Vancouver and Seattle...

[Gareth]

Back from my first ever visit to both Vancouver and Seattle.

Initally, I posted a meta-review of the whole trip to both the Canadian and US fora, hoping that this would represent another milestone in the comity of nations. However, it transpires such cross posting isn't allowed, so the second part of the trip (Seattle) can be found on a forum south of the border whilst our Vancouver readers get in at the ground floor.

The trip started with Vancouver and dinner at ViJ’s. A cracking meal it was too. In looking up the restaurant on the forum it didn’t take me long to stumble across the accusation that it wasn’t “authentic” Indian cooking. What is it with ethnic cuisine – and Indian in particular – that attracts the Authenticity Taliban in this way ?! A particular body of opinion that suggests that unless the restaurant limits itself to the same range and recipies as Granny in Gujerat used to, then it just isn’t ‘proper’ Indian food. Utter tosh. We get the same thing in London about restaurants such as Rasoi Vineet. And it is an ethnic kick. I like rustic French cooking as much as anyone else but I don’t see a queue of people lining up to accuse Pierre Gagnaire of a ‘lack of authenticity’. As for British cooking, you need to evolve it somehow from its “authentic” roots just to make it edible.

ViJ’s is unmistakeably Indian cooking to its finger-tips and I thoroughly enjoyed jackfruit with black cardamom (surprised by the jackfruit, with reminded me quite distinctly of artichoke hearts) and then ‘lamb popsicles’ – tender chops from the best end of lamb in an unctuous, soupy, curry gravy. Indeed the only real black mark of the night was the quite staggering level of pretentiousness involved in calling a chop a ‘popsicle’ – and even that I was prepared to forgive upon the eating.

My top tip for ViJ’s - and this is probably teaching grandmothers to suck eggs (not, Gujerati ones, however) – would be to put your name down on the wait list and then hasten round the corner and just up the road to “West” bar which features a fine drinks and wine list. The lass who keeps bar there made me an excellent martini and phoned ViJ’s to make sure when I should return to claim my table. She said she lives in the neighbourhood, so ViJ’s (or rather its offshoot next door) is her local takeway. I envy her. On many levels.

Anyway, straight from a discussion of ‘authenticity’ in Indian cooking to racism in Chinese restaurants. The next night I went to Master Hung Barbeque in Richmond. I’m extremely grateful for the recommendation from Ling. Especially pushing me in the direction of the Peking Duck. It’s a ridiculous meal to order for One, but I’m a bit of a duckoholic and prepared to suffer for my art. It really was very well done with the crisp skin and oozy fattiness of the first course for the pancakes being contrasted nicely with the relatively dry stir-fry that formed the ‘deuxieme service’ (?). As I sat there I also admired the cornucopia of great looking dishes being conveyed to other tables. What I really needed was five companions in order to get stuck in and do the kitchen justice. Just wait twenty minutes observing what’s coming out of the kitchen and then start pointing.

And here’s my issue. You’d have to point because, so far as I could see, none of those great looking dishes were on the relatively abbreviated menu I got. Perhaps they were on the specials list on the tables or the wall. But how would I know, not being a speaker of Mandarin (or was it Cantonese ?). I should hasten to say that this is not a crime confined to Master Hung’s – the staff there were nothing less than friendly and accommodating. But am I the only non-Chinese speaker who’s getting a little frustrated at the worldwide Chinese conspiracy to exclude me from the good bits ? Is it ‘cos it’s just assumed that those dishes won’t appeal to me ? It strikes me as the equivalent of my going to Beijing and opening a Traditional English Restaurant but ensuring that I only give my Chinese customers the Children’s Menu because I just assume they won’t want Spotted Dick (the fact that no-one in their right mind would want Spotted Dick. Or, indeed, to visit a traditional English restaurant (see ‘authenticity’ discussion, q.v.) is irrelevant to my argument). Racist ? Well, maybe that’s going too far. Exclusionary; certainly. The meal was very tasty. I’d go again. But I’d probably have to take pot luck and point.

Lunch was sushi. It being lunch and me being downtown Tojo’s was out so I dropped by Sakae. Far from disappointed, especially since it concentrated on the traditional basics and did them well without feeling the need to turn out novelty rolls that look like Disney characters (for those of you who like this kind of thing and are even now pointing out the discrepancy between this and my ‘authenticity’ harangue above, the answer is simple: I have a black belt in hypocrisy).

And so south to Seattle...The actual journey across the border took about 2-3 hours longer than scheduled courtesy of the Dept. for Homeland Security, but you, dear Reader, can rejoin me in Seattle in the blink of an eye and the click of a mouse, courtesy of the power of the Information Superhighway !

A bientot,

Gareth

Edited November 7, 2007 by Gareth (log)

[annanstee]

Enjoyable write up, thanks Gareth.

[grayelf]

Enjoyable write up, thanks Gareth.

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I'm with Annanstee, laughed out loud twice and agreed with you about Vij's and the exclusionary signage in many a Chinese resto. I've been known to enveigle Chinese friends to come along and read the walls for me which is kinda fun but it seems there oughta be a better way...

[Peter Green]

It's not just the Chinese that do this, either. A number of my favourite spots in Vancouver have the most intriguing notes plastered on the walls in Korean and Japanese (the Thai places at least don't have a big enough native contingent to support such acts). Even if you read the scripts (or characters) the names can be so euphemistic that you're never going to know what it means.

My recommendation? Ask the waitstaff what it is. Unless they're working flat out, they'll try and help (obviously, peak lunch or dinner hours is not the time to explore).

Better idea, as pointed out, get someone to come with you who can do the asking. Plus you'll have dinner company!