Pan

Great writing as usual, Louisa. If anything, this was a particularly exciting episode to me. That Saveurs Salon sounds like loads of fun! Where is it held? Also, why on earth do the members of the jury at Cordon Bleu dislike marinades?

Welcome, Speedracer, or should I say "Go Speedracer, Go Speedracer, Go Speedracer, Go!" (Speedracer was my older brother's favorite cartoon back in '69, and four-year-old Michael [that's me] used to watch it, too.)

I forget whether I've commented previously in this thread about the "sour milk" I drank when I was in Beijing in July of 1987. It was sold from pushcarts, and to my taste, it was whey. If it was sweetened, such sweetening was very light and fooled me into thinking it was untreated whey. Mainly, the drink was refreshing on those 95-or-whatever-degree afternoons in the dry, desert-influenced summer climate of Beijing.

Just what is a yam bean? Could you please describe it a little?

Since you're in SF, I want to ask you something else. I really liked the Thai place on Market St. near the Safeway the times I was in SF. Although it was really just a good neighborhood Thai place for SF, it was probably better than any New York Thai place with the possible (and by no means definite) exception of Sripraphai. Are you familiar with the place, and is it still good?

I'd suggest El Toro (17th and Valencia), El Farolito (23d and Mission?) or El Taqueria (24th & Mission?) Hey! You agree with me on Taqueria El Toro! I remember liking El Farolito, too, but I'm not sure if I'm remembering the place correctly or confusing it with another. Remind me: Isn't that the Salvadoran place, or am I thinking of another place? If I'm remembering correctly, El Farolito opened something around 3 or 4 years ago and was a bright new space that had a long counter and room in the back. Is that the one?

My brother lives in the Mission, but I haven't been there for, um, I think 3 years (maybe it was 2?). I've always liked Taqueria El Toro, though, and people I know who are in SF and have been there recently tell me it's as good as ever. Mainly, though, I'll be eager to hear from eGulleteers with more recent experience on this subject. My impression is that restaurant prices are cheaper in SF than in NYC or DC, so I wonder whether it's even that easy to find a $100/person place for dinner in town. Again, I'll be interested to read remarks by more knowledgeable people on this score (though it's extremely unlikely I'll ever eat in any SF restaurant that's that expensive).

What a great article! Thanks. Heston Blumenthal is a real sport and sounds like a nice man.

Grand Sichuan on 50th and 9th sounds like it could fit your bill. Or for something even more "peasanty," there's Rinconcito Peruano, a block or two north of that. Down on 44 St. and 9th, there's a very good Turkish place (called something like Turkish Cuisine) on the west side of the avenue. I also like Ariana Kebab House, but i think the other three are probably better.

For authenticity, add plenty of hot pepper to the belacan sauce. I've had good Chinese-style kangkung that's simply been stir-fried with hot pepper and, I suppose, a little salt, but I prefer it with belacan.

Thanks for the review and pictures, thereuare. I notice you didn't mention DiFara's. Have you been there?

Are you folks referring to what's called kangkung in Malaysia and "water spinach" here in New York?

Thanks for all your replies. This has been a most interesting thread.

We have some commonality. I like tripe and tolerate kiwi but prefer not to eat it by itself (I'll have it in a fruit salad), but I find brains and sweetbreads just too fatty or something (I did like them once upon a time). As for Brussels sprouts, the only way they aren't horribly and unacceptably bitter to me is if they're boiled forever, basically killed. By contrast, I dislike the sort of mealy texture of peas as they're normally cooked. My father discovered a few years ago that I actually like peas if he gets frozen ones and puts them in boiling water for less than a minute, just long enough to thaw them. I think he actually likes them better that way, too. I love mustard seeds but don't use mustard on anything. I also hate any type of mayonnaise except home-made, though I like Katz's cole slaw. No ketchup for me, either, though if a sauce uses ketchup in a suitable combination with other stuff, that's fine. I like lobster only if it's totally fresh and completely unfishy-tasting (so I prefer shrimps and crab); I eat mussels occasionally, and also only when they're completely unfishy; and I avoid raw shellfish completely because they're potentially dangerous cooked and even more dangerous raw. As for insects, sure I'd eat them if I were starving! You know, during WW II, American servicement got survival pamphlets telling them what to eat if they had to survive on South Sea islands. They knew which grubs and insects to eat, yet some of them starved to death because they wouldn't eat those things. I think that's just idiotic! But otherwise, I don't think I'll be intentionally eating any insects, scorpions, or worms. I'm trying to figure out what I've left out. Well, I don't like beer except for the Belgian beers with kirsch and such-like in them, and even then, I'd be hard-pressed to finish a whole bottle. I also dislike really dry wines, which are just too bitter for me. Yet I like Chinese dishes with bitter melon! Well, I already mentioned caviar and goat cheese in the Foie Gras thread. I used to think I disliked blue cheeses, until I had great Roquefort in France (well, that's really a green cheese, but still). Oh, I know: I don't like frog. I also was underwhelmed by turtle soup and prefer mock-turtle. And I don't like rabbit. I also like mint leaves but don't like mint in any other form (e.g. sweets, jelly). I hate durian and cempedak and don't have much use for jackfruit (nangka in Malay). I don't like tea sweetened with condensed milk. I don't like coffee as a drink but don't mind more mildly coffee-flavored things including tiramisu. And then there are some things that taste OK but don't like me...

Thanks for your response, gsquared. What grains is grain whiskey made from? Also, since Bourbon was brought up in this thread, how is it different from Scotch?

I'm totally ignorant about Scotches. What does it mean if it's a single malt or a blend? What is blended? Different varieties of Scotch, I suppose? What's Scotch made from, anyway? Should I have posted these questions on the Other Spirits board?

I, too, am suspicious of genetically-engineered food and consider it in some ways an uncontrolled experiment, but I wouldn't write a story claiming that it will trash the environment and kill people, unless I had evidence. The most I could - and would - say is that I fear that bad unintended consequences could well result from the genetic engineering.

Morning glory? Is that just the name of the dish, or do people actually eat morning glory???

I think that any tomato-based pasta sauce, whether it includes chopped meat or not, is better on the 2nd day, but it's best reheated, not cold.

Welcome to eGullet, Haide, and thanks for posting. Among other things, I think you'll find the China and Chinese Cuisine board interesting and you might be able to offer valuable contributions to a discussion that's been taking place there on "Real Chinese Food." By the way, does your family use MSG, and how are their brains.

Thanks for that cogent reply, Steven.

I guess I have a different standard for TDG than for an ordinary post. I think of it as more like a newspaper article. Are you thinking of it as totally analogous to an ordinary post on any of the eGullet discussion boards? Fat Guy: Is that how you think of TDG? Two wrongs don't make a right. If the bullshit is slung from right and left, the people in the center and confused bystanders will simply get the shit piled on them. We wouldn't want that, now, would we? The solution, as I said before, is to argue using evidence, not to bullshit from one side or the other. The propaganda will just have the effect of causing the uncommitted people to turn off, whereas evidence may cause them to think about the issues.

FG: I tend to get steamed rather than fried dumplings, so I don't think I've tried the fried pork dumplings at NGB. Yes on the Noodles with Meat Sauce. Ground pork, tofu skin, scallions, etc. Very pleasant dish. The scallion pancakes are good in all of the good Shanghainese places I've been to, which includes all 3 places on Bayard St. between Mott and the Bowery (at least, I think I've tried the scallion pancakes in all three).

I'll try to reconstruct the post I tried to post last night: Not publishing something because the writer can't substantiate her words - especially if they contain accusations - is not "censorship." It's arguable whether people have the unfettered right to post unsubstantiated accusations: Such accusations could open them up to legal action from, say, Aji-No-Moto. But there is no question that The Daily Gullet does not have to take all comers, so the issue of "censorship" is a complete red herring. Furthermore, the issue is not that "some may disagree"; it's that Planck, when challenged, couldn't offer evidence to support her apparently idle speculation that MSG is poisonous but unprocessed glutamates are OK. You are right that people are free to ridicule the messenger for talking through her hat, but wouldn't it be better if we were discussing a well-presented argument that cited actual supporting evidence, rather than engaging in ridicule? I think so.