Comments on: Science vs. Gastronomy

By: ault

ault — Mon, 31 May 2010 18:42:57 +0000

During a long distance bike trip, I found myself in a small town in rural Indiana which had no restaurants. Unable to face a gas station hot dog, I asked the locals if any towns nearby boasted a diner or cafe. They all suggested a 6 mile jaunt to the interstate off-ramp which had a McDonalds. One, a bit more worldly than the others, observed that as a cyclist I might want to try the new health food restaurant that had newly opened 15 miles away.

It was a Subways.

He was not being sarcastic.

Ah, the provincial mindset. In our own culture, it causes us to despair. In foreign nations, it is quaint traditionalism.

By: David Ockey

David Ockey — Thu, 27 May 2010 02:57:24 +0000

I wish the same would happen in America. Sure, there are enclaves where people can venture into new territory and taste “strange” foods, but that is definitely not the norm. The fact that less than 50% of Americans even have a passport, let alone use one, means that public ideas about any foreign cuisine will not be changing any time soon. Here in Japan I’ve had Chinese food that I had never even heard of back home. Of course, there is no Sichuan cuisine available here. Japanese people do not like spicy food, so they’re afraid of it, with the exception of Mabo Dofu. They do like Sichuan pepper.

By: Fuchsia

Fuchsia — Sun, 23 May 2010 18:51:51 +0000

Sadly, in my experience, the only Western food most Chinese people have tasted IS McDonalds and KFC, and so that is what shapes their opinions about Western food.

Not very different from Western opinions about Chinese food, however – because until recently most Brits, at any rate, thought Chinese food didn’t amount to much more than sweet-and-sour pork balls and egg-fried rice. Thankfully this is changing, thanks to the growing popularity of dim sum and Sichuanese food (in London and some other cities at least), and to the growing popularity of China as a business and holiday destination.

By: David Ockey

David Ockey — Sun, 23 May 2010 04:42:28 +0000

Ha ha ha! Can’t understand why anybody would make that correlation. I would have to say that here in the East, there seems to be much more fondness toward food. Having said that, I’m definitely sure the French, Italians and some other European countries would hardily disagree! They are quite passionate about their spectacular food! I sincerely hope that the Chinese don’t believe that McDonalds is the extent of western food!