A random thread for food things that don't really warrant a thread of their own

[ian]

Today, through an unplanned series of events, I ended up having lunch in a rather nice Japanese restaurant (with a special discount cos my friend's stepdaughter was waitress!). I managed to eat the whole meal with chopsticks, in as far as I ate everything and didn't use any other implements, though I'm sure a Japanese person would have winced. But it made me wonder on the extent to which cuisine drives utensils and vice versa. Clearly there's a relationship, but which is more important? Obviously there are other factors to consider, like natively available (or assimilated) foodstuffs, and probably various other cultural aspects too. My friend, who's been to Japan (his partner lived there and his stepdaughter was born there), said it certainly influenced Japanese rice, ie that it's sticky, in contrast to that preferred in eg India.

Sticky rice though is just the type that's grown through south-east Asia (glutinosa) though not in southern India, and not everywhere uses chopsticks, in most places it's a spoon or other scooping implement.

[Efrogwr]

As a wise man once said if the ancient Chinese were so clever how come they didn’t invent the fork

There was a time when the fork, newly introduced to this septic isle, was considered to be a poncey forrin thing, only suitable for fashion victims and Frenchies.

[Ham]

I would have thought rice in India is sticky enough to clump together, so it can picked up with fingers.

In India the oft-favoured mode is scoop with bread, which takes care of the gravy.

[hubner]

I think rice in Japan is just ordinary short grain white rice, grown also in Northern China and elsewhere. Oriental supermarkets sell something labelled as "sushi rice" but it comes from Italy.

Glutinous rice is a different rice, with a different texture and flavour.

[orienteer]

Rice in/from Japan is very expensive, so Japanese food shops here generally sell equivalent rice from other countries. The brand we buy is Californian. Sushi rice is a speciality.

Japan protects domestic rice production with high tariffs, it's their staple food so they don't want to be dependent on imports.

Chopsticks are used for traditional dishes, but knives and forks for western dishes; chopsticks are not very good for steak 

[Cudzoziemiec]

I would have thought rice in India is sticky enough to clump together, so it can picked up with fingers.

In India the oft-favoured mode is scoop with bread, which takes care of the gravy.

And Indian food values individual grains of rice over sticky clumps.

Perhaps this is one of the other factors: food cultures which have bread in some form (not necessarily from wheat) to use as a scoop or base, and those that don't.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Chopsticks are used for traditional dishes, but knives and forks for western dishes; chopsticks are not very good for steak 

But do we in the West have steak because we eat with knives, or do we eat with knives because we have steak? And then of course there are burgers...

[ian]

I think rice in Japan is just ordinary short grain white rice, grown also in Northern China and elsewhere. Oriental supermarkets sell something labelled as "sushi rice" but it comes from Italy.

Glutinous rice is a different rice, with a different texture and flavour.

Actually, yes, it's mostly the eponymous japonica in Japan, which isn't as sticky as glutinosa, but is still stickier and clumpier than the rice eaten elsewhere.

[TPMB12]

Does semi skimmed milk from different supermarkets taste that much different? Accidentally clicked on a local newspaper article and only just made our of the multiple sub link trap! I just need to know but don't want to go back.  I nearly didn't make it out!!!!

[rafletcher]

When I visted Japan, we were taken out for dinner (a Chinese meal) by the Big Boss. I got sat next to him. And tried using chopsticks (something only tried for the first time some 20 hour before in Wagamamma at Heathrow) to eat silken tofu in chilli sauce. It didn't end too well....

I blame the posh laquered chopsticks we had, as opposed to the rougher wooden ones more commonly used.

Rice, of course, was scooped from bowl to mouth using the chopsticks.

[ian]

I remember my first trip to Japan (surprisingly as it a long time ago) and my hosts did the round of traditional meals and activities. On the last day, my host looked at me and said 'I think tonight, no chopsticks for you' and thusly we ended up swigging Corona and munching tacos in a Mexican cantina, Tokyo style.

That's one of the least odd things that have happened to me in Japan. I've been the best man at a dog wedding, was once asked to hold a young ladies tentacles, not to mention stumbling into Oktoberfest (in May). Top tip, don't attempt to learn Japanese after four hours of drinking with strangers.

[Edd]

My Chinese colleague invited us all round to hers for lunch, I thought I was alright at using chopsticks, she looks at me a laughs "that's how we teach children to use chopsticks"

[ian]

Despite extensive travels in the region, my skills with chopsticks put me firmly in the bottom quartile of the two-year-old ability cohort.

[Cudzoziemiec]

When I visted Japan, we were taken out for dinner (a Chinese meal) by the Big Boss. I got sat next to him. And tried using chopsticks (something only tried for the first time some 20 hour before in Wagamamma at Heathrow) to eat silken tofu in chilli sauce. It didn't end too well....

I blame the posh laquered chopsticks we had, as opposed to the rougher wooden ones more commonly used.

Rice, of course, was scooped from bowl to mouth using the chopsticks.

I remember eating with pointy metal ones in a Korean restaurant in Auckland. That was very difficult. Even the Japanese bloke with us had difficulty.

[rafletcher]

As for chopstick skills, you know you’ve a long way to go when your drunk Japanese colleague picks up a single noodle by one end. 

[ian]

Once upon a time in a bar in furthest Japan, the barman came over and removed the bowl of noodles I was chopsticking to death and replaced it with a bowl of potato salad. All without a word.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Depending on the size of the potatoes and the ratio of potato to mayo, that doesn't necessarily sound any easier. Or did he bring a barbaric fork at the same time?

[ian]

Japanese potato salad is quite glumpy so easy to chopstick (and very tasty). I have a feeling it was invented specifically for those times when fine motor skills might be feeling the weight of a long evening.

[orienteer]

The hardest thing eating noodles is that it is most polite to make slurping noises.

[Mr Larrington]

Obviously the well-prepared traveller will have their folding Ti spork about their person for moments such as these ^^^^.

[Cudzoziemiec]

We have a lot of discussion around the original question but no attempt to actually answer it. Which is exactly what is to be expected of this august forum. 

[citoyen]

We have a lot of discussion around the original question but no attempt to actually answer it. Which is exactly what is to be expected of this august forum. 

OK, if you insist... Campagnolo, definitely.

[Cudzoziemiec]

We have a lot of discussion around the original question but no attempt to actually answer it. Which is exactly what is to be expected of this august forum. 

OK, if you insist... Campagnolo, definitely.

Yes, the new wireless spaghetti chopsticks are very good.

[Mr Larrington]

We have a lot of discussion around the original question but no attempt to actually answer it. Which is exactly what is to be expected of this august forum. 

OK, if you insist... Campagnolo, definitely.

This Unit endorses their corkscrew.

[Pingu]

Ermagerd 

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