sahni or Madhur Jaffrey - whether found in cookbooks or online - will inevitably call for a mix of spices appropriate to the dish being prepared.

[firemyars]

Scotch. You can't mix it with anything.

[MC Slim JB]

A well-made Blood and Sand might make you reconsider. But I take your point that certain whiskies are better enjoyed mostly naked (I mean the drink, not the drinker, but, hey, as long as the setting is appropriate, whatever floats your battleship). I'm in the camp that thinks just a little bit of water in the form of an ice cube or two opens up the flavor of quality whiskies.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[TheDescendedLefticleOfAramis]

Valentino or Power - like ... nice.
I'm partial to cubes as a"side", as well.

[sisterfunkhaus]

Real Caesar Salad was not made with anchovies nor raw egg.

[c oliver]

I think most people would consider a coddled egg about as close to raw as one can get.

[SharaMcG]

I'm more snobby about pizza than any other food. I grew up in New Jersey about equidistant to NY and Philly, so my pizza must be thin with crust that is almost charred at the edges and chewy toward the middle. And not too much cheese! I live in Maine now and I've learned to make my own Jersey-like pizza rather than suffer downeast pizza, the very thought of which makes me shudder. I will say that I am also disturbed by people who like blueberry bagels (and they abound up here). In fact there should not be blueberry bagels or cinnamon raisin. It's a fundamental misunderstanding about what a bagel is supposed to be! They should give those things a different name! Like schmutz., that would work. :-)

[Emme]

too bad "flagels" are flat bagels... otherwise flavored bagels could be shortened to flagel. though i believe you contend they are not the same animal. for that i suggest FLADOWHITHEM - FLAvoredDOughWithHoleInTHEMiddle.

[Passadumkeg]

Come up to Finelli's in Ellsworth, Maine! Where in NJ?
Spezzi's in Sayreville was hard to beat.

[ArrowSmith]

So far I've figured out that ketchup is horrible, horrible and should not go with anything. Even french fries.

[ewelfare]

Raisin Bran can only be Kellog's...

[jimwormmaster]

Two things come to mind, for me. The first is pound cake. I *might* be willing to do the lime zest, like the grilled lime pound cake recipe on here (or the original is good with fresh strawberries and whipped cream), but I see way too many recipes that do stuff like glazing it, or adding chocolate, or stuff like that. The difference is that doing stuff like that totally changes the taste of it.

The second one for me is pecan pie. Now, don't get me wrong, my grandmother once made a good bourbon chocolate pecan pie, but personally, the best pecan pie will always be the original recipe, simple, nothing added to it, like chocolate, or anything like that.

[Reignking]

No one from Philadelphia has read this thread?

For cheesesteaks and hoagies, mayo should never ever be added. In fact, you should never even ask. Wait -- you should not even have it in the same room. Cheesesteaks don't need it, and hoagies have oil+vinegar.

I moved to DC at age 7, years ago, and someone had premade hoagies. So excited, not thinking I'd be able to get one of my favorite foods from my hometown...to be proven right.

[pie22]

ditto

and a "regular sub" (im from south jersey, we call them subs) - is always italian.

[Cary]

I'll toss my thoughts in even though I haven't read all prior 454 posts. Since I live in the SF Bay Area where many cuisines are adequately represented and almost any kind of ingredient can be obtained, I find that restaurants have little to no excuse (IMHO) when they butcher:

1) Sushi (Nigiri/sashimi/related others). "Traditional" nigiri and related items only please. I can forgive restaurants who only have "wasabi" paste (that darned root is expensive). I also cringe when I see diners spending $15 on a piece of chu-toro and then smothering it in a soy sauce-wasabi paste before eating it.

2) Vegetables. Just say no to soggy, limp, colorless boiled vegetables. Corollary: Just say no to frozen or canned vegetables.

3) Wine: Red or White. I don't want my wine to room temperature, when the room temperature is 73 degF.

4) Sauces: Sauces are meant to enhance the flavor of the item, not overwhelm all other tastes in the mouth. Ketchup, mustard, soy sauce, French sauces, any sauce, even hot sauce are fine in minimal quantities. It frustrates me when I see people go, "I love [insert nationality] food" or "I love this dish" and then proceed to cover everything in a hot sauce from a bottle.

[madkittybadkitty]

1. butter - if i can't believe its butter, its NOT butter
2. soy sauce - kikkoman only
3. milk - whole only, please no skim.

[ekammin]

U agree with madkitty, etc. about milk and butter. Margarine was, when first developed, declared to be unfit for human consumption. From whatI have asted, it stilli s.

Killoman - I disagree. Yamase is an excelllent Japanese brand, and there are very good Korean ones, too, If you look at the label,Yamase is made in Japan, while all the Kikkpmn I've seen recently was made in the U.S., hardly a hotbed of Japanese culture.

[cuccubear]

I agree with the tortilla chips, I make my own all the time. Unless you’re talking about harvesting the corn and making your own masa, I don’t do that.

Strict adherence to guidelines for preparing food seems too fussy for me, and in that respect I am not a purist when it comes to chili – beans in, beans out I don’t care. (There are numerous thread dedicated to this debate so I stop right there.)

Revisiting this topic however, I find I am a purist when it comes to Lemonade. No powders or concentrates for me, only fresh lemons, water and sugar. What could be easier? (or tastier!)

[demigodh]

While I have preferences in every type of dish, my most rigid purist stances are for two dishes.

Grilled Cheese: Must be white bread and American cheese.

Mac n Cheese: nothing beats shells and velveta not fancied up at all save for maybe adding some pepper

[Yesenia]

Steak: Very rare, or rare. Overcooked any other way.

Taco seasoning: Its gotta be homemade! I abhor those god awful taco seasoning kits. That brings up...

No pre-fab taco shells or tortilla chips: The store bought versions are practically flavorless and loaded with salt. Make them at home once and you'll never look back.

Chili: No beans, ever. As the old adage goes: 'If you know beans about chili, you know chili ain't got no beans.

Real maple syrup: It almost brought a tear to my eye when my boyfriend claimed Log Cabin was the best syrup out there.

[thew]

while i love no bean texas chili, it isn't the only option. i have no problem w/ old school meat and beans chili

[K K]

I *just* saw this thread...mondo input from picky Japanese food (mostly sushi) eaters.

Just a few random comments

- Yes there are tons of Korean, Chinese, and non Japanese run sushi and Japanese restaurants that do teriyaki, tempura, udon, maybe ramen, and sushi. It is definitely much much harder for the traditional sushi chef to survive, unless he already has a loyal cult following. Case in point, one of the masters from my area who has been doing it since the 80s with experience from Japan, went through two sushiya's of his own before selling them and opening up a very successful kaiseki restaurant. He still preps the sushi and sashimi for the courses, there is a 6 seater sushi bar, and he STILL has cult followers from his sushiya days who will pay the real estate premium to eat his sushi again, albeit at a downscaled bar (mostly doctors, white collar folks, corporate executives etc). Another former sushi bar and ramen restaurant owner sold his share of his two restaurants, and opened up a Kyoto style Kappo restaurant, hired 3 guys from Kansai region of Japan, who follow no receipes except their tongue and wits, to whip out dishes (some seasonal) and created a menu within a day.

- there will always be things that are very decent where you can get it, but will never come anywhere close to the country of origin for the cuisine or dish. Or why there's no such thing as near perfect Singaporean street food in the US (at least in my area), or Taiwanese street food, or Hong Kong style won ton noodles, or dim sum. Even in Hong Kong, there's no "perfect" dim sum restaurant. One place will do cha siu bao great, but another place will perfect the steamed rice crepes/rollades, or specialize in chicken feet or pork liver siu mai, and everything else is ho hum. Or nobody can do a really good Hong Kong style cafe drink, the HK milk tea, because they cut corners to sell a $3 drink and use 3 tea leaf blend, as opposed to 5 to 7, or they don't brew the tea properly and when cooling down for a cold version, they immediately refrigerate the tea mixture instead of letting it cool naturally which results in a sour tasting bitter mix (and diarrhea to some).

- there will be people who don't like Kyoto style Kappo or kaiseki, complain that they spend $100, get small portions, don't get the "you eat with all your senses" (and don't give a squat about presentation, harmony) and can still eat at an Asian buffet after the meal. And there are those who hate small nigiri (even if sized correctly like Sushi Zo, Sebo, Yasuda etc) and think they are rip offs compared to their neighborhood non upscale sushi place (Japanese run or not), because now the really good high quality fish and organic milled rice, are rip-off's due to the gourmet dining trends of going back to basics. Just can't please everyone.

I think most of the purists here already know what they want and looking for.

[Rchambers]

I am a purist about my cheesecake, it must be New York style, no berries, or sauce of any kind. I am also a purist about good bourbon, must be Woodford Reserve, or Pappy Von Winkles, neat no ice

[Full tummy]

Real chicken stock ; none of those powder mixes, thanks.
Real mashed potatoes.
Real butter; margarine is not butter.
Real whipped cream; not vegetable oil..
Maple syrup does not have ingredients other than maple syrup...
Steak with salt and pepper; who can taste that wonderful meat when it's slathered in bbq sauce?
Ketchup is ok on hot dogs, but mustard with sausages, please.
Croissants made with butter, not shortening.

[hotdoglover]

Ketchup is an abomination and NOT ok on hot dogs!

[Full tummy]

Hahaha, to be honest, I don't disdain my husband when he does it. I'm more a sauerkraut and mustard type on dogs, so no ketchup for me...

But I do disdain him severely when he puts ketchup on bratwurst!!!!

[applehome]

Is that like contempting people who use nouns as verbs?

[Paulustrious]

I think you mean people who verb nouns.

[Full tummy]

Haha, you had me wondering, but check it out... Disdain is also a transitive verb.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictio...

[hotdoglover]

That might even be worse. For me it's usually just mustard since I love the taste of a quality frank. When I was a teenager it was mustard and kraut. Now I don't even put kraut on my dogs. But with a bratwurst it has to be mustard and a very good brand of sauerkraut.

[Full tummy]

Ah, but the kraut is the only thing that makes it healthy... How could I justify eating a hot dog if it weren't for the sauerkraut???

[Politeness]

hotdoglover, you are at 50%, but one of two is an o.k. average. Ketchup/catsup is fine (maybe necessary) on hamburgers, and essential in thousand island salad dressing. As to hot dogs, no one can doubt that ketchup/catsup is counter-indicated; but real "hot dog lovers" prefer beef knockwurst to pedestrian hot dogs, anyway. ;-)

[hotdoglover]

Well, I would say that beef knockwurst is preferable to pedestrian hot dogs, but the hot dogs that I like to eat aren't pedestrian. They are high quality made from whole cuts (not just trimmings like pedestrian hot dogs) of beef and/or beef and pork. Some of the best hot dogs are in the German style and contain pork.

[Full tummy]

Yes, yes, I agree. I am German (well, a German-born Canadian), and when I say hot dog, I'm not talking Maple Leaf, no thank you. Haven't had one of those for decades...

[jeanmarieok]

Bacon Lettuce and Tomato sandwich should be on white bread (can be wonder bread, semolina, french bread, as long as it's white!!), with real mayo (no miracle whip!!) with real garden tomatoes. Any deviation is disappointing to me.

[EWSflash]

Amen to the white bread (toasted, of course), but shoot- I don't even put mayonnaise on a BLT. Just salt and a whole lot of pepper.

Never, ever miracle whip.

[Paulustrious]

Taking meat straight out of the fridge to grill / griddle / BBQ.

I like to let it rise to near room temperature, gathering germs to the horror of other people. It warms more quickly on a baking rack rather then sitting on a wooden block (or even a plate) that acts as an insulator.

[Karl S]

Yeah, de-chilling meat and warmed plates are two steps (at either end of the cooking process) that overwhelming majority of cookbooks and recipes omit because it's simply assumed you are knowledgeable enough to do that automatically.

[bigfellow]

Vanilla, should be real vanilla extract or beans, period!

[EWSflash]

Enchiladas. There's certainly a lot of wiggle room there, and I don't even care if you put it together casserole-style, but if you make them with flour tortillas they're not enchiladas, dammit, theyre burritos or chimichangas.

Tomatoes don't belong there, either, unless it's nestled into a little pile of lettuce or cabbage next to the enchiladas.

[bolivar13]

Ha ha, my wife's family is mexican, but long enough ago that some of the family recipes got tex-mexified in the 50's when they were in texas. Enchiladas is one of them. The chili sauce is wonderful but they always make them filled just with chopped onions and cheddar cheese.
I love them, don't get me wrong, but they always make me wonder what they were like before the cheddar was added

[EWSflash]

Cheedar's fine, cheddar's good, but oh man, enchiladas with queso cotija or queso fresco? Heaven!

[Sal Vanilla]

I have just discovered that I am the a-purist. The only small hang up I have it the immodest use of ketchup. But that is not a purity thing.

[bolivar13]

Beer - miller, bud, anything where they add corn or rice as filler should be banned. Corn sugar is allowed for bottle conditioning and I've had a really good red rice beer from hitachino but that's a whole different thing.

American "cheese" - this is not cheese and despite what they end up putting on the lable (pasteurized processed cheese food) it's hardly food either. I grew up eating it on grilled cheese sandwiches all the time but now I can't stand the stuff.

Actually, artificial food in general: fake syrup, fake cheese (see above), fake butter, especially fake meat! I have nothing against vegetarians (vegans are another story) and I love tofu and seitan but if you're not going to eat meat don't try to make your non-meat items look and taste like meat! Enjoy them for what they are. And tofurky is just an abomination.

Cake bagels - bagels should be boiled, anything else is round bread.

Pizza crust - that soggy cardboard nonsense that's under most pizza in New York drives me up the wall. Crust should have some bite to it (think al dente) or even be crispy. I almost always throw delivery/carryout pizza on the stone in my oven to crisp up the crust.

Ok, I'll stop now, that's probably enough diatribe for one day.

[jeanmarieok]

I posted the exact same comment about fake meat in another post somewhere on this board.

[coll]

Pizza crust is important, but what's on top? Cheese and sauce, period. I thought that was just a New York thing, but someone mentioned above that it's that way in Italy too. I got that snobbishness from my husband, I did used to like mushrooms on top occasionally. He forbids any toppings, and now I'm used to it, and question people when they want pepperoni and all that junk.

[bolivar13]

Actually, toppings I'm pretty liberal about. I'm not sure who told you that italian pizza was just cheese and sauce but you'd be shocked at the number of toppings on pizzas in italy. Potato pizza is one of my favorites - no sauce, just potatoes and rosemary sometimes with prosciutto.

[coll]

When I was in Rome, I only saw plain. Although in Sorrento and Naples, I had Caprese and also one with shellfish piled like a mountain on top. Those I enjoyed. Haven't been too many other places in Italy myself. I guess I was thinking of Rome when I said that.

[bolivar13]

Rome has a good selection too! One of my favorite pizza places ever was there. You paid by 100g amounts and the two times I went I made sure to sample at least three different types of pizza. Actually, I think that was the first place I ever saw the potato pizza I was speaking of.

[tatamagouche]

Absolutely. Tuna and corn (but then no cheese); shrimp and arugula (ditto); potato; zucchini blossoms.

There are some things you won't see. You won't see five kinds of meat, for instance.

[coll]

It's been almost 10 years since I was in Rome, I guess things change, even there!

[tatamagouche]

Not to nitpick, but this isn't a change. These are fairly standard pizza types. But hey, just means you need to you look around more. Any excuse to return to Italy, right? Me too, because I'm sure there are many I've missed...:)

[coll]

My visit was WAY too short. Only 8 days. I didn't realize beforehand.

[Panini Guy]

I'm with you. I like traditional pizza toppings (and European pizzas like potato, zucchini flowers, corn, etc. that you don't see here). But I've become more tolerant of weirdness. I've made peace with pineapple on pizza. When I lived in Mexico, ham and pineapple were everywhere. Still won't eat it, but will chalk it up to regional tastes.

However, wtf is "salad pizza". I'm seeing more and more of this. Greens and ranch dressing on a crust. Sorry, but that's crossing the line. Not pizza.

[c oliver]

Late reply to a thread I haven't looked at in a long time. Some arugula on a pizza just after it comes out of the oven is, IMO, great. That somewhat bitter flavor cuts the heaviness. Love it.

[marietinn]

"vegans are another story"

Why is that?

[lemiller610]

Some have already been hinted at... but here is my hit list:

- Coffee : strong, hot, dark. No sugar, flavoring, milk powder, syrups, etc. blech!

- Sushi: I gotta agree with many posters here - I am a sushi purist - I like fresh fish atop perfectly made sushi rice. No mayo, no avocado, no "spicy tuna", no brown rice.

- Chocolate - please contain the agricultural product that is "cocoa". Chocolate is not sugar and vegetable fat.

- Buttercream - bascially the same as chocolate - buttercream is cream, butter, and a touch of sugar. It is not Crisco, it is not tons of sugar, it does not come out of a jar.

- Lobster - (keep in mind, I was born a Rhode Islander and we take this stuff seriously). Lobster is whole, alive prior to cooking, cooked with steam, and eaten with butter and only butter. I will never eat lobster in pasta, in a Chinese restaurant, or baked and stuffed. I sometimes have a hard time with the mayo in lobster rolls. Purist!

[Caitlin McGrath]

Traditional buttercream recipes (French, Swiss, Italian meringue) actually don't have any cream. Eggs (or egg whites), sugar, butter, flavoring.

[vegwriter]

As a raw foodie, I like using only ingredients that are really raw. And I always wish that other raw food chefs would do the same. But most of them cheat with things like nutritional yeast, "natural" flavorings (which are not natural at all, let alone raw), maple syrup (not at all raw), and other non-raw ingredients like Balsamic vinegar.

I figure that since such a miniscule percentage of the populace are raw foodies, we chefs ought to cater to the highest common denominator, because otherwise no one is making food for those who prefer to be 100 percent raw.

I would really prefer to see a raw vegan labeling law with enforcement. Because raw consumers don't know if rumors that so-called raw agave is not raw at all, and/or is doctored with corn syrup (ugh!), are true. Or if cashews can ever be really raw. Etc.

[pikawicca]

Can't imagine there'd be much of a market for "raw vegan labeling." I believe that this is a fad that's already peaked.

Dubious health claims aside, the effort needed to produce palatable raw meals is monumental.

[phoenikia]

Prosciutto crudo, should be enjoyed crudo!

It loses its character and its colour, and takes on a tough, stringy texture and weird flavour when it's been heated. The worst is when it gets baked into a pizza!

[Bunnyfood]

ESPRESSO. OMG- espresso does not have any of the following:
flavor shots;
whipped cream;
caramel sauce;
WATER- that my friend is an Americano

While those things are nice, they are not condiments for the most perfect couple of ozs of caffeine nectar. Espresso is made from select beans, roasted to a specific roast and "brewed" via pressurized steam. No other "espresso" making methods need apply...

Iced espresso drink are made of espresso, iced, not brewed espresso beans or cold filter brewed coffee. And while we're on the topic- what is flavored coffee? Isn't it already flavored TO TASTE LIKE COFFEE? You no like? Drink tea...or a milkshake, which is what most espresso drinks are today anyways...

Thanks for letting me let loose on that one...feeling much better...good enough to get out and go to the coffee shop for an espresso...

[cgfan]

Yes!

(I made the mistake of posting earlier on both Sushi and Espresso, and, well, the Sushi subthread sort of took over the entire thread! - http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6094...

)

So here's my repost, sans sushi:

espresso

When we can get to the point where even a simple majority of cafes can pour a drinkable espresso, I'll remove this from my list!

A corollary: there are many out there that believe they dislike espresso, but only because they were never served a well-pulled shot.

.
...and an observation: a good sushi bar is just as rare as a good espresso bar. How rare? One would be lucky to have even one of each in their metropolitan area. An honest count would leave most metropolitan areas at zero, and a few lucky exceptions can count 3 or more of each in their metropolitan area...

[Bunnyfood]

Oh so true...Coffee shops that "get it" are one in a million...Here is Portland, there are plenty of coffee shops, but only 1 to my mind does it right...The rest pull those shots that that have no crema, are bitter and unpalateable..the kind no flavor shot can overcome...

[pikawicca]

Hello?

You cannot make espresso without water.

Don't quite know why that needs to be said.

[cgfan]

>>> You cannot make espresso without water.

Of course, and I'm sure Bunnyfood did not mean to contradict that.

I believe what Bunnyfood was referring to was the making of an Americano, which is an espresso shot watered down with: additional hot water over and above what's used in the espresso...

(BTW it should not be made by using extra water for the espresso itself, as that will overextract the grounds leading to a more bitter drink...)

[alanbarnes]

Unless you grind the coffee more coarsely, in which case it becomes a Cafe Suisse.

[Bunnyfood]

Thanks cgfan- was referring to the additional hot H20 added to make an Americano.

Which reminds me....Let's add French baguette to this list as well! I can not abide the inspid, dense, flavorless walking sticks some bakeries and grocery stores call baguette. To me, a bag is , flour, yeast, salt. Maybe a light egg wash...

[linguafood]

And it remains difficult to get decent baguette outside of France ....

[moh]

Hee hee! Living in Montreal, we can get decent baguette! And croissant. There are a lot of headaches about living in Montreal, but this is not one of them.

[linguafood]

Hey, I'd take Montreal over State College anytime, tyvm '-)

I did have a good croissant there. No bag, tho...

[Sam Fujisaka]

Good baguettes are to be found in Madagascar and Vietnam.

[linguafood]

A bit of a walk, from PA as well as Berlin '-D. But good to know!

[Sam Fujisaka]

I'll have to add yogurt. I had some "normal" store bought "yogurt" in the US last week. Sweet , slightly rubbery strange textured no-tangy flavor, ... very unpleasant compared to homemade. Actually its not comparable.

[vtnewbie]

Lard in piecrusts.
Suet for frying french fries.
Cream in ice cream.
Tree-ripened peaches.

[tatamagouche]

Which one of these things is not like the other? :)

I've given up on US peaches in recent years, even here in peachy-keen Colorado. Seems 9 out of every 10 are rock-hard or mealy, and they're all flavorless. It's not exactly purist to say "peaches must only be eaten in Italy," but...

[ceekskat]

Sugar. Accept no substitutes.

[AngelSanctuary]

Sweet soups! I am strangely very strict about them. Especially about ginger milk custard which sounds like to be the easiest thing to make ever but I get very angry when they're done awfully. The worst one was in this really popular place in Toronto and they thickened that thing with freaking gelatin! Ugh...it made the thing way too thick and the custard had almost NO ginger flavor AT ALL!! That was when I knew me and my boyfriend at that time wouldn't work out (he loves that place).

How do one know if a type of sushi is traditional or not...I mean provided it does not have something like cream cheese or like smoked salmon in it.

[applehome]

I was going to answer this when you first posted it, but it got by me. Whether for sushi or any thing else, the best way to insure some level of honest and authentic food is to find a place that has a dedicated chef who trained traditionally, whether he is now serving purely traditional foods or not. The marketplace may force him to make things that sell - but if you approach him with the idea that you are looking for "the real deal", stuff that hasn't been altered beyond recognition to meet common American tastes, then he will be proud to cater to your request.

There was a place in Lowell MA that was run by a well trained Itamae - not necessarily at the level of a traditional sushiya in Tokyo or Osaka, but heads and tails above the run-of-the-mill Chinese/burb place. He was Korean-American, but had trained at some excellent places in NYC, with hardcore Japanese salarymen clientele. But in Lowell, he simply didn't get the knowledgeable patronage to stock all kinds of interesting neta, but told me that all I had to do was give him a day's notice, before I came by for lunch, and he would score some different fish. He really looked forward to doing this, as he could show off what he knew. Unfortunately, I wasn't enough of a challenge all by myself (even after recommending him to my sushi aficionado friends) - he ended up moving back to NYC.

How do you find such a person? You have to keep your eyes and ears open, look here under your geographic board, ask your friends. If a person (here or otherwise) talks about lots of "fresh" tuna and salmon, but little else, or talks about how great the spider maki is or of course, the california rolls - well, you know what level of sushi aficionado you're talking to. Follow that person's advice if you want that kind of sushi. But if you hear a person go on about the wonderful varieties of fish, of unusual roes and different preparations - that's the guy that's worth investigating. And I believe that this is equally true of all other cuisines. The guy that raves about the wonderful Italian dishes at Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill has never been to some of the places in the North End or Little Italy that serve "the real deal". Not that there aren't plenty of bad tourist traps in those neighborhoods, either... you just have to work at finding the good places. Remember - it's supposed to be an adventure. If it was easy, anyone could do it!

[Sam Fujisaka]

Hey, brother, I still think I'm adequately trained to make sushi (by my Mom and my Aunties).

[pikawicca]

If you have great fish and a great knife, you're good to go.

[Sam Fujisaka]

I make more traditional makizushi / nori zushi rather than nigiri, so often don't even need fish.

[applehome]

The only thing we ever did was roll your own at parties. As good as my mom was at so many things, she left real sushi to the pro's. She made the rice, toasted and cut nori into large squares, and cut up some fish, tako, ika, a couple of small bowls of different roe, lots of tsukemono mostly homemade except for the takuwan. Just plain cucumber. Raw amaebi in season or cooked shrimp. She made perfect tamago. She made her own saba and did a lot of misozuke and nukazuke. All that was put on the large serving dish with the bowl of rice and pile of nori on the side, and people would roll their own temaki.

If she wanted to do something more formal, she would order huge orders of nigiri from one of several Itamae friends - not just nigiri, they would make really fancy futomaki that looked like stained glass.

At my home, we just eat lots of rice with nori sheets - use the old hashi to roll each bite up as we go. Just a medama - tamago in the morning. Otherwise, some leftover pieces of chicken and meat, if we're lucky some suzuko or at least some tarako/mentai. We could have sashimi, if I've scored a great piece from the Japanese food store (I would never, ever eat a piece of yellowtail from the supermarket as sashimi) - but even with the great fish, it's my poor grade of butsugiri. I have a yanagiba, and I keep it razor sharp. I still don't believe for 2 seconds that I can cut sashimi as cleanly as someone that cuts hundreds of slices per day. I think that anyone that thinks they can do so is either an Itamae or a fool.

I have no problem believing you make great makizushi. But I would have to assume that it's a limited set of neta, maybe along the lines I've described. For me, eating great sushi is beyond that, and cannot be done at home. Even the same ingredient that my mom or I might use, like a nice thick piece of mongoika, back-sliced so finely and perfectly by an expert, is so much tastier and easier to eat. But the great range of ingredients and knowledge of how to prepare them, comes with years of apprenticeship and work and with having the clientele that can appreciate it night after night.

I've never been to Jiro or any of these super-famous places, so I'm not even talking about that level of Itamae. My friends and the people I have frequented over the years are just journeymen sushiyas that grew up working in Osaka and Tokyo. They served salarymen and learned to meet their traditional needs. They followed them to NYC when the Japanese business boom exploded there, and they stayed feeding what was left of the Japanese and trying to satisfy their new American clientele. I could never, ever, expect to prepare sushi, of any form, at their level.

Americanized sushi is something else, again. It is about as related to real sushi as an Outback steak is to one at Peter Luger's or Bern's. Some people are very happy to have Americanized sushi, and that's fine for them. But to go through life thinking that this is good sushi would be as ludicrous as going through life thinking that Outback is good steak. That doesn't mean that I don't eat at Outback with friends and associates - just that I know what the Porterhouse at Luger's tastes like, and I think it's just a teeny bit better (as in, there is a teeny bit of difference in size between a nucleus of a Hydrogen atom and the Sun).

[Peg]

Coffee - never instant, always freshly ground
Butter - never marge
Pesto - must be freshly made
Cheese - preferably unpasturised milk (not 'must' as it is not always available)
Chips (fries in US) - must be chunky
Eggs, milk, potatoes, tomatoes - must be organic
Mayo - never 'lite'

[tatamagouche]

Though I wasn't with the poster who insists on traditional basil-and-pignoli Ligurian pesto upthread—I'm down with any herb-nut combo—I'm with you on freshness. Pesto is *so easy*—why ever buy jarred?

[moh]

Umm, sometimes I freeze my homemade pesto when I have too much... it's not bad defrosted... I mean, yes, fresh is better, but I can only eat so much at one time.

[taratootie]

Are you kidding me? I will put pesto on freakin cereal! Well, not really... but close to it. I always eat it all. Yum.

Dont even get me started on chimichurri. Mmmmm...

[tatamagouche]

You still *made* it though. Good on ya.

[taratootie]

True... making it outweighs the freezing it I suppose! Why on earh would you BUY the stuff. Its bad... and really expensive!

[Melanie]

The only thing I am an absolute purist about is steak: NY Strip, a little salt and pepper, grilled perfectly medium rare, a couple minutes of rest, and a generous squeeze of Heinz Ketchup.

[Sam Fujisaka]

You either: a) have a GREAT sense of humor or b) are not ready for what is about to descend on your head.

[bigfellow]

Ketchup...wow...I mean who'd a thunk it. You never, never put ketchup on any type of steak!!!!!!!

You always smother the steak in HP sauce or Daddies Brown sauce. I mean I thought that EVERYONE knew that.

[tatamagouche]

I almost wrote exactly what you did when the post first came up and then thought, Nah, ain't gonna touch it. And I touch everything.

[Humbucker]

I think you made about a dozen other purists balk when you added the ketchup.

[Gin n Tonic]

She didn't actually say she was going to squeeze the ketchup onto the steak, though... Maybe it was a generous squeeze of Heinz Ketchup to liven up the boring white tablecloth...

[Melanie]

thanks Sam - the answer was A) Sorry if I gave any fellow 'hounds a heart attack - clearly the computer isn't able to portray a sense of humor quite as well as I'd like it to!

[tatamagouche]

No, dry humor's good. Like steak.

[bigfellow]

or HP sauce!

[Sam Fujisaka]

You're truly a funny, twisted individual.

[bigfellow]

What can I say, too many british comedies as a child!

[EWSflash]

Whew- lynch mob averted.

[jfood]

Oy. the rose colored outlook of youth (assuming that is you in the avatar).

Sleep tight youngster for as you grow old and wise you will learn the sins of your ways of placing ketchup on a strip steak.

Edit - jfood just read the final segment and added you to his must read list. A demented mind is a terrible thing to waste. :-))

[taratootie]

Must haves:

Butter.

Maple syrup.

Vanilla.

MARMITE.

Plain yogurt.

Sugar added to everything... why?! Potato salad/ wings/ spaghetti/ etc is not supposed to be frickin sweet!

BUTTERCREAM. Is there powdered sugar in it? Go away.

Real cream for coffee... no powder.

I am sure there are more... but thats what I have right now!

[Humbucker]

Can you elaborate on how one can be a Marmite purist? I recently discovered the stuff after a trip to London and I'm in love with it.

[taratootie]

As in... Marmite only! No Vegemite or Our Mate or whatever. MAR. MITE.

You should try it on some crusty toast with loads of butter and avocado slices... yummy!

[umbushi plum]

no vegemite only! ;-) and i love love love crusty rye toast with avacado mashed on (my fav breakfast food) so i will have to try the combination!

[katielp]

My purist tendencies wane as the day goes on (will do blue cheese in my mac and cheese, cream cheese in my sushi rolls), but they are strict at breakfast.

Oatmeal: just oats, milk (not nonfat, though I can't really taste much difference between 4% and 2%), maybe a little brown sugar. No raisins, cinnamon, or especially cold fresh fruit or (ugh) peanut butter or pumpkin, as a friend does it.

Eggs: scrambled, must be moist, must be in butter. No egg whites, though I might countenance them later in the day.

Irish bangers, but no fancy spicy sausages.
Plain back bacon, no maple-syrup nonsense.

Cereal I also like kept plain: cornflakes, cheerios, weetabix, etc. Milk and maybe sugar.
Prefer a nice grapefruit in the morning to blueberries or pears, although I enjoy a much wider range of fruits later in the day.

Oh, and tea! Black tea with milk; green tea or herbal teas perhaps after lunch. Coffee, but no mochas, iced coffees, etc.

[taratootie]

I get the tea thing! Water heated for 2:22 in the microwave... steep PG Tipps (Sometimes Red Label) for 4.5 mins. Add sugar (I use stevia now) and REAL half and half.

[tatamagouche]

"Sugar added to everything"

A-freakin'-men. I accidentally bought a jar of dill pickles with HFCS in it the other day. WTF?

[comfortcaffe]

i thought that made them bread and butter pickles (which i hate) i remember trying to eliminate sugar from my diet a wile ago, complete failure. and something i just thought of is how can nutella be a part of a healthy breakfast (its FIRST ingredient is sugar, ohh but they use skim milk that must be it)

[hungry100]

Mayo -- must be Hellman's (never "lite")

Ketchup must be Heinz (never Hunt's)

[bigfellow]

Mayo MUST be homemade. That is real mayo, not a chemical, commercial concoction.

[al b. darned]

Mayo must be Cain's...without boiler chemical preservatives.

[cuccubear]

Ice Cream is something for which I am a purist. I don’t think it needs marshmallows, cereal, cookies or candy to taste good. Real good ice cream needs no helping hand (fresh fruit or nuts notwithstanding).

[al b. darned]

REAL Clam Chowder NEVER has tomatoes!!! EVER!!!

[Karl S]

Well, real clam chowder might have some tomatoes (tomatoes go back to the mid-19th century in New England, when clam chowder was being defined), but real clam chowder should have no thickener (like roux or cornstarch) other than from dairy (whether milk, some touch of cream or butter) or the starch from the potatoes.

[KTinNYC]

I have three kinds of clam chowder in mind when I think of clam chowder. New England, Manhattan, and Rhode Island. All are legitimate, all are different but all can clam the title of Clam Chowder.

[applehome]

And *NONE* of them should be thickened with a roux!

[KTinNYC]

Right, if you are a purist. But I love thick chowders so I use a roux in my NE clam chowder (ducks head while awaiting derision and insults...)

[tatamagouche]

I'm with applehome and Karl S on this one—it's definitely one of my other purist peeves. No roux. But no insults either! Just disagreement. :)

[Karl S]

You and others can call it NE clam chowder. I and yet others will call it NE clam wallpaper paste.

Thickeners came about because they allow restaurants to hold a chowder over heat for a long time without having the milk curdle. Of course, that altered public perception of what a proper chowder should be, and cookbooks then catered to that perception. When I hear a restaurant (and there are of course many places in NE that even do this, all the more shame on them) tout how thick its clam chowder is, I wonder whether that same restaurant would tout, say, how well done it grills its steaks....

Chowder purists have been trying to undo the damage for a long time.

Tomatoes are far less of an impurity in chowder than thickeners.

[KTinNYC]

I know it's wrong but I can't help myself. Is there some sort of chowhound penance?

There should be a what are you not a purist about thread.

[c oliver]

Excellent idea about that non-purist thread. You made me chuckle which has been in short supply for me this morning. Thanks.

And PS to Karl S: I don't like thick chowder. Didn't know I was a purist. I'm so proud.

[Paulustrious]

Wikipedia (all bow, please) disagrees about the flour. And in terms of tomatoes it states... "a 1939 bill making tomatoes in clam chowder illegal was introduced in the Maine legislature".

It is possible I have never had a proper clam chowder. I am used to a glutinous semi-fluid fishy-smelling pond-extract being the equal, in culinary excellence, of the chicken and sweetcorn soup in an all-you-can-eat Chinese emporium.

Maybe I should give it another go. I know it never tastes remotely like my potato and fish soup. (Confession: I like barley flour in it.)

[tatamagouche]

Real chowder, tasting of actual clams enhanced by salt pork or bacon, is a treat, rest assured. Unless you keep kosher.

[applehome]

Bacon? BACON?!!! Argghhhhh!!!

[pikawicca]

When I was a young' en, my mother was able to procure very tasty salt pork, and would not have dreamed of using bacon in chowder. Today, sadly, salt pork sucks. A good bacon is the better choice, IMO.

[tatamagouche]

Precisely.

[applehome]

Smoked bacon overwhelms the clams or the fish. Might as well eat finnan haddie. A real NE chowder is milk with butter floating - chunks of whitemeat fish or large pieces of clam, potato - and a touch of salty pork in the base - not enough to really taste individually, but just to round out the flavor. Smokiness kills it.

[tatamagouche]

OK, applehome, as the OP I say you win—you are truly the most pure of the purists.

I disagree, however, on this one. (Finnan haddie, really?) Shellfish with bacon in various guises is a pretty classic combo for a reason, and in the case of chowder specifically—I meant my wording, "the taste of *clams* *enhanced* by bacon," pretty literally. I've never found bacon to kill the clam flavor—and I doubt it's because I'm some sort of shellfish supertaster. Of course salt pork is still the traditional choice, but I'm with picawicca as to why it's not always the better choice.

It would, I grant, be interesting to do a side by side comparison.

[Paulustrious]

Finnan haddock? I haven't seen that since I left England. I saw very little smoked fish when I lived in the States (SE). There is a lot more of it here in Toronto.
With the advantage is that it keeps on delivering that flavour for hours...

[applehome]

Plenty of Finnan Haddie up here in Boston - the relationship to what we're talking about (smoke in the bacon overwhelming the clams in the chowder) is that it's a smoked haddock rejuvenated, or poached, in milk - chowderish, except for the fact that it's completely overwhelmed by the smoked fish. NE Clam Chowder should have no smokiness to it at all.

I never heard it called finnan haddock here, is that normal for England? I know that it comes from the Scottish town of Finnan (or something like that). Those Great Scots sure smoked a lot of fish... No wonder they lived in the Highlands... (badum bum).

[Paulustrious]

Scots dialect tends to lose something in translation, as it oscillates between unitelligible and incomprehensible. It was finnin haddock where I came from (Liverpool UK) where it used to be landed and processed. Googling gives us the hits...

finnan haddock 6500 (mainly UK)
finnan haddie 23,700

Google also says it derives from the village of Findon - I didn't know that.

There is/was still a lot of smoked fish in Brit fishmongers. Smoked haddock, smoked herring (kippers) and smoked cod. Smoked cod is a lot rarer now - as is the fish itself.

We also cooked it in milk occasionally. But the main dish was Kedgeree. An extremely tasty and filling breakfast. And I am sure it could be Americanised by the addition of ketchup.

Here's an interesting article...http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-k...

[Karl S]

Wikipedia --- please....

Indeed, it sounds like you've never had a proper clam chowder....

Tomatoes in chowder were more of a SE New England Thing. Maine has its own regional traditions - even differing between coastal and inland.

[Passadumkeg]

New Mexico chile, no tomatoes, no beans. The rest of you are infidels!

[hotdoglover]

What is the word that describes seeming contradictions? Like jumbo shrimp. That's what I feel like when calling myself a hot dog purist. No ketchup. Ever. It's sweet and masks the flavor of a quality frankfurter. And while most of the country does not know what a quality frankfurter is, they do exist. And they are meant to be served hot; not lukewarm and with a little mustard. Hot sauce and other junk only masks the flavor of a true well made frank. Chicago style? No thanks. I'll take the salad on the side.

Beer is another thing I'm picky about. It must be served in a glass or mug. Not frosted. Places that serve you beer in a frosted glass do not know beer. It must be served at the right temperature according to style. And it should not contain corn, rice, or cheap adjuncts.

[jfood]

HDL

Your name came up in conversation this morning at Casa Jfood. They were eating some great novey and bagels and the the conversation moved to discussing Sloppy Joes (the real NJ type) and hot dogs in NJ. Syds, of course, came up and then the epitome, Don's (Short Hills, NJ). Jfood told mrs jfood he would ask you if you knew where he could buy the big fat dogs that Don's used to sell.

Any idea? You are jfood last hope for a summer of memories (oh crap he sounds like a Redford-Streisand movie from '73)

TIA

[hotdoglover]

jfood,

These dogs are not available in stores or retail outlets. Only at the places that serve them or the factory. I would suggest going to Best Provisions in Newark. They will sell them to you. You can also get them from Frankly Burgers & More in Freehold. They serve this dog at their little restaurant.

[MC Slim JB]

Circus Peanuts must be destroyed. And not by eating them.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[Pesel]

Chicken soup is made with a whole chicken, cut in quarters or eighths if you like...not just made with backs and necks or just dark meat or breasts. And this I am a purist about.

[c oliver]

Sounds wonderful but it almost sounds like chicken stew. I think of soup as *eatable* with a spoon where yours sounds like a knife and fork meal. Englighten please?

[jfood]

Chicken Soup purist here. And the KISS method prevails,

Big pot of water; Place cleaned whole chicken cut in eight pieces into water; 2 carrots peeled, One onion peeled; High simmer for two hours. Done. S&P to taste.

Serve the liquid in a bowl with a little bit of carrot and some very thin noodles.

Refrigerate chicken and use for chicken salad or place in my bowl. woof.

[Soop]

Same with stew mostly. Don't you find the chicken a little tasteless without the liquid (though I certainly wouldn't chuck it!)

[applehome]

Must use an old stewing hen - and absolutely, chuck it. If there's any flavor left in the meat, you didn't do it right. Why would you use mushy, flavorless meat in something else? Also add some chicken feet for the proper mouth feel - nice gellatinous broth with incredible flavor. Hey - in the old days, the feet used to be attached.

[Soop]

In a stew though, the chicken is there for protein and mouthfeel, though the flavour is in the liquid.

[applehome]

And I would use another chicken - not an old fowl, but a good tender eating chicken available to make the stew with. A great stock is the start of any number of things - soup, stew, sauce, etc. Often, I use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, which we can get cheaply - but the seasoning has to be right for the recipe. But I would never consider using the meat left over from making a stock to eat. I've tried, and it's gross. The alternative, which is simply not to cook it as long, won't maximize your stock flavor.

[Full tummy]

Seems like an awful waste to me. So, why not just take the meat off once cooked, and continue with only the bones, if you find the meat too tasteless after the full cooking time? (Many stocks are made with just bones, anyway. And, my broth always has plenty of veggies while cooking, which, yes, are discarded because they are mush...)

After my chicken stock is made, I use some meat in the soup and some for chicken salad with curry, mayonnaise, apple, etc. I've always found it plenty flavourful.

[Paulustrious]

They are far too valuable in my part of the world. My local Asian supermarkets have trays of gizzards, liver, hearts and feet.

I buy chicken carcases, 40 at a time or so and simmer them in a (very) large pot for three hours. My wife insists I do it on the bbq burner cus it stinks the house out. There is a timing issue. You need at least two hours to break down the collagen to get a good stock. After three hours or so the bones begin to decompose and the stock becomes more cloudy. That's fine by me, but for some who are after a bouillon that's too long. Timing for a pressure cooker is about 1/3 of this for a 15lb pressure difference.

After cooling this will yield 12 litres of strong stock. It freezes perfectly. Even better, you will have a few pounds of chicken fat.

I am a stock purist. I refuse to buy it and make sure I never run out. It is the basis for so many curries, soups, sauces and stews. In terms of curries it is non-traditional, but using stock as a base and chicken fat instead of ghee gives a flavour I enjoy. I am a total non-purist in following cultural menus.

May the Schmaltz be with you.

[applehome]

Precisely - the timing is important. That's why just removing the meat and cooking the bones forever is not a good idea, at least with chickens. One thing that I should clarify is the use of fowls, not the US standard broilers. The best stock flavor comes from old, sinewy birds that have spent their lives laying eggs. Most Americans don't see these in supermarkets or butchers any more. Everything is the plumped up, anti-biotic injected, bread for big breasts, indoor raised, Purdue and Tyson garbage. Talk about tasteless - I eat that stuff when I have to, but would never consider them for stock.

Obviously, to each their own. If you're happy eating the chicken and the chicken soup that it was taken from, wonderful. I just don't believe that such a soup is chickeny enough. You have to have the chicken feet, and the meat has to have given up ALL its flavor.

One thing I noted about schmaltz - no matter how well I cook and filter it on my stove top, it doesn't last that long. The little tubs of Empire schmaltz from the grocery store last forever in the fridge - they never grow anything, they never turn sour, the flavor remains the same - they don't pick up any fridge flavors. This isn't necessarily unusual - saturated fats last lots longer than unsaturated fats. But my home made, even if it looks absolutely clean like the store bought, always ends up going bad after a while. I wonder what they do to achieve the anti-biotic purity they obviously have.

[Paulustrious]

That's odd - I never seem to have that problem with the fat. I keep it in a container in the fridge, but press a little cling film on it to keep the air from it. I also bring it to the boil every two or three weeks. I have never had a problem with it becoming rancid.

I have no idea what Empire Schmaltz it - but I generate so much it is irrelevant.

My wife - an anti-fat person - visited a nutritionist this week. Said nutritionist was delighted we made our own stock. She said at our advanced ages (50's) that it was one of the best things to resist osteoporosis. She was even more overjoyed to learn I use chicken fat whenever I can sneak it in.

God bless that nutritionist. My wife is now saying we should use more chicken fat.

[Sam Fujisaka]

applehome, finally something on which I disagee with you and (many other hounds). I don't see any benefit whatsoever of making chicken stock from an uncooked chicken. Raw chicken gives very, very little to a stock - other than a bunch of boiled out fat. Bones from a roasted chicken and the feet are key to a good stock. The roasted bones give the flavors; and the feet give you jello. And a good stock must be clarified!

[pikawicca]

Gee, Sam, I never figured you for a purist. I make chicken stock every week, but almost never clarify. How and why do you do this?

[Sam Fujisaka]

Soups from stock should often be very clear. If I make miso shiro, when the miso settles, the stock shoud be crystal clear. Some sauces using stock should end up being clear.

[applehome]

Classically, there's dark stock and light stock from chicken. Roasted flavors belong in the dark stock, but light stock - from which you make the traditional chicken soup for matzohballs or egg drop soup, needs to be made from fresh, raw chicken. I used to make tortilla soup and some other items from a dark stock, but I found the roasted chicken flavors to not always fit the use I was planning, so over time, I've quit making the dark stock altogether and just use the raw chicken stock for everything.

Clarifying is another matter entirely, and can be done with either. If making a consomme, clarifying is essential, but using egg whites can be such a hassle - and nothing else works quite as well, not even filtering through cheesecloth.

I'm not casting any aspersions on you, Sam, but I sometimes wonder if people have had really, really, chickeny soup. Chicken is often treated as such a light flavor that it is just a base, and all kinds of other flavors are used to overlay the basic chicken, including the herbs that go into a roasted chicken, for example. People make their stock with fennel and celery root - this may taste fine, but how much chicken flavor is left? The most incredible chicken flavor comes from chicken and chicken feet alone - with lots of gelatin for a thick, smooth mouthfeel, and incredible umami - the kind that makes your cheeks drop off. The mirapoix is there to round out the flavor, not to overwhelm the chicken.

I don't know if you've had any experience with the "first soup" vs. the second, in Chinese restaurants. The first is the true stock, made with lots of chicken and chicken feet and used as a master broth that is very often thinned down. The second is a much weaker stock used directly for soups, etc - it is most often made with bones. When a Chinese restaurant opens, it sometimes serves the first directly in their soups to attract customers, but will inevitably move to the second soup as it costs too much to make the first on an on-going basis. This is exactly what happened here at a new Sichuan place. When I complained to my Chinese foodie friend at work, she assured me that it is a well known phenomenon. She grew up in the country near ChangSha, was married off to someone in Hong Kong (and thus speaks both Mandarin and Cantonese), and then emigrated to the US.

My goal is to make and use the first soup for everything. In fact, I've even made a double-first soup, in which I use two whole chickens and double the feet. I make the standard stock with one chicken and half the feet, then use that stock instead of water with the second chicken and the remaining feet. I absolutely do not find the use of a cooked carcass to lead to anywhere near the amount of flavor I get from this approach.

I also make dashi in a very purist fashion, using either a bag of niboshi or half a large bag of katsuobushi - or a combination, along with some kombu and mirin. The Japanese also define a 1st and 2nd stock - the first is a very strong dashi used for cooking and tsuyus where there is some level of dilution. The second, which is made from the recovered fish (like a 2nd cup of tea from a teabag), is used directly in miso shiru and osuimono, etc. I've never used chicken stock in these dishes.

For ramen, I'll combine chicken stock, dashi, (both first stock), and then add some pork stock made from cutting out the blade bone (with a significant amount of meat purposely left on it) out of a butt, and roasting it prior to making stock. Sometimes, I use clam juice in addition to the dashi.

Being in Colombia, you probably don't have to worry about the super-bland chicken phenomenon that we have here. People who make chicken stock from Purdue or Tyson chickens have no clue what a chicken is supposed to taste like - even if they do roast it first. You have to use old fowls, and you have to use chicken feet.

[Sam Fujisaka]

applehome, you know how much I respect you in all things. But I still disagree regarding chicken stock. I somehow learned more French than Chinese approaches to the issue at hand. I use the gizzards (plus feet and necks) of four chickens plus any stored bones to equal and better one hen thrown into the pot. I'll go head to head with anyone on this.

[applehome]

Well - it would be a head to head I'd relish. We may not change anybody's mind as to what's the absolute best, but we'd have a lot of great soup trying.

I'm sure you'll say the same thing, but I've been working on my chicken stock and soup for many, many years, and have gone through a roasted carcass and raw bones and parts stage. But I've never had anything come out as truly full of chicken flavor as using a whole, raw old hen plus chicken feet.

I fry up the gizzards, dry-rubbed with salt and spices and then dusted with rice flour, or cut out the insides (trim off the "skin") and salt them with sea salt for yakitori over real wood charcoal.

What I describe - with the double stock and using raw fowl, is right out of several French cookbooks, (including Herve This's experiments with starting cold vs. warm, etc.), as is the clarifying with protein (egg white) to collect the cooked blood solids for consomme. Asian cooks sometimes clarify by putting in raw ground whitemeat chicken and letting it all settle to the bottom - once again, some more "waste" of chicken meat, but it serves a purpose.

[Full tummy]

My frugal sensibilities just bridle at this "waste", which is why I can't stand to throw out anything edible, even if my stock will be less flavourful as a result.

That said, I am sure I am not innocent on this front, either.

My dogs have been beneficiaries of much cartilage, skin, fat, and gristly meat over the years. I hope you have a doggie or ten to enjoy the old birds once they've had the flavour cooked out of them...

[applehome]

I don't have a dog any more - but I remember back when I did, I would cook shin bones to get all the marrow out for beef stock I used for borscht. The bone was cleaned out so thoroughly that my dog would just turn up his nose. Same principle applies here. *I'M* getting the marrow and the chicken flavor - the animal can eat cereal fillers and ash (just kidding - he ate a lot better than that).

As far as I'm concerned, I'm not throwing out anything edible. I've used it up. Which is quite a bit better than the rest of us Americans, who refuse to eat old fowl, insisting that only plump roasters will do. We even insist on our premier cooking shows that making coq au vin with a roaster is perfectly alright. (Or at least, the guy insisting on old fowl was a nitpicky curmudgeon.) All the old fowls are indeed being turned into pet food, along with offal and horsemeat, because of our wasteful ways. I think that as a component of carbon foot print, measuring the use of sustainable food and amount of overall food waste (done by us or on our behalf), I'd be far ahead of the curve thanks to my much better than average nose to tail ratio.

Is using an egg white to clarify stock also a waste (since you're throwing out the egg white, and probably the yolk)? How about the mirapoix vegetables used in making stock? The piece of fatback in the beans? Oil thrown out after frying? (Yes, I know, you're supposed to convert this to bio-diesel. In fact, I recycle mine, although I'm not sure what happens to it.)

[Paulustrious]

Tea.

Oolong Jasmine, Early Gray, Pekoe ... I'k ok with all of these.

But if it hasn't got tea in it then it's not tea. If it is a mixture of chamomile and giant hogweed extract then it is either an infusion or a tisane.

But it ain't tea!

[mpjmph]

Yes! I love tea because I like the flavor of tea. In general I do not like fruity herbal concoctions because they lack the flavor of tea that I enjoy so much. It especially irks me when offered "tea" at a meeting or other event and the only options are non-teas.

[limster]

Some teas can be very fruity, not because of any additives, but due to their natural characteristics, from the plant, they way they are grown and the way the tea is made. Good varieties of Scarlet Robe (aka Da4 Hong2 Pao2) have a long finish reminiscent of stone fruit (e.g. apricots, peaches). This property is highly sought after, and tea made from leaves of the original mother plants are very rare (only 8 bushes left) and can be very expensive (read somewhere that 20g auctioned for $36,000 in 2008). I was told that the practice of scenting teas with fruit etc. arose to create teas from lower grades that resembled Scarlet Robe and other teas.

[cycloneillini]

And I was starting to think that I was the only person on earth who liked tea to taste like tea and not brown water. What is this stuff that most places pass off as iced tea?! How many gallons of water has it seen since it saw its last tea leaf - if it ever saw a leaf at all? I'd probably be disappointed if I knew how they make it, but I'm addicted to the iced tea at Starbucks. I order it with the full strength concentrate with extra ice. Speaking of which, I guess that's another thing I'm a purist about - I like hot things hot and cold things cold. There are only a few things that should be served at room temperature and tea is not one of them.

[limster]

It will depend on the type of tea. The proper temperature for brewing certain green teas e.g. gyokuro is very low, and the end of the brewing process, they are just a touch above room temperature. Raise the temperature and this delicate tea would be ruined, due to the extraction of bitter compounds from the leaves.

Incidentally, certain types of tea can be cold brewed very effectively, e.g. white teas such as silver needle, or even a sencha. Essentially, put the tea leaves in chilled water and leave for ~8hrs. Because aromas are often carried away by the steam, this style of brewing maintains their delicate fragrance for a longer period. (It's not an unorthodox technique, tea masters do use this approach.) And if you have never tried a chilled Oriental Beauty, I highly recommend it -- chilling it can bring out its honey sweetness while smoothing over some of its tangy aspects.

[lergnom]

You can also cold brew coffee - toddy style - and it is much smoother with more complexity.

[c oliver]

We've used the Toddy system for over 20 years and love it.

[JennS]

Yes! This is the best way to make iced coffee. I actually use a French press, but same method of cold-brewing. The worst thing ever is ordering an iced coffee and being presented with hot coffee poured over tons of ice. I've learned to ask lots of questions when ordering -- it's sort of ridiculous but worth it.

[laliz]

I loved reading this thread. I guess I'm just not that much of a purist. The only thing I could think of is no CREAM in pesto.

However, I am a purist about. . . .
chili ~~ no beans
mayonnaise ~~ never MW
butter ~~ never margarine
Diet Coke ~~ never pepsi
real american cheese ~~ no "cheese food" or "slices"
pure maple syrup ~~ no imitation syrup de telephone pole

[queencru]

Oh I just went on this trip where I had to share food with people and they were all appalled I would not use margarine. Ew. I use butter for everything though.

[Johnresa]

I hear you on the real american chesse thing...lol. i have had to explain to my roommate a ton of times why cheese food is just not cheese. in her eyes if it is sliced and looks like cheese then it is all the same

[comfortcaffe]

what is chili without beans? It wasn't a rhetorical question. also since i am on the topic no tomato sauce or paste in chili (just tomato's)
and about cheese proceed = crap and same with yellow (died) Cheddar

[alanbarnes]

Traditional chili has no beans. Chili con carne = chile with meat. You want beans, ask for chile con frijoles. Tomato products are negotiable.

Good cheddar cheese is always yellow. Sometimes pale, sometimes dark. Crap, on the other hand, tends to shade toward brown.

[c oliver]

Thanks, Alan, for being my mouth piece. You said what I tried to say. Hopefully comfortcaffe will reply to our comments and questionss. Dialogue is so important here.

[alanbarnes]

I'd agree with you if I were allowed to.

[Passadumkeg]

Chile without beans is real chile. I just made a batch of red chile con carne; dried red chiles, garlic water, salt and diced pork (the carne), then it was served over the beans, toped w/ jack cheese and dice raw onions. As AB said, chile con carne con frijoles. My dad ordered a bowl of chile at our favorite restaurant in New Mexico and when it arrived, he asked, Where are the beans?" I replied"You didn't ask for beans."
Chile w/ kidney beans and tomato is bean stew.

[thew]

i'm pretty sure that is a regional definition, not an absolute one

[Passadumkeg]

Isn't food, all regional by definition? A "blueberry bagel" in Maine is sure as hell ain't the same as a bagel in Brooklyn! etc., etc., etc., ad infinitum, ad naseum...

[coll]

I like to make chili with whatever I have laying around, but I defer to the International Chili Association rules when discussing what is "real" chili.
http://www.chilicookoff.com/Event/Eve...
They do allow tomatoes, but never beans.

[tatamagouche]

I've always distinguished the difference via spelling: chile, based primarily on roasted peppers, sometimes with pork, sometimes without, ditto tomatoes/onions, doesn't have beans; chili does. But the ICA clearly disagrees with me.

So where/when/how did beans enter the pic?

[pikawicca]

To me, "chile" means "pepper" (the vegetable, not the spice). "Chili" is the dish that everyone loves to argue about. In my experience, outside of Texas it usually has beans.

[Demented]

Coffee, never roasted darker than Vienna.
Coffee, never flavored.
Coffee, black.
Bourbon, neat.
Single malt scotch, neat.
Steak, medium rare. No flavoring or toppings
Dark ale, served at or near room temperature.

[Soop]

Damn, that's right. I hate sauce on steak, and I hate milk in coffee.
I'll eat steak at many different done-ness though.

[Demented]

Hey Soop,

Don't eat steak nearly as often these days. When I do indulge, it's porter house or tender loin.

[Chinon00]

"Bourbon, neat."
"Single malt scotch, neat."

Even cask strength?

[Demented]

Yes... with a water back of coarse.

[tracylee]

Couldn't find anywhere really fitting above to put this in, but my grandmother complained that a reuben wasn't real because it didn't have a hot dog in it. Evidently, in her small NE Washington town, the only place that serves reubens is a hot dog joint. My folks couldn't convince her otherwise.

Then again, I was surprised when my ex ordered a Reuben - he hates rye bread - had no idea that that was an integral part of a reuben. (I guess that part goes in the "sheltered" thread)

[Samuelinthekitchen]

i would happily shoot anyone who puts cream in Carbonara or onion in Neapolitana.

[c oliver]

or butter in Carbonara. Nope.

[billieboy]

Or strawberries in rhubarb pie.

[cuccubear]

Good thing I'm wearing my Kevlar vest... ;-(

That was my singlemost favorite pie when I was growing up. We had both with and without strawberries, and I hate to say it, but the mixed pie always won out.

(cuccubear ducks quickly back into his cave...)

[comfortcaffe]

mine to but i bet my grandmother makes it better than yours lol

[EWSflash]

Darn right!

[spopodopolis]

Not using the term "ethnic food."

[finlero]

Uh oh -- having used it above in the thread, you've got me worried. Is this now considered something of a dictum non grata?

[c oliver]

I'll be interested in the response. It IS an awfully broad term although I will use it on occasion. As in "I really miss living in San Francisco because of all the good, cheap ethnic foods." I live in a semi-resort area and the population is sooooo white and the restaurants are (mostly) so predictable. So, again,, looking forward to some education on this.

[yum_chapulines]

If you ever find any post it notes with obsenities in a "mexican" restaurant complaining about their "hard shell' tacos, it was me. if you ever find notes on the mnu it was me also. I mean WHO likes those hard shell things anyways - no wonder why Mexican food gets played down...

Good tequila should never be mixed in a drink, at least try it by itself - then have some of those fine cocktails that are coming up. The agave plant takes about 8 years to mature, then some honest soul has to cut it up (getting all scratched up in the process) and most likely haul it onto a truck . Any decent Tequila takes no less than 9 years to become what it is - savor it.

You would do it with a nice Bourbon , wouldn't you?

Sauza and Patron are not good tequilas.

[tatamagouche]

Actually, back in the early days Jim Leff talked about that a lot.

See the last para. of the first page.

http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/n...

[c oliver]

Thanks. I really enjoyed reading that. But, for myself, "ethnic" can just as easily be Italian or French or Spanish, etc. Just not that 'Murican' stuff that's all over the place where I live. That's why I love to go to SF and NYC and eat real food :) So in my usage it implies not one thing that's derogatory. Far, far from it. I never even considered that until I read that article. But perhaps I'm different. Well, I know I'm different but.... :)

[spopodopolis]

didn't mean to post and run, but the links below pretty much cover it...

It just sounds condescending to me, the implication that whatever typically American food is the norm, and everything else is "ethnic." Really more of a semantic complaint than a food one.

[limster]

Are you referring to this? http://jimleff.info/editorial.html

[shaunasever]

Awesome thread. I could go on for hours, but the most irritating thing to me is savory disguised as dessert. I am not talking about a cheese course (love it), and I am a big fan of chocolate anything with a good dose of fleur de sel, but don't be a jerk and put rosemary polenta cake with nicoise olive ice cream or somesuch on your pastry menu. I'd rather eat Oreos.

[Paulustrious]

Anyone who doesn't follow my rules is a culinary slut. Anyone who has more than me is anal. But number one is...

Don't serve me hot tasty food on a cold plate. I would never do that to you.

[Karl S]

Or cold food on dishes that just came out of the washroom.

It's so sad that people go to huge efforts to reproduce recipe masterpieces, and then screw up by missing the elemental issue of properly warmed or cooled service dishes. Recipes rarely remind home cooks of this imperative, because it's assumed they should know better, but they don't (and restaurants don't always, either).

[shaunasever]

I read this and thought--who would eat at a place that keeps their dishes in the bathroom?! Slow day...

[comfortcaffe]

I thought the same thing

[ReggieL.]

I agree with almost everything on this list. The one thing that I have not seen mentioned is bread. What is that stuff that most stores try to pass off as bread? The American white bread serves it's purpose every now and then, but what about the other stuff that's passed off as Italian this or French that. Where's the crust and that little bit of crunch. The inside of a loaf of bread should not taste like a sponge soaked in paste. Bread is an art form that most of the country has lost.

[queencru]

Ooh that makes me think of Cuban sandwiches. What people pass off as a Cuban sandwich is pathetic. I know there are variations from Tampa to Miami, but a "Cuban sandwich" on ciabatta bread is not a Cuban sandwich. It needs to be on Cuban bread. Period. Restaurants outside of FL are often too wild and free with the ingredients too.

[ReggieL.]

I wasn't even thinking about cuban bread, but god it's good when done right.

[cgfan]

Hey great topic, tatamagouche, and an easy one for me to answer...

.
1) sushi

The way sushi has been hi-jacked and tortured these days, it's only a matter of time someone does a "1001 sushi rolls" book.

A cuisine that focuses on simple, clear, and balanced tastes has surrendered its identity to the American propensity towards using seasoning as the main event, opening up the entire pantry of seasonings: mayo, srirracha, jalapenos, and yes, even copious amounts of soy sauce. (I find too many use soy sauce on their sushi like they do flavorings on their snow cone!) I know something's gone wrong when the focus leans more towards the seasonings than on the main protein item.

But how about the so-called "traditional" sushi bars out there? Too many of them, if not most, are leaning more on their freezer and pre-prepped tane (ingredients) than on the traditional focus on only fresh, in-season goods. A good sushi bar should not be afraid to not buy a "popular" ingredient because it is out of season or not at its peak.

I believe much of this is a direct consequence of the average diner's habit of "dictating" what they wish to eat, rather than to leave it in the hands of the chef. It's a subtle subterfuge, but this "trains" many sushi shops into only carrying, and always carrying, the same "top 10" tired items all year long [and therefore implying frozen ingredients] irregardless of seasonality. A very Pavlovian response on the part of those "rudderless" sushi bars that have no backbone nor mission other than to make easy money off of their customer while the going is good! Where is their sense of pride?

There's a big difference between patronizing the customer vs. respecting the customer, and I think the latter requires the sushi chef to assume an advisory (not dictatorial) role. Too many sushi bars out there are merely patronizing their customers, which ironically demonstrates a lack of respect towards the customer. ("Oh, can I do an inside out crunchy roll with Pop Rocks sprinkles like they do at Such-and-Such-a-Place? Of course!")

...and to those who are puzzled why a more permissive sushi bar is not respecting their customer, keep this in mind: that the best margins at the sushi bar are in the Americanized rolls. It's easy money for an easily-fooled customer, the ones that are subsidizing the few traditional customers enjoying their authentic sushi made with the best ingredients available in the shop. So the roll customer brings in the most revenue, but only the lowest grade of ingredients are being used for his rolls.

.
2) espresso

When we can get to the point where even a simple majority of cafes can pour a drinkable espresso, I'll remove this from my list!

A corollary: there are many out there that believe they dislike espresso, but only because they were never served a well-pulled shot.

.
...and an observation: a good sushi bar is just as rare as a good espresso bar. How rare? One would be lucky to have even one of each in their metropolitan area. An honest count would leave most metropolitan areas at zero, and a few lucky exceptions can count 3 or more of each in their metropolitan area...

[applehome]

Great post - I totally agree with your sushi comments, but think that the reasons are deeply part of our cultural differences. There is no way that the traditional respect for the food and the itamae (and the training he receives) could ever translate into a society as capitalist and lowest common denominator oriented as ours. I've just gotten to the point where I finally understand that Americanized sushi is Americanized sushi - it will ever be thus. No amount of tirade against Chinese restaurants serving lousy sushi, against white people who can't tell the difference between one Asian culture and another (food or any other cultural aspect), will ever make a difference here. Americans demand the cheapest, fastest, most easily edible - typically the worst - and they always get what they want.

It is up to us, as Japanese-Americans, or simply as Americans who truly understand the cultural and food issues, to make sure that the real places stay real and stay in business. Even as Super-McSushi opens up next to a Jiro disciple with twice the variety of cream-cheese rolls and at half the price, we need to do what we can to make sure that enough people understand why it's worth the difference to keep the real stuff alive.

This will surely be followed by a chorus of, "but we like the cream cheese rolls and we can eat what we like". Yes, yes, my children - you can eat all the McDonald's nuggets of delicious chicken goodness with sickeningly sweet "barbecue" sauce - and no, you're not following corporate dictates as they ruin American palates - you're just expressing your own individual and wonderfully developed tastes. I'm just waiting for the McSushi place that rolls up a McNugget with "barbecue" sauce and serves it as the all-american roll. Indeed.

[queencru]

I don't really see this as a problem confined to the US. I had one Japanese friend who lived in LA for two years and was fascinated by the Americanized sushi. She liked eating it and enjoyed making it. This is probably because Japan is very similar. If you go to an Italian restaurant, it's no more authentic than the typical American Italian restaurant. A lot of dishes have a Japanese spin. Chinese restaurants were similar- a lot of dishes with a Japanese spin on them. I think there are purists in every society, but there just as many people looking for a more Americanized/Japanese spin on certain dishes.

[applehome]

In Japan, there is an element of pop-culture with the younger generations, (since the modern prosperity, starting in the 60's and blossoming in the 80's), that directs commerce towards the same kinds of quick, cheap, anti-traditional foods that we have here. For example, sushi robots and conveyer-belt sushiyas, as well as ingredients like (kewpie) mayo and spicy tuna are from Japan, rather than from us. And yet, there is no reason to suspect the demise of real traditions. Plenty of salarymen, inheritors of the merchant class ethics, still insist on traditional itamaes, trained through long apprenticeships. There's no such assurance here - in fact, the economics speak against a long term survival of traditional sushi.

While I don't particularly like fusion cooking, I'll admit to having one or two dishes I've actually enjoyed over the years (particularly by Ming Tsai). But I'm not talking about that kind of spin or creativity, whether misplaced or not - that's not what's threatening Sushi in America. I'm talking about McSushi - the crap that's served in these Chinese and Korean run restaurants, that more and more Americans are eating and declaring their love for, served by the guy that's driven out to the burbs every morning in vans from Chinatown that was cooking egg foo young yesterday and that learned to pre-cut slices of fish (nice big slices, at that) from a compatriot, this morning -with key instructions coming on the drive out.

And I don't mean to sound bigoted against Chinese and Koreans. I'm mainly angry at Americans who not only can't tell the difference but feel that it's unimportant to do so. Anybody can learn to make great sushi - anybody with the desire to spend 4-6 years working in increasing grades of sushiyas and training hands-on with experienced Itamae, and most importantly, serving and satisfying, more and more demanding and knowledgeable clientele. Doing this requires working in Japan, or perhaps, LA. It used to be that the US had pockets of Japanese salarymen and other afficionados where enough Izakayas and Sushiyas that catered to them existed to create a valid training ground here - but I don't think that's true any more - not even in NYC. Even the Itamae friends that I know in NYC are having to serve McCrap just to make a buck and compete against the Chinese/Korean places. How does one learn about Kazunoko-Kombu or Saba-Kazunoko when serving frozen salmon all day long?

[alanbarnes]

Your point is well-taken, but I don't think it's as black and white as all that.

To once again use my local sushi-ya as an example, the apprentice's job is to make all the gaijin rolls (which the place doesn't push, but serves to stay in business) and to learn from the itamae. The itamae's job is to handle the good stuff and teach the apprentice.

Japanese is one of the predominant languages spoken, although there aren't many salarymen from Japan. Rather, you see a lot of members of the local Japanese community. They're not there for a cost-is-no-object tour de force, but they do expect well-prepared, high-quality ingredients. Like the saba-kazunoko I was served last week (even though I had to post here to figure out what the heck it was).

Maybe this environment isn't going to allow the apprentice to achieve the level of mastery he might if he were working in a bigger city (eg Tokyo). And maybe having to spend a significant amount of time on more "menial" tasks will lengthen his learning curve. But by the time he's done with his training he'll be an entirely competent - and maybe even talented - sushi chef.

At least I hope so. Shige-san has already retired once, and he can't go on doing this forever...

[queencru]

As much as you focus on traditional sushi, go to any large izakaya chain and you will get essentially the same thing. I never saw an izakaya with the level of sushi quality or traditional food you mentioned. Granted I was not in a particularly cosmopolitan city, but most of the izakaya I went to had French fries, fried chicken, some generic sushi platter, something fried with cheese, a dish or two with Chinese influence, a dish or two with Korean influence, a few salads, and a whole lot of other dishes that weren't screaming tradition.

[applehome]

But you're talking chain. Is this really where all the end-of-day salarymen get-togethers happen? In NYC in the 1980's, the Izakayas were all run by individuals with their own standards and creativity up the wazoo. Some had great sushi skills, others made the world's best yakibuta, etcetc. But all were special and serving only the highest quality - I saw lots of yakitori and yakiton, but no southern fried chicken. There was a true master of oden - made his own surimi, bought a special grade of konnyaku. There was as much foreign influence as the chef had experience with. If these chains in Japan are making and serving junk California rolls with just avocado, krab and cucmber - that would be a real shame. Is that what's happening, or are there some interesting futomaki that may use things like avocado, but are then made with all kinds of tsukemono and pieces of fish?

But actually, it doesn't really matter what these chains are doing. The point I was making is that the real stuff is not in danger in Japan, regardless of the creeping acceptance of the sub-normal. There is an on-going market for the traditional items and Jiro and his kind are not going to go out of business just because the chains expand. Here, it is a different story. There is a real concern (and I'm relaying what my NYC Itamae tomodachi, here since the 80's and trained in Osaka for years before coming here, is saying when I sit there eating cod sperm roe, California Uni, and the most incredible awabi - what he had that day), that he has to turn more and more of his business over to gaijin eating salmon and yellowtail. And then, they complain that it's cheaper at the Chinese place. How long before he closes shop and moves either back to Japan or perhaps to Brazil, where his Japanese/Brazilian wife is from?

[queencru]

I went to large chain izakaya, tiny island izakaya, small independent izakaya- basically the menu had lots of similar items regardless. Like I said, I was not in Tokyo. I don't really know what goes on there. But when talking the average Japanese person who does not live in Tokyo, that's what there is.

[tatamagouche]

"I'm mainly angry at Americans who not only can't tell the difference but feel that it's unimportant to do so."

I think, as I've said elsewhere, that this latter is one of the keys to the whole post. I can't angry about igorance per se; I can get angry about willed ignorance. Again, for me Italy provides the most personal examples; again, and I've told these stories numerous times here (sorry), two illustrate your point for me:

—The guy in the Florentine trattoria (this was about 10 years ago) who ordered pizza (in English, of course) with pepperoni, sausage, bacon, and I'm sure hamburger (I don't remember anymore, just that it was four meats) and when the waiter, taken aback, sort of shook his head in confusion and indicated he wasn't sure the chef would do that, the guy said, Trust me! It's really good that way.

—Me in a trattoria in Atrani about 10 years ago, my first visit to Italy, when a chef-owner, beaming, welcomed us and said he'd fix us whatever we liked, and proceeded to list a few pastas with sauces. I asked if I could have A pasta but with B sauce, assuming he'd say yes. Instead he shook his head sadly and said, No, those don't go together.

And I fell in love and ate it the way he recommended I eat it and learned my lesson forever after.

[sbp]

You are correct that the problem isn't the incorporation of Asian ingredients into Western cuisines and vice-versa that is the problem per se. It is whether it is being done with intelligence and respect for the ingredients. In my own cooking, I freely make use of what's on hand, but I'm not looking for a "more is better" approach. So I'll toss a little gochuchang into my spaghetti sauce to make a more interesting arrabiata, or add a spoonful of oyster sauce to my pan sauce for a steak.

To me, sushi should be about restraint and purity of flavors. What drive me craziest is the proliferation of those over-the-top sushi rolls. Is anything more cringeworthy than some "rainbow dragon crunch" roll? It's not culinary innovation, it's simply "lets cram as many different things people like in one roll." When you've got tuna, salmon, hamachi, tobiko, nori, rice, crunchies, avocado, cream cheese, scallions, a fried egg and spam all in one bite, you don't taste anything. The flavors aren't distinct, but they don't meld either. I agree, it's a patronizing dish -- "stupid Americans will pay $12 for this crap".

Interestingly, I do take issue with the idea that this is an American problem. Most other countries I've been to -- especially the more homogeneous and isolated countries with a well developed cuisine -- tend to be far less accepting of "outsider food" than in America. Foreign restaurant food is much more adapted to the local palate than it is in the States.

So I don't think of it as cultural arrogance by Americans. It's not that Americans are not able to distinguish cuisines or appreciate ethnic foods (there is more ethnic diversity in restaurants here than in most places). The average American doesn't appreciate good food period; American's by and large love crappy food. I can't tell you how many people I know prefer a McDonalds hamburger to a homemade, medium rare burger.

Of course, you're preaching to the choir here, because CH is primarily a place for people who can tell the difference between good food and crap.

[applehome]

It's not cultural arrogance in terms of the specific qualities of the food, I don't think we're capable of that other than in small pockets, such as arguing regional bbq styles. But many Americans are truly arrogant in their lack of ability or desire to differentiate Asians (as well as other ethnic groups - Latinos, etc.). That affects the ability to distinguish good food, (any time you can't speak the language, or understand the particular background and history of a food, you will not be able to get the best service or version of that food). But even that isn't the real cause of the poor food quality that I've been referring to. The real cause is our insistent drive towards the almighty dollar - our maximum capitalism. Few countries can compete with us on that playing field. We'll always want to minimize the cost and maximixe the sales, particularly as we mass produce the product. Chinese restaurants are making sushi because they see a marketplace that they can exploit with relatively cheap ingredients, very cheap labor, and maximum sales and profits. That would be fine, except that they're driving quality places out of business - it's the Walmart business model. I'm sure it exists elsewhere, we're just really, really good at it.

The only recourse is the education of the consumer, and outside of places like Chowhound, that's pretty much a lost cause. Which is why here at Chowhound, we ought to all agree that Chowhounds ought to attend only the real places, buy only the best product. Perhaps our efforts will keep the food at a higher standard, keep the real places alive. But that's difficult - even for the most educated sushi aficionado. People are going to succumb to the supermarket sushi counter and they're not always going to be able to afford the best sushiya in town. Making your own is part of the problem, not a solution. You (generic) are not a trained Itamae and you cannot make real sushi at home - hence you are settling for poor product, the same as at the Chinese restaurant, even if you are making your own from so-called "sushi-grade" yellowtail. You are not giving the Chinese chain money, that's for sure, but the same commercial suppliers that service them with inferior fish are supplying the supermarkets. Making your own is not going to save the trained Itamae's shop - other than perhaps allowing you to satisfy your sushi jones cheaply enough, most of the time, so that you can save your pennies for the special occasional visit to the real sushiya.

My Itamae friend has certainly lost business because of the recession as much as any other business. People that might have been able to afford a $100 night at his place now spend $30 at the Chinese restaurant and get knowingly worse food, but it's what they can afford. It would be a shame if coming out of this recession, the survivors were the Chinese places (which are virtual chains in ways you wouldn't believe) and the overall quality of sushi were destroyed forever. America could very easily forget how good sushi really is. Like prohibition made Anheuser Busch stronger - it's taken 70 years for real beer to make a comeback.

[jfood]

"But many Americans are truly arrogant in their lack of ability or desire to differentiate Asians (as well as other ethnic groups - Latinos, etc.). That affects the ability to distinguish good food," Jfood totally disagrees. Just because one's eye is not capable of this distiguishment can NOT be extrapolated into the ability to have an opinion of good vs bad food.

But what jfood disagrees most strenuously is the persistent correlation between price and good food. Let's take Tokyo for example. One night you can have a tremendous meal in a restuarant in which they almost carry you to your seat with mother of pearl chopsticks and then on the next night you need to walk 3 flights of dimly lit stairs to an 8-seat sushi bar. And both will knock your socks off. The idea that "you can save your pennies for the special occasional visit to the real sushiya" is contra-Chowhoundish. You should, and jfood has, found tremendous sushi at the local places where jfood did not undersatand a word and had dishes that would knock your socks off, at about 25% of the cost of the night before.

An the idea that one needs to understand the history of food may make one appreciate it more but jfood totally disagrees with your assertion that "you will not be able to get the best service or version of that food". In jfood's world, that's called learning. So when jfood was brought to restaurants oversees by customers and he did not understand the geneology of the meal he did not receive good service? please.

And although jfood is a big fan of Chowhound, it is not the only place where foodies can gather to share ideas. Big world out there with many people to learn from who have never even heard of this site.

"Which is why here at Chowhound, we ought to all agree that Chowhounds ought to attend only the real places, buy only the best product" - Sorry, vote for the negatory on this one. Jfood will not give up his hot dogs nor wi\ould he ever consider not walking up to his favorite street foods in NYC, the Big Yellow Truck in Stamford or the falaffel stands in Tel Aviv. THAT is the essence of Chowhound, finding deliciousness in the $1000 sushi dinner and the $1 hot dog, not unilaterally expunging the latter from the palate.

And one does not need to be a trained Itamae to make "real sushi" at home. Jfood is not a trained baker, but he made an awesome choclate cake last night, not a trained Italian chef, but his lasagne and meatballs last night were awesome, and never attended the French Culinary Institute but everyone enjoys his Coq. That is also one of the essences of Chowhound. Being able to train yourself to achieve deliciousness.

And why is the $30 Chinese dinner, prima facie, a worse meal than a $100 sushi dinner. Sounds like a little food-xenophobia. Sometimes a good General Tsao is a fantastic meal, or a bowl of Pho, and one does not need to spend $100 on either of these.

Yes there will be survivors and unfortunate casualties of these economic times. And jfood hopes his favorites and yet to be trieds are part of the survivor pool. He knows better though. And this little experiemnt called Capitalism is the best that history has found. It allows your favorite Itamae to charge his $100 for dinner, and allows the newly landed immigrant a chance at the gold ring. Jfood for one thanks his stars that he lives in this great country in which a kid from the ghetto could rise and afford those $100 sushi dinners, sit and write on Chowhound while his wife treats her mother and daughters to a trip overseas to celebrate birthdays, and enjoys the food brought here by newly landed, wide-eyed immigrants with that love of freedom blazing through their pores. Count jfood with a strong love of America and capitalism. It works.

[applehome]

I wrote this in reply to your first post, last night, but it applies as well here. Thanks for taking the time to make a more thoughtful reply.

You complained about my imposing my standards on others and ignoring their standards. Please explain further the point of my not accepting their standards - which are those? Chinese restaurant McSushi? What are we talking about - loving McDonald's? I would submit that this is not a standard - or at least, if it is indeed some sort of standard, it is the lowest common denominator - a very low bar to be aspiring to in terms of setting anyone's standard, especially a chowhound's.

Food changes, food infrastructure changes - economic and social upheaval is just that. But consider, for the moment, great Jewish delis. Only a few are left in NYC - there aren't that many Jews left on the Lower East Side (or elsewhere in NYC). But where else are there ANY decent Jewish delis? What about those of us 2nd and 3rd generation Jews, spread out across America? What passes for Pastrami in the rest of the US? What passes for deli? Boar's Head? Is this a good thing? Or is this a lowering of standards (not just my standards - but those of a whole ethnic group).

What if there were 10 authentic Sushiyas left in the US, 10 years from now. You would be whistling dixie (or dayayenu) down the street because it didn't affect your sushi standards? I have to go to NYC for a decent pastrami sandwich - that's not acceptable for me today. Having to go to NYC for anything better than Chinese restaurant McSushi will not be acceptable for me tomorrow.

As to my assertion that Americans are blind to Asian ethnicities, just exactly what do you call the phenomenon of sushi in Chinese restaurants? That's "my standard"? Have you tried speaking Japanese to the Teppanyaki chef in your local "Japanese Steak House" recently, because I haven't met a Japanese cook in one of those since about 1980.

It tastes good to me... the chowhound by-line, who cares who prepared it, what he used, what he knows. No education, no desire to learn about quality differentiators, no desire to improve one's standard. It's really ok by me - I could care less what you set your standards to - *except* - when your lack of standards affects my ability to get great food. Then, I'll do what I need to, to get what I can. And that is mostly about getting up on a soapbox.

I actually thought I drew the line pretty well from the lack of ability to differentiate Asian cultures to the American acceptance of lousy sushi in Chinese restaurants to the negative effect on real sushi. The recession is a major factor, but clearly, the competition from the Chinese restaurants is a killer. Your apparent happiness eating lousy sushi is a major concern for me. Your inability to see why this is a problem not just for me but for all that have higher standards regarding any food, is an even greater concern. You should watch out for me on that soapbox.

[jfood]

ALL of jfood's posts are thoughtful, thank you very much and none taken. Some are more emotional than others and do not meet the standards set forth by the Mods and get deleted (95% of the time jfood agrees with their decision), just like so many of yours, so jfood knows you feel his pain on having to re-write. But it is a site worth the re-works. And hopefully the Mods leave these up since jfood has no malice and he believe vice versa, just some intellectual reparte. :-))

OK now on to the questions:
Jfood believes there is more that the goalposts of sushi-perfect and your McSushi verbiage (oh he wishes you would throttle back on the use of that mc-word). Why is there nothing between "crap" (your constant word) and the "best" as you perceive it. Chinese restaurant McSushi? Why cannot someone other than Morimoto serve great sushi? There are two great sushi places in jfood's town. One is a more traditional sushi resto that serves other Japanese cuisine, the other is more Asian fusion. But both are very good. The latter will sell Philadelphia roll (blech) and jfood agrees with you that this will never cross his lips.

But look at your own word, "any time you can't speak the language, or understand the particular background and history of a food, you will not be able to get the best service or version of that food". So jfood is not a linguist and because of this linguistic brain flaw he will not be able to get the best version of food? Pahleeze. Here's a trick he learned from his brother (one of the smartest people in America). Find a great chinese cookbook, find what dishes you would like to experience at a great chinese restaurant in Chinatown and write the names in Chinese and bring with. Hand to the server. Works like a charm. Gotta think out of the box.

Great Jewish delis - jfood considers this almost every weekend. Alas there are few in NYC (thank you Katz) and jfood will not comment on the no Jews either statement. But the delis followed my peeps to the suburbs. Go to NJ and Long Island and you will find great Jewish delis, although many of them are disappearing as well. And if you want the names of some good ones in NJ, just place on the Tri-State board, you'll get a few hits. And oh how jfood misses his pastrami and corn beef living up here in FFD county CT. He has to drive 20 miles to Katz (no relationship) to get a good, but not a great pastrami. And jfood does not agree that Jews will lower their standards to BH pastrami. We have learned to live without many things in our history, pastrami can be added to the list. (And jfood will assume your Day-eh-nu reference is not a xenophobic assertion). But the great thing about America is that if there were a demand and a customer base to support a great Jewish deli in Chicago, it would be built, (please see references to Langers in SoCal for justification by jfood's left coast brethren).

And to your travelling comment, 50 years ago you also needed to go to NYC for a great Pastrami sandwich. It was the 2nd and 3rd generation Jews who decided to move, not the delis.

And to your point of Chinese sushi combos. Jfood couldn;t care less if a Chinese restaurant sells sushi or a Japanese restaurant sells Pho, as long as it is good. He is not a food bucketizer, he is a food enjoyer. The Chinese owner marries a Japanese person and they bring there heritage recipes to jfood's table, he is one happy dog. What could be better than enjoying great cuisines from two great nationalities at the same time. Heck if Katz's brings pastrami sandwiches to Morimoto's, jfood's taking up residence.

Nope jfood has not spoken Japanese to a chef at a "Japanese Steak House" since he does not like restaurant where food is played with like the elephants at Ringling Brothers. But who cares what language the chef speaks? So let jfood understand, if the food is great, the service is great the food is prepared to historical perfection, because the chef has a Vietnamese or American passport, you complain? Jfood thinks that's a bit bigoted. And are you also saying that only the Japanes have the DNA to learn the skills of Sushi preparation? Jfood hopes not.

"I could care less what you set your standards to - *except* - when your lack of standards affects my ability to get great food." - Absolutely nowhere, no how has jfood made such a remark. You want a great Pastrami sandwich, go to Katz, great sushi, pick your place in NYC, LA, Tokyo and Dubai and go for it. Can't find it in Massachusetts? Move or travel. The "Butterfly Theory" does not hold true to food choices. How does a non-Japanese making sushi in a Chinese restaurant in Nebraska effect your ability to find pastrami in Boston? BTW - Jfood will not eat stuffed pizza outside Chicago (one Giordanos used to be in Milwaukee) won't eat hot dogs in most places and reserves Pastrami to you know where.

And basic economics would dictate just the opposite to your conclusion on quality sushi. As people believe that your so-called McSushi (such a derogatory term) is the true essence of sushi, the demand for your higher quality will go down, therefore making it more available to the cusumer, like you who demands that subsection of the sushi spectrum. Likewise as the demand goes down, the price should follow, unless such sushi is a Geffen Good.

And although jfood appreciates the thoughtfulness. please do not have concern for jfood on his eating habits. He is fully capable of finding good sushi when he desires, good pastrami when he desires and feels very comfortable in eating different cuisines together. And although jfood thinks your avatar is incredibly adorable it does give the appearance of Chicken Little when it is so small on the screen.

Ciao Apple and hopefully the Mods allow this to continue for a bit. Jfood thinks you are presenting some great points. He may not agree with them but he will defend your right to say them. That's part of the American way as well. :-))

[applehome]

Thanks again. I do appreciate your writing - I think we all learn from it.

But...

This makes no sense to me:
"As people believe that your so-called McSushi (such a derogatory term) is the true essence of sushi, the demand for your higher quality will go down, therefore making it more available to the cusumer, like you who demands that subsection of the sushi spectrum. Likewise as the demand goes down, the price should follow, unless such sushi is a Geffen Good."

Supply and demand dictates that as the demand goes down (for the real sushi - or anything else), so will supply. Price may drop initially, when there is over-supply, but eventually the market will correct itself and the supply will simply vanish.

It's simply not fair that you live that close to NYC that you can go to the real Katz's as often as you please - maybe not as often as if you lived on Houston St., but certainly better than an Acela or shuttle ride down. There are no good deli's up here. The only good (home-made) pastrami in town serves it on mushy "pseudo-rye" or on a sweet portugeuse bun (Ghaak!).

One thing you're absolutely right about is that I have brought things to the extremes for the sake of the dialectic. As Alanbarnes also pointed out, things are not that black and white. There is not good sushi and bad sushi - there are many buckets, some bad but almost good, some good but still pretty bad. What we have in Boston, other than O Ya, which is an example of the latest super-expensive, super-creative Sushi craze, are very few traditional, Japanese trained Itamae who run real Sushiyas. They have mostly converted to serving crazy rolls, salmon and yellowfin, leaving the carriage trade to go for O Ya (or Uni). The rest is Chinese restaurant... drek? Is that better? My friend in NYC, complaining of the lack of business is in the same boat. So we're not talking about the most expensive places, like Nobu or Morimoto, but the real great, traditional sushi places like Ushiwaka Maru. Nobu will survive along with the Chinese burb sushi (is burb sushi less offensive than McSushi?)

But my point about having to go elsewhere for the best stuff stands even though there are shades of gray. The problem? No Japanese salarymen. Not much we can do about that. No demand by more Americans - a few will pay $500 for Nobu or $30 for burb sushi, but $100 for real but unadorned stuff? Not so much. We maybe can do something about that... maybe not.

So ok - what's wrong with Americans liking [burb] [Mc] [mediocre] [Americanized] sushi? Nothing more than Americans liking chef boyardee instead of a fantastic Bolognese. Or mac'ncheese out of box instead of a real baked pasta casserole of incredible cheeses, bechamel and cream.

Yes, yes, we all eat the packaged and mediocre stuff. Is that worth discussing? The question really is, why not have the good stuff available to all Americans? On the one hand it makes sense that the best sushi is in Japan, the best Bolognese in Italy, the best Chocroutte in Alsace, etcetc. But we do have a global economy, we do have generations of immigrants, we do have a high standard of living (even if it's not the highest standard in the world). So why not bring on board the best products - and by the way - the learning and effort it takes to understand and appreciate what these best products are all about?

I'm glad you can send you family overseas, but I can't. Unfortunately, I grew up there - so I have a taste for the best and little tolerance for imitations. But the attitude, that I want the very best of something, extends to many things other than what I grew up with. Perhaps because I have had the best of something, I can appreciate that other folks have had the best of other things. Like people from the low country understand what whole pig q is about far better than us Yankees. (oooh - dreaded word) But that's why I thought you might understand the Pastrami analogy. If you can get Katz's quality in NJ or CT, good for you. I can't get it here in Boston.

The argument that Chinese rest. sushi is actually plenty good is false on its face. It is inferior in every way, measurable by anyone interested in making even the simplest of comparisons. That's the same as saying that the can of Chef Boyardee is the same as the best Bolognese. It simply isn't true, no matter how you slice it into the old canard - we each have our own tastes. It's the very desire to improve those tastes that drive us to be on Chowhound. It's our ability to tell each other of the better products that you can find elsewhere that makes us listen to each other.

In my mind, it is a culinary tragedy when better dishes succumb to the public morass of the lowest common denominator. It's what's happening to sushi today, believe it or not - part of the recession, to be sure, and that affects a lot more than just sushi. But nevertheless, it's a freakin' tragedy.

Americans voted overwhelmingly for the guy that had lived overseas, got rid of the provincial Texan. That speaks almost as much to me as that we voted in the Black guy (and got rid of the white bread Texan). Oh, and by the way, we voted in the Progressive "Socialist" and got rid of the Conservative "Ultra-capitalist". New days are here. He's even growing a White House vegetable garden. We should all move forward to the best quality we can get.

[jfood]

Hey A -

Next Chapter:

1 - Basic Economis, usually Chapter 2 or 3 in the book, states that as demand goes down, price goes down to achieve equilibrium. If there is a subsequent and not a necessary decrease in supply then equilibrium will be achieved at a higher price. They are two mutually exclusive events.
2 - "Burb suhi" - maybe not less offesive but definitely brought a smile to jfood.
3 - Jfood would not equate burb sushi to chef bor-r-dee but that is probably a point of opinion versus fact. Jfood grew up on the latter and now keeps his own stash of Hazan in the freezer. Hey live and learn the proper technique at home as was jfood's point in one of his posts.
4 - Just because one grows up overseas, or Texas or North Carolina, one develops tastes and opinions from learning. Jfood grew up on CBRDee, frozen Swanson's dinners and frozen breaded shrimp. But he decided that he was not going to spend his life eating this style. He loves great texas BBQ (used to bring Sonny Bryan's home with him) understands but does not like Memphis Q, and is learning to love the NC version (vinegar is becoming a favorite of jfood). But us Northerners can appreciate the beauty of smoked meat even though they never lived there. Likewise with some NOLA food jfood so loves these days. And jfood's comsumption of pastrami is down 98% over the last few years since he left NJ. :-(( And you are correct that there is no good pastrami in Boston but you do have some redeeming cuisine. :-)).
5 - Sushi in a Chinese restaurant is probably something jfood has nothing to say other that to agree to disagree, once again its a perception divergence and you probably have significant experience from growing up in Japan versus jfood in NJ.
6 - If people think eating a cucumber roll is sushi, their choice. And jfood loves it that no one at his table usually likes unagi and anago, more for jfood. For the record jfood will not eat uni, so there is a great trade available.
7 - The US voted for a candidate who has a black father and a white mother, jfood only wishes people would stop calling him an Afro-American (so if his mother was Japanese would he be the first Japanese President?). And yes jfood voted for him and hopes his policies get the US the hell back on track after that idiot. But he beat the guy from AZ and his side kick (about who jfood will reserve comment). Jfood does not think that any group wants to take W under their wing. BTW - and everyone should take this totally with a grain of cynical salt, jfood finds it funny he sent his wife home to tend the garden while he went to visit the troops.

Oh well, jfood just finished his last conf call, plans on some carbonara, some chocolate cake and get the eye round from ATK salted for tomorrow night going.

Ciao A.

[sisterfunkhaus]

BTW, Sonny's is mediocre at best these days. They are a chain that is right about up there with Dickey's. They used to be the best, but not anymore.

[lagatta]

A journalist here at a French-language Montreal daily who happened to be on a flight with then Senator Obama said he was more impressed by the fact that Mr Obama was the only other person on the flight reading a book than the fact that he is Black or his cosmopolitan and multicolour family.

So yes, I love jfood's postings, but as in real life passing encounters, would smile sweetly and not argue either about (unmitigated) capitalism or the definition of "America", though I'm sure the many kind US posters on this and other boards know that using America to refer to the US can stick in the maw of your neighbours north and south, who are, after all, just as much a part of the American continent(s).

I think the garden is a wonderful initiative. And no, not a snobbish one; there have been countless community gardens in very poor neighbourhoods throughout the USA and elsewhere in the world. They can be a powerful force not only for nutrition and joy in eating, but for people taking back their neighbourhoods and fighting fear and control by gangs. Teenagers are involved, but also lots of grannies and grandpas.

[c oliver]

I live in the U.S. and had always avoided referring to myself as "American." But I have talked to people from all over the world, including Canada and Mexico and Brazil and they all seem to think that "Americans" means people from the US. I don't understand it but I accept it.

[Sam Fujisaka]

What do you do with my sushi? It is good. I learned from my mother. My sushi rarely has sashimi.

[KevinB]

Brother jfood - may I suggest a trip to Montreal to sample their smoked meat (try both Schwartz's and Dunn's - different styles but both are great), and then, if you can find the time, schlep to Toronto and find your way to the Monarch Tavern where you can sample Zane Caplansky's unique smoked meat (many posts on the Toronto board)? I love NY deli, even if it's from touristy places like Carnegie, Stage Door, or 7th Ave, and I think you'll appreciate our north of the border take on it.

[huaqiao]

Why would you single out Americans for butchering foreign food? Sushi in the US is better than Mexican food in Japan. How good's the Korean food in Rome?

The US is MUCH better at accepting foreign cuisines than most other countries out there. Your rant feels a bit misplaced.

[lagatta]

Korea is a poor example, but I've had very good food from immigrant communities in Rome.

I certainly wouldn't single out US Americans, but many countries have accepted and transformed other cuisines. It is more interesting to look at how foods from certain groups have been integrated - and transformed - by a variety of host countries.

After all (bit of peninsular pride here) isn't French haute cuisine in large part an acceptance and transformation of Italian cuisine? With input from its many regional cuisines and foreign influences, just as in Italy.

[Lizard]

Thanks, huagiao. ITA!

This obsession with denigrating US approaches to foreign food strikes me as the height of narcissism: it's designed to make the US the centre of all discourse (and the big bad if not the big good) and elevate the American hound who speaks.

It is, for instance, hilarious for this poor sod located in the UK to hear about the Americanisation of Chinese food, when much of the stuff I find in my edge of the world is complete rubbish. (It is equally funny to hear the self-flagellating "only in America!" rant about unhealthy food-- come to the land Atkins forgot, which has battered and deep fried itself multiple times over.)

I would argue that we really need to start thinking in terms of region (the US is a massive landmass, as is Canada and diverse if only for that) and in terms of Urban/Rural.

But really, one does tire of hearing how absolutely terrible the US is on all counts-- until it comes to TIPPING. Then somehow American hounds return to the supremacy of all things American. Perhaps a more balanced and informed discussion would be of use.

[applehome]

Well - like it or not, the cry for help from my Itamae friend is for real, and the difference in quality between what he serves, as a traditional Japanese dish, and what is served as sushi in Chinese restaurants is equally real. If there are worse versions elsewhere, that is not my concern (until I'm there...). The reality is this: With a bit of education and understanding, we, as chowhounds in the US can change our behavior and perhaps lead the way to prevent worse food from taking over everywhere. Unfortunately, that is simply not a worthy goal for most, even here, alas.

Somebody ealier said I was preaching to the choir. Perhaps. But it is indeed a sinful choir - eating chef boyardee instead of bolognese and maki rolls stuffed with cream cheese and smoked salmon instead of chewy mirugai or sweet awabi prepared by someone who knows the difference. Note that I said "instead of" and that's an important distinction, to me. Eating these "lesser" foods alongside the good stuff is normal - something we all have to do or end up doing for one reason or another. Eating them INSTEAD of the good stuff is simply not chowhoundish behavior. Anywhere, in the world.

This thread was about being a stubborn purist. The real question is WHY? Why are you a stubborn purist about anything. Is it a core behavior learned in childhood? (I would think that's the case for many of us.) If so, is there anything you should do about it - i.e, should you change your core beliefs to be less stubborn? With regard to ethnic foods, as we become 2nd and 4rd generation Americans, should we allow everything our parents held dear to melt away into the pot?

I guess that most poeople here think we are all supposed to be happy eating Boar's head pastrami or no pastrami at all, except for the once a year trip to a place that has the real stuff. It's the reality, as is burtb sushi, so there it is - but me? I'm never going to be happy about it.

[alanbarnes]

I just don't buy your premise that lowest-common-denominator food is going to displace the good stuff. Yes, mass-market sushi and Italian food are more common than ever, but that's because tastes have changed. The same people who ate at mediocre suburban steakhouses in the past are now more "adventurous," so they eat at mediocre suburban Italian or Asian places. But the folks who have always sought out the good stuff will continue to do so, and their support will keep the good places in business.

There's no doubt that there are currently fewer people (Japanese or otherwise) dining on expense account. And of course the owners of high-end restaurants aren't happy about it. But that situation is a reflection of the economy in general, not a wholesale abandonment of good food for mass market dreck.

No matter where you go, rainbow rolls are going to be easier to find than saba-kazunoko. Just like it's easier to find spaghetti and meatballs than carcioffi alla giudia, or sweet and sour chicken than tea-smoked duck. But hounds will sniff out the good stuff. It's what we do. And given that Sacramento, California can support good traditional sushi, I'm not too worried about its fate in the bigger cities.

[jfood]

A

just one more point.

Do you think that this lowest common denominator is some epiphany that has come to being recently. Jfood would postulate that there has been a wide range of food quality since Eve ate a red delicious versus a Fuji apple.

Jfood would also state that many MORE people in America are now enjoying great Bolognese and great Sushi and great Foie Gras than at any point in its history. Likewise with the advent of the internet people can find great cuisine to make at home, share great restaurants with visitors and enjoy both.

How many non-Jews coming to NYC would know who to ask, or would want to ask about Katz? An American going to Tokyo, woud s/he have any chance of finding great sushi? Italy and great bolognese?

Jfood always like to view with a half full glass and views the expansion of information driving even better food for those who care. For someone who grew up with Chef Bor-R-Dee he would never have known bolognese from Ragu from a jar with some fried beef if it were not for Hazan.

So instead of viewing the world as a sky is falling approach try to think of the pleasure so many more people are having with the introduction of sushi, bolognese and other great meals into the mainstream versus focussing so much on the McFood that you so dispise.

It makes life a little more tolerable in these stressful times.

Ciao

[applehome]

Thanks, AB and J - these are good conclusions, whether I agree or not. I'm glad that these points of view are reflected here. But remember that it was Jim Leff's own posts, early on, that encouraged us to find the unusual and the best and to keep these businesses going by our patronage. The flip side is to patronize their competition, the common places, the chains, less, (and just about all Chinese restaurants are a chain). Lowest common denominator food is out there, whether it's new or not, and good places are going out of business, whatever the causes - it seems to me that in a recession it's just that much more important for those who can afford it to continue or even to increase their eating at the best (not necessarily the most expensive) places.

Speaking of Sacramento, I did a couple of TDY's while in the AF at McClellan and Mather - they supported our comms equipment. When I told my father I was going out there, he told me a story of his own from WWII days. He got stationed there as part of his signal corp training, and took a night job at a local deli - a sandwich stand. This is an orthodox kid from the Bronx, mind you. This stand got it's pork - mainly bacon and ham, from a local piggery that had an outstanding reputation (I have no idea if it still exists, I never found the deli in 1979). He now had access to all the delicious ham in the world, as they kept several whole joints in the walk-in at any given time. After about 6 months, he left for his next assignment, but had made a good local friend and years later even acquired some property with him in Elk Grove. But back to WWII - this friend told my pop that after he left, the deli owner figured out that he had gone back to profitability after losses for 6 months, which he had traced to the night shift! My pop said that he acquired his taste for incredible ham - which he had never had before - at this deli in sacto. I can't imagine how much he had to eat to make this place lose money (and still fit into his uniform), but he never found another ham that he liked as much. And this was a precursor to his spending a couple of years in Korea and more than 12 in Japan - eating his way through every little town he went to.

This ham was like an epiphany, an awakening of the foodie within. It probably happened because of the years of palate suppression under orthodox rules of eating - boil it all, flavor is verboten.

So yes, with the glass full I look forward to the awakening of the American palate. All those suppressed years under corporate food guidance, all those billions and billions of customers served in the McFood cosmos - they're all going to have a giant food epiphany. Then all the real sushiyas will be saved! I'll get pastrami in Boston!

[Porthos]

Applehome. I understand that you want to help your itame friend but I think you are missing the point.

Those that eat sushi at chinese restaurants, korean restaurants, and your generic terriyaki chicken japanese restaurants aren't likely to appreciate the traditional offerings that your itame friend serves at his restaurant. Thus, they are not going to pay more for that higher quality. Those people will go and then wind up blogging about how expensive and how small the portions were at your friend's restaurant.

Your itame friend, if he's as traditional and legit as your paint him to be, is competing against other traditional itames. I think sushi preferrences are evolving towards the more tradtional and the prime example is here in LA. 8 years ago, the board consensus for top LA sushi was Sasabune (precut fish, hot rice, heavily sauced nigiri). Now we have more traditional itames such as Mori and Keizo. People are now starting to understand the difference between different grades of nori, that rice is at least as important as the fish in nigiri, and where and when they should be seeking out kan buri belly.

It may be tough to hear, but your itame friend may just not be as good as his competitors in serving high quality traditional sushi. I'm not sure what the traditional sushi market is like where you live but history has shown us that people will go to great lengths to find high end traditional nigiri. Yasuda has done quite well in NY, Mori and Keizo have found a nitch in LA, and even in San Diego you have Kaito which has obtained a loyal following.

Trust me, the people that order poorly made $3 california rolls are not the same people asking for shirako, hoya, or kama toro.

[applehome]

I'd agree, in general, that the people who eat steaks at Outback are not your normal clientele at Peter Luger. But the crossover to Smith & Wollensky and Morton's is probably more significant. These folks have brought themselves to understand the quality of meat to the point that they can appreciate the difference and are willing (and able) to pay for it. It may not be an every day or even every week event, but the point is that the quality issues are understood and the market for the higher quality is well established.

All you have to do is read the responses here to see that even chowhounds won't always do that for sushi (or more generically, for ethnic foods that they are not prepared to learn more about). The attitude is clearly, don't force your standards onto me - I am happy at Outback, or Chinese McSushi, or Smokey Bones, or Olive Garden - don't bother me about anything more complex or "supposedly better" - it isn't worth the money or the time to learn about it.

If that's the marketplace, then the battle is a difficult one, indeed. It may be that in the long run, the McSushi expansion will lead to more people looking for better grades of sushi - some people will seek to better their palates. But in the short run, the better places cannot attract and hold onto a clientele that simply isn't willing to consider the value of the better product.

I've eaten sushi all over the world over 55+ years, including during my first 10, growing up in Japan. I believe my tastes are pretty much refined enough, by now, to tell what's good and what's not. I've seen enough Itamae work with the best tools, with the most incredible technique developed over decades, and absolutely unique and highest quality incredible ingredients. I've had long talks over their technical and philosophical theories on some incredible minutiae regarding specific fish and preparations - the positions of certain bones requiring different cuts, etc., etc. All in Japanese, by the way, which I spoke before I spoke English. I think I can pretty much judge great sushi for myself, despite the fact that I am certainly still learning.

This Itamae had a well known place in NYC during the 80's and most of the 90's, and was the favorite of huge crowds of Japanese salarymen in NYC. He moved out to the NYC burbs about 10 years ago (Westchester) and had been doing great - the biggest complaints he had were when he shut down his place for private parties - often for me and my friends and family. But he's having a harder time today. He still gets the knowledgeable clientele - but he's lost a lot of people who came to his place for sushi because it was a good place to go. Of course, it's the recession. But it's also the Chinese restaurants down the street opening up their "sushi bar", and the willingness of his clientele to not see the value of his work in order to save a few bucks eating crappy McSushi made and served by untrained generic Asians.

[Porthos]

Not everyone is dedicated to bettering their palate or dedicated to seeking the most authentic and most delicious. Also, one must realize that not everyone can afford to do so. A delicious bowl of pho is one thing. High end sushi is another.

I know that none of Yasuda's fans would give up Yasuda for a "chinese restaurant sushi bar". It's not even a question because everyone that goes to Yasuda understands what Yasuda is about. I would argue that the business your friend is losing to the Chinese restaurant was only ordering sushi rolls at your friend's restaurant and didn't/wouldn't try your friend's finer offerings anyways. For those, there's no difference between a california rock n roll at your friend's place and one at the chinese restaurant. The clientele that your friend lost did not understand your friend's craft or were not taught by your friend the subtle differences of sushi. Again, that is not your friend's target audience.

That said, your friend could be in a bad market where his clientel doesn't understand good sushi. Even Peter Luger would go out of business trying to sell steak in a vegetarian market. Have your friend move to SF. They are in dire need of a highly trained top end sushi chef.

Finally, the Chinese/sushi restaurant probably doesn't serve authentic Chinese cuisine either so you can also shed a tear for the legitimate Fuzhou restaurant that's gone out of business as a result. You can't blame the restaurant. It's the ignorance of the clientele that you need to change.

[Sam Fujisaka]

And that last is exactly applehome's quest!

[applehome]

Yes - exactly as Sam said, my quest is to change the ignorance of the clientele, even here on Chowhound. As you say, I'm NOT blaming the restaurant.

You bring up Yasuda and high-end sushi, but I'm not talking about that entire movement. I distinguished Morton's and S&W from Peter Luger to make that point. People who eat at Outback still see the periodic value of those higher grade (but not necessarily the absolute best) chains - there is a continuing market for that level of steakhouse. In the sushi world there is McSushi and there is Nobu - the middle ground of honest, experienced Itamae is being squeezed out, especially in this recession. I'd like to see more of a marketplace to support traditional, diverse, high-quality sushi made by well trained Itamae, without always going to the extreme of a high-end place. I'd like to see chowhounds that can afford it seeking out great sushi, prepared expertly, and understand that they don't have to drop $500 per person at Morimoto.

It's true that my friend certainly wants to develop more clientele at my level than McSushi eaters. But as long as he was the main sushi game in town, many of the McSushi eaters ate at his place, and learned from him as they ate. He developed a following, and some of them are still there. But too many have left and no new clients are showing up. They're eating McSushi because it's cheaper and they can't tell or they can't afford the difference. This is enough of a shift that he can no longer get the neta he used to get. He has to be a lot pickier than he was with specials and he has had to lower his standards in certain ways.

"Not everyone is dedicated to bettering their palate or dedicated to seeking the most authentic and most delicious." Then why are they on Chowhound, a site dedicated to precisely those things? Why wouldn't you or anyone else here encourage others to seek quality and tradition, and to train their palates and their tongues to appreciate the expert cuts, the most wonderful and unique ingredients - to learn to differentiate between butsugiri (rough cut) yellowtail and farmed salmon, and a perfectly sliced mebachi chu-toro.

[Porthos]

"Then why are they on Chowhound, a site dedicated to precisely those things?"

I doubt your friend's lost clientele are here on CH. To play devil's advocate, it was your friend's job to educate his clientele and explain to them the difference between different cuts of fish, serving fish in season, properly cooled and seasoned rice, etc. That's why Yasuda has such a loyal following. He does that and after you learn, you cannot and will not go back to McSushi or even some place like Sasabune.

I am with you on the sushi crusade. Believe me. I've been banging my head against LA style omakase for about 5-6 years now. And now that people actually recognize that Sasabune isn't omakase or even good sushi I don't have to go on as many tirades. But I don't expect everyone to enjoy food and appreciate food from my point of view. Am I wrong to say that I preferred the pastrami at Second Ave (original) over the pastrami at Katz? I can make as many arguments based on flavor and texture as the Katz supporter. Who' is "correct" in the burgundy vs bordeaux argument?

Taste is an X factor and some people's tastes can't be changed by education or experience.

Even on CH, you have to find posters whose taste you most align with. And for those that want to learn and better their palate, those are the posters you take recommendations from and learn from.

[Paulustrious]

I have taste. Everybody else has opinions.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Yes, you do NOT want to eat Mexican or Chinese in Colombia!!!

[sisterfunkhaus]

I was thinking the same think. Indo-Chinese is nothing like the real thing any more than French-Chinese is just like French food. Every country puts its own spin on foreign cuisine to suit the traditional taste of the country. It's not just us. I hate America bashing. It's not cool, it's not hip, and it doesn't make you a better cook or more of a Chowhound.

[Soop]

I agree. Plus, everyone has different tastes.
I know how some sausages are made, and I still eat hotdogs!

[alanbarnes]

"Americans demand the cheapest, fastest, most easily edible..." You forgot the biggest and the most. How 'bout that all-you-can-eat sushi buffet? Only $17.95!!! Ack.

I was recently a guest at a typical Americanized sushi joint, complete with noisy Korean chefs in rising sun headbands. It was a good experience. Not for the food (mmm, rolls with fried stuff inside, crap piled on top, and a variety of sauces squirted everywhere), but because it made me re-commit to visiting to my favorite sushi-ya on a weekly basis and supporting the real deal. Even if it means I have to post here after the fact to figure out what it was that was served to me.

That said, I am curious to hear the opinions of those more informed than myself re: frozen fish. My understanding is that many of the the tane are sold frozen. Is it just a question of how long a piece of fish has spent in the freezer, or is there more to it than that?

[c oliver]

alan, here's an old article from NYT. Don't know if the rules have changed. It's funny I was just having the conversation with the fish guy at Safeway in my small town in So. Oregon, aka TahoeCity-North.

Edit:
Ooops! Forgot to post the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/08/nyr...

[cgfan]

Actually the only reason why most tane are sold frozen is that so many of the sushi bars are requesting it. And not only frozen tane (ingredients), but pre-prepped tane. Hand a whole fish to that so-called sushi chef and see if he knows what to do with it!

There is no traditional tane that I know of that needs to be frozen in order for it to arrive in the States as a sushi ingredient. Even salmon does not apply as it is not a traditional sushi ingredient in Japan. (Salmon needs to be frozen in order to kill off any parasites...)

BTW Nobu prides itself with their freezer technology. They repurpose a freezer intended for morgues and use it in their restaurants. I think this says volumes in and of itself. Though one can get bluefin tuna year round, the good sushi bar will only carry it when it is at its peak of taste, which is just about now rotating out...

Here in San Diego the sushi bar I frequent carries bluefin tuna seasonally, not year round. http://tinyurl.com/cw2j8x http://tinyurl.com/d6zmkq
They also fillet their own anago in-house during prep, while the Nobu in our city brings in someone once a month to fillet theirs, only to be thrown into their high-tech freezer.

[alanbarnes]

I hear you on the pre-prepped tane. The itamae at my local place believes that you're only a sushi chef if you can properly and efficiently break down whole seafood. He's by far the toughest teacher in town, but he's trained most of the best sushi chefs around here in his old-school hardcore Japanese style. The current apprentice confesses to having nightmares about ruining fish that cost several hundred dollars each.

I have no idea whether any of the ingredients used at this place are frozen, and am hesitant to ask. Apparently the FDA requires freezing, but doesn't enforce that requirement (thanks to c oliver for the link to the article). And while I certainly appreciate seasonality, I've got no objection to freezing if it will improve quality.

FWIW, a fishing charter captain once recommended putting a loin of a tuna I'd just caught in the freezer overnight before serving it as sashimi; he said the texture would improve. Having sampled the stuff before and after its short visit to the chill chest, I tend to agree with him. On the other hand, this might just be an issue when the fish is so fresh that rigor mortis is still a factor.

Given the mismanagement of the fishery, I pass on hon-maguro, but it's a whiteboard item where I eat, too. I'm not sure that means it's never been frozen, though; they may just bring in moderate quantities while the fish is in season.

My take on it is that freezing fish may maximize not just consistency, but quality as well. If places like Nobu and Masa that emphasize seasonal ingredients are using freezers, there must be a reason - it's not like these are places that are serving the standardized snapper / yellowfin / hamachi / salmon combo. Always wanting to learn more, though...

[applehome]

To quote from Japanese Cooking, A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji:

"When serving sashimi, I urge you to avoid frozen fish. It negates the spirit of Japanese cuisine. Tuna freezes best, and maintains texture well, but the flavor invariably suffers. The availability of frozen tuna is ruining the tradition of Japan's cuisine, alas."

Written in 1980, doesn't that speak volumes. Where hon-maguro was mainly a seasonal fish during the winter months, its being eaten year-round, thanks mainly to on-boat freezing, certainly contributed to the complete collapse of the species.

[cgfan]

Actually if you read the last part of my previous post you will see that Nobu heavily leans on the use of their freezer, and is quite proud of it. I wouldn't call Nobu a place that emphasizes seasonal ingredients if they do not strictly buy and serve in-season. (At least with their maguro and anago they buy in-season, but serve all-year...)

Like the riddle "who cuts the barber's hair?", well in San Diego Nobu's sushi chef goes to my regular sushi bar, Kaito Sushi: http://tinyurl.com/cw2j8x And without any bit of irony, I know exactly why he does. Nothing can beat the sushi bar that not only stays 100% seasonal, but only stocks items that also meets their standard of quality. (I've seen Kaito Sushi throw out a whole batch of in-the-shell live uni [that they must buy sight unseen direct from the diver] because it didn't meet up to their standards. And they've kept uni out of the case almost an entire season when the kelp conditions were bad enough to deteriorate the quality of the uni, even though all the other sushi bars were happily serving it.)

[alanbarnes]

The use of the freezer is precisely what I was referring to. Nobu, and to a much greater extent Masa, DO make a big deal about serving seasonal ingredients. Maybe not exclusively, but it's not like they're unaware of seasonality.

But maybe they're just succumbing to the commercial necessity of having certain things available year-round. Your quote from Tsuji seems to indicate that that's the case.

Anyhow, next time I'm in SD I'll be looking for Kaito. Sounds like my kind of place.

[cgfan]

It's an interesting point you raise. Sure they must be aware of seasonality as the very reason Nobu insists on his freezer is to be able to serve the bluefin that was caught right at the peak of its season year-round. But I think in this regard applehome's/Tsuji's point is very apropro - it defeats the spirit of Japanese cuisine.

This is only an extreme example of the excessive but well-meaning patronizing that sushi shops do that I mentioned in my original post that started this sub-thread. It is indeed a subtle subterfuge when a sushi bar follows every whim of the customer rather their own standards and sense of pride that the customer's very experience is lessened. (Albeit if forced to choose I'd rather go with Nobu's sense of patronizing vis-a-vis the frozen bluefin than the more common anything-goes-roll form of patronizing...).

Once I "discovered" my itamae and his strict "only in season" devotion to tradition, I don't ever miss not having bluefin tuna year round, nor Katsuo, nor Ikura, nor Anago. [And I'd take his in-house filleted Anago than Nobu's frozen Anago anyday; in fact in San Diego my itamae serves in a few days as many fresh Anago as Nobu serves frozen Anago all month.] Because once one is exposed to the variety that is available from our oceans when one stays in season, there is hardly a weak sekki amongst them (the 24 seasons in the Japanese calendar). Each sekki brings in its new sense of excitement and renewal as one tane (ingredient) fades out while another one is nearing its peak.

I'd also argue that it is dangerous for the itamae himself to be using a freezer as part of his daily routine, no matter how well argued and intentioned it may start out to be. Might not the freezer be the "gateway" drug to an overall degradation of standards and technique. Again as I said in my opening post, where's the pride?

In a sense it's a new reading of Thomas Keller's philosophy, (which must have been influenced with his experiences with Kaiseki cuisine), where you should only be served a few bites such that when the dish is gone you will still crave for more. Well if one can have bluefin (Hon Maguro) every day of the year, just how special can it be? Doesn't it lose any of its magic when you are no longer denied it until it is back in season?

Or how about that fresh ikura with its skin of gossamer that pops at the slightest touch, releasing its slightly briny but sweet nectar. I'll wait all year long for only that single week that one can experience this ephemeral treat. In this way the year is enriched, punctuated with it's varied culinary accents like an exciting musical piece vs. the Muzak-like parade of monotonous flavors predictably marching out of a humming freezer. And in this way too sushi is like a prolonged work of performance art not only throughout one's meal, but throughout the seasons of the year, and I'd also argue from year to year. (This year has been an incredible year for uni, whereas the previous year had been dreadful due to the poor condition of the kelp beds [and likewise did not make it to my itamae's case])

It's logically tempting to do what the customer wishes, but I think there is a point where we use that to justify too much and in the long-term against the customer's own best interests. That's why in my opening post I also mentioned the itamae's role as an advisory (but not a dictatorial) one . He is not the customer's sushi robot and culinary playtoy ready to make any combination that thrill's his palate. And yes, sometimes the itamae should refuse a request, or at least deflect it towards a more appropriate choice.

One of the most important things to happen to me early in life was having to abstain from using salt for a while. It opened my eyes (actually palate) to a whole new world of tastes and subtle interplay of flavors that I would not have otherwise experienced. Had I not done what, at the time, I wished to do, which was to salt in the way that I thought was appropriate at the time, I'd perhaps never be the wiser. In a similar vein now I look at how much more I understand sushi ever since I ran into my current itamae. Although before I'd order whatever I wished to order regardless of the season, I'd trade that anyday for the omakase courses I'm enjoying now that are built strictly out of in-season goods.

I've learned my lesson - I will not insist on making my food choices at the sushi bar. In front of a traditionally trained and talented chef my best meals and culinary experiences are only had when I leave it all in his very capable hands. And my sushi dollar does not need to subsidize an extravagant piece of freezer technology; let it rather go towards the extravagance of acquiring fresh, in-season goods from the oceans around the world!

http://sushikaito.com/FromChefMorita....

[limster]

re: "Well if one can have bluefin (Hon Maguro) every day of the year, just how special can it be? Doesn't it lose any of its magic when you are no longer denied it until it is back in season?"

Some will agree with that philosophy, while others won't, it's a personal opinion. If I could have winter quality Spanish bluefin every day of the year, it'd still be special for me.

The main reason (for me) why I just go for a few bites is not because it makes me crave that particular dish more, but that there are many other dishes that I crave and restricting stuff to a few bites enables me to try more stuff.

[cgfan]

But how few are the ones who believe they should indulge in any sushi item of their choosing year round who have also gone through the effort of eating 100% seasonally? I suspect that it is very few, if for no other reason than the lack of sushi bars that practice such seasonality. I'm tempted to claim that once one has had the chance to enjoy sushi 100% seasonally that very few would ever want to go back.

It's a similar point to the one I made in my opening post: there are many that cannot stand the taste of an espresso, but the overwhelming odds are that very few would have even had the chance to taste a "real" espresso. I'd hate espresso too if I had nothing to taste but the vile swill that passes in the U.S. for this most profound of all coffee drinks.

[limster]

Looks like we're going after different points. Dissecting them:

1. Being denied something makes it more delicious (e.g being able to have certain foods at certain seasons)

That's the only issue I was addressing - there's lots of stuff that I really like, and would still like them as much, even if they were to be available all the time. But others may enjoy something more because of limited availability, will depend on individual.

2. Some foods are seasonal and we should only eat them at the prime of the season.

Yep, wasn't addressing any aspect of this issue, since I agree entirely and have nothing to add. Wish the seasons were longer though.

3. Not everyone (both restaurants and customers) appreciates seasonality or makes the best stuff of its kind.

Yep, agree, and again I have nothing to add.

[sisterfunkhaus]

1. Being denied something makes it more delicious (e.g being able to have certain foods at certain seasons)

The French Butter Pear is an example I can think of that makes this statement true. I wait every year for them in joyous anticipation. It is very exciting and does make me appreciate it that much more.

[Ruth Lafler]

Yes. I have a favorite variety of nectarine. Not only is it only available for two-three weeks a year, I only know one farm that grows it. As the season nears I approach their booth at the farmers market with a hopeful "May Diamonds yet?" And when it's no, I sigh, and they sigh, and offer me something else that's similar, and I say "It's good, but it's not a May Diamond" and they reply wistfully that nothing else is.

[moh]

"I'm tempted to claim that once one has had the chance to enjoy sushi 100% seasonally that very few would ever want to go back."

Cgfan, I am a big fan of your posts, and I have greatly enjoyed reading your posts on this thread. I admire and agree with most of your sentiments about sushi and espresso, and I am madly jealous of your access to great sushi!

But I am not sure I agree that if people have a chance to enjoy sushi seasonally, that very few would want to go back. I see high end, authentic seasonal sushi as being a little bit of a niche market. There are a minority of people who care about the quality of sushi they are eating, and would indeed value seasonality and authenticity above all. But most people would start to gripe about the price, the lack of their favorite items all year round, the lack of seasonings their way (lots of soya, piles of ginger, wasabi supersaturating the soya, chili sauce, mayonnaise, tempura bits, etc), the size of the portions, etc. etc. Most people do not have the same priorities that we have. If they did, then sushi chains would not get away with what they offer. The market would dictate that successful sushi restaurants offer authentic seasonal sushi.

The fact is that a lot of people are perfectly happy with the non-authentic, non-seasonal sushi they can get on every corner. And if you try to get them to try more authentic places, they will often gripe and complain. Every now and then, I can convert someone to the cause, and get them to see that sushi can be so much more than what is offered at Sushi Express All-U-Can-Eat. But these are people who were already sympathetic to the cause, and who also value quality of food as dearly as I. They are not the overwhelming majority of people.

I myself know very little about cars. I have a few friends who are car fanatics. "once you've driven this model, you'll never go back!' they say, but the fact is that I don't care enough about cars to care what I am driving. I can recognize it is a nice car, but really, the features are wasted on me. I would say I am in the majority, as there are not a majority of people who care a lot about driving the highest end car they can get their hands on.

Sadly, I think this is also true for food. Not everyone cares enough about the sushi they eat. And not everyone agrees on what is the most important quality to focus on. I suspect there may be a lot of people who would prefer having their favorite fish all year round over seasonality of ingredients. "I always have to order the tuna" is a common phrase I hear all the time, even from people who value good quality food.

Now, I am referring to the North American context. I suspect it may be different in Japan, where reverence for food and seasonality of dishes has become ingrained in the culture. So we can hope to attain what I consider to be enlightenment. But I bet even in Japan, there are those who would value being able to obtain tuna all year round, or those who prefer more soya sauce and wasabi with their sushi, or who value bigger portions over best quality.

I wish it were true that if we were able to expose everyone to seasonal sushi, or a really good espresso, that we'd be able to convert everyone over to the cause. But I don't think it is. Life is a bell curve. Most people are happy in the big hump of the bell curve known as mediocrity. It is passion, perhaps a touch of insanity that makes a few try to scale the upper end of the curve.

[limster]

BTW, primarily as a footnote, it's worth noting that not all sushi is seasonal e.g. those made with pickles such as gobo/burdock root or plum/umeboshi (a properly made umeshiso maki can be an enjoyable end to the savoury part of a meal). Tamago/omelette falls into this category too.

[cgfan]

I don't think your point contradicts the seasonality of sushi. In the development of Edo-mae sushi various pickling practices with regards to the main protein items were done in order to "preserve them" between the time they were caught in Edo (Tokyo) Bay to the time they were served at the sushi stands (yatai) all around Edo. This was a means to overcome the lack of modern refrigeration, and not a means to save these goods beyond their season.

And even these pickling methods were really more "quick pickling" methods. For instance with Kohada the fillets were lightly salted to draw out their moisture then lightly vinegared. i.e.: in no way were the Kohada fillets themselves actually allowed to ferment on their own to create the preserving acids.

As to the pickling of vegetables most Japanese pickling methods are very fast, from literally just a handful of seconds to several hours to perhaps a couple of days. Yes the pickling medium may be kept for years and years, and sometimes generations, but the pickling of the vegetables themselves is a rather short process.

Yes, there are exceptions, such as the umeboshi you mention. But it's really used more as a condiment or as a digestive than anything else.

[tatamagouche]

I LOVE UMESHISO MAKI. I'm so glad to hear that's not gauche.

[Sal Vanilla]

I never thought I would be writing about this but...

A discussion about sushi and rigor mortis (RM). Sushi is wonderful straight from the ocean.

BUT

if it cannot be eatien on the spot: If it t has not set into RM - icing it to get it home, filleting it before RM and getting it into the fridge before rigor overnight would, indeed, make it optimal (nice and cold, but RM has passed). Plus after rigor the texture is better. The key is ICING IT not freezing. I have caught a crazy amount of mackerel, tuna, salmon, halibut (ok the last two not crazy amounts), snapper... really any Florida/Bahama fish and hands down they taste way better the next day.

My husband seems to like slicing and dicing sashimi off the back of the boat, but trust me, the fish is better... a little old.

I am not an expert sushi chef, but I have made a staggering amount of sash and sush. on my own boat. Serious amounts. Sitting is a virtue.

[Sam Fujisaka]

S V, I know that you know this, but for others: Su = vinegar; shi = rice. Sushi does not come from the ocean. Sashimi does, however.

[cgfan]

Absolutely true... One of my pet peeves in sushi bar reviews, and you hear it all the time, is that "Such and such a place is so good! Their fish is soooo fresh!"

First off I hope that it's fresh, in the sense that it is not rotten. My what a very low bar one must have if all they could say about a sushi bar is that their fish is sooooo fresh!

But of course what they probably mean is that it is very fresh out of the water - i.e. just pulled out moments ago, versus, say, being a couple of days old. And this is where most consumers will show their relative ignorance regarding sushi tane (ingredients).

There are some ingredients which are famous for being extremely perishable. For instance shellfish and clams, or very fast oxidizers such as Katsuo (skipjack). However much of the tane at the sushi bar goes through a wonderful modulation of flavors as each ages, and amongst these tane I tend to prefer them as they get further into their aging cycle.

At my favorite sushi bar I've established a relationship where I can choose to follow a particular tane from the day of it's first arrival, then subsequently with daily visits track it as it develops in taste, just before the point where the itamae declares it to be over and throws it out. It is quite the experience and sushi education to do this many times over on a wide variety of tane. And many times If I inquire about a particular tane (though I always go omakase) my itamae will inform me that a particular tane is too fresh and that he'd rather serve other tane in its place, even though it is being served to their non-omakase customers.

Some of the tane that can go several days and even more is Maguro, Saba, and Kohada. To me a Kohada that's just been prepped, say, 5 hours before is almost a completely different taste experience than a Kohada served 3-4 days later. Almost always I prefer an uni that was been traditionally processed and placed on trays vs. one straight out of the shell. Straight out of the shell it almost never has the depth of flavor as in the more aged uni.

Maguro must be the grandfather of tane in terms of its ability to age. But it's tricky, as the ability to age well depends on the quality of the Maguro to begin with. That's where your average itamae, even the ones at the traditional shops, will be challenged to ascertain. This level of skill separates the men from the boys, the ones who can read their tane like they read a book.

And what makes this game of reading and aging tane such a dangerous game best left to only the best itamae is the very knife edge by which the tane deteriorates. In general the tane which ages improves day to day, but once it reaches its peak it drops precipitously in quality. (Reminds me of the magnetic heads that were used in tape drives whose output increases as it wears until it reaches its peak output for just a brief moment before it catastrophically fails to nothingness...)

If only more sushi fanatics had the pleasure of being served by an itamae that has the experience and confidence to play this game, and to play it well. (If you're ever in San Diego one must not skip the experience of sitting in front of Morita-san of Kaito Sushi...) I hear so many people who naively ask about such tane "was such and such brought in today?", implying that it's only worthy of eating had it been brought in that day. True for some items, but it's missing the point on many.

(Coffee, my other vice, shares an almost identical false notion about it as well... Just roasted coffee is not at its best. Depending on a lot of parameters such as roast level, method of extraction, and variety/blend, in general coffee reaches its peak anywhere from 2-10+ days after it has been roasted.

I can always pick out the otherwise conscientious shops that has the rare problem of serving coffee that is too fresh! However where coffee differs in this respect with sushi tane is that in coffee the flavor improves rapidly, followed by the relatively slow decay in quality after it has reached its peak... With sushi tane it's the opposite - a slow rise in quality to its peak, followed by a precipitous drop...))

[tatamagouche]

That's freaking fascinating. I had no idea. Thank you for the lesson!

[cgfan]

The thanks must go to my itamae... I have learned so much from him (as a customer, that is) in spite of having been in front of only traditionally trained itamae for some 15 years prior to discovering Morita-san.

What has added to the education are the blind culinary tests that he would run by me from time to time. * Judge the difference between two maguro nigiri taken from consecutive slices on the fillet but formed with two different moulding techniques. * Judge the difference between two Kampyo-maki, one cut in the traditional 4 pieces, the other identically made but cut into 6 pieces. In each case the difference was profound vs. being just subtly different.

The other itamae that I have learned much from was Shibutani-san of Shibucho, though as a young teenager when I first had the pleasure of sitting in front of him several times during the 70's I didn't have any comprehension of his skills. It was only until decades have passed when I looked him up and found his new shop in Costa Mesa that I understood his incredible skills.

To me it is these itamae that are in a different league and worth seeking out, and sadly are a small part of the population of even traditional itamae practicing in the U.S., the sum total of whom are completely outnumbered and diluted out by the hacks that are practicing at most so-called sushi bars.

[bolivar13]

Totally with you on the espresso - one of the most satisfying endings to an amazing meal is a great shot of espresso.
When you walk into a cafe and see a barrista (what's a male barrista called - a barristo?) pulling espresso by hand instead of pushing a button and walking away then you can almost always count on it being worth your while.
btw - Starbucks doesn't count - their coffee is ok - better than gas station/diner coffee but not any more special than dunkin donuts.

[cgfan]

The most misunderstood part of espresso is that it is not a "difficult" or "challenging" drink at all. (Easy for an espresso-head to say...but let me explain...)

I think it's safe to say that most people enjoy the aroma of fresh-roasted coffee, tea drinkers included. Well as David Schomer of Espresso Vivace has wonderfully said, "espresso should taste like fresh-roasted coffee smells" - so true!

...and so the argument is that if you can have a drink, forget for the moment that it happens to be called espresso, that captures all of the wonderful aromas of roasted coffee in a tiny ounce or so of elixir, there'd be many more fans of this most profound of all coffee drinks.

Now consider that a well-made espresso can deliver this taste experience for as long as 15-20 minutes after one has fjinished that tiny thimble of a drink, and you begin to understand the fanaticism surrounding this simple 2 part coffee+water drink.

For those who like plenty of milk, cream, sugar, etc., I can understand, as I, too, will be reaching for every bit of dairy or sweetener to make palatable the typically vile drinks that usually gets passed for an espresso. Unfortunately this describes the typical cafe/coffee shop. At these shops the emperor's not wearing any clothes, a particularly dicey thing given their work revolves around steam and hot water all day!

A properly made espresso has no overt bitterness to it at all - just a subdued, pleasant bitterness that supplies the background harmony for the melodies carried by all of the other flavor compounds in the bean.

[JungMann]

I dislike being a finicky diner or drinker. Do I prefer my martinis dry? Yes, but I'll still drink one thick with vermouth. Do I like tacos in corn tortillas? Yes, but if it's in flour, eh, I'll survive.

The one thing I can't stand, however, is the terrible cumin-choked dreck that is often passed off as Indian food. I can't understand how restaurateurs from such a storied and vibrant culinary culture are willing to pass off pineaples, sultanas and coconut cream as authentic korma or throw spices in a pureed sauce and call it curry. If I am served a carnation pink vindaloo or sweet rogan josh one more time, I will probably kick someone's Assam.

[KTinNYC]

The uber dry Martini isn't really purist. Traditionally they were at least 3 to 1 gin to vermouth.

[tatamagouche]

You're not saying, though, that cumin doesn't belong—just that it's heavy-handed in what should be a balanced mix, yes?

[JungMann]

Cumin certainly belongs in Indian cuisine, when balanced out by the other spices in a proper curry.

[tatamagouche]

Whew. Agreed.

[Soop]

I don't use minced (ground) meat.

I use cheap steak, and chop coarsely. I prefer the taste and texture immensely, and on the occasions I have to eeat other peoples recipes involving mince, I can feel a little sick these days.

[tatamagouche]

These threads get so tangled I can't even figure out what this refers to...?

[c oliver]

So you can make a patty out of minced beef? I wouldn't think it would hold together.

[Soop]

you would use egg to bind it, but I refer to anything mince is used in: Lasagne, Chili (ESPECIALLY Chili) etc

[c oliver]

The only thing I used ground beef for is burgers and it's nothing but beef that I grind myself. For lasagne I always use sausage (which I make myself also) and chili I'd use cubes of beef because I want that size not a mince. We're all different :)

[Sam Fujisaka]

I buy inexpensive cuts (in Cali, Colombia) and have the butcher put it through the grinder using the coarsest setting. Probably comes out like your chopped meat.

[c oliver]

I think that's the big difference, Sam. I use the big one when grinding and it definitely has the texture of MEAT.

[Soop]

I thought of asking my butcher to do this, but I kind of like it the way I do it. Obviously it will be better quality if you know exactly what's gone in it, and you can probably adjust the coarseness. But there's something satisfying about nice little chunks

[Sam Fujisaka]

Good on you. But I'd rather play with my daughter than chop meat (if it can be done well by my friendly and competent butchers who gladly do anything anyone asks).

[c oliver]

Since our two-legged daughters are grown, I only have the four-legged ones around now. And they are VERY attentive when I'm grinding meat :) VERY.

[Rmis32]

Egg creams - Must be made by someone at least 75 yrs old.

[tatamagouche]

Dang, now that's a very specific type of purism.

[coll]

It IS true however. Well maybe over 65 I'd say.

[Panini Guy]

Is the 75 years of age more important than the Fox's U-Bet?

[Karl S]

Carbonara - no liquid dairy whatsoever. It might be nice with dairy, but don't present it to me as carbonara, which sets my expectations to eggy delight not dairy delight.

Fresh bagels - do not commit the crime of toasting them. Toasting is for stale bagels (and good bagels should stale quickly).

Hard rolls - the real ones, klopped by hand, that go start to stale in about 3 hours - I miss them.

Pastrami - should be from the plate/navel. Lean pastrami is a an advertisement for disappointment.

Calzones should not be confused with stromboli.

Tomato sauce (for pizza and most pasta) - no sugar.

Ragu bolognese - is a meat sauce, not a tomato sauce; see carbonara above for my general attitude about truth in advertising.

Nutmeg is better than cinnamon

Sauerkraut should be cooked - with onions cooked in some pork or goose/duck fat, maybe some apples, riesling or white wine, caraway seeds.

Plates and serving dishes for most pasta dishes should be warmed before serving.

Many foods should never be reheated in a microwave oven.

French-style scrambled eggs are vastly superior to the broken omelette Americans call scrambled eggs.

[Chinon00]

Pilsener

[umbushi plum]

tomato sauce- no sugar so true! and so with you and the rest who say no to the liquid dairy in cabonara

[tatamagouche]

"Sauerkraut should be cooked."

What do you mean?! You mean some people call coleslaw or something sauerkraut?!

[applehome]

No - my wife likes it straight out of the bottle/bag and gets mad at me if I don't leave some out of the pan for her. I always saute an onion, drain and wash the sauerkraut before adding (especially "fresh kraut" that is super salty), and add caraway. That's just for hot dogs and wursts. A choucroute for dinner with smoked pork chops (kassler rippchen), double smoked bacon, wursts, etcetc involves a lot more - like the riesling wine.

To me, sauerkraut is a way of preserving cabbage that adds some flavor, but at the end, it is still intended to be cooked cabbage. To her, it's a pickle.