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The tofu recipe didn't bother me at all and while that "kung pao" pastrami looks good and all, it does kind of irk me it's called "kung pao" when it has like nothing in common (outside of peanuts, I guess?) with actual kung pao [thing]. It's basically just a rando stir fry with kung pao in front to sound more chinese-y. I'll admit I just found a few, admittedly differing, recipes online for it and some more pix to come to this conclusion so maybe the real-deal is closer to the actual thing. Like you could totally have kung pao pastrami, like you can already get kung pao chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, tofu, [deep fried root vegetables], fish, etc... and they all share a few commonalities outside of the protein which this doesn't have at all. I'm willing to admit I'm being a weirdo about this but it did bother me a bit. Amergin posted:The gently caress? SF and NYC are a pricy places?? But yeah that's a pretty ridic price for mapo unless it's like 50% meat. But even in China it's gone up to like 2-3USD now when it used to be like 20 cents 
Ailumao fucked around with this message at 09:23 on Nov 20, 2017 |
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Nov 20, 2017 09:20
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Magna Kaser posted:SF and NYC are a pricy places?? But yeah that's a pretty ridic price for mapo unless it's like 50% meat. IMHO $10 for mapo dofu IS the pricy "SF/NYC" price, but maybe I just haven't had it at trendy places recently enough. Around here you can still get it for $1-1.50 but we're sort of a cheap city anyway.
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Nov 20, 2017 09:33
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Amergin posted:The gently caress? Yeah I was making faces looking at the numbers on the menu but I was already there and it was for science.
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Nov 20, 2017 09:42
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Mapo tofu is super easy you literally just throw stuff in a wok and simmer it a little bit. You can do it in stages with browning if you're fancy pants I guess. Gravity's recipe in the OP is pretty accurate to a generic one in Chengdu.
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Nov 20, 2017 09:46
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Magna Kaser posted:The tofu recipe didn't bother me at all and while that "kung pao" pastrami looks good and all, it does kind of irk me it's called "kung pao" when it has like nothing in common (outside of peanuts, I guess?) with actual kung pao [thing]. It's basically just a rando stir fry with kung pao in front to sound more chinese-y. I'll admit I just found a few, admittedly differing, recipes online for it and some more pix to come to this conclusion so maybe the real-deal is closer to the actual thing. Yeah that was my main gripe with the recipe. The peanuts and celery weren't enough to make it recognizably "kung pao", authentic or Americanized.
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Nov 20, 2017 23:00
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Counterpoint, pay Asian people more money for their food and be happy to do it. That applies to Mission Chinese, Danny Bowien was adopted by white Americans but he was born in Korea.
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Nov 29, 2017 05:57
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mich posted:Counterpoint, pay Asian people more money for their food and be happy to do it. That applies to Mission Chinese, Danny Bowien was adopted by white Americans but he was born in Korea.
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Nov 29, 2017 06:48
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People are whining about paying 15 dollars for a plate of food at an acclaimed restaurant in San Francisco for real? Because its cheaper in mainland china from a hole in the wall?
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Nov 29, 2017 07:36
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No, not people. Goons.
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Nov 29, 2017 08:25
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TychoCelchuuu posted:Yeah I mean frankly a restaurant is always going to cost stupid amounts of money because you're paying other people to rent out a space for you to eat, purchase and cook all the ingredients for you, serve them to you, and then clean up afterwards. If you want a good deal on food, don't go to a restaurant. It's even worse when it comes to Chinese food and Indian food because for some reason Americans are convinced these cuisines should be cheap even though nobody sneezes at paying some French restaurant ten billion bucks to dump some bechamel on foie gras or whatever it is French restaurants do. If Mission Chinese (in loving San Francisco of all places, where stepping outside to bask in the sun costs $45 plus tip) wants to charge less for mapo tofu than you'd pay for a plate of spaghetti and meatballs at the Cheesecake Factory, you loving pay them! This has always irked me. People don't want to spend $10 on quality Asian food but have no problem blowing $25 on a plate of pasta. Like, what?
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Nov 29, 2017 17:17
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emotive posted:This has always irked me. People don't want to spend $10 on quality Asian food but have no problem blowing $25 on a plate of pasta. The answer is racism.
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Nov 29, 2017 19:16
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noods are just noods to me 
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Nov 29, 2017 20:16
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PT6A posted:The answer is racism. This is actually the reason. Italian food used to be super cheap too, until Italians started to be considered "white".
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Nov 29, 2017 21:06
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Though charging me $12 for steamed gai lan with oyster sauce when I can get a plate of char siu for less seems a bit sketch. Asian greens are waaaaaay cheaper than proteins no?
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Nov 29, 2017 21:07
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Ranter posted:Though charging me $12 for steamed gai lan with oyster sauce when I can get a plate of char siu for less seems a bit sketch. Asian greens are waaaaaay cheaper than proteins no? My off the cuff guess is because you can prep char siu in advance in bulk and reheat as needed well into the future. You gotta buy, store, and cook gai lan fresh.
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Nov 29, 2017 21:21
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Yeah Chinese restaurants here the greens are always quite expensive, I figure it's to do with it being special niche greens and them having to be fresh.
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Nov 29, 2017 21:24
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I didn't expect to spark a debate like this, I was just commenting on the prices because I've never seen them that high (especially for the amount I got). The main thing I thought was strange was that the version I made following the restaurant's own recipe tasted and looked absolutely nothing like the version I got.
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Nov 29, 2017 21:34
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im just here for the meltdowns
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Nov 30, 2017 05:50
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emotive posted:This has always irked me. People don't want to spend $10 on quality Asian food but have no problem blowing $25 on a plate of pasta. Who the gently caress orders pasta at restaurants?! I mean, besides my brothers who grew up in a small town and think $16 entrees are too fancy. 
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Nov 30, 2017 06:17
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Arglebargle III posted:Who the gently caress orders pasta at restaurants?! Um do you want to clarify this question a bit? Because as someone that enjoys a good fresh pasta, has eaten in Michelin/top 50 restaurants and been to Europe....
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Nov 30, 2017 06:44
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Ranter posted:Um do you want to clarify this question a bit? Because as someone that enjoys a good fresh pasta, has eaten in Michelin/top 50 restaurants and been to Europe.... Yes?
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Nov 30, 2017 06:49
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OK go on then.
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Nov 30, 2017 06:52
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Yeah, the one problem with the ubiquity of the Chinese restaurant in America is the inelasticity of American (this includes Chinese American) expectations. "Chinese Restaurant" to many Americans means cheap, fast, and flavorful. You might assume authentictechnique/higherqualityingredients/etc would demand a higher price, but that's actually narrowing a lot of your demographic (cheap, fast) without really satisfying the flavor demo (subtlety is lost on Americans, go figure). Mission Chinese made Punk Rock Chinese American Food which blew up the demographic (flavor, added novelty) while charging only marginally more. Of course, most of you probably know all this. My favorite spot in Milwaukee sells their Ma Po for $10.95 which is pretty alright. They charge slightly more than the spot down the street that has arguably better food, but the service is way better, and I imagine better service is much better at attracting the why peephole money. Second comparison: Stephanie Izard is that Top Chef lady from Chicago that opened her "I love Chinese food" resto down there and sells for $17. I think the prices are 1) getting better 2) it's obvious where the money is going (landlords, credentials for other food).
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Nov 30, 2017 06:52
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Ranter posted:OK go on then. Pasta is cheap, and unless you're at a place that does its own pasta you're paying entre prices for a spaghetti that anyone could whip up at home for half the price. If you order a $25 plate of pasta I'm not gonna say anything but I'll judge you anonymously on the internet! Homemade pasta is still cheap, and should be cheap, and if it's the cheap thing on the menu great but there are too many congealed spaghetti lumps sold for $14.99. Arglebargle III fucked around with this message at 07:24 on Nov 30, 2017 |
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Nov 30, 2017 07:22
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Forums poster Arglebargle III, who regularly attends restaurants that serve plain pasta, just boiled and dumped on a plate.
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Nov 30, 2017 07:24
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As everyone knows food in restaurants is only more expensive than homemade food because restaurant chefs are greedy. Easiest way in America to get rich, opening a restaurant.
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Nov 30, 2017 07:46
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hakimashou posted:People are whining about paying 15 dollars for a plate of food at an acclaimed restaurant in San Francisco for real? I just think it's silly to take a dish like mapo dofu, add mushrooms and beer to it, and turn around and charge $15 for a plate of it. It's not that I'm against charging $15 for authentic Chinese food, but it's like he's taking one of the most mundane, "throw whatever in it," "let's just make this because we don't have time/money to make something else," casual Chinese dishes and trying to sell it as this "ooh mystical authentic Oriental food! wow what flavor what spice!" to wealthy white hipsters. I mean sure, if you can do it and take their money, go right ahead. But instead of doing Chinese dishes that many actual Chinese chefs would be proud of, he's doing the equivalent of taking red beans and rice, adding beer to it and selling it for $15. I'm all for giving Americans authentic Chinese food and I'm all for charging them a reasonable rate for it - increase exposure to Chinese food and make money doing it. I just think choosing that particular dish, fiddling with it and then selling it for that price is a bit silly. I think the same thing whenever I see some place try to throw truffles onto like cacio e pepe and sell it for $15+. If you're going to choose a basic bitch Chinese dish and overprice it for hipsters, just skip the foreplay and sell them a porridge + napa cabbage soup + hot water meal for $20. Justify the price by adding a fistful of South China Sea salt, fresh from Chinese government tears over the Diaoyu islands. EDIT: I hosed up, $15 for mapo dofu and $18 for pastrami. Amergin fucked around with this message at 04:09 on Dec 1, 2017 |
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Nov 30, 2017 08:26
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I make less than 30k a year and will happily throw down $15 for a perfectly executed cacio e pepe at a restaurant. You wanna throw truffles on there then feel free, but I don't even need em.
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Nov 30, 2017 08:59
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this entire thread is such a beautiful mix of orientalism and cultural appropriation, it's super impressive
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Nov 30, 2017 12:23
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In the modem age you haven't really dunked on someone until you've diagnosed them with a mental illness.
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Nov 30, 2017 15:16
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Amergin posted:I just think it's silly to take a dish like mapo dofu, add mushrooms and beer to it, and turn around and charge $18 for a plate of it.
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Nov 30, 2017 16:33
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The Great Autismo! posted:this entire thread is such a beautiful mix of orientalism and cultural appropriation, it's super impressive Lol. Can you imagine paying immigrants good money for their family secrets? This is America, my man. Highly specialized labor is supposed to be cheap. Edit: sorry to be clear this was a sarcastic post and i fully support spending money and respecting Chinese restos. anothergod fucked around with this message at 17:50 on Nov 30, 2017 |
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Nov 30, 2017 16:43
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Adding mushrooms and beer to the dish in the way he did it is inconsequential to the pricing, which if anything, could stand to be higher in order to pay the cooks more money.
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Nov 30, 2017 16:53
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Arglebargle III posted:unless you're at a place that does its own pasta That's the clarification you needed to make when writing: quote:Who the gently caress orders pasta at restaurants?! Fucks like me, when I go and eat fresh raviolis or travel around Italy... Meanwhile I ate $14 pea shoots with garlic last night.
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Nov 30, 2017 17:20
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mich posted:Adding mushrooms and beer to the dish in the way he did it is inconsequential to the pricing, which if anything, could stand to be higher in order to pay the cooks more money. But if you pay them a living wage they'll just get fired and every restaurant will have its orders taken by robots! Is this the future you and your fellow communists want, to make the blue collar worker extinct?!?
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Nov 30, 2017 17:58
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If people are that upset over charging money for Mapo, imagine the shock and thinking pieces over what they charge for grilled cheese in SF. The horror!
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Nov 30, 2017 18:05
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Lol if you go out to order a grilled cheese.
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Nov 30, 2017 20:56
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Whoa so many posts! As the resident Cantonese food snob who is really good at turning money into poop, I got to say more power to people trying to experiment and enhance food flavours. Do I think it’s odd to add tomato paste and mushroom powder to mapo tofu? Yes. Would I try it? Sure thing! Is it better than the regular? Maybe it is if it tastes better. Cooking at home sure beats going to a Chinese restaurant in America (because most of them are garbage and I grew up in Vancouver) downsrim: I think it’s actually good to experiment on new flavours and techniques. My biggest beef with the PURE TRADITIONALISTS is that tradition itself is a murky line based on a more limited world view. Nostalgia is nice at times but the old school kind of cooking is being phased out. Nobody needs to add lard to their rice anymore when everyone can afford meat. With globalization to source ingredients and the internet to spread information, chefs can cook tastier food if they wanted to. I think this is what separates your 3 star or world top 50 chef from the rest. That they are experimenting with food to make new flavours that actually tastes good. Besides regular mapo tofu is really subjective. I hate to say this but the mapo tofu and Sichuan food I had in Sichuan tastes way better than the other places I have been. It’s not just numbing spicy but also fragrant with subtle hints of a variety of spices. I also don’t mind paying 20 USD for a basic plate of Choi sum in Hong Kong. Then again that means they better only pick the center batches, deflower, trim the bottom stems, cook in superior stock, add shredded ham, remove extra fibers, and do whatever the gently caress they need to do to justify their price to my liking. Whereas if I buy some at the market it’s probably only 1 or 2 USD. Hole in the wall restaurants are so over rated. They compensate cheaper ingredients with skill but that’s not always the case. Arglebargle III posted:Who the gently caress orders pasta at restaurants?! I do when I’m at Olive Garden
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Nov 30, 2017 23:15
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And “Chinese person” is a bit of a misnomer because we all grew up with different regional references. It would take me a longer time to know good river crab from bad but I’m super duper picky on my steamed sea water fish and dim sum Whereas someone from north west china would know their noodles and be a lot more sensitive with wheat and north east china people know their Korean food and guo bao rou.
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Nov 30, 2017 23:19
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Also maybe you ordered pasta at the restaurant because you really want to eat pasta and are unable to cook at home that day. I've gone to a restaurant and ordered -- get this -- a sandwich before, too!
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Nov 30, 2017 23:33
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