Pan

Robyn, the difficulty some people have with GMO products is the "law of unintended consequences." If they are in fact the difference between starvation and plenty anywhere, that's an extremely powerful argument in their favor. But if there exists the possibility that unintended terrible consequences could ensue from their introduction, that's a fairly strong argument against them. And there certainly exists enough food to feed every mouth in the world today; the problems are largely matters of politics (especially war, probably), economic inequality, and poor distribution in various places. And I say that in full awareness that there are local examples of severe soil erosion from continuous overgrazing for thousands of years, as in Ethiopia. So locally, there are places where the land has exceeded its carrying capacity, but on a worldwide basis, we have yet to near conditions of true scarcity of food. What the future will bring is another question.

Oh, one thing about Le Bernardin: eGullet Society member and former Pastry & Baking Forum Host Michael Laiskonis is Pastry Chef there, so I hope you leave room for dessert and let us know what you think of Chef Laiskonis' creations.

I understand, Justin. As I said, you'd be a lot better as the main New York Times critic than Bruni, and with the budget you'd have then, you'd visit each restaurant several times, so the relatively better and worse experiences would have a chance to even out and cause your ratings to reflect more than one meal. Of course, I think that it's perfectly valid to rate a restaurant on the basis of one meal, with the caveats you added. Thanks for the clarification on front and back waiters. I always assumed that there were waiters and bussers, and of course captains, but I didn't know about back waiters.

Yes on the large Indian communities in Guyana and Trinidad, but even islands like Jamaica, with much less Indian influence, make curries, and many of the patties are pretty much like curry puffs. The other thing that's interesting is the Chinese influence in various parts of the Caribbean, both Spanish- and English-speaking. There are small Chinese communities in Cuba, Jamaica, Guyana, etc., but the popularity of Chinese dishes (often modified for local taste) goes far beyond those small communities. I know a young man with the last name of Chan who is of Chinese ancestry and has a classic Chinese look like you might see in a picture of a venerable scholar in an old book of scroll paintings (except that he is as of yet too young for the white beard and such), but culturally, he is Jamaican much more than Chinese. As an aside, there was an interesting article in the Dec. 17 New York Times about the Indo-Guyanese community in Queens, New York and their interaction (and non-interaction) with the communities of immigrants from India who live mostly in other neighborhoods of Queens. The article is not specifically about food but does touch on food. Have a look.

Kara, I figure you could get your credit card company to cancel the purchase for cause if you choose to go that route. I'm sorry you've had such a lousy experience, and thanks for warning all of us.

rl1856, thanks for that excellent review, and since this is the first time I'm seeing a post by you, I want to also welcome you to the eGullet Society and wish you a very pleasant stay. Your review gives the reader a clear idea of what the place is like, and I also thought it was good that you started it off with the "recommended" notation. I may start doing that.

Marlene, those maple-leaf-shaped pancakes are so cute and so Canadian. Nothing is better on a frosty morning than some hearty pancakes with Grade B maple syrup (I forgot the Canadian grading system for maple syrup).

In some Asian countries I've been to, people talk about "Western" food, meaning not food from the western US or something, but "white people's food." The national and regional differences are much more evident to people who've spent time living in those nations and regions than they are to most other people. Same with "Hispanic" and "Asian" food. But perhaps we could discuss whether there are in fact any commonalities among all the Latin-American cuisines.

Again, a very detailed review that clearly explains how you judged the restaurant, which is more than we get from the main New York Times critic a lot of the time. I have a minor question and a larger one: (1) I'm unfamiliar with the terminology "front waiter" and "back waiter." Please explain what those roles consist of. (2) How do you rate less expensive, less fancy restaurants? Do you figure that in each category, a 10 is possible? Could there be such a thing as a pizza place that rates a 10 in that category for you? The reason I ask is that I wonder how a rating of 3 for a meal at Bouley that did not include any raw chicken that had to be sent back extrapolates to ratings for a Grand Sichuan or a middle-priced place like Bianca. Thanks a lot, and I look forward to each new installment.

Sounds like you'll be making some pecan pie, eh Marlene? Enjoy your week of blogging. I know I will.

Yeah, and both are way different from Argentinian food. Good point, Robyn.

Looks good, Jason! I want some of that Thai food now! Did anyone ever find out whether there's any connection between this place and Wondee in Manhattan?

Well, let's go back to some dictionary definitions: We'll ignore the "obsolete" definition #1, appealing as it is in some ways. The problematic part of definition #2b - which is probably closest to the way many of use the word in relation to cuisine - is in identifying which features of a dish are truly essential. One could quibble about what constitutes "an original," too, but I don't think that's an insuperable problem. Providing one can agree on an original, it's really the question of what must and must not be part of a dish (whether in terms of ingredients, techniques, or equipment used in preparation and cooking) that will be likely to create most disagreement. I of course distinguish between "an original" and "the original," given that I figure "the original" form of a dish is usually unknown. But this definition at least leaves room for the concept of more than one "original," and therefore, more than one "authentic" version.

Inhaled chlamydia?? I'd love a link. I thought that was only a sexually-transmitted disease.

What's in your future, Dave, or is it too early to announce any new position?

But cakewalk, everything changes! You can't walk in the same river once, let alone twice. So if authentic means "never changed," it's a purely theoretical subject and does not in fact exist.

I know the kueh you're describing but I'm not sure of its name. The green is from pandanus leaves.

I find the argument a little bizarre. Mozart ruined by a totally inept performance wouldn't sound the least bit brilliant.

What kind of prices for a pizza there? Do they have a wood oven?

What kind of oven is at this place?

When I was a young boy, I wouldn't eat chicken meat unless as part of a soup or something (my mother hid pieces in soup, but I didn't care about the subterfuge because it tasted good with all the other ingredients). I ate the skin and loved all the innards. A little later, when I started enjoying chicken meat (the wings and the leg quarter, mostly, but also the neck, back, and tail), I still loved chicken liver and kidney and liked the heart and stomach, while the lungs when available were OK, and I liked to pick out the blood vessels and eat them separately. Later, when I was in Malaysia, I enjoyed eating the chicken heads. And I've enjoyed chicken feet with black bean sauce since the first time I tried that. I don't really see how any of this is odd, though, other than my not liking chicken meat at one point. I still like innards a lot and wish that it were easier to get chicken heads in New York.

Thanks, Sam. I liked the article, and there's an interesting discussion below.

Haute cuisine from crummy ingredients? Really? Please elaborate!

Interesting stuff from you, Dim Sim. Fuzhou is in Fujian province, so I would have figured Fuzhounese would be considered Hokkien/Fukien/Fujian, but perhaps not. So, where do the ancestors of most of the Hokkien people in Malaysia come from? Further south, I guess?

But facts can be authenticated, or at least items can be. That's another, rather more precise meaning of "authentic."