Pan

i don't think anyone objects to being offered bottled water, per se. i think it's the exorbitant rate they charge for the water and that's the big difference between here and italy. in italy, a bottle of water will run you the equivalent of $2.50 to $3 (at least the last time i was there). Here, at least in los angeles, they usually seem to start at $7 and then go skywards. But one could also say the same thing about wine. In Italy a bottle of the local vino da tavola (which is what 99% of he customers are drinking) will run you the equivalent of ten bucks, and here in NYC they seem to start at $35. Yet no one complains. ← Because there's no such thing as free tap wine. I have two responses to this: (1) Pane e coperto is almost never a significant expense, in my experience. (2) Chinese restaurants in New York often charge what's probably a comparable nominal amount ($.50-.75) per bowl of rice. In terms of cultural expectations, though, I need only mention the ubiquity of free refills of both hot and iced tea in California and various other parts of the US, and the almost total absence of such free refills in New York.

Not from embarrassment, surely. A hot summer's day in Naples can be a tad overwhelming . . . ← It would depend on the preacher, it is to be imagined. The heat? Embarrassment? Shock? Perhaps. . .pleasure? These things are all so inextricably entwined, particularly in religious types. ← Well, it's meant to be a Muslim imam, not an Italian priest. There are two versions I know of as to why he fainted. One was from pleasure at the taste of the dish, the other was because he was utterly stingy, and he fainted from shock upon finding out how much expensive olive oil had been used up in one single dish. ← And it's a Turkish dish. (Well, also a Greek dish, but given the name...) By the way, at least to my Malay understanding of Arabic borrow words in that language: Iman = faith in Allah. Imam = Muslim equivalent of a minister or rabbi; i.e., leader of a congregation with all that entails (well, for Sunni Muslims; Imam has a very different meaning for Shi'ahs).

I wonder whether there could be any carryover from the time when Hong Kong government officials said it was "not recommendable" to drink tap water. But the "we don't have tap water" is only a bit more stupid than the "we don't have iced tea" that some places in the US give me. I ask them "Do you have ice?" (Yes.) "Do you have hot tea?" (Yes.) "Well then, give me hot tea and a glass of nothing but ice." (Unsaid by me: aDOY!)

Is "a" as in "father" really so difficult? Oh well...

Better yet, imagine not offering tap water, too. Shocking! If it doesn't bother you, it does bother many other people, especially in localities with decent tap water like New York. ← Do you mean by "not offering tap water" that if you ask for it, they won't bring it to you? Or just that they don't verbally offer it when they're doing the "still or sparkling" thing? The first would seriously tick me off, but the second is pretty easy to take care of. "I'd like tap water, please." I've never yet had a server refuse to bring it. ← Me neither, but I know what they're doing, and I don't like it. Wouldn't most of us agree that there's a difference between good salesmanship and a hard sell? It may be a fine line, but that "still or sparkling" thing usually crosses it, in the minds of many.

I really wish I could have been there, indeed! I'm sure the name "Michael Jackson" originated as a funny commentary on his bleached skin.

Very good points. On the Eastern Seaboard of the US, we are very dependent on home heating oil. In the short term, the extent of the pinch from higher prices will depend a good deal on pure luck: How cold the winter will be. If the Farmer's Almanac is right, and the winter is very cold, we all -- and many low-end restaurants, specifically -- could be in trouble. On the other hand, if the winter is as mild as some of the winters we've been having in the last few years, the effects may be moderate.

Tepee, thanks so much for posting all those pictures! I can almost taste some of the food pictured and realize that I really miss jambu air (the fruit pictured in sections with red skin and white insides). What do you mean when you say that you made Michael Jackson for a drink?

It can be assumed that increases in gasoline prices will cause some degree of increase in pricing in most New York City restaurants, because the transportation costs of ingredients will increase their costs to restaurateurs. I doubt the increases will be very drastic, though. I expect that my $7.50 lunch special at Teresa's may increase to $8.50. Worst case scenario, maybe it would increase to $10. Anyway, I doubt gasoline prices will have much effect on my dining habits or those of many other New Yorkers who rarely or never drive, unless they help to trigger a general recession or worse. Now, on the other hand, in LA...

Better yet, imagine not offering tap water, too. Shocking! If it doesn't bother you, it does bother many other people, especially in localities with decent tap water like New York.

In the Two Days in Manhattan thread, AzianBrewer stated that Boca Chica presents "awesome Latino fare." I've walked past the place hundreds of times but I don't think I've ever eaten there. Is the food really so great? And how are their drinks?

I really have to disagree with the recommendation of Lombardi's. If you want great pizza in Manhattan, consider the original Patsy's in East Harlem or some of the newer places like Una Pizza Napoletana (though I haven't tried the latter yet myself). Heck, you'd get better pizza at Arturo's on Houston St. or L'il Frankie's than at Lombardi's. Boca Chica is in my neighborhood, yet I've never been there. I've started a thread on the place so that others can weigh in with their opinions.

I guess I'm lucky I don't know anyone like that. For the record, I dislike frog, but that's neither here nor there.

It isn't surprising that Christians, Muslims, and Jews living in the same lands ate largely the same kinds of food; wouldn't you agree?

I really liked those! What's Perma-Ice?

It's actually Vanilla Swiss Almond, and I just had some. It's an old favorite of mine.

Your point is well made, but of course, her relatives don't have to have the goose web dish or pig's blood congee (not even listed in English on the menu). There's plenty of chicken, beef, pork, fish, seafood, vegetables, even lamb on Congee Village's menu. Basically, you can be as non-adventurous as you like; it's up to you.

I thought stringbeans _were_ haricots verts. What's the difference?

The eggs are fully cooked, with no runniness in the yolk, if that's what you're asking about. But this is really not an egg dish with everything else as a sideline; it's a stirfried vegetables/eggs/cheese/wine dish, thoroughly scrambled up with sauce of wine plus liquid from the vegetables and cheese. Susan addressed the non-dryness of it well. If I used zucchini, I'd stirfry it after the onions and garlic but before the tomatoes. I may have done that at some point for the egg dish, but that actually sounds more like a pasta sauce I've made (onions, garlic, basil and other herbs, zucchini or/and yellow squash, tomatoes, eat with pasta and grated parmigiano/pecorino romano). Susan, your description of the dish's appearance is apt. I've also used white wines in the dish, such as Sherry, but a robust red wine works best (Valpolicella, for example, but Burgundy is also fine). Percy, I love your pictures of breakfast in Bangkok! I want that soup, now!

I would suggest Sweet 'n Tart, but some of the personnel have some trouble with English. How about Congee Village?

Sekelian terima kasih (=thanks a lot). That's really interesting. So maltose is used partly because it absorbs water out of the atmosphere.

Karen, you've brought up a lot of issues in those last three posts. I'll just focus on one point: Unless someone drags me to someplace I strongly believe I won't like, I always go to a concert or a restaurant hoping to be pleased. If a restaurant pleases me, I praise it to friends (and oftentimes, on these boards) or/and continue to patronize it. In the case of a truly outstanding meal, I am fully capable of posting unqualified raves. It's only when something has fallen short of my hopes that I have a critical word to say about it. And I think that I'm not so different from others in this respect. I'm sure that the overwhelming majority of people who go to movies, plays, concerts, and restaurants are hoping for a pleasant experience. And yes, if I felt like my audience came to a concert with the hope of criticizing me, rather than enjoying themselves, it would be harder for me to relax and play my best. But I know that they are there to enjoy themselves. That said, if they are disappointed with the concert, they have every right to criticize it, and not only to my face but in discussing it with friends, etc. I hope you didn't mean to suggest that there's something wrong with posting critical remarks about a meal.

I see maltose as an ingredient in a lot of Chinese sweets. What's the advantage of using maltose over other kinds of sugar?

If I pay the tip in cash, I ALWAYS cross out the tip line.

This place is in my neighborhood, so I'm eager to check it out. Do you know what a cocktail will cost?