Dusty Baker mentioned keeping a slim waist as you get older in the ESPN telecast yesterday.

I switched over to the Sox/Marlin game and took a look at Cabrera and thought this guy is going to eat himself into a DH role by the time he hits 30.

Hmm, I'm shocked to learn that Venezuelans like to cook. I always figured that people in Venezuela just absorbed nutrients through osmosis.

So Venezuelans are the Italians of Latin America?

JoeHova makes a good point though; is there a culture that DOESN'T like to cook/eat? Even cultures with crappy food like Eastern European descent Jews still LIKE to eat.

He's only 24 and he looks like he's pushing 275. He'll be at first in less than two years and to DH in less than four. His balloon-like expansion has been unbelievable and frankly disgusting to watch over the past several years.

And let me annotate that comment by saying that I myself am Jewish and have endured many a Passover dinner. My father's side of the family is Italian, and the worst thanksgivings were those rare ones when we'd go to my Mom' family instead of my Dad's. Instead of manicotti, stuffed mushrooms, meatballs, we'd get chopped liver, and gefilte fish preceding our turkey. And no, I'm not joking. We really eat chopped liver.

My father's family is Jewish. Aside from the corned beef sandwiches and seven layer cake it was all garbage food growing up. I never knew there were so many ways to prepare cabbage. Thankfully, I married a nice Italian girl whose family knows how to put out a spread.

As for this article, am I the only one praying that the Sox tank and Ozzie gets fired so ESPN can hire him? Wouldn't we all start watching BBTN again if he was on each night? I'd put the over/under on Kruk breaking down in tears as a result of something Ozzie said at three broadcasts.

"Dick Gregory, please pick up the teal courtesy phone."

" Aside from the corned beef sandwiches and seven layer cake it was all garbage food growing up."

That is a good point that's worth mentioning though. Jewish deli food is beyond awesome. In my darkest moments I can always find comfort in a half hot corned beef, half hot pastrami sandwich on grilled pumpernickle with russian dressing, a side of potato pancakes with sour cream and apple sauce or blintzes, a bowl of matzo ball soup and a can of Dr. Brown's black cherry soda.

Now that's good eatin. Unfortunately, aside from the soup, this is not the type of food you get in most Jewish homes.

You guys are nuts. Noodle kugel, stuffed cabbage, blintzes. Those are all outstanding.

Sludgeboat,
I love blintzes. And latkes and pastrami. It's not that there's nothing good to eat, it's just that on the whole it's not really a cullinary culture.

oh, that's rLr.

The pastry is pretty good. Rugelach, babka, hamen tashen. Not a huge fan of macaroons, but still.

I ilke hamentaschen, especially poppy, but every goy I've ever gotten to eat one thinks they're gross.

I love the cheese blintzes. And Star Bakery and any of a number of delis in and around Oak Park, MI could keep me happy for a long damn time. Outside of that, eh, not so much. Whenever it got particularly bad while visiting my dad's family, my gentile mother would take her two gentile kids for a short car ride "just to get some air." What we were really getting was Taco Bell.

Taco Bell is gross. I don't even like chopped liver anymore, but I'd eat a pound before I went into Taco Bell.

I like one (1) item at Taco Bell. The crunchwrap supreme.

So who are the Jews of Latin America? i.e., people who think they love cooking and eating but who make gross food. I'm guessing the Costa Ricans.

So who are the Jews of Latin America? i.e., people who think they love cooking and eating but who make gross food. I'm guessing the Costa Ricans.

Do Costa Ricans also love Chinese takeout?

So who are the Jews of Latin America?

Mexicans. They wander through the desert heading for the Promised Land.

"
Sun-Sentinel: Berardino: White Sox manager tells Marlins’ Cabrera to lose weight"


Sun-Sentinel: Berardino: Marlins third baseman tells White Sox' Guillen to "shove it up his ass"

"JoeHova makes a good point though; is there a culture that DOESN'T like to cook/eat?"

The British.

Unfortunately, aside from the soup, this is not the type of food you get in most Jewish homes.

You guys have been terribly unfortunate.

My mother was an exceptional cook, and not just traditional foods like brisket, matzo ball soup, sweet and sour meatballs, etc. She is somewhat out of practice these days, but she still has remarkable kitchen sense.

My grandmother also was a fine cook, and her mother was a hired cook for a wealthy family when she came over at the turn of the century.

The stereotypical Jewish cooking involves oversalting and overcooking meat, and cooking vegetables until they turn yellow and all the nutrients have been removed. That's nothing like what I got growing up.

Rugelach, babka, hamen tashen.

Never settle for lesser babka.

Never settle for lesser babka.

I'll tell you, I actually prefer the cinnamon.

Liking to eat is not the same as liking to cook. Not the same thing at all. There are definitely cultures for whom cooking seems to be a painful duty.

I'll tell you, I actually prefer the cinnamon.

OK. Do you prefer marbled or standard rye?

OK. Do you prefer marbled or standard rye?

Standard. I defy all the Seinfeldian conventions.

I think I like pumpernickle most of all for bread and butter, though.

is there a culture that DOESN'T like to cook/eat?"

Ethiopians

Thankfully, I married a nice Italian girl whose family knows how to put out a spread.


Sexual innuendo Primey.

Taco Bell is gross. I don't even like chopped liver anymore, but I'd eat a pound before I went into Taco Bell.

Yeah, but where can you go to get chopped liver for Fourthmeal(tm)?

Taco Bell is fairly nasty stuff when you think about it, you know, with your brain and everything. But even if I rarely if ever eat it anymore (it's hard to plan around all of the food poisoning outbreaks), I still love it.

is there a culture that DOESN'T like to cook/eat?"



Ethiopians

Actually, Ethiopian food is pretty good, even the raw beef dishes. I don't really like the sponge bread stuff it's all eaten with though, I forget what that is called.

Taco Bell is fairly nasty stuff when you think about it, you know, with your brain and everything. But even if I rarely if ever eat it anymore (it's hard to plan around all of the food poisoning outbreaks), I still love it.

I can only eat Taco Hell about once or twice a year, my body can't handle it any more often than that. Still, every 6 months or so I get a craving for it and have to have it.

Sexual innuendo Primey

I guess some mistakes you never stop paying for. I suppose mine was that Rick Reilly crack five years ago.

So who are the Jews of Latin America? i.e., people who think they love cooking and eating but who make gross food. I'm guessing the Costa Ricans.

Do Costa Ricans also love Chinese takeout?

I wouldn't describe Costa Rican food as "gross," but it is pretty simple and sometimes pretty bland. Heart-of-palm is big there.

When I was there, the guidebook we used (Lonely Planet, maybe?) listed a Chinese restaurant in San Jose as the best restaurant in the entire country; and there are many Chinese takeout places throughout the country. So, I guess we have a winner.

By the way, we Irish have the worst culinary tradition in the world. A boiled dinner is not food.

I can only eat Taco Hell about once or twice a year, my body can't handle it any more often than that. Still, every 6 months or so I get a craving for it and have to have it.

This is pretty much my relationship with McDonald's. Every 1-3 months, I feel an urge for the fries, buy a large one or two, eat them, then regret the decision almost immediately.

Actually, Ethiopian food is pretty good, even the raw beef dishes. I don't really like the sponge bread stuff it's all eaten with though, I forget what that is called.

I have a friend in Vancouver who's family ran an ethiopian restaurant. It's good.

Never had raw beef though, although I like beef sashimi.

By the way, we Irish have the worst culinary tradition in the world. A boiled dinner is not food.

Not even going there.

Ethiopian food is awesome. Addis Red Sea in Boston is a terrific restaurant, and I like the spongey bread a lot.

good point about the English...and actually all of the British Isles. Good god, that is a horrible food culture. I mean, I like fish 'n chips as much as the next guy, but come on. And is there anything the Scots wont deep fry?

Yeah, I guess when I think about it, I can't be too hard on Jewish cuisine. It's true that a lot of Jewish homes turn out horrible food...well done steak and boiled to death vegetables,etc. But there is a lot to love, especially deli food. Sometimes, living in Boston, I get so insane for a good deli meal that I start to get watery eyed. Thank god for Michael's in Brookline. I think the Jews might have it over the Brits...and maybe the Scandinavians; at least gefilte fish isn't soaked in lye.

If you've never had steak tartare, you're missing out royally.

The Ethiopian bread is called injera. I like the cuisine, but then again I'm pretty catholic in my eating tastes.

Weekly Journalist_ is correct; lutefisk is the single most vile dish ever created.

By the way, we Irish have the worst culinary tradition in the world. A boiled dinner is not food.

The Polish have done a good job making tasty food that centers around boiling.

I think Ireland's problem is that it was such a poor country for so long that the Irish never knew what good food is like. I understand that the cuisine is improving now that money is flowing in.

Actually in Regina they have an awesome Ethiopian restaurant
I go there as often as I can

Although they have a tendency to serve you a hard boiled egg at randomly selected times

But still...Ethiopians can COOK brother! (when given the opportunity)

Actually in Regina they have an awesome Ethiopian restaurant

ROAD TRIP!

Sadly, that probably IS the best reason to make a road trip to Regina

Since this is a culinary oriented thread, I had a dish about a decade ago that has confounded others when I asked what it's called and its origins. When my son was starting up his business in CA I was out visiting and spent the evening in the home of one of his partners/chief engineer. Fellow is Indian as in from India. Anyway, we sit down and the main dish is a green soup(?) with whole boiled eggs. Meaning you got a big bowl of the green soup and a few whole boiled eggs. Smelled terrible. Tasted worse. And this from a guy who has choked down food from various parts of the world to be polite when I was in the Armed Forces.

It was like something out of an Indiana Jones movie.

I have asked a fair number of Indians who look at me like I'm nuts and tell me there is no such dish. I didn't get the sense that the young wife was one for creativity so I doubt it was an original.

Any ideas gourmands?

Any ideas gourmands?



Kodi Gudu Pulusu?

When a Mexican friend of mine was getting married, I went down to Mexico City DF for the wedding. The traditional meal for the night before the wedding consisted of a single giant corn flake, larger than a dinner plate, covered in corn syrup. Pretty weird. No one I've mentioned this to has had any idea what the hell that might have been. It wasn't bad, but it was corn enough to last me a while.

Sadly, that probably IS the best reason to make a road trip to Regina

Ahem

Post 46:

I am duly impressed because that LOOKS like it. If it tastes like spicy cow manure then we have a winner.

My quest is complete. My thanks.

Sincerely,

Harvey

Never mind.

Ha, Americans talking about good food. That's funny because if there's only one thing all French Canadians agree with is that most american food (the one you find in restaurant anyway) is total crap. Even our fastfood tates better than yours...

That said, I've been working in the Canadian Arctic with Inuit (eskimos) for 7 years now. And believe me, if you want to eat stuff you'll never eat anywhere else, go up there. It's the paradise of raw meat and fat (caribou, whale, seal), of liver and stomach broth, of raw fish, etc. If you like a piece of frozen caribou served on a cardboard on the floor that you dipp in rotten seal fat, go up there ! If you want agunak too (agunak is rotten walrus meat, tastes a little like old stilton cheese). Much of all of this is really good though. Surprisingly.

For thos interested in contemporary inuit food.

And here is a nice picture. They are eating Iqaluk (Arctic Char) and what seems to be a piece of maktak (whale blubber). They will dipp it in soja sauce (i the bol on the right).

Weekly Journalist_ is correct; lutefisk is the single most vile dish ever created.

That's not true. There are viler things in Scandinavia, surströmming for example.

So who are the Jews of Latin America? i.e., people who think they love cooking and eating but who make gross food. I'm guessing the Costa Ricans.

Having travelled most of Latin America, I'd say without question the Belizians. I'd say the Peruvians are the Italians though. Venezuelans are more like the Austrians - good food, some quality local dishes, but most of it is derivative.

I don't really like the sponge bread stuff it's all eaten with though, I forget what that is called.

Injera. It's good stuff for the food it goes with, IMHO.

Even our fastfood tates better than yours...

Poutin should be available at every drive thru. Not sure what's better about it - that it's french fries doused in cheese and gravy, or that if you're drunk when you eat it (which you probably are if you're eating it) it sounds like Poontang.

"Ha, Americans talking about good food. That's funny because if there's only one thing all French Canadians agree with is that most american food (the one you find in restaurant anyway) is total crap. Even our fastfood tates better than yours..."

This is an asinine statement. What is "American" food anyway. America has about 5 different distinct regional cuisines, at least. Is Northeastern Italian American food anything like Tex-Mex? Is creole food anything like what you get at Jewish deli? Not to mention the fact that American cities are meccas of ethnic cuisine. Call me crazy but I'm guessing the Indian food in New York, a city of ten zillion Punjabi, Bangladeshi, and Southern Indian immigrants, is better than the Indian food in Calgary...in fact, I'm willing to bet that Edison, NJ has Indian food as good as Toronto.

Granted, we weren't smart enough to invent poutine, but New Jersey 24-hour diners have done an admirable job of imitating it. Of course, we don't give it a fancy french name. We call them disco fries, and in America, that crap is for drunk high school students at 3 a.m.

Now, I'm guessing that many Canadians have had the American food that is closest to Canada, the upper midwest, upstate new york, and the like. I will grant you that food in such places is garbage. I think that in upstate New York the best restaurant you can find is a Lou Mithchell's...which is actually a step up from Minnesota where the best restaurant you can find is Arby's.

Of course, Quebec City had some fantastic continental and French cuisine, no doubt about it. But to say "Canadian Food" is better than "American Food" is such a meaningless statement.

I have to admit, though, I was impressed by the quality of the bagels in Montreal.

Not sure what's better about it - that it's french fries doused in cheese and gravy, or that if you're drunk when you eat it (which you probably are if you're eating it) it sounds like Poontang.

French fries with cheese and gravy are available at pretty much every diner in NJ(all 458792437624378 of them). To support your side point, I don't think I've ever eaten them or seen someone eating them when not drunk.

Wow, three posts all making an almost identical point about drunkenness and its relationship to poutine/disco fries/"cheesfrieswithgravy" (as I called them growing up...one word).

I ate half a box of little chocolate donuts while reading this thread. ;)
I wonder if that is real chocolate on them, or some fake waxy stuff painted dark brown.

anybody know?

I ate half a box of little chocolate donuts while reading this thread. ;)

So did Miguel Cabrera.

The discussion of inuit cuisine leads me to crosspost this post from a poster on Chowhound about the cuisine of the arctic peoples of Russia:

"Finally it gets to the chapter on Chukchi cooking, with three or so recipes. The Chukchi are an ice-fishing arctic people who live in eastern Siberia, with a life not all that different from Eskimos and Inuit. They also serve as the butt of the Russian equivalent to Americans' Polish jokes.

The style of Russian cookbooks, at least during the Soviet era, was pretty minimalist. Recipes are listed tersely, and directions are skeletal and to the point: what to mix together and how long to cook it, no numbered steps or meaningful illustrations.

Anyway, my point: one of the Chukchi recipes is for what my dictionary says is reindeer meat, but really probably some other Siberian variety of big, antlered deer cousin. I'm going on memory here, but the recipe in its entirety is roughly as follows:

REINDEER MEAT ON COALS:

INGREDIENT: large chunks of reindeer meat.

DIRECTIONS: Make a fire with rocks in it. Place the chunks of meat on the hot rocks. Cook until done. Eat with hands."

JoeHova makes a good point though; is there a culture that DOESN'T like to cook/eat?

I'd argue that mainstream American culture doesn't like to cook but loves to eat. That's why we insist on paying more to eat fake processed crap, like little chocolate donuts. :P

Also, I call out anyone here from Chicago who has eaten BK, McDonald's, Subway, Taco Bell, Quizno's, Boston Market, or any of that corporate crap in the last year. We live in the best city in the world for fast, cheap food, and there's no reason to have paid to eat any of that garbage.

I ate half a box of little chocolate donuts while reading this thread. ;)
I wonder if that is real chocolate on them, or some fake waxy stuff painted dark brown.

anybody know?

Depends on the brand. Hostess little chocolate donuts are completely fake. Entemanns and tastycake are real, I think. As are drakes.

So did Miguel Cabrera.

That reminds me of the SNL sketch where John Belushi is the olympic trackstar. "Little Chocolate Donuts...They taste good, and they've got the sugar I need to get me going. That's why little chocolate donuts have been on MY training table since I was a kid."

http://youtube.com/watch?v=kaDGs453oGI

"Weekly Journalist_ is correct; lutefisk is the single most vile dish ever created."

Also quite nasty: casu marzu.

Dude, that Sardinian cheese made me vomit in my mouth.

Ok, that link in 64 is pretty amazing. The phrase "when disturbed, the larvae can jump for distances up to 15 cm (6 inches), prompting recommendations of eye protection for those eating the cheese" is fairly terrifying.

the upper midwest, upstate new york

two words. Buffalo Wings.

I know it's cliche to say this, but who was the first person to eat decomposed and larvae-ridden cheese and:

A) Not puke when finding out what it was
B) Like it enough to eat it again
and
C) Be able to convince other people to eat it

yeah, that cheese does sound pretty amazing, but i still think that iceland takes home some sort of dubious prize

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A3895653

Svid ('Burned' Sheep-heads)

Stuff that most people associate with devil-worship. A sheep's head that's been burned to remove the wool, cut in two in order to remove the brain, boiled, and either eaten fresh or pressed into jelly (Svidasulta, 'sheep-head jam'). Despite the rather gruesome appearance, these taste quite good.

Even though they look quite serene and peaceful, some people can't stand the thought of eating a burned head. Many people eat only the lower jaw and the tongue to avoid 'eye contact.'

Hakarl (Rotted Shark)

This is without a doubt the most pungent and dubious thing at the table. Tastes like a combination of dodgy fish and strong French cheese with a hint of ammonia. If you are new to shark and are offered some, it is wise to take the darkest piece you see (the lighter the colour, the stronger the taste). The shark is prepared by burying it in sand for about six months. Served cold in little pieces, be careful not to eat too much as it can result in diarrhoea.

Note - do not attempt to prepare rotted shark at home! If you do it wrong or don't leave it in the ground for long enough, it's quite likely that you will die in agony from eating it, as it is full of neurotoxins and ammonia, which are filtered out using the process described above.

Slatur (Haggis)

Sounds like 'slaughter' for a reason. Sheep innards tied up in sheep's stomach and cooked. Similar to the Scottish haggis, only this comes in two varieties: The black (Blóðmör), which is made from blood, and the white (Lifrarpylsa), which is made from livers. Sometimes the slatur has been pickled with milk. Other times you'll find that some sadist has put raisins in it. You may spot an old person putting sugar on it before eating it, but this is not recommended.

Hrutspungar (Sour Ram's Testicles)

Ram's testicles, pickled in whey, put in gelatin, pressed either into a cake with garlic, as a jam, or as a kind of pâté that tastes sour and spongy, with a texture reminiscent of pressed cod roe. Guidebooks comment: 'Not bad if you don't think about it too much, especially in pâté form.' Or you could just take their word for it.

Lundabaggar (Sour Lamb)

This is a tough one to explain - it is made from secondary meats, like colons and other such stuff, rolled up, boiled, pickled (made sour in mysa, more commonly known as whey), sliced and held together with string. Very fatty, it may be a good idea to cut away the fat before eating, as sour fat usually tastes bad, but it won't leave you with much meat on your plate.

Selshreyfar (Sour Seal Flippers)

The flippers of those adorable animals, made sour in milk and salted. They taste sour, salty and slimy. These are rare, except at some family feasts where the participants have hunted the seals themselves. Quite revolting.

Hvalrengi (Sour Whale-fat)

Made sour with milk. Tastes like sour papier mâché, and probably not very healthy either. Fresh whale blubber is stringy and tough, but apparently pickling it makes it soft and more easily digestible.

Kæst skata (Rotted Stingray)

Made in the same way as the shark, but not as pungent and offensive to the nose as the rotted shark. It has a strong smell of ammonia about it. Sometimes it is mashed, then it is called skotustappa. Usually eaten as a main course, with potatoes.

According to some sources, Skata originates from the Western fjords in the eighteenth century when the brighter lights of society, on þorláksmessa (the day before Christmas), gave their humble hired help 'Skata' so as to assure that until the next þorláksmessa, anything would taste better (!) while they themselves stuffed themselves with hangikjöt (see below).

i'm sorry, i'm going to have to come back to this in the morning, i'm currently going to go devour Beijing.

speaking of which, i'll never eat American Chinese again, i got back from a hotpot place tonight that was simply insanely good. Shanghai cuisine kinda sucks, though.

two words. Buffalo Wings.

this is the first time we've ever agreed i look forward to our brief glastnost and then a return to disliking everything you stand for. mmm. buffalo wings. with super hot sauce. oh god. i'm going to devour some wings whole when i get back stateside in a month and a half.

#70 3 words ... Din Tai Fun

i believe they have a branch in Beijing

soup dumplings, it's all about the soup dumplings

Instead of manicotti, stuffed mushrooms, meatballs, we'd get chopped liver, and gefilte fish preceding our turkey. And no, I'm not joking. We really eat chopped liver.

I don't know what you're complaining about. Chopped liver and gefilte fish are great.

By the way, we Irish have the worst culinary tradition in the world. A boiled dinner is not food.

From what I understand, Ireland now has a vibrant food culture and a lot of great restaurants. I guess having one of the best economies in Europe has something to do with that.

21. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: June 19, 2007 at 09:45 AM (#2409264)

"JoeHova makes a good point though; is there a culture that DOESN'T like to cook/eat?"

The British.

The experts would disagree with you:

England Is the Best Place to Eat on the Planet

Personally, I would rather eat British food than any other in the world. Toad-in-the-Hole, Eccles cakes, Chocoloate Digestive Biscuits...

I'd like to 2nd the notion that they could really use Guillen on Baseball Tonight. There's no one worth watching on there any more. Gammons and Reynolds use to be worth watching. A Gammons/Guillen/Hershiser/Kruk team could get it done. I don't think I've ever heard either Steve Phillips or Fernando Vina say anything that struck me as entertaining, interesting or informative. Ex-ballplayer can't be the only criteria. It has to be intelligent ex-ballplayers to work.

I liked Shanghai food meself. The best for me was in Guangzhou, though...turtle soup where they make a broth and then chop a turtle into four quarters and dump it in, huge slimy legs and face and all. delicious.

People here may also enjoy: Steve, Don't Eat It!

I went to a Shanghaiese place for my birthday, and I had a terrific braised pork shoulder. Oh man, that was good.

"England Is the Best Place to Eat on the Planet"

Sure, they have a couple of nice restaurants, but how many of 'em serve traditional British food?

My Cajun/Italian mother makes a mean red beans and rice and a good meatloaf, too.

Czernina!

Thankfully I'm far enough down the family tree from the Polish immigrants to have avoided this, my dad was not so lucky growing up.

speaking of which, i'll never eat American Chinese again, i got back from a hotpot place tonight that was simply insanely good. Shanghai cuisine kinda sucks, though.


You've never had the litte "dragon" dumplings, huh? Juicy and melts in your mouth, mmmmmm..

The best for me was in Guangzhou, though...turtle soup where they make a broth and then chop a turtle into four quarters and dump it in, huge slimy legs and face and all. delicious.

The Cantonese are known for food and laziness. No wonder why communism failed there.

Having just spent a week in Tokyo, I have to say that Japanese food can make a great case. Even the average restaurant puts more work into their dishes than a well-reputed American restaurant. Yakitori, mmmmm.

England Is the Best Place to Eat on the Planet

Hahahahahahahaha.

Um, maybe England is great if you are incredibly rich and can afford to eat at these sort of places, but for us ordinary folks, no way. Though the Indian food is great, of course, and I heartily approve of the widespread access to sandwiches. So that's something.

Best food I ever ate in Europe: a baguette with tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, and a little olive oil sold by some guy on the side of the road on the banks of the Seine across from Notre Dame.

I ate half a box of little chocolate donuts while reading this thread. ;)
I wonder if that is real chocolate on them, or some fake waxy stuff painted dark brown.

They've been on my training table since I was a kid.

Apparently, I scan badly.

argh ... wrong thread

"I wonder if that is real chocolate on them, or some fake waxy stuff painted dark brown."

Naw, I'm pretty sure it's real waxy stuff. Accept no imitations!

I'm really sorry I'm late to this thread. I just got back from a LOOOONG trip through Asia, and I actually considered making a special trip to Ethiopian JUST BECAUSE their food is so incredible. Sadly, er, there's a lot of killing going on there. But For anyone who has never had it, I would strongly urge you to go to an Ethiopain restaurant. Soon. The raw beef dish is the kitfo, and my mouth is watering just thinking of it. I know it's subjective, but it whacks the weak hanging curveball of steak tartar into McCovey Cove. Speaking of, there's a great Ethiopian place on the upper Haight.

I could live in New Zealand except for one thing: the food. Not awful by any stretch, but... just not tasty. At all. Very bland. And then the whole thing was confirmed when a guy from England was bewildered by why I thought that.

Thailand food is not only world-changing good, it's also cheap. If Thailand is a 10, Cambodia is an 8 and Vietnam is a 9.

I have to admit also that after a lot of time in Beijing, Chinese food never really did it for me the way Southeast Asian food did. I think that's also subjective.

The food in my homeland (where I'd never been), Poland, was..... well, it was what I thought. Yummy, but heavy like a brick. They do make really really really great soup.

And as much as everyone goes on and on and on about French food, guess what, it was too expensive in Paris (I was there for 8 hours) to really eat anything. Oh well.

Lastly, Harvey, I think that the food you are talking about is referred to as "klab kalosh".

At least it's not Mountain Dew

#70 3 words ... Din Tai Fun


I hate that ####### place. All you do is lineup, and it's expensive as hell. That place is all hype.

oh man, i have to add that ethiopian food is mind blowingly good. it'll sex your knickers any day of the week and thrice on saturdays.

it's also veggie friendly, which makes ethopian a perfect choice for those of you with hippies or hipsters in your life.

Thailand food is not only world-changing good, it's also cheap. If Thailand is a 10, Cambodia is an 8 and Vietnam is a 9.


Never had Cambodian, but I have psuedo-THai frequently here in Taiwan, and back in the day in Vancouver we'd always hit up a Pho place for lunch or dinner.

#70 3 words ... Din Tai Fun


I hate that ####### place. All you do is lineup, and it's expensive as hell. That place is all hype.

Gonna have to disagree with you here. It's delicious, and I look forward to it every time I go back to Taipei. I've even driven up to LA from San Diego to have it.

Gonna have to disagree with you here. It's delicious, and I look forward to it every time I go back to Taipei. I've even driven up to LA from San Diego to have it.

I'm not a food "conoisseur", so I really can't tell the difference between Din Tai fun and another place that serves the same type of stuff. There's a bunch of Mom and Pop type places that I've been to that serve the same type of food, but way less expensive, and way less lineups.

Din Tai Fun isn't bad, but it's overpriced, overhyped, and I HATE the dining experience.

Did I mention the waiters treat you like krap unless you know somebody? I've been there as "knowing somebody" and "not knowing somebody". Totally different.

By the way, we Irish have the worst culinary tradition in the world.

Incorrect. Colcannon makes up for any shortcomings.

CrosbyBird Posted: June 19, 2007 at 09:47 AM
The stereotypical Jewish cooking involves oversalting and overcooking meat

As cooked by my grandma. First, she'd boil the chicken. Then, she'd bake it at 300 degrees for about 7 hours, so that any moisture left in it would have no chance of remaining.

Dave Posted: June 19, 2007 at 03:42 PM
I don't know what you're complaining about. Chopped liver and gefilte fish are great.

I'll pass on the liver. Gefilte fish is great with horseradish. But it has to be the fish in broth, not in jelly. The jelly is gross. It needs to be completely rinsed off before it the fish can touch my plate.

Quite possibly the only 2 things that canadians do better than americans is smoked meat and foie gras.

Oh and maple praline.

I think the best lunch I've ever had was at Schwartz's in Montreal. Better than Nate'n Al's by a hair.

Montreal is the greatest city on the North American continent. Easy.

Montreal is the greatest city on the North American continent. Easy.

Speaking as a native New Yorker: die lots now please. Thx, appreciate it.