Simon Majumdar

OK, so now I am well rested and have dined hugely on mutton chops and ale ( or have been listening to Nicholas Nickleby on audio book read by Simon Callow while I was running which is why I am talking in this ridiculous way ) I can give this some serious thought I am fortunate that I spend about 12 weeks a year in the US and much of that in NY. Both are, as I said before, the only cities that matter. There are other wonderful cities, cities I love, but these are the only two I would ever consider making home. Parks - No contest. London hands down. I love Central P, but er, that's about it. parks and public spaces is just something the UK does so much better than just about anywhere else. The Rose Garden at Regent's Park or the Lake at St James, running through Richmond Park. can't be beat Food Shopping - General day to day shopping would be London. Ethnic food shopping ( with the exception of Indian ) would certainly be NY. Speciality shopping for luxury items again London. Cheese, again London Restaurants - High end ( Daniel,RHR ) NY without a second's hesitation. Mid range ( Blue Hill, St J's ) NY again. casual, London if only for the plethora of Gastro Pubs. Ethnic, NY ( again with the exception of Indian and chinese which is usually pretty grim in NY ) Theatre - The fact that the National Theatre Production of Oklahoma is being trumpeted on Broadway as the "Great American Musical' tells you about the state of theatre in the US. Legit theatre is in an even worse state Cinema - I bow to the knowledge of KikuJ who knows far more about it than I do. Public Services - NY. London is a tough city to live in. NY seems so much easier, but then I have never tried to find a plumber there Security - London seems to be a lot less safe than NY. I am however basing this on Theme park Manhattan as it has now become. Because of the above, I feel London has the edge for me over NY. I describe NY as being a young city with a very old vibe. It is great if you have pots of cash but, at the moment lacks a cutting edge energy from its young. London is a old city with a very young vibe. It's clubs, music scene, fashion and art seem to me to have far more energy So there you go lights blue touch paper and stands well back S

I am sorry Wilfrid. While I loved the company and the lunch at Artisnal, it was because of the company not the cheese. ANd Murray is fine but no match for La Fromagerie Let's be sensible. I adore both cities. Would I want to live in NY? Probably not. I am a Londoner and while this city drives me nuts, there are so many things here that excite me I would never want to leave We can see astonishing buildings springing up wherevever we look. We have increasingly wonderfu restaurants and some, the indian ones ( don't give me Jackson heights it is a joke by comparison ) in particular,are stunning. we have theatre that NY dreams of and Indie cinema that pales in NY by comparison NY however has an atmosphere of "the possible" that is unsurpassed and that is what what makes me keep coming back even when I don't have to for business. I am lucky. I truly believe there are only two citis on earth that matter. London is one. NY is the other. Between them they control everything ( art, fashion, music, film, well the oney side at least ) There are other wonderful cities that I love to visit, but these are the only ones that matter S

One word Cheese. QED S

All the comments of someone who has not spent enough time in NY to appreciate the value of London S

Is this the same place as QC? If it is, I have never seen more than about 5 people in there at any one time Their bar is a reliable place for a drink and, like the restaurant, is not over populated by customers SD

In the Shoreditch/Clerkenwell/islington/East End sort of area St John Club Gascon Quality Chop/Fish House Moro South Cru ( not tried, mixed crit ) The Sutton Arms The Fox The Eagle Lola's ( New Chef- Going tonight ) Almeida Ethnic New Tayyab Viet Ho Green Papaya Angel mangal Okabassi Istanbul Iskembeksi Pubs The Market Trader ( By Borough Market ) The Wenlock Arms Jerusalem Tavern O Hanlon's Chip Shops Faulkner's The Golden Chip Shop ( Next to Quality Chop House ) Bars Sosho Match ( Clerkenwell Branch ) S

I pondered on just such an evening, Winot Given the awfulness of the film I chose, I wish I had S

The whole notion of provenance has moved away from a small group of enthusiasts following their meal back to its source just as one would discuss the origins of a great wine to being a rather cynical marketing ploy used by restaurants and supermarkets alike Traceable origins has become synonymous with quality. It is, of course, nothing of the sort. I would argue that all great ingredients can be traced back to a great supplier, but not all sourced food is great Every US mid level restaurant menu is littered with ingredients whose sources are described by the wait staff in great detail ;where each tomato came from, the breed of the beef, the provenance of the foie ( did anything good ever come out of The Hudson Valley?) This persuades the general diner that what they are eating is not mass produced but has been lovingly hand reared by the couple in a rockwell painting. In the majority of cases that is just not true In the UK it is the same in our all powerful supermarkets. So now we have the bizarre sight of "vine tomatoes" being sold at hugely inflated prices in spite of the fact they still come from Holland and are still grown hydroponically (sp?) In restaurants the provenance of an ingredient has allowed dishes to be sold at vast mark ups ( Smiths of Smithfield charge upwards of £25 for a 10oz steak & chips because they can name the cow it came from ) Again people , who accept a basic principle that quality costs, are being made to pay over the odds on the basis of some specious history. None of this is to argue that great food coming from great suppliers who care as much ( never more, these are BUSINESSES never forget ) about the quality of their produce as they do about their margins is not a thing of beauty and should not be sought out by all who want real food, but the cynical way in which "real food’ is being marketed both by restaurants and markets is a genuine threat S

Went last night to see City of God at the Barbican Pile of execrable old toot ( looked like it had been made by a 22 yr old who had just come out of film school where they majored in Tarantino and Minored in Goodfella's - all flashy camera work, no narrative drive and generally wretched. ) just made me depressed and hungry so did the comfort food thing at The Sutton Arms. Food excellent as usual ( superb devilled chicken livers ) but slightly ruined by a group of bumptious oafs at the next table who were being rude to the delightful staff and talking loudly about the new games they had bought for their X Box ( word to the wise guys - 30something Cityboy + Xbox = No sex ) Ho hum S

Cathy & Stefany. I am twice blessed Details to follow S

Not sure if he was in a Carry on film either, sorry But he was a Genius. Met him once. He was exactly as he was on screen. exactly "you're a shaar ( shower ) an absolute shaaar" S

Difficult to comment on as I haven't been here for that long. However, from what I have read and been told then yes it has. However, recently reading a load of books on British and Scottish food history, I noticed that somebody of my wage level eats on par with an artisan class or lower middle class person in the 19th. C. eg. Rarely can afford meat regularly except in the forms of bacon, mince or sausage. My wage is almost exactly the average wage for a male in the UK, if this is the average condidtion then I find it difficult to see how people can afford to develope an in-depth knowledge of food. Therefore, any in-depth interest or knowledge is elitist because it is unavalible to the majority of people. I don't think it is just a case of wage, Adam, but more how one chooses to spend it I know people who plead poverty constantly, never by a pint, but always seem to have the latest CD, Clothes etc I remember going out with a girl who came from a family she claimed to be "poor" she invited me back for supper and was worried because for some reason she had me down as posh and thought that I would be snobbish about the whole thing. When I got to their, perfectly respectable house, I was greeted by the sight of a groaning table of incredible food, including truffles, foie, great wines etc etc. The father though not well off budgeted so he could go to France and buy things that he loved ( from trying things when he was batman to a Major general in the Army ) Other families in a similar income bracket could have spent their money of Cable TV etc etc. They prefered to spend it on food. We have people who are on Egullet who are in different income groups, but there are many who spend far more than I do on eating out as it is their great passion. I have to balance my expenditure between eating out and going to the fights. Gavin - If I was to look at lard on its own and be overly enthused, that might well be elitist and indeed illegal. In a pork pie ( well one of any note ) it is essential.

That is a very good question and will no doubt inspire a huge amount of debate My two penn'oth In the UK knowledge of food, while improved dramatically in the last twenty years is still light years behind our european neighbours. We are much more on a par with the US in that respect People here are far more removed from the "means of production" to use a political phrase and treat food and therefore food sources as a means to an end. Quality for years meant less than price and still does In France, I am sure and in Spain, I am certain, foodstuffs and stores are advertised on the basis of quality as much as price. In the UK and US it is almost solely on price This is changing and there a core of people that are taking a real interest in not just what they put in their mouth but the provenance of the same. We are still miles behind. Hell,even in Borough they don't like you touching the prodce before you buy. In Spain someone would just walk away if they could not verify the quality for themsleves. There are levels at which things become ridiculous. Some of the conversations we have on egullet would be seen ( probably rightly ) as elitist by others but this is a web site on a specific subject and the same would be true on a discussion board about dance music, football, or Boxing ( I know that is true. I re read some of my posts on secondsout.com and shudder ) Anyway, a pork pie is not elitist. it is a basic food group. Was it a handraised lard based pie? Mmm. lard S

Was Peter Sellers in that one? I don't think Sellers was in any Carry On The afore mentioned Cabby has a plot involving two rival cab firms run by Hattie Jaques and Sid James. If I remember rightly Hattie's firm was called GLAM CABS and was comprised of what were known at the time as "right little ravers" Ah happy days S

great idea For the Indian dishes stick to simple finger food such as Pakora and Bhajia with raita and sambal S

Nina and Stellabella in the same room I am assuming that the locals were given some sort of noise warning. I am back in Feb. Perhaps we could have another Birds only night + me. Just a thought S

At my reckoning, between 9 and 11 glasses per person. You drank more. I was almost monastical in my restraint S

almost. More, I would argue, it was a natural progression from the Judaic tradition of atonement and the paschal tradition of the death of Christ S

I am so glad you added that last bit However wonderful, you can't drink a memory Booze from a mason jar. MMMmmm ( another Homer style drool ) S

The majority of religions, from my limited knowledge, would argue that faith is rather like a stool built on three legs all of which support the whole 1) The teachings of the founder/deity as found in texts that are agreed to be holy. This process in itself leads to schism as the Chalceadon proclamations prove 2) The teachings of the priestly elite on whom the deity has bestowed understanding of the principle laws and the duty of ensuring adherence 3) Individual morality based on prayer and contact with the deity. now, the fundemental dynamic in all religions is which of these should take precedence and that has led to the majority of conflicts. if you look to the subject of dietary laws and, in this instance, the Jewish faith, you can see where problems have arisen Initially, in Leviticus, these teachings were explicit. But if one looks at the Apocryphal texts, there is not even agreement, so you are immediately putting your faith in the interpretation of god's law at a point in time by one person. Over time and with a pragmatic change in circumstances certain dispensations crept in. Exiles in Babylon were allowed, by their priests to eat pork and meat that had been offered to the altar of Baal. There was a suitable explanation. The exiles would know in their heart that their was one true god and so eating idol meat had no effect and could save their lives. Such pragmatism exists now among less orthodox schools. Finally, individuals have ( I would argue with the decline in influence of the priestly class ) begun to look to their own morals and thoughts. I know one Jewish woman who searched high and low for a Dreidl (sp? ) for Channuka, but felt no conflcit in buying huge slabs of pork shoulder to cook for her supper. She saw no relationship between an ancient law and her current circumsatnces At the risk of offering a very bad theology lesson, what I am trying to say is that ALL religions are based around these three "legs' of the stool and that within that people make a decison as to which is foremost. This would be true about those who choose to do terrible things in god's name. I have a father who was brough up a Hindu, loves beef, still has his sacred thread and crys when he sees the actions of the fundamentalist Hindu parties in India Go figure S

It was exquisite. I wasn't sure before, but now I know that this was a work of fiction S

It was exquisite. Edit: Clicked wrong Quote button. have no view on R's dress S

Uckfield, Storrington, Bexhill??? Why, when I think of these places, do I always hear "Duelling Banjos" or the theme from The Whicker Man in my mind? S

Chunks of Cod and Haddock plus two fillets of red mullet Dredged in seasoned flour and shallow fried in olive oil Served with a salad of spinach, rocket,sorrel and basil in a dressing made from walnut oil and normandy cider vinegar Also a small amount of rouille The Haddock in particular was superb S

Ahem! ( it can't just be me and Wilfred giggling like schoolboys. Perhaps it is ) Anyway, glad you enjoyed. It was certainly one of my highlights of 2002 eating I am assuming with you and partner, they issued the rest of the room with earplugs just a thought S