This thought was posted on Thinkaloo on 18 March 2008 by member yikes
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Food and color preference are subjective of course. But! objectively speaking, isn't color in most Indian restaurants in Europe or in America rather dull and monotonous? Why don't they make the color combinations more exciting? More spicy so to speak so that they at least match the plenty of spice there is in Indian food?
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
What do exotic recipes in gourmet food tell us about people?
This thought was posted on Thinkaloo on 18 March 2008 by member michelle
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The other day I was having dinner with a friend at an upscale, expensive Indian restaurant. We noticed that most of the items in the menu were variations of curry, a recipe that both rich and poor people eat daily. I am sure Indian gourmet food also includes recipes that you won't see people eat every day, but what is interesting is that most recipes on the menu or what people order the most in a gourmet Indian restaurant are curry variations with fresher spices and ingredients, better cooking and obviously better taste.
When I eat at an Italian gourmet restaurant this is also the case, recipes will be mostly pasta or meat variations, with pasta and meat being food people of all incomes eat every day in Italy.
But when I go to a French or Chinese upscale restaurant, chances are that most items on the menu will not be every day recipes, meaning food that people eat every day. It will be either an exotic recipe or a recipe with hard to find or very expensive ingredients.
Does recipe variation and its split on the menu of a gourmet, upscale restaurant between everyday recipes and exotic recipes tell us something about people in that country?
French kings and Chinese emperors for example were notorious for indulging in food with their chefs competing to produce food that was exclusive to the king and had exotic, exquisite taste.
Can we say that such societies are more exclusive and hierarchical? Japanese society for example is well-known for being hierarchical. Gourmet Japanese food is kaiseki cuisine which you rarely see people eat every day.
Sushi, on the other hand, was the laborers' food during the Edo period which is now considered gourmet cuisine in the West. But sushi is something that people eat often in Japan. This is why the Japanese have the highest fish consumption per capita in the world.
Don't you think it's interesting that if you go out to eat good, gourmet Indian food chances are that you will be ordering some kind of curry variation, curry being is a recipe most people eat every day in India anyway?
What conclusions can we make about the people in a country based on the composition of their gourmet food and its high or low inclusion of every day recipes and ingredients?
Have you ever thought about it? Do you think my observation is valid or is it me who might not yet have been to the truly upscale gourmet restaurants? What do you think?
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The other day I was having dinner with a friend at an upscale, expensive Indian restaurant. We noticed that most of the items in the menu were variations of curry, a recipe that both rich and poor people eat daily. I am sure Indian gourmet food also includes recipes that you won't see people eat every day, but what is interesting is that most recipes on the menu or what people order the most in a gourmet Indian restaurant are curry variations with fresher spices and ingredients, better cooking and obviously better taste.
When I eat at an Italian gourmet restaurant this is also the case, recipes will be mostly pasta or meat variations, with pasta and meat being food people of all incomes eat every day in Italy.
But when I go to a French or Chinese upscale restaurant, chances are that most items on the menu will not be every day recipes, meaning food that people eat every day. It will be either an exotic recipe or a recipe with hard to find or very expensive ingredients.
Does recipe variation and its split on the menu of a gourmet, upscale restaurant between everyday recipes and exotic recipes tell us something about people in that country?
French kings and Chinese emperors for example were notorious for indulging in food with their chefs competing to produce food that was exclusive to the king and had exotic, exquisite taste.
Can we say that such societies are more exclusive and hierarchical? Japanese society for example is well-known for being hierarchical. Gourmet Japanese food is kaiseki cuisine which you rarely see people eat every day.
Sushi, on the other hand, was the laborers' food during the Edo period which is now considered gourmet cuisine in the West. But sushi is something that people eat often in Japan. This is why the Japanese have the highest fish consumption per capita in the world.
Don't you think it's interesting that if you go out to eat good, gourmet Indian food chances are that you will be ordering some kind of curry variation, curry being is a recipe most people eat every day in India anyway?
What conclusions can we make about the people in a country based on the composition of their gourmet food and its high or low inclusion of every day recipes and ingredients?
Have you ever thought about it? Do you think my observation is valid or is it me who might not yet have been to the truly upscale gourmet restaurants? What do you think?
Retrace your steps
This thought was posted on Thinkaloo on 18 March 2008 by member elfecito
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This thought is for people who feel nostalgia when they re-visit a place where they used to live in the past. What if shoe soles can be made to have their own signature - similar to fingerprints - which can be saved invisibly on the ground's surface?
With the help of a laser scanning or other device - similar to banknote counterfeit scanners - the shoe prints would show on the surface when the laser falls on them. This way you could easily see and re-trace the exact steps you made and places you visited years ago.
Such a thing would probably require that the surface of cities, town, villages etc is made from material that can save the shoe prints. Assuming such material can be created, it will also require massive investment to install it. It will probably make more business sense to try it in tourist areas or historic spots.
Wouldn't it be nice if such technology existed and used this way?
Just a thought!
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---
This thought is for people who feel nostalgia when they re-visit a place where they used to live in the past. What if shoe soles can be made to have their own signature - similar to fingerprints - which can be saved invisibly on the ground's surface?
With the help of a laser scanning or other device - similar to banknote counterfeit scanners - the shoe prints would show on the surface when the laser falls on them. This way you could easily see and re-trace the exact steps you made and places you visited years ago.
Such a thing would probably require that the surface of cities, town, villages etc is made from material that can save the shoe prints. Assuming such material can be created, it will also require massive investment to install it. It will probably make more business sense to try it in tourist areas or historic spots.
Wouldn't it be nice if such technology existed and used this way?
Just a thought!
Culinary Dimplomacy
This thought was posted on Thinkaloo on 15 March 2008 by member james85
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What if all countries could designate one restaurant in every country to represent them as the country's most authentic culinary ambassador?
The main criterion for culinary embassy designation should not be which overseas restaurant has the best taste or the most number of awards. It should rather be which restaurant offers the most authentic taste, as if customers received a culinary experience that is the closest they can get to having traveled abroad and eaten at a local restaurant.
There are many merits to this idea which is not that hypothetical after all. Actually I came up with it after a talk I had with a friend about Tokyo being designated as the gourmet capital of the world for the high quality of its restaurants.
I found out that the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture has set up a Council to put into effect a recommendation program for Japanese restaurants outside of Japan for the purpose of increasing consumer confidence in Japanese restaurants and promoting the export of Japanese agricultural and marine products while also popularizing the food culture of Japan and further establishing its food industry.
You might be wondering why they did so. Apparently, there are an increasing number of Japanese restaurants outside Japan providing Japanese cuisine that is removed from traditional Japanese cooking, i.e. do not use Japanese ingredients or cooking methods. Such restaurants, however, continue to operate under the guise of a Japanese restaurant.
I can certainly imagine the French who are very proud about their national cuisine setting up something similar. I take it a step further and think that every country should do the same, even designate one restaurant in every country as its culinary ambassador. What do you think? Wouldn't it be nice to know or be able to compare the authenticity in the taste of the ethnic cuisine restaurant you just visited?
Visit www.thinkaloo.com, our new online community where you can share your thoughts and knowledge, discuss your ideas, ask questions and meet smart people
---
What if all countries could designate one restaurant in every country to represent them as the country's most authentic culinary ambassador?
The main criterion for culinary embassy designation should not be which overseas restaurant has the best taste or the most number of awards. It should rather be which restaurant offers the most authentic taste, as if customers received a culinary experience that is the closest they can get to having traveled abroad and eaten at a local restaurant.
There are many merits to this idea which is not that hypothetical after all. Actually I came up with it after a talk I had with a friend about Tokyo being designated as the gourmet capital of the world for the high quality of its restaurants.
I found out that the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture has set up a Council to put into effect a recommendation program for Japanese restaurants outside of Japan for the purpose of increasing consumer confidence in Japanese restaurants and promoting the export of Japanese agricultural and marine products while also popularizing the food culture of Japan and further establishing its food industry.
You might be wondering why they did so. Apparently, there are an increasing number of Japanese restaurants outside Japan providing Japanese cuisine that is removed from traditional Japanese cooking, i.e. do not use Japanese ingredients or cooking methods. Such restaurants, however, continue to operate under the guise of a Japanese restaurant.
I can certainly imagine the French who are very proud about their national cuisine setting up something similar. I take it a step further and think that every country should do the same, even designate one restaurant in every country as its culinary ambassador. What do you think? Wouldn't it be nice to know or be able to compare the authenticity in the taste of the ethnic cuisine restaurant you just visited?
On Maximum Brevity...
This thought was posted on Thinkaloo on 14 March 2008 by member goliath
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Means to use no more than eighteen words and no more than one sentence to make your point
Visit www.thinkaloo.com, our new online community where you can share your thoughts and knowledge, discuss your ideas, ask questions and meet smart people
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Means to use no more than eighteen words and no more than one sentence to make your point
Bag stools for hotel reception desk
This thought was posted on Thinkaloo on 14 March 2008 by member james85
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This is a photo I took at the ANA hotel in Tokyo, Japan. I had not seen bag stools in any other hotel I have been to in Europe or in the US. Instead of placing your bag on the reception desk or on the floor you can place it on the stool. It's nicely designed and also very handy and practical!
Visit www.thinkaloo.com, our new online community where you can share your thoughts and knowledge, discuss your ideas, ask questions and meet smart people
---
This is a photo I took at the ANA hotel in Tokyo, Japan. I had not seen bag stools in any other hotel I have been to in Europe or in the US. Instead of placing your bag on the reception desk or on the floor you can place it on the stool. It's nicely designed and also very handy and practical!
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