jhlurie

It also embraces the concept that good food happens at all levels. It's what seperates us from "real food snobs", but also puts us at a distance from the other extreme (the people who pooh-pooh all forms and manner of foodie-ism as something unpleasant or elitist). A rare complement to Fat Guy--a site like Fat-guy.com embraces this concept by having reviews at all levels.

Basque cuisine? Hmm. That actually has some appeal.

I think I made a similar statement to this before... so I apologize for repeating myself. The NY dinner crowd shouldn't worry SO MUCH about how expensive the dinner is. They should make a concerted effort to make sure that EVERY eGullet dinner isn't equally as expensive (and in fact it is a good idea to start off the first dinner with an a more affordable option), but I feel strongly that it would be to the detriment of the community if this issue isn't settled now. Some dinners will be affordable and some not. Nobody should be offended if someone chooses to not show up at a dinner in either financial "direction", and the dinners should be often enough to satisfy both crowds. Wine is obviously a big issue. I, for example, am at best a casual drinker. But some people really consider it an essential part of the meal. Satisfying both extremes is obviously the challenge. Just my 2 cents...

The kicker of the story (tommy has told it to me already) is that it REALLY DID smell like feet. It was just impolite of the guest to point that out. Isn't this the third or fourth major mention of "feet smell" here in the past few weeks? Sheesh.

Steven... you are probably right, but if they WERE offended by your behavior, are you sure that they would express the fact to you? This is particularly true of the Japanese, I've been told. They are not ones to show the offense visibly (although I'll admit its a HUGE generalization, and those tend to fall down when applied against individual real-life cases). Also, a Japanese in this country--particularly one in a service-oriented field like a sushi-chef--is certainly going to be most forgiving. It's just customer service. The stabbing of food one is the "offense" I've heard the most about. Then again, those laquered Japanese chopsticks are so pointy, it's almost hard to avoid stabbing. And the Korean metal chopsticks are even worse!!! (editing for spelking, er... spelling)

Well, if you can get to New Jersey somehow, the next eGullet gathering there is going to be in that price range. Then again, the NJ group decided (informally, of course) to go in the reverse direction--we're slowly building up to haute cuisine. In fact, a few of us were counting on the NY faction to bring us up a level or two a bit early. Joking aside, don't despair. I think that these gatherings can include the whole range. Some will be expensive, some won't--just like some good food is expensive and some isn't.

If O'Brien's was anywhere other than Rockville, that was MORE than 12 years ago, The address where (according to Yahoo Maps) it is now, is to my memory exactly where it was 12 years ago, the first time I was there--387 East Gude Drive. Maybe there were two O'Brien's Pit BBQ's in that part of Maryland?

Always do, except to annoy people older than me (ducking).

I can't speak for other nationalities, but Americans do EVERYTHING last minute.

Seeing as how the time was moved back to 7PM (last time I looked at this thread people were talking about a LATE meeting), and seeing as how another conflict went away, I might actually go Kettle Fishing. As I have no beret, If you see someone wearing a brown baseball cap and matching leather jacket it's me. Très cool, no?

For the purposes of this discussion am I right in assuming that spices from Ceylon are being counted as Indian in origin? Cinnamon, for example? Vanilla is a "New World" spice, is it not, although also now grown in Asia, right? Anise is Spanish. Most varieties of Mint still are exclusive to North America.

My words, your sentiment. That's not plagiarism. Steven's statement backs me up! In fact, for a change, I'm the one who brought "asses" into a conversation instead of you... Aren't you glad you switched me over to your position?

We had a whole debate before about how a guest SHOULD handle not wanting to eat something. Some say to supress all reaction. Some say to politely make excuses. Some say to tell the truth, but try to act graceful instead of repulsed. On reflection, I'm going to change my position (which was somewhere between option 2 and 3). I now believe that it doesn't matter which of the three choices you make. An ass is an ass, regardless of which choice they make, and a person with grace is going to handle any of these choices better than the ass. A rude person will complain or whine--in general they aren't going to be looking to the host for their reaction. They just don't care. A mannered person may waffle over how to handle it (and that in itself may be a reason to "decide" which option is "best"), but no matter which road they take they will be gauging the reaction of their host. If a silence (no reaction) to the food be presented grows uncomfortable, they may change tactics. If a little act like they aren't hungry seems to annoy or anger the host, it would be my assumption that someone with manners would apologize. If an outright statement that they honestly don't like that kind of food doesn't seem to work, at least the mannered person will have the sensitivity to back off before they make any really sharp statements about the food. In other words... an ass is an ass.

One condiment which you increasingly find at New York area Indian restaurants is mint-cilantro chutney (sometimes also with Chili oil). The quality of mint-cilantro chutney which I've had has varied widely, but it's given me just a hint of how limited the selection is at most area Indian restaurants, where that red onion stuff, and a very basic Tamarind chutney are frequently the only two condiments.

Two words: Aloo Paratha

As late as 1990 I know that Red Sea still ruled. But according to Steve Klc, the days of great Ethiopian food in DC are long over...

Let it be known that I too never saw Bob & Edith's in the light of day. 3AM-5AM were the most common times, with an occasional "early" visit between 2AM and 3AM. I don't know why.. it's just the way at B&E. Truckers, and people who live in that neighborhood, are apparently the only ones who have ever seen sunlight hit those walls. The other "cheap but good" place I used to frequent (and you have to remember this was 10-12 years ago... it may not even exist anymore) was a place called "O'Briens Pit BBQ", out somewhere in Rockville, MD.

Now I'm totally confused.

Also, I think that acting like you are full, or no longer hungry, may be less egregious than a sudden stomach ache. I know I'm tackling this from the standpoint of the guest instead of the host. As a host, my feelings might be quite different.

You have some good points, but I'll only debate one of them. The issue of "unbelievability". The point is that the white lie is obvious to all... it's a polite way of declining the food without acting like an ass. This assumes, of course, that there is a way to say it without it seeming bald-faced, but even at it's most subtle I think a normally perceptive host will see through it. Obviously anything you do can backfire on you. What I was trying to say is that a deafening silence and someone trying to NOT say anything may be just as bad or worse than a polite exchange of lies. Let me say that the best alternative may indeed be to act as if nothing is wrong... but that's supposing you can get away with it instead of the stony silence I'm describing as a worst case. And from a moral standpoint, it's still lying.

I'll add that it was a yellow curry base--which I liked very much. Since yellow curry, to my taste at least, is never that strong I retract my "whopping" statement. I vaguely remember thinking it was a bit odd to have a yellow curry base mixed with that type of chicken, but again, my main pleasure was in the pastry.

Sigh. It's been so many years since I had a decent one, I'm hard pressed to remember. Way back, about 13 or 14 years ago in a Pakistani restaurant in Rockville, Maryland. (sorry, Suvir, but that's where I had it...). It was a chicken samosa with what appeared to be very tender pieces of chicken tikka mixed with peas and potatoes and a whopping amount of curry. The pastry was flaky and yet firm simultaneously--and not greasy--which I'm sorry to say isn't frequently the case with most samosas I've seen. Is this yet another one of those foods which tends to be horribly mismanaged in America, or am I just going to the wrong places, Samosa-wise that is?

I almost agree with cabrales. In my opinion, it is an acceptible alternative to tell a little white lie and act like you have a stomach ache or aren't very hungry. You must smile and be polite, keep up with dinner conversation in a subdued manner, and overall at least try to eat a little (as cabrales says). I really think that a diplomatic excuse may be better than an aching silence. B Edulis... would such a book include a chapter on "Internet" etiquette? I know entire books have been done on the subject, but it seems to me that any complete book on modern manners would include 'net etiquette, as well as other modern topics like "why its rude to talk 'full-voiced' on a cell phone on public transportation". (edited to remove an extraneous double negative--I said "not unacceptible", shame on me...)

No it wasn't Halwa. It was pudding, approximately Tapioca tasting, with an orangish color. I guess what I was asking was whether or not carrot might be pulverized or pureed into a pudding for color... which to my memory Halwa is most definitely not (a pudding, that is). Oh. Never mind. Steve Klc has given us enough other stuff to talk about. BTW: this link is of interest.

now we should go and pester BON about Japanese desserts... as far as the orange colored pudding goes... is Carrot even remotely possible? I have a vague memory... (I've only seen this pudding in maybe two restaurants, and both were years ago)