Asian food

[NW-Bound]

According to the CIA World Factbook, the life expectancy is as follows for some countries.

Macau: 84.43
Japan: 83.91
Singapore: 83.75
EU: 79.76
South Korea: 79.30
USA: 78.49

So, they trail some other Asian nations, but still beat the US. Go figure.

 

[Dimsumkid]

I have not been to China to know the true Chinese food. But then, I think a large country such as China would have many regional cuisines, and it may not be possible to make a generalization.

About the tasteless chicken, I wonder if they eat more free-range chicken, which might taste superior. I have heard of free-range chicken in the US, but have not had a chance to sample it (note to self: check this out!).

So, not having been to China, I have had the chance to try food in various Chinatowns in western cities like SF, LA, Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Portland, Chicago, Boston, NYC, Honolulu, Sydney, etc... The food is generally similar and mostly OK to me. Perhaps I have been accustomed to salty food myself!

Went to China/HK back in the mid 90's. Free range wasn't something most even cared/knew about back then. Refrigeration was accepted reluctantly and freezing seemed to be a bad thing talking to locals. They wanted all their food as fresh as possible. If you made dinner that day, all the shopping was done right before. Chickens were freshly killed within the hour or less, they liked to see the blood in the middle of the bone. I stayed away from a meal in China that was still bleeding from the bone cut, it looked slightly uncooked to me and I didn't want to chance it. We only had fresh kills in the US from live poultry places and only for 1-2 special occasions since the price was 5-10 times more than a refrigerated/frozen one from the grocery store. Even today, the chickens from chinatown butchers taste better, but I don't know how fresh they are (or refrigerated).

 

[NW-Bound]

I am not picky, nor my palate's that fine. I am OK with frozen food, as it does not kill me. In my area, there's a Hispanic place that has live poultry (obviously all legal), and my sister-in-law has served a dish with it. I guess my peasant's taste failed to see that much of a difference. I would need to do a side-by-side comparison test.

 

[Dimsumkid]

I am not picky, nor my palate's that fine. I am OK with frozen food, as it does not kill me. In my area, there's a Hispanic place that has live poultry (obviously all legal), and my sister-in-law has served a dish with it. I guess my peasant's taste failed to see that much of a difference. I would need to do a side-by-side comparison test.

Give it a try if you can, you should notice a big difference in flavor. Best comparison I can make is eating reg. eggs from the supermarket and eating fresh eggs from a farm. A coworker owned a farm in Dallas area, she was flying to Chicago and offered to bring me some on one of her trips. I got to try them the same day. The flavor difference was dramatic and very intense egg flavor but a little overwhelming at the same time. Wife didn't like it, said it was too strong for her.

 

[mickeyd]

This may be a bit OT but DW recently ran across a recipe that required acorn flour (whatever that is) and acquired some at an Asian food store in town. When she got home I noticed it on the counter and picked it up and began to look at the label, Once I noticed the micro print at the bottom "made in chin" I told her that I was not eating any dish that contained this stuff. She plans to take it back (I hope).

I never knowingly consume anything that is made in China. Don't trust them. Plenty other safer options.

 

[audreyh1]

I have not been to China to know the true Chinese food. But then, I think a large country such as China would have many regional cuisines, and it may not be possible to make a generalization.

About the tasteless chicken, I wonder if they eat more free-range chicken, which might taste superior. I have heard of free-range chicken in the US, but have not had a chance to sample it (note to self: check this out!).

So, not having been to China, I have had the chance to try food in various Chinatowns in western cities like SF, LA, Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Portland, Chicago, Boston, NYC, Honolulu, Sydney, etc... The food is generally similar and mostly OK to me. Perhaps I have been accustomed to salty food myself!

Free range and/or organic chicken is indeed superior in taste. To me, regular chicken (mainly the breast meat) is tasteless.

And there is nothing wrong with frozen food as long as it is done properly and with food that is in top condition. I prefer to buy my seafood frozen if it was not locally harvested.

 

[NW-Bound]

I did have a chance to taste it, but perhaps I was not paying attention. See below. My wife did not appreciate it that much either. I could not remember what the dish was. The other ingredients could have covered up the "goodness" of the meat. I guess we thought it was good, but not "wow".

Maybe I will try again, with a more critical taste this time.

In my area, there's a Hispanic place that has live poultry (obviously all legal), and my sister-in-law has served a dish with it. I guess my peasant's taste failed to see that much of a difference. I would need to do a side-by-side comparison test.

 

[veremchuka]

Today I tried one of the last vegetarian dishes at the Chinese restaurant. It was Chow Mei Fun, pretty good, not a favorite but not bad.

 

[Bestwifeever]

This may be a bit OT but DW recently ran across a recipe that required acorn flour (whatever that is) and acquired some at an Asian food store in town. When she got home I noticed it on the counter and picked it up and began to look at the label, Once I noticed the micro print at the bottom "made in chin" I told her that I was not eating any dish that contained this stuff. She plans to take it back (I hope).

I never knowingly consume anything that is made in China. Don't trust them. Plenty other safer options.

I know what you are saying but I got a chuckle out of not wanting to use something made in China when it comes from an Asian food store.

 

[explanade]

If you don't like the sauce, you can try Chow Fun, which is similar type of noodle.

If you don't like the Asian dishes, you can have lasagna, another flat noodle.

Carbs may not be good for you but it's impossible not to like the taste of some kind of noodle or pasta dishes.

 

[explanade]

I think a lot of ethnic restaurants Americanize their menus a bit.

In a lot of cases, that means putting a lot more sugar in the dishes than they'd normally use and having more meat dishes than they'd normally consume.

Then you have overtly Americanized fusion chain restaurants like PJ Chang or Elephant Bar, where the dishes are really sweet.


Back in college, I worked very briefly for a frozen meat distributor and a lot of their clients were Chinese restaurants, which bought the cheapest cuts of meat.

 

[braumeister]

Back in college, I worked very briefly for a frozen meat distributor and a lot of their clients were Chinese restaurants, which bought the cheapest cuts of meat.

I'm sure you're right, but that's really an overgeneralization. A very good friend owns a Chinese restaurant and believe me, they use only good cuts of meat. Of course, it's an upscale restaurant, so that may be the difference.

If you happen to know the actual names of dishes you like, many Chinese restaurants have a separate "Chinese" menu with different dishes from the standard "American" menu. It can be a lot of fun to ask for that menu and try things. If you have Chinese waiter, you can simply ask about items, and enjoy the opportunity to learn.

 

[NW-Bound]

I have nothing against cheaper cuts of meat. Only the USA is such a land of plenty that people sneer on lesser cuts. Throughout the world, European countries included, dishes were invented to turn these cuts into tasty dishes. The whole idea of cooking is to create something with meats other than steaks and filets.

About carb, I need to reduce my intake of carb because my calorie intake tends to be too high with carb. Meat takes longer to digest, and keeps me feeling full longer. If I were a vegetarian, I am sure I would eat too much due to feeling hungry all the time, and would end up being overweight and diabetic.

 

[FUEGO]

I have nothing against cheaper cuts of meat. Only the USA is such a land of plenty that people sneer on lesser cuts. Throughout the world, European countries included, dishes were invented to turn these cuts into tasty dishes. The whole idea of cooking is to create something with meats other than steaks and filets.

I have noticed this dichotomy of cultural differences in what constitutes "good" meat. DW and I disagree over what's a good cut of meat. I like large chunks of solid meat with no gristle and relatively lean, so it is easier to trim, prep, and cook. DW (who's from Thailand) likes the fatty cuts, with skin and bone and even some gristle. A couple we know well has similar tastes - the American husband likes the clean lean cuts (loins, tenderloins, chicken breasts, london broil, top round roast) and his Japanese wife is the exact opposite, preferring what my wife prefers (fattier, with bones, skin, gristle, cartilage, etc).

And when DW's family gets a cow, they eat pretty much everything. Except the hooves, skin, and most of the digestive tract contents, and the bones (minus the delicious marrow!). Blood, heart, liver, lungs, intestines, etc etc all eaten. No thanks!

 

[NW-Bound]

Eh, when I said cheap cuts, I didn't mean intestines, lungs, and other scary parts.

When we were traveling in Madrid with a German friend who was a long-time US resident, she ordered beef tripe in a kind of casserole, and said she had not had that for a while. It was quite benign, really.

Many people like to eat cuts suitable for steak, such as sirloin, New York strip, etc... But one does not eat steak all the time. For dishes like soup, ragout, or goulash, I like to get the chuck roast or round. They are often so cheap, it makes me wonder what is wrong with them.

Real Hungarian goulash calls for beef shank, and price wise it is more expensive than some other cuts. So, I often make substitute. Soup recipes often call for ox tail, which also is not cheap. So, will I get into trouble with using soup bones with a big chuck roast as a substitute?

 

[timeasterday]

And when DW's family gets a cow, they eat pretty much everything. Except the hooves, skin, and most of the digestive tract contents, and the bones (minus the delicious marrow!). Blood, heart, liver, lungs, intestines, etc etc all eaten. No thanks!

Deep-fried bone marrow was one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. Gotta schedule a trip back to Taiwan soon!

 

[NW-Bound]

You can get roasted bone marrow closer to home. Many NYC restaurants serve that with some toasts for you to spread it on like butter. I read this appetizer would set you back $15 or more. I have done it at home, using some select bone pieces among the soup bones I get for $1/lb.

Photo linked from the Web:

 

[FUEGO]

Eh, when I said cheap cuts, I didn't mean intestines, lungs, and other scary parts.

Scary parts? That's fine cuisine for some!

 

[explanade]

Cheap cuts as in these were the cheapest items offered by this distributor.