Category Archives: Cuisine

Why a leftover lamb bone turned a bean stew into an ecstatic event Continue reading →

So American “Chinese” isn’t really Chinese. Well what’s “Indian,” or “Italian” for that matter? Continue reading →

Don’t Try This At Home: (No Chinese chef would dare!) Chicken chop suey is an American creation I’ll freely admit to being a sucker, at least occasionally, for the sweet and starchy Hunan/Canton/Sichuan fare — cooked by people who were … Continue reading →

Lunch with the French Special Forces Okay, at the prompting of Hungry Pat, another cuisine posting. Quick quiz Which army would you be in if your Meal Ready to Eat pack contained the following: Potted Meat of Mackerel Stewed Beef … Continue reading →

Other people’s pupusas Okay, I’ll tell you, because I trust and respect you. And actually, because the Gothamist alreayd told you about it two years ago. The best-kept food secret in Brooklyn is a sandal. A huarache to be exact. … Continue reading →

The thing about chowhounding, is that sooner or later the New York Times always catches up and turns your favorite little outer-borough mama’s-kitchen haunts — that you either happened upon or were clued into by more energetic and committed chowhounds … Continue reading →

How about a nice cup of chai? Hollywood’s traditional idea of a New York cabbie is probably Robert De Niro’s alienated Vietnam vet Travis Bickle, or the wiseguy Jews, Italians and Poles of the 1970s TV hit show “Taxi.” But … Continue reading →

Only Clinton had an appetite for a deal Published in the Tokyo-based magazine Eat in September 2000 Just what were those crafty Americans up to? The only soupcon of information tossed out to a ravenous pack of journalists after the … Continue reading →

Back in the heyday of the dearly departed Anglo-Japanese food culture magazine Eat, I wrote a regular monthly brief (among other things) identifying dishes that profess a false “nationality.” Herewith, the first entry, on Chicken Tikka Masala, Britain’s national dish: … Continue reading →