Radhika, Y. wrote:
my dad declined tasting sushi because it was (a) too cold (b) too
raw!
I know a chef who was hired to staff the private car of the president of
the Tennessee Central Railroad. It is based in Nashville, which is not
know in the US for gastronomical experimentation.
Invited on board for heavy hors d'oeuvres, He presented a large silver
tray covered in what looked like sushi. As our party had been delayed by
over an hour, I wanly asked if the sushi had been waiting for us all
that time.
"Oh no, that's not sushi," he explained, "It's what I call 'simshi'.
These are roast beef, these ham, these cooked sausage, the only raw
things on this tray are the vegetables, and even some of them are cooked."
It was, I thought, a reasonable accommodation to the rural sorts who
thing the correct term for raw fish is "bait". Who knows, some may have
gone on to try the real thing.
my mother turned down Ethiopian food because it was eaten
"muslim-style" in one dish with no regard for jhoota.
Sorry, have to ask what is "jhoota"? Is that like feng shui for food?
Pacific Northwestern fresh salmon grilled on a cedar plank is
really yummy if you ever get a chance.
Yes, and my local Pacific Northwest-themed restaurant has just gotten in
the Copper River Salmon -- my favorite -- which they prepare this way.
Alas, they no longer serve it upon the flaming cedar plank -- the fire
marshal was so served one night and the practice was stopped on the morrow.
One of the great tragedies of North American gastronomy is that the
only place you can really find fresh Gulf of Alaska seafood is in
the northwest corner of the North American continent. ... Some of
the more remarkable local fish, such as the sablefish, have a very
short shelf-life such that versions found elsewhere are almost
universally awful.
I don't know, I've had some most excellent sablefish here in the
southeast corner of the country. I suppose it's mostly a matter of
having enough quality seafood restaurants in one town to oblige them to
outdo one another ... that and regular direct flights from Seattle.
But perhaps each region has local specialties that don't travel much.
I've never had artichokes as good as in Castroville, California;
crayfish as good as in New Orleans; calamari as good as Cape Town; nor
sweet corn as good as in Zellwood, Florida. Just as winemakers obsess
over terroir, each crop or species has it's own preferred range, and
often the best is in such short supply that exporting from the region
makes no sense.
In search of local food on a recent cruise that took us to Tortola, we
walked away from the dock until we found a restaurant that *didn't* have
an American Express decal on the door. This isn't always a guarantee of
good food, but we've found it a decent approach to finding local food,
which so often takes advantage of local offerings.
Let me repeat my standing offer to show any silklister in Central
Florida some of the better offerings in town.
Bruce
