Pan

Thank you very much, Mr. Cheng. You live in Beijing? About Guilin, I've been hearing negative things about it since my first trip to China, in 1987, when I never got to that part of China at all. Already, in those days, the Lonely Planet guidebook was saying that Guilin was overpriced and overly touristy, and Yangshuo was cheaper and more pleasant. And my brother sent me and my parents a link to this page. The guy sounds like a little bit of an amateur, "surrendering to apathy," but first of all, it does make Guilin sound unpleasant and not wholly unlike what I'd expect and secondly, while I wouldn't hesitate to say no as many times as necessary to get annoying touts to give up, I'm not sure what my parents will do if they're tired and don't feel like expending the energy, in spite of the fact that they know from previous experience not to trust lying touts. You could say that's their lookout, but that's true only if what we're getting overcharged for is actually enjoyable. Also, my parents will want air conditioning but don't require super-luxury accomodations. A reasonably cool room, some drinkable water (preferably refrigerated) and fairly comfortable beds would be enough for them. I think good 3-star or even very good 2-star accomodations (based on a rough understanding of European classifications; I don't know if those apply in China) would be sufficient for them.

My thought is: Can I go? Please?

Are you gonna tell that to his face?

Won't you bring food from closer to home, Kristin? Last summer, I was going to get pastrami and cole slaw from Katz's to take on my flight to Dubai and then Kuala Lumpur, but I decided the food would be good on Malaysian Airlines. It wasn't that good at all. The only thing that was better than mediocre was the Indian breakfast, and that was served on the Dubai-KL leg, after a 12-hour flight from New York. So I made sure to stock up on satay and cucumber from a good place in Petaling Jaya (recommended by eGulleteers Shiewie and Maukitten) for my flight back, and this August, I'll be sure to get food from Katz's to take on board my flight from New York to Beijing.

Yeah, I'd rather have no food than food that sucks, but I need liquids, so getting rid of the galley is too much.

I think it's been many years since I've been charged a percentage on a bill in the U.S. I think it's important that it be clearly understood by the customer in advance that there will be a service charge, because I recall when seeing one that I would have tipped more than the 15% service charge but felt like, if that's what they want, that's what they're going to get. Had they informed me in advance that that was the restaurant's policy, I doubt I would have irrationally felt insulted, but my feeling at the time was that they didn't trust me to be decent and therefore deserved no more than the minimum they charged me.

How do those of you who have no problem with a minimum gratuity charge for parties of, say, 6 or more feel about simply imposing a 20% (or 15%) service charge on all bills? That's what they do in Europe. But I think it's very difficult for restaurants in the U.S. to get away with that policy. Apparently, the situation in the U.S. is that large parties object to service charges less and less vociferously than smaller parties. How does all of this shake up in Canada? I believe I recall tipping like in the U.S., and that the VAT (essentially equivalent to sales taxes in U.S. states/localities) is included but a service charge didn't seem to be.

Are you a very frequent business traveler? I admit that I've never had the thought of choosing a particular stopover because of availability of decent airport food. I choose stopovers based on price and schedule. And I never expect anything very good, let alone inexpensive, in an airport.

Please post your recommendations for Thai restaurants in the New York Forum. I'd be especially interested if you have found any excellent Thai restaurants in the Five Boroughs other than Sripraphai.

My guess is that there will be no significant price increases at Spicy & Tasty for some time to come, because I believe that their clientele would fall off in that event. There's another excellent Sichuan-style restaurant just a couple of blocks away: Sichuan Dynasty, and if there were a significant price differential between the two restaurants, the cheaper one would have a competitive advantage.

Yeah, great food doesn't have to be expensive, does it?

Seriously?

Kris, I can't see a Japanese character for this entry, only the outline of a square.

Thanks, ecr. I eat at stalls and night markets, but I don't think my parents will, after having gotten pretty ill with parasites from - they believe - food at a night market in Malaysia. I ate the same thing on different days at the same night market and felt nothing but delectation!

Helen, I've never pickled anything and have no plans to start now, but this was a unique and really interesting blog just the same, and never was I bored by the information you provided. Thank you, and thanks to your sons and husband for their part in it. And I'm not the first to say it, but your sons are really good-looking.

I don't know if it's better, but it's at least as good and different.

I've walked past it a few times and intend to give it a try sooner or later. It's actually on Cooper Square (extension of 3rd Av.), not Bowery.

I took a friend to August tonight. We were both very pleased with the restaurant and consider it excellent. We started by sharing two appetizers: Spinach Malfatti with Brown Butter & Marjoram and Arugula Salad with fennel, lemon & Ricotta Salata. The malfatti were very cheesy in a good way and had been baked in a small pan. The arugula salad was very lemony (a good thing in my opinion) and made with high-quality arugula (I didn't notice the fennel as much) and a good helping of cheese shavings. I don't see the mains we got on the MenuPages.com listing for August, so I'll do my best by memory after having had a couple of post-fireworks drinks. My friend got skirt steak with beurre charente, I think, accompanied by watercress. I didn't get a taste, but she loved it. I had squab with dates, polenta, and almonds. It was delicious! The squab was cooked medium, I guess, and was red in the middle. It had clearly been sprinkled with salt and was a bit salty in parts, so that's a slight criticism (very slight). The dish also had some vinegar in it, I think. The almonds were dried but of very high quality and, therefore, really fresh tasting. Truly an interesting and lovely dish. Having had such good food for two courses, we both wanted dessert. The desserts aren't listed on menupages.com either, but I remember them well. Mine was truly interesting and unusual: Fresh strawberries with a dollop of mascarpone cheese, 12-year-aged balsamico, and some freshly-grated pepper. It was like having a salad for dessert, and it was definitely worth the $3 supplement (it cost $9, as opposed to the $6 price tag for all other desserts). My friend got a cherry clafoutis which was more of a usual dessert but quite well executed. The stairs down to the basement, where the bathroom is, are steep and narrow, and that would probably affect the restaurant's star rating if it were given such a rating by the Times. I think it's ridiculous that August was reviewed as a "$25-and-under," as our meal cost $78 and change without any beverages, and also because this fine restaurant deserves a star rating - 2 stars, I'd say. The space is attractive and relaxing (even though the wallpaper is just a bit weird to me), the menus look hand-printed (probably copied really well) on beautiful paper, and service was good. The place is a splurge for me, but I definitely plan on returning some time.

Lalitha, have you tried South Indian places in New York?

I didn't mind the picture of me with my eyes closed. It's kind of funny! Thanks again for taking charge of the photography and also for speaking with the waitress in Chinese. It wasn't essential for someone in our party to speak and read Chinese, but it certainly helped. Incidentally, when I called to get and confirm reservations, I was immediately greeted with a "Wei - Ni hao" and probably something else I didn't understand, and the small amount of Mandarin I know helped. ("Ni hao. Ni hue shuo Yingwen ma?" )

David, I was right: I did blink when the photo of me was taken. I look peacefully asleep. Your photos came out great! And it was great meeting you and Doreen. Some time, if you're coming into Manhattan, we should meet up in someplace in Manhattan's Chinatown.

Robyn, what I have to say is that we have plenty to discuss about food criticism in the Times without bringing in art criticism.

Thanks.

I don't think anyone in my family would be adventurous enough to search out fox to eat - even me, though I'd eat it if it were offered at a banquet where I was a guest. We like pigeon, though. Thanks for your input, everyone, and please keep the suggestions coming.

I think of soups first of all - chicken soup, beef or veal bone soup with numerous vegetables and perhaps barley or some other grain or pasta, split pea soup. And borsht, which is part of my heritage but which I came to enjoy in adulthood. Then, I think of pancakes and French toast. I guess I could think of peanut butter and jam sandwiches - but not enough usually to actually make one. I think of yogurt. I think of orange juice, if drinks count. I think of my mother's home-made apple pie. I think of pot roast. I think of ziti with tomato sauce and meatballs. Basically, I think of the things my parents cooked when I was a child. And then I have comfort foods that don't say "home" but comfort me, anyway, partly by connection with the country that became my second home for two important years of my life, Malaysia, which is characterized by Malay, Chinese, and Indian foods. So a Chinese Roast Chicken Noodle Soup is comfort food, as is a Malaysian Asam Laksa and a South Indian masala dosa. Throw in Thai Tom Yam Gung, too.