balex
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Posts posted by balex
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Yes, thanks for the clarification : it clearly means something rather different in England. In fact in some places you can order the food either as 'tapa' size portions (= racion?) or as 'normal' size. That said I am sure there are a few places in London which do it the right way.
Don't get me started on what 'barbecue' means in England ...
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To most of the world - the word has a definite meaning.
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I do not expect to be dismissed simply because I am speaking a language as a second or third language.
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The question is: What is the definition of tapas in England - and what is the definition in Spain?
Sorry, my previous post comes off as a bit harsh. I am not dismissing you; I am merely saying that (as a linguist) I consider the evidence of a non-native speaker of the definition of a word is not conclusive. And thus one shouldn't consider one's own opinions on the meaning definitive in the same way that one does (and should) in one's native tongue.
Re-reading the embedded quote above I also see it is ambiguous, and on one reading I agree with it -- in most of the world there is a definite meaning which varies from place to place, as opposed to the reading ' there is one definite meaning, such that this is the meaning for most of the world' (footnote: a quantifier scope ambiguity)
The Spanish definition we all know from our experiences in Spain. In England it is used to mean -- ' a small portion of Spanish food'. The portion size is the determining factor. This is generally about 30%-50% of the size of a normal portion -- so quite a bit bigger than a normal tapas portion in Spain (is this right?). Almost anything can be served like this.
You will generally be served seated at a table, at lunch or dinner, in a normal restaurant way.
This also seems to be the case in some parts of America -- in Santa Fe, I went to quite a good Spanish restaurant, where this was the way they did 'tapas'. There at least the range of dishes had some relation to the sorts of food that you get served in Spain.
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I spent part of my childhood in Genova and Rome. The only decent piece of bread that I had in all those years was the foccacia with onions that could be found at bottom of the Via Veneto and in the port area in Genova.
Come on it's not that bad -- pizza bianca is one of my favourite thiings in the world, and you can get a good filone napoletano in lots of places in Rome. I hate Tuscan bread though -- I need salt.
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It would be like walking out at midnight - and having a heated discussion with someone about whether it was night or day.
This is way off topic, but this is not a very good example. All you are saying is that there are some things that you are so sure of that you are not prepared to discuss them. And in this class of propositions you are adding American foreign policy and the defiinition of 'tapas' a word in a language that is not your native tongue.
To most of the world - the word has a definite meaning.With respect, the word has a very different meaning in England and Spain, and probably also in America, just as other words do like 'entree'.
And Bux -- brush up your language skills -- you are lowering the tone here!
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It's not a 'killer argument'. It's that I am a very basic, very old-fashioned, very unimaginative food writer: I never theorize on a restaurant and its place in the grand scheme of things until I can sit down and eat a proper meal in it. Obsolete attitude, I know...
I think you are over-scrupulous -- I am happy to theorize about rape, the reform of the House of Lords and the Rugby world cup, without having participated in any of these activities. You have however hit on one of the main reasons why people want to go to El Bulli -- so they can join in these conversations without suffering supercilious put-downs like yours.
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That's one of the things that is nice about Thai food -- ok, maybe you or I may not get the balance of tastes just right, but it's quite easy to rustle up three or four dishes and be very pleased with the results.
I agree about Thompson's book being a little unreasonable. His other book is good too -- 100 thai dishes. It doesn't have any photos, just drawings, which I find a pleasant change.
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I often do an easy Thai curry with packet paste, canned milk and so on, and they turn out pretty well. (Most restaurants in London follow this procedure as well.) It's just the coconut milk seems so central an element of this particular dish that I am disappointed with canned milk. -- and this goes for most restaurant versions as well.
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I had it a few times in Thailand this summer, and I attributed the superiority to the coconut milk. It is a lot of effort to make -- I have a good Thai shop about 100yds from home in London, so the fresh coconuts aren't a problem.
I spent a bit of time looking for a coconut grater (a 'rabbit') in Thailand, but apparently they are now heavily collected and the only nice one I could see cost $500
I'll try the brand you recommend, and give it a whirl.
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I am crazy about Tom Ka Gai (Lemongrass soup)
I mostly like the lemongrass, but the coconut milk works too!
I've tried lite-coconut milk, but the fat content is still to high?
I've also tried it w/o the coconut milk at all but blech!!!
Has anyone tried a suitable substitute for the fat-laden coconut milk or am I dreaming?
Thanks, Monica
It's not really a lemongrass soup -- it is a galangal soup. ( with chicken (Gai))
I love it too, but I don't cook it much because I am too lazy to make the coconut milk/cream which is essential. I don't think you can make anything close to this dish without coconut, but if you clarified what your objection to it is, then maybe an alternative would suggest itself. Is it the fat you object to, or the type of fat?
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I think it is a mistake to think of BN as wine. Just think of it as an alcoholic drink made from grapes that comes in a wine bottle. Then you can appreciate it without being disappointed.
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I have eaten a few of their things -- I live quite nearby.
I had some mushroom risotto which was ok. They have some good sauces --some very good custard!.
The way they are presented is a little off-putting, (in sealed plastic) because you don't get the impression that the stuff is really fresh.
I haven't become a regular customer, just because I like cooking, and I prefer the prepared food from Tavola on Westbourne Grove -- where you can see the stuff coming out of the kitchen.
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I think this argument slightly reduces the utility of the term "terroir" -- everything ends up being terroir.
You are right that the wine make choices are to some extent determined by the propeties of the grapes, and by the traditions and regulatiosn of the region, but that is only partial. The wine-maker can make a huge difference; and these traditions do change. E.g. Barolo used to be a semi-sweet wine, and now is changing to a lighter style, with a lot less wood etc,
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Gigondas can sometimes taste a bit wierd to people who haven't drunk it before. I haven't drunk this particular wine. The wine maker is a well-known producer of good Gigondas, and 2000 was a good/great year for Southern Rhone. So this should be a very good Gigondas, but some people don't like that sort of wine. It can have a sort of tobacco smoke, bbq sauce smell. I like it sometimes. Maybe someone else can give you some more specific help.
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Sassicaia, for example, was originally a conscious attempt to make a Bordeaux-style wine.
... in order to take advantage of the unique terroir of the maremma.
The "argument" can get pretty circular. I don't see why it has to be an argument, though -- can anyone seriously argue that either terroir or the techniques are irrelevant to wine?
I guess the more extreme view, which so offended sharksuop when I articulated it, is the these techniques, like trellising systems, cluster thinning, and on into the vat, are either literally part of the terroir or else dictated by what the terroir has given you.
I agree that both are relevant. I am not sure that the elements that are in the control of the winemaker are strictly part of the terroir; could you amplify this point which seems counter-intuitive to me?
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How does the earth and climate of a particular place tell anyone what a finished wine should taste like?
So by your reasoning, why hasn't anyone with enough talent saved their money, bought a ton of land here in Missouri and made a wine that equals that from other prestigious areas?
Well maybe not Missouri, (or Antarctica) since climate clearly does have an effect. But I think people are doing, and have doine exactly this in Chile, and California and even in Italy. Sassicaia, for example, was originally a conscious attempt to make a Bordeaux-style wine.
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Earlier in this thread someone was questioning whether a Chablis-esque wine could be made elsewhere in the world. I happened to be at a tasting of Billaud Simon a week ago (and before reading this thread) and I put the same question to the owner. He (maybe rather typically) said that he didn't know anywhere in the world that could achieve the same characteristics.
Exactly. I just read Jancis Robinson's article on terroir in the companion to wine, and she points out that both parties to this debate have strong financiall incentives to argue their sides: the new world types will claim that if you really understand the wine making process, then modulo gross climactic factors you can do what you want, and the people that own valuable real estate in Burgundy (for example) will claim that it is all terroir.
My only financial interest is buying good wine without having to pay too much for it. So I guess I have an intrinsic bias towards the new world school.
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I am a major Kao Soi addict. There's a restaurant in London called Chiang Mai, that used to do a good version albeit a little oily.
I was in Chiang Mai this summer, and we hit a couple of good places. The crispy noodle bits are quite important. And it is best when done with the meaty bit of the wing.
One of the places also did this very good pork satay with a little cube of pork fat on the end. And crispy cakes of river shrimp with sweet chilli sauce....
I don't recall the names of the places because we were staying with friends who took us everywhere but I can ask them if you want.
My home version uses a ready made red curry paste. I think a key thing is to cook the chicken in the sauce for quite a long time -- so finding a chewy old chicken is necessary.
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I have a little Liebherr unit that works fine, but I don't know if they are distributed in the US. I think Eurocave are a bit shoddy.
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(some of my earlier posts seem to have disappeared from above
)I think some of the things you mention were until recently considered part of terroir -- particularly yeasts. It makes sense that as our understanding of the components of terroir improves, our artificial control of those factors will improve, which would tend to decrease the relevance of terroir.
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I am curretntly drinking the 1997 Riserva (Vigna Caselle) by the same producer, which is delicious, but has a rather strong burst of acidity; it goes really well with food but on its own it is a bit harsh. It has this quite distinctive 'sour cherry' smell that I really like.
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Plus there is a good restaurant at the Trianon Palace hotel. In fact the bistrot restaurant in that hotel was also quite good -- I went there a few years ago and had a very 'correct' meal.
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i also like the cool chili stall in borough, the only place i've yet found to get tomatillos :-)
The Spice Shop off Portobello has tomatillos (amd lots of other goodies like argan oil, tasmanian bush pepper ...)
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Welcome to egullet, primowino!
El Bulli--From wonderful to absurd
in Spain & Portugal: Dining
Posted
Hmm, barbecued ox cheeks ....
A quote from Carlos Abellán at Comerç 24 in the Observer food monthly (UK Sunday newspaper)
'I have never really been all that mad about the large main course. Tapas is, for me, the best way to eat. That's what they like in Thailand and Japan. Small rations. What we add maybe, because we incorporate the techniques of the Orient and the Americas, is a greater variety than has been seen before.'
Observer food monthly
So maybe the English interpretation isn't so dumb after all