eipi10

Please explain what are "Asian slurping sounds"? Last I checked slurping sounds were darn near universal and not limited to just Asians. ← http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPVOHNBhfTA btw, i'm with you on the shoe thing ! who would want to wear shoes indoors?

I live in a dorm with many foreign students. Often when I'm in the lounge I can't hear the TV because people are eating so loudly. It's louder than conversation, I swear. You wouldn't believe the amount of noise someone can make with an apple! Imagine you're a kid intentionally trying to annoy your parents by making as much noise as humanly possible: that's how one guy eats the apple. And with another guy, I can't focus on what I'm reading because I know I will be distracted by the noise from his biting down hard on his fork, which occurs forcefully on every single bite. I guess this is an area where I don't have a cultural relativist stance--it seems that such table manners are objectively problematic. ← Im confused, how else are you suppposed to eat noodles without slurping? The main reason I slurp, is because they're hot eta as I type this, Im trying to slurp up some black rice noodles with clam broth without getting too much broth on the keyboards and screen ← I don't think it's an inappropriate way to eat noodle soups, one of the most difficult foods to eat using Western table manners. Actually though, I remember reading that there's a controversy in Japan because the traditional way to eat them is with loud slurps, but there is a movement to adopt Western quiet eating habits. I'm all in favor of Western imperialism here! The Korean Americans on my floor slurp anything that has liquid--it sounds the same as if there were noodles. I understand that's acceptable or even polite in their culture, but I'm not required to like every aspect of their culture, and it would certainly be a deal breaker in a relationship. And it's not just a East versus West thing. It annoys me when I'm reading in a coffee shop and people slurp their coffee or tea. I don't deny that I'm hypersensitive to these noises, and I'm not necessarily saying people should stop making them. I'd simply prefer it personally if people took smaller sips and made less noise. Might be a deal breaker!

I live in a dorm with many foreign students. Often when I'm in the lounge I can't hear the TV because people are eating so loudly. It's louder than conversation, I swear. You wouldn't believe the amount of noise someone can make with an apple! Imagine you're a kid intentionally trying to annoy your parents by making as much noise as humanly possible: that's how one guy eats the apple. And with another guy, I can't focus on what I'm reading because I know I will be distracted by the noise from his biting down hard on his fork, which occurs forcefully on every single bite. I guess this is an area where I don't have a cultural relativist stance--it seems that such table manners are objectively problematic.

I honestly think the MIL is the normal person in this example. The vast majority of people are not foodies and don't even understand the concept. America loves Applebees. If a person isn't particularly bright, the fact that you prefer Per Se to Applebees suggests not that you have some discriminating palate, but rather that you're pompous. Just like if you drink Belgian beer from a glass rather than Bud Lite from a bottle, many, maybe most, people will think you're a snob rather than a beer connoisseur, because such a concept is foreign to their imaginations.

woops (remove plz)

But if you accept an invitation to go to lunch doesn't that mean the person asking is asking you to join them in eating? Most people enjoy eating with others. To accept an invitation and then turn around and decide the food wasn't good enough imo is rude. One caveat being that you inform the person that you weren't hungry prior to going to the restaurant but would like to join them simply to enjoy their company. In this situation I've STILL ordered something. An appetizer, a salad, and/or a dessert with coffee. Oftentimes people are uncomfortable eating when someone with them is not. I'm sorry friend or not I really feel wierd if you are just watching me eat. It would make me uncomfortable and make me feel if I were the one being ungracious. *shrug* then again I'm Thai. Food is REALLY important to us. IF you visit a Thai home you are always asked if you are hungry or thirsty and people WILL foist food onto you no matter. To not do so is inhospitable on the hosts part. To no eat is to give the impression that the hospitality is unwelcome or inferior. ← This is more true in Thai culture than American culture, but it is still true in the latter. It's certainly rude to accept a restaurant invitation and not eat anything. From the other person's point of view, it's like you're saying you're better than her because you won't eat the crap she eats. Even if the other person accepts without insult the fact that you're a finicky foodie, it likely makes her uncomfortable to be eating something while you just sit there, because normal people want their dining companions to be having a good time. I just think some of the people on here aren't normal . Not that I'm normal. To avoid situations like this, I just refuse to socialize altogether .

Table manners are a huge deal with me. I can't handle smacking, finger sucking, fork biting, plate banging, and Asian slurping sounds. Certainly these habits would be deal breakers. Not liking ethnic foods would be a deal breaker. Liking crappy foods would be a deal breaker.

Who is the "no one"/"everyone" on your list? With the exception of cabbage, which I can take or leave, all those are among my favorite vegetables! I'd agree with srhcb about most Americans avoiding old-fashioned root vegetables such as turnips, rutabagas, and parsnips for that matter, either because they don't know what to do with them, or because they had bad experiences with them in childhood! Turnips are popular in French and Japanese dishes, however, and parsnips are great in soups and stews or roasted with carrots. I don't believe I've ever tasted a rutabaga, and it's rare to see them in the markets where I live. ← Rutabagas have amazing flavor. We used to eat them weekly where I grew up in rural Florida, mashed with a fork, drizzled in butter, and sprinkled in salt. Mmmm...sometimes you forget some of the benefits of living in a mostly awful place.

I love this post, haha. God, what would I eat at such a hellhole? I'd get an iceberg lettuce salad with oil and vinegar dressing and a diet coke. Then right when I left I'd go eat somewhere else. Another idea is to get drunk beforehand. Then the frozen fries dipped in Heinz ketchup taste tremendous, and you can tolerate and even enjoy your mother in law. She'll probably be happy that you're finally having a great time. I get drunk any time I have to see my dad's side of the family, lol.

I was normal. The way I see it, supertasters are not more likely to be foodies. It doesn't seem like it would be good to be a supertaster--it probably lessens enjoyment of food. In fact, it seems that nontasters would enjoy food the most because nothing would be offensively bitter or salty or sweet. What we really need is a test for supersmellers.

Love this thread. I went through the whole thread and I have to say, this is the most disgusting. It looks like something from a Hannibal Lechter movie! I don't think I want to know what the meaty thing on top is...

Though no doubt people on this site have more information, Wikipedia has a superb article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soy_sauce

So sue me, but my favorite is Scharffen Berger 82%. I've had many E Guittard single origin bars, El Rey, Valrhona, Venchi, Hachez, Cluizel, etc. etc. I just really like the unique tart fruitiness of Scharffen Berger. Many of these other chocolates are better in terms of mouthfeel and rich chocolate taste, however.

Some beautiful pictures in this thread. I've been to quite a few Vietnamese restaurants, and the food has never looked this good. I bet it hasn't tasted as good either!

Taleggio for sure, and two- or three-milk robiola also. All these cheeses are so different, the class should be impressed.

One of the best sandwiches I ever had was shredded salt cod with olive tapenade and, strangely, chick peas.

Something I learned at more than one restaurant is that employees regularly, even daily, forage in the forest for wild mushrooms. The beer cheeses are interesting and generally not available in the U.S. (even at the very best cheese shops). Bakery sweets tended to be unusual and excellent. Honestly, I enjoyed the food in Prague as much as the food in Tuscany.

Epoisses de Bourgogne is the transcendent cheese for me. I love the pungency, the yeastiness, and the thick, creamy mouthfeel. No cheese is this profound.

I've had fantastic Greek food in the Tampa area, where there is a large Greek population. It's a shame there aren't more authentic Greek restaurants in the US. Anyway, I think every single cuisine rises to great heights, because people everywhere want to eat tasty things. It may be that some cuisines just aren't very well represented. Just when I thought I'd tried virtually every cuisine, I was recently taken aback by the tastiness and distinctiveness of Surinamese food in Holland. I have yet to see a Surinamese restaurant anywhere in the US. It may also be that some societies, like Greece, aren't very wealthy and thus haven't developed haute cuisines that wow critics. It's amazing how good Ethiopian food is, for instance, considering our perceptions of Ethiopian impoverishment. So arguendo I'm going to adopt a culinary relativist stance and say that no cuisine is inherently better than any other cuisine, but some cuisines have more exponents and have been developed more extensively. At the level of $10 an entree or less, I honestly don't think any cuisine is better than any other.

Surinamese food. Brilliant. Try it in the Netherlands.

I think thin pieces are essential for balance. I like it with sesame oil, garlic, and soy sauce.

I think there are many places that just aren't suitable for solo dining. If there's a bar, I almost always feel comfortable. But if I'm dining alone at a table and there are people waiting for a table, I feel awkward. To the underage guy, I really don't see the problem. Not once have I been carded for merely sitting at a restaurant's bar. Even if there's a law prohibiting you from doing so, I don't think it's enforced. I sit at bars all the time and just order water to drink. Practically speaking, I see no reason you shouldn't do the same.

I think it is possible that the photographs on the Australian site are in fact copyright violations. One restaurant creates a work of visual art and fixes it in a tangible medium of expression by photographing it. It is not at all clear that another restaurant can recreate the same work and photograph it. Outside the culinary context, such recreation and photographing certainly invokes copyright violation issues. I don't think the fact that the food and method of creating it aren't copyrightable changes this analysis for the photography.

Jennifer, your examples immediately came to mind. Epoisses is amazing, for instance, but most of my dormmates would think less of me for eating it. The first time I had durian, the Thai waitress asked me if I was sure and suggested something else. I thought it was great, but yeah, the smell is funky! The only other example I can think of is pungent Indian mixed pickle--yum!

I agree with the answers in this thread. However, be careful about copying sets of recipes, as opposed to individual recipes.