g.johnson

To get back on-topic. London parks have pre-processing venison. NYC parks have squirrels. Nothing more need be said.

Los Angeles has Griffith Park which I think is the biggest park inside any U.S. city. California doesn't count as it's full of Californians.

Worthy of dear old Plotnicki. Congratulations on your open-mindedness. So who is the new Peter Brook that I should look out for? There are bound to be good things, I know. But I no longer have the energy to find them among the bad.

No comment on Brixton. I have yet to have the pleasure of visiting London (or any other part of the U.K.). But the South Bronx is mostly Hispanic (at least the parts I know), and Harlem is gentrifying. I know blacks, whites, and Japanese who live in Harlem. They tell me rents are becoming expensive there, too. I think you have to look outside of Manhattan for ghettos that are nearly fully black. Bed-Stuy and Brownsville, probably. OK, socio-geography poor. I think the larger point stands. Neighborhoods in NYC are often ethnically defined in a way that no longer occurs to the same extent in London.

That certainly was my reaction when I first moved here (and it’s still my reaction to the Underground). Eight years ago I applied for a job in London and went for interview during the wettest October on record. Leaving the Underground at Russell Square was one of the most depressing experiences of my life. Much as I love lard, it’s not good when people look as if they’re made of it and everyone did. Plus, 35% of them appeared to have rickets. I turned down the job. But I now get a sense of energy in London that I didn’t before. Contrary to what someone posted previously, I think it’s the low- to mid-range places that are better in London. Daniel vs. RHR is probably a bust (though I preferred RHR on the basis of one visit to each) but I think you’re more likely to get a decent meal in a little Frenchified Bistro in London than in the equivalent here. I don’t, but I did in London. There are probably more experimental offerings in NYC but I’m sure they’re mostly utter tosh. What I miss is the RSC/National Theater* productions. There is nothing equivalent here. Oh well, off for an early dinner at Otto. (Will I be pining for Pizza Express?) * How the fuck do you spell that again?

A bottle. A bottle. What do you think we are, bloody amateurs.

I bow to your superior knowledge -- I only cross water to go to Europe. Would you accept black and hispanic? Even if not, I think you would agree about Harlem. If we're doing that must we not also include Epping Forest, Richmond Park, etc.?

After 15 years in NYC, I may just be getting nostalgic for London but whenever I go back it seems to have improved in multiple ways. I’m having a hard time now thinking of anything I actually prefer about NYC (apart from the salaries). I disagree with Wilfrid about restaurants - specific ethnic cuisines aside, I think they’re generally better at each “price point™” in London*. Food shopping is better in London, both everyday (supermarkets) and specialist – is there a fish store in NYC comparable to Steve Hatt? If you don’t like musicals, what is there to see in the theatre here other than British touring companies? NYC cinema generally sucks for anything foreign language (anything non-American for that matter). Museums? A tie. Weather? London is better in Summer. NYC better the other seasons. Beer? Give me a fucking break. Architecture / Environment? Easier to get around in NYC and, to quote Kingers, “Anyone who walks down 5th Avenue on a sunny day and doesn’t feel his spirits rise, is a shit.” But London is beautiful too. Mwah. I wanna go home. *That may be because we are more selective in London and go only to the best.

London superior in variety and number. More importantly, London is rich in the crowning achievement of British urban planning: The Square.

I'm with Kikujiro on this one. I'm always struck by the amount of miscegenation (particularly between white and Indian/Pakistani) in London. But it goes further than that and I think Kikujiro is correct to describe it as seperatism. Stand with your back to someone on the Underground and the chances are you won’t be able to tell their ethnicity from their accents. That is not true in NYC and not just with recent immigrants. Harlem and the South Bronx are still black enclaves but my impression is that even Brixton is more diverse nowadays.

Don't get ideas above your station. You're a bloody Yorkshiremen, which barely counts as human.

Are you sure? Saint-Pierre (Fr.), pez de San Pedro (Sp.), St Petersfisk (Norw.) is John Dory in British English according to Alan Davidson's North Atlantic Seafood. It has the name because of a large 'thumbprint' on its side where St. P pulled it from the water. This is the beast.

That the provenance of a piece of art affects its value is a damning criticism of the art market. It implies that the worth of the piece is not determined by its quality but by the reputation of the artist. It indicates a lack of nerve on the part of buyers – they’re not confident that they can identify quality*. That said, if you buy a Rembrandt, it’s less likely you’ll acquire a dud than if you buy a no-name. Similarly with food. If the consumer isn’t confident he can identify a good scallop, he looks for reassurance that it’s good and buzzwords like ‘diver’ give him that reassurance. But again, artisanal cheese is generally better than mass produced, day boat fish is generally better than factory fished. So if, for some reason, one is unable to sample the stuff, one goes with the product that seems most likely to be high quality. *Or cynicism – they’re buying as an investment

Now I'm going to have to beat you about the head with the OED: Elitism: Advocacy of or reliance on the leadership and dominance of an élite (in a society, or in any body or class of persons). Hence élitist n. and a.

An evangelist.

I think you’re using the word ‘elitist’ rather loosely. Elitism is the belief that the elite should lead. Thus if Balic believes that his knowledge of food allows him to dictate the diet of the non-food obsessed, he is an elitist. But I don’t think anyone believes that. You are a bunch of snobs, though.

I did a sort of Gooducken, documented here, for Christmas.

Just to be perverse I'll question the premise from the other end. Is there any evidence that most Americans are not still culinarily isolationist? How many half way decent French (or Italian or Chinese or Mexican) restaurants are there throughout the country? More than 50 years ago, no doubt, but I'd guess that only a small fraction of the population go to them. Similarly, what are the sales of Mastering the Art relative to Joy of Cooking? You're still peasants.

We didn't like Apizz. Its sister restaurant, Peasant, is similar (wood burning oven) but better (suckling pig). Edit: Apostrophe ignorance.

Please please please. It's definitely possible to be allergic (not a true allergy, but a genetic inability to metabolize) to certain amino acids. You Please please please what??? I can't figure out why you're quoting me. I thought I was talking about the molecular biology of taste and how there is a lot of free glutamate in things we eat besides Chinese food. I'm no physician, and would never claim that you couldn't be allergic to anything. My offer for reviews was for the ones done by research scientists on G-protein coupled taste receptors found on tongues and nothing more. regards, trillium I think mamster was saying he'd really like to read the reviews (as a biologist he almost qualifies as a scientist). I'd be interested too.

The deli counter at a decent grocer should have them. (Garden of Eden and Jefferson Market do.)

Neither Yvonne nor I remember very clearly. We think it was a cappelletti special which tasted as if the cooking water had leached into the filling making it watery and tasteless. I should say (especially having recommended the place) that we have enjoyed every other meal we’ve had at I Coppi. During the summer it’s particularly pleasant for lunch in the garden.

Personally, if I’m crossing water to eat Italian, I’m going to Italy.

I was exaggerating a little. The pasta that one of our party had was actively unpleasant (everyone agreed). He didn’t complain at the time but didn’t eat any of it. When the server cleared the plates she asked if there was anything wrong and he told her that it was ‘disgusting’, admittedly over the top. This was reported to the chef who came over, very upset, and insisted that the dish was the way it was meant to be and the way they like it in Tuscany. They gave us the check immediately (including a charge for the offending pasta). We paid and left.

Not exactly brunch, but I Coppi (9th Street, near Avenue A) is very pleasant for lunch. (Though they did throw us out for complaining about a dish the last time we were there.)