Korean dishes

[TripletDaddy]

I'm not a foodie, but my guess is that the fusion concept has more to do with accommodating to the tastes of the white American/European customer than the inherent quality of the tastes.

Most high end chefs are looking for quality flavors. If it made sense to serve straight asian, they would do so. Like I said, I don't know why, but it seems that ALL haute asian is a fusion concept. While haute french, haute italian, and traditional indian and mexican...they rarely fuse.

I am not saying I dislike Asian food, btw. On the contrary, I really like it. I am just saying that I don't rank it at the top. It is more towards the middle for me.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I really like Asian food, but if I had to rank the 5 main culinary ethnicities: Italian, French, Mexican, Indian, and Asian....it is definitely not my favorite overall...I'm not talking going to some Michelin Asian place. I am ranking your average Mexican against your average Asian or your average Italian place. Asian ranks in the middle for me.

That being said, Asian food houses some of my favorite individual meals....sushi, for example. I agree with SeattleUte...teriyaki is boring. It is good, but it is boring.

I think there is a reason why almost all high-end Asian restaurants almost literally always wind up adopting a fusion concept (almost always french), whereas Italian and French places don't do it as often. Just a thought.

I read an article once where they asked some of the world's top chefs to rate the best three cuisines in the world. The response was Chinese, Chinese, Chinese.

[SeattleUte]

I read an article once where they asked some of the world's top chefs to rate the best three cuisines in the world. The response was Chinese, Chinese, Chinese.

I don't disagree with this.

[TripletDaddy]

I read an article once where they asked some of the world's top chefs to rate the best three cuisines in the world. The response was Chinese, Chinese, Chinese.

I won't voir dire your submission because I love chinese food, too.

I would imagine that every single one of these "world's top chefs" trained in Europe. Just sayin.

[SeattleUte]

I won't voir dire your submission because I love chinese food, too.

I would imagine that every single one of these "world's top chefs" trained in Europe. Just sayin.

I would have a hard time choosing between French and Chinese. I've found that when Euro cuisines reach they adopt French methods. Harvest Vine here in Seattle is a good example. It calls itself a "tapas" place. Yes, it has small dishes, but it seems French to me.

[TripletDaddy]

I would have a hard time choosing between French and Chinese. I've found that when Euro cuisines reach they adopt French methods. Harvest Vine here in Seattle is a good example. It calls itself a "tapas" place. Yes, it has small dishes, but it seems French to me.

I am bummed about the proliferation of "tapas" places these days. It is a co-opted term now in the biz. I see it popping up more and more. There is a small local place that just opened about right near our house called "Asian tapas."

Traditionally, tapas implied small portions (of spanish food). These days, it is simply a technical term...."lids" or "small plates." It really doesn't carry a gastronomic connotation anymore. The "asian tapas" place has nothing to do with Spanish food. It is simply a normal chinese type place that serves little appetizer portions instead of larger family style meals. There is no connection anymore to the Spanish roots.

A good traditional spanish tapas place....pure gold. MarkGrace took us to a modern tapas concept in the Seattle area...cannot remember the name of it, but it was a delight. And it definitely retained the Spanish connection, down to the cheeses and paella offerings on the menu.

[SeattleUte]

I am bummed about the proliferation of "tapas" places these days. It is a co-opted term now in the biz. I see it popping up more and more. There is a small local place that just opened about right near our house called "Asian tapas."

Traditionally, tapas implied small portions (of spanish food). These days, it is simply a technical term...."lids" or "small plates." It really doesn't carry a gastronomic connotation anymore. The "asian tapas" place has nothing to do with Spanish food. It is simply a normal chinese type place that serves little appetizer portions instead of larger family style meals. There is no connection anymore to the Spanish roots.

A good traditional spanish tapas place....pure gold. MarkGrace took us to a modern tapas concept in the Seattle area...cannot remember the name of it, but it was a delight. And it definitely retained the Spanish connection, down to the cheeses and paella offerings on the menu.

It's just up the street from me (my office). I voir dired him about that night.

By the way, I'd given up on Mexican food until I found a super ethnic (the proprietors and cooks hardly speak English) little hole in the wall not far from my house called Senor Moose. It's fabulous.

[TripletDaddy]

It's just up the street from me (my office). I voir dired him about that night.

By the way, I'd given up on Mexican food until I found a super ethnic (the proprietors and cooks hardly speak English) little hole in the wall not far from my house called Senor Moose. It's fabulous.

I have found that Mexican is very easy.....to cook the wrong way.

There are few things worse than bad Mexican food. Beans and rice are my barometer. If the beans and the rice do not taste right, the place is crap.

[SeattleUte]

I have found that Mexican is very easy.....to cook the wrong way.

There are few things worse than bad Mexican food. Beans and rice are my barometer. If the beans and the rice do not taste right, the place is crap.

Chinese can be horribly bastardized. The same is true for French; but our cuisine is so shot through with French influence that we don't separate its core attributes from French. So we don't normally call a bad plate of fried food French food cooked the wrong way.

If I wind up in a standard Mexican joint I don't eat the beans and rice. They scare me. I think they put some nasty poison in those refried beans. Even at Senor Moose I ask for the whole black beans.

[MarkGrace]

I thought this thread was aboutKorean food?

One of my best friends from school is Korean, and she takes me to all sorts of awesome Korean restaurants and groceries around Lynwood off Aurora. I tried this soup on one occasion that was so hot I couldn't breathe after tasting it. Awesome. She also takes us out for Korean fried chicken, which pretty much kicks ass. I love that stuff.

I already liked Korean food before I met her (kimchee has been one of favorite things since I was a kid), but she has definitely expanded my idea of what Korean food is.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I didn't call it bastardized Japanese. I actually prefer a Korean place. It is a historical fact that Korean food is heavily influenced by Japanese cuisine. Just as both cuisines are influnced by Chinese cuisine. China's relation to other parts of Asia is not unlike ancient Greece and Rome's relation to Europe or Europe's relation to the United States.

It is in fact a historical reality that humans in different parts of the world influnce one another's cuisine. You could call U.S. cuisine bastardized almost anything you want to choose, but I would not be so crude.

I would expect a more reasoned approach and one less reflexively slavish to PC sentimentalities from an engineer and a scholar. In any event, all we are talking about here is the most subjective of matters--taste in food!

I think people who claim to love Japanese are often pretentious (just my opinion). Get off your high horse.

lol. More irony.

Of course there are regional influences in Asian cuisine. Korean cuisine is more strongly influenced by China than Japan. Either way, Japanese and Korean are vastly different. The fact that you don't like kimchee or that you consider all kimchee to be cabbage-based indicates that maybe you haven't given Korean food a fair shake.

As for sushi, you once commented that pre-made super market sushi is essentially equivalent in quality to fresh-made sushi bar sushi. That pretty much disqualifies your opinion on Japanese food. That would be like me stating that the sausage-egg croissant at Burger King is typical of all French food. How much weight would you give to my opinion on French food after that?

And by the way, in my entire two years in Japan as a missionary and on several subsequent return trips, I don't recall ever eating teriyaki chicken. The super-sweet stuff you see here in the America is a dish that is catered to US tastes.

[MarkGrace]

Oh yeah, our little Korean-Mexican taco truck a la Kogi in LA is really awesome as well. The kal-bi tacos are sensational.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Oh yeah, our little Korean-Mexican taco truck a la Kogi in LA is really awesome as well. The kal-bi tacos are sensational.

I would love to try that. That is definitely on my to-do list the next time I am in LA.

[TripletDaddy]

Oh yeah, our little Korean-Mexican taco truck a la Kogi in LA is really awesome as well. The kal-bi tacos are sensational.

Dude, The Kogi truck has competition now. there are a few that are floating around. Kogi seems to have whored itself out completely for cliche "special events" these days.....hotel pool parties with DJs that wear masks, Kardashian in-store appearances, Japanese anime exihibts, or grand openings for art gallery boutiques off Santa Monica Blvd. It is probably good money, but they are losing their proletariat vibe.

tacos are freaking awesome, though.

I am seeing a pinkberry revolution with the fused taco truck movement, as more and more knock offs perfect the initial concept. This is actually a good thing, as it will simply mean more tacos for me to consume. DE-FREAKING-LISH!

[MarkGrace]

I would love to try that. That is definitely on my to-do list the next time I am in LA.

It's a lot of fun. Kimchee quesadillas, spicy pork tacos (like bulgogi), etc. The tacos are served with these thin pickled jalapeno slices that are really tasty.

I recently saw our little placed named one of the 10 best street food places in the country. I wish I could remember where I read that so I could post the article.