The Manhattan Cheap Food Blog

Dad's Home-made Salt and Pepper Tiger Prawns

2012-06-26T21:20:00.001-04:00

Enjoying cheap food in Manhattan doesn't always involve eating out. In New York's Chinatown, one can find good quality tiger shrimp or tiger prawns at the many Asian seafood markets. Tiger shrimps are given their moniker because of their distinctive gray and black stripes. Surprisingly, I have even seen some with brown, gray and black stripes. They are generally some of the largest variety shrimp and usually provide a nice crisp texture when cooked. They cost about $5 to $6 a pound.

The following video was filmed at the home of my retired dad, who worked for over twenty years at various Chinese restaurants in New York's Tri-State area. The dish is called "Salt and Pepper Tiger Shrimp." The base contains corn starch and white pepper. Notice the double-cooked pan frying method. Dad is an excellent cook and I will post videos and recipes as they are available. Enjoy!

Sing Kee Seafood Restaurant

2011-12-11T19:43:00.000-05:00

12/11/2011

Sing Kee Seafood Restaurant located at 42 Bowery in Manhattan's Chinatown has been open for nearly a month by now (December 2011) and I finally had a chance to try it. Sing Kee is located in an area that had been home to a similarly named restaurant "Shing Kee" during the 1990's. That Shing Kee was known as a good option for traditional Cantonese family-style dining and this new iteration carries on the tradition. Sing Kee serves traditional Cantonese food. Ordering is by done "family-style", that is, order an entree that is placed at the center of the table that is meant to be shared.

I was able to sample nearly 10 dishes during my visit. Many of the dishes we ordered were banquet style so here are the highlights and my thoughts:

1) The jelly fish cold plate, a traditional dish at banquets was exceptional for a few reasons. The jelly fish strands were rather thick, udon-noodle-like. One of the meats that were served with the dish was surprisingly a tasty pastrami! What a cross-cultural surprise!

2) The crab meat fish maw soup was exceptional. Real crab meat was used and the chicken broth used to make the soup base was fragrant and it's aroma could be noticed even before drinking. There was a nice consistency to the soup.

3) Seafood Bird's Nest (a.k.a. Taro basket) was really the highlight of the meal. This is because you would be hard pressed to find a taro nest in a Chinese restaurant these days that makes it out of real taro root. Most restaurant nowadays used fried noodles as the basket even if it is advertised as a taro basket on the menu. Kudos to Sing Kee for doing the right thing. It was also a big plus that the basket was crammed with scallops, shrimp and squid.

4) Ginger and Scallion twin lobsters were okay. Great care was made not to make it too salty. As I could tell, each lobster was about 1 1/2 pounds.

5) The Salt and pepper seafood dish included deep fried scallops, shrimp, squid made salt and pepper style. A-ok in my book, but a little more breaded than other restaurants. Once again, great care was evident in limiting salt.

6) We ordered a relatively expensive $30 dish that is called "Nor Mai Gai". Nor Mai Gai in Chinese is usually known as a Cantonese dim sum where sticky rice is steamed inside a large leaf. In Sing Kee's version, it consists of a "chicken" splayed out on a large dish. On the outside is fried crispy chicken skin. On the inside, is sticky rice (a.k.a. "nor mai fan"). The "chicken" is cut into square chunks. So what you actually eat is sticky rice encased in crispy chicken skin. I've been told that this dish is a throwback dish from 1970's Chinatown. No Chinese restaurant to my knowledge makes this dish today, and now we have this dish revived, a treat for sticky rice fans!

7) Stewed beef in squash is an entree of stewed beef inside a squash bowl. The beef was really tasty with a hint of curry and stewed to an exceptionally soft texture. The squash itself tasted almost like sweet potato and blended well with the beef juices.

Overall, this first experience has proven to be first rate and immediately ranks in my top three for family-style Chinese restaurants in Chinatown. The service level was excellent and attentive. Let's hope that the Sing Kee tradition of quality continues!

99 Cent Pizza in Manhattan

2011-06-25T08:44:00.000-04:00

Since 2008, New York has seen an explosion of 99 cent pizza restaurants particularly around Manhattan. This is surely due to the bad economy and in 2011, the trend continues as there is still strong demand for a cheap slice. This leaves the question, are any of these places good?

I remember seeing my first 99 cent pizza joint in Manhattan, a place called 2 Bros. Pizza on 32 St. Mark's Place between 2nd and 3rd Avenue in 2008. Of course my first impression was that this place couldn't be any good. The pizzas were stacked on a tower of racks, unlike your conventional New York Pizzaria which lays out each type of pizza on a long counter. I ordered a slice and found that the quality was a bit better than school lunchroom pizza. The crust was thick and a slice was about three-quarters the size of a conventional 16-inch pie slice. The cheese and sauce were passable. Both tasted as if it were the most basic cheeses and sauces you could buy.

Being the "Cheap Guy", I've tried many 99 cent pizzas throughout Manhattan and have found that each vary in quality. At some places, you will get a really good approximation of a true New York gas oven slice. At some places, the size of the slice is nearly the size of real slice. At some places, the sauce is excellent. At most places the mozarella is similar in taste and texture.

The point here is that no matter where you go for your 99 cent slice, you can get full for a buck or a little more. Most of these restaurants sell sodas for 75 cents and no more than a dollar. You can usually get an entire pie for $8! These restaurants usually do not provide seating and are small. They'll serve your slice on a paper plate, no tray. Finally, I noticed that most 99 cent pizzas are Middle Eastern run or Pakistani, different that the Central American and Mexican personnel you would see at traditional pizzarias.

So there, enjoy your slice, as New York bargains rarely get better than this!

Din Tai Fung in Bangkok

2011-06-06T08:25:00.002-04:00

During my most recent trip to Bangkok, I finally tried Din Tai Fung, the famous Taiwanese chain of dumpling houses. Din Tai Fung operates in several countries and has most recently opened its first branch in Bangkok, Thailand at the Central World Mall.

When my wife and I arrived at the end of May 2011, arrived a bit early, at around 11:30 a.m. during a weekday. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, we encountered a bit of a crowd. There were at lest 10 parties ahead of us on the waiting list. The restaurant didn't open until 12, so we sat for a few minutes, waiting to be called. What I did notice was that the crowd was very international, with Chinese, Japanese and prosperous-looking Thai locals waiting to get in.

Now about the dumplings: Since I live in New York, I have blogged that the best soup dumplings in New York are Joe's Shanghai and Joe's Ginger, which are incidentally, owned by the same owners. Having come to try Din Tai Fung - they have one Michelin star in Hong Kong - I came with high expectations. Din Tai Fung didn't disappoint.

We had a very simple meal which consisted of one order of pork dumplings, one order of crab meat dumplings and one order of sesame noodles (I can't get the Chinese-American out of me!) What I can say about the pork and the crab meat dumplings is that they are about 1/2 to 1/4 inch smaller than what we get in New York. My guess is that they are about 1 to 1 1/4 inches in diameter, which makes them truly bite sized. They are so small that the soup content makes for one sip. Having said that, the skins on both types of dumplings are truly sublime, thin, chewy and fresh. You know they are as, the exposed kitchen is right in front of the restaurant waiting area. I found that the meat is not that dense. The meat falls apart in your mouth but not loose either. It is definitely not the density of a meatball. The soup was clear and very flavorful!

As for the pork dumplings, I found that they are equal to Joe's in New York, however, as for the crab meat dumplings, I found that the yellow crab meat that is prevalent in New York, cannot be found in the fillings. Instead, there is a heavy taste of crab "tamale" or that oily crab mixture you would find inside a crab shell. This taste imparted a strong oily crab texture to the pork ball inside the crab meat dumpling. What was disappointing was that you couldn't really find any visible crab meat. Maybe that's the way they make it at Din Tai Fung.

As for pricing, the 10 pork dumplings are about USD$6 and the 10 crab meat dumplings are about USD$10.

With regard to the sesame noodles, this was not the type of peanut butter paste type of noodles you would get in the US. I ordered it out of curiosity and was pleased to see that it was actually a sweet hot chili soy sauce with sesame flavor on a bed of very fresh, high quality yellow noodles. Texture and flavor were the keys to this dish and I was very happy with the outcome!

In my final analysis, definitely try the pork dumpling as it is sublime and avoid the crab meat dumplings as they are overpriced and lack visible crab meat (unless you enjoy crab tamale). I would come here again to try the other dishes on the menu! I can't wait to come back to Bangkok!

Waiting to get in! Bangkok, Central World Mall

The Menu

Sesame Noodles!

Ginger & Vinegar

Pork Dumplings

Crab Meat Dumplings

Inside the Crab Meat Dumpling

Dim Sum in Hong Kong

2010-05-13T10:01:00.001-04:00

As someone who had grown up in New York City and frequenting Cantonese dim sum restaurants my entire life, travelling to Hong Kong for an extended period for the first time was a dream come true for me. It was as if I was going to the mecca of dim sum, if you will, the motherland of dim sum. Having stayed for about a week, I came away with strong and positive impressions on the dim sum landscape in New York City vis-a-vis Hong Kong.

The first thing that you will notice about Hong Kong dim sum restaurants is that most are located inside buildings that are shopping centers or office buildings. Almost none are on the ground floor. I spent a great deal of time in Hong Kong, looking up at signs to see if I was missing anything interesting. Secondly, when you are seated at a dim sum restaurant, you will be given a paper menu listing all the dim sum and a pencil. You would check off or indicate the number of dishes of each dim sum you want. Most restaurants have an English version of the checklist menu, however, I noticed that the Chinese versions tend to be longer. Also, I went to restaurants located in the TST area, which is a tourist area, so the availability of English language menus may be more predominant. After handing over your paper menu, you are given an electronic ticket listing everything you ordered. As each dish comes out, the waiter checks off the item until you're done.

The next thing I noticed about Hong Kong dim sum restaurants is that these establishments tend to be very well appointed. I think because of the SARS scare back in 2003 had caused many restaurants to offer hand sanitizing gel, toilet cleanser, and anything that will improve the hygiene in the restaurants. Restaurants also tend to feel much more clean and luxurious than New York dim sum restaurants.

However, this comes at a cost and the biggest surprise is that the prices for dim sum in Hong Kong is the same, if not higher than those in New York. On the low end, you can find dim sum for $14HKD ($1.80 USD). However, I found most dim sum ranged from $18 to $35 HKD, $2.30 to $4.50, not exactly a cheap meal if you are looking for variety. In New York City, you can find places that sell dim sum at a $2 flat rate.

Now about the dim sum, I found what I suspected to be true, which was that dim sum in Hong Kong, is really, really good. I did not find a single bad dish. The best thing about enjoying dim sum in Hong Kong is the presentation. Most dim sum are well presented, with thin skins, perfectly brown frying, and fillings that are not overbearing and in reasonable amounts. Without going into any specific dish, let's say that everything was good. I did notice one innovation at a dim sum restaurant in Mongkok. We went to one that served dim sum on traditional trolleys. The innovation was that in front of each cart was a small flat screen tv showing what was on the steaming trolley. This served to prevent the trolley ladies from using up time to open up each steamer dish. A nice touch, but what actually helped more were the bilingual signs in front of the cart.

After experiencing dim sum in Hong Kong, I've come to the conclusion that we have a pretty good deal in New York. Price-wise, it is better to have dim sum in New York. Variety-wise, Hong Kong wins. Quality-wise, Hong Kong wins, but not by a large margin. Whatever New York has, Hong Kong tends to do better, but not much more, which was the surprising part.

In another part of this post, I would like to talk a bit about specialization of dim sum. In Hong Kong, since dim sum is so diverse, you will find stores that specialize in one type of dim sum. I found stores that sold only baked buns, egg tarts, congee and fried crullers, and chive dumplings. There were so many more, and I learned that a common practice in Hong Kong is for workers to stop by these stalls in the morning and get a foam dish serving one dim sum item. Popular ones seem to be har gow (shrimp dumplings) and siu mai (pork dumplings). As you can see, dim sum is not only a brunch or lunch item but can be enjoyed throughout the day. That is something that is lacking in New York as breakfast items in Chinatown tend to gravitate towards baked goods.

In conclusion, I would like to add one beef that I had with these stalls and that is the prevalence of chewy, rubbery fish siu mai. I had ordered these on two occasions, thinking that they were pork. Once they were served on a dish and the other time on a skewer. Both times, I had a few and then threw the rest out. I don't know why people order these things, which real pork siu mai is available, but maybe someone can enlighten me on that. I would love to hear everyone else's experience with Hong Kong dim sum or dim sum in general.

The Home Cooking Option in the Countryside

2010-04-28T05:56:00.000-04:00

In my weeks living in the Thai countryside, I've found that in order to survive, you make do with what is available. Sit down restaurant meals are almost unheard of here, as I'm nearly 30 minutes from the nearest sizable town. However, this doesn't mean that there are a lack of choices. There are plenty of enterprising villagers who set up food carts selling what they make best. There is one caveat here and of course and that is as long as you like Thai food, you'll have plenty of choices.

Since I happen to enjoy Thai food, it hasn't been a problem for me to quickly adapt to the tastes and smells of Thai food. Having been brought up in an environment where American food, meshed well with Chinese food, I was already used to the most pungent types of condiments Chinese or Thai food had to offer. One thing that I have learned is that many farmers have their roots in Issan, which is a region in the Northeastern part of Thailand. Many still enjoy putting anchovies or anchovy paste into their foods, whether the food is a meat or a vegetable dish. Therefore, as I'm coming across dishes with this aroma, I can easily identify it as Issan.

In another aspect of food, enterprising villagers set up food carts or food stalls on the sides of roads and also in front of their homes. Most food vendors are excellent here and since these vendors are serving food to their neighbors - this is a village after all - they wouldn't want to poison them. Generally, I've found the hygiene to be acceptable at most places. The kind of food you would find here is what you would find in Bangkok, only in a smaller subset. For example, grilled meatballs, hot dogs, chicken, pork are universally good and most are served with a sweet chili sauce glaze. I've found carts that sell roti, which is basically a small ball of dough that that flattened out on a hot plate. It could be made sweet or savory. Fillings could be egg, sweetened condensed milk or Nutella and an assortment of jams, just like your favorite creperie! One of my favorite foods here in the village are noodles. You will usually get a nice dark broth made with ox bones. Once I had a broth that was very dark and I suspect that it may have contained pig blood. In any case, the noodles offered here are thin white rice noodles, flat white noodles (see ew), clear mung bean noodles (woon sen) and thin yellow egg noodles. All were good quality and very similar to the Chinese varieties you would find in New York.

Finally, I might add that I did not find "pad thai" in the village, except in Bangkok street carts and in some restaurants. I came across an interesting story that said that the origins of Pad Thai were Chinese and that sometime in the late 1940's there was a competition to create "genuine" Thai dishes during a spate of nationalism at the time. Apparently, Chinese laborers ate and sold lot's of stir-fried noodles to the the local ethnic Chinese and Thais, so someone apparently, changed some of the ingredients, if I remember correctly, adding fish sauce, peanuts and sprouts to make it more "Thai". I don't know the validity of this story, but maybe some of my readers can confirm this.

In addition to prepared food, I had also had the privilege to try all sorts of home cooking. Let's say that the condiments that we buy here that are manufactured by huge conglomerates taste much different than the ones that are made locally. For example, people here make their red curries, etc, by hand, grinding chilies, garlic and other ingredients using huge mortar and pestles. They break it apart and sell it to others or keep in handy at home to make curries. These curries, chili oils, etc, are kept for weeks without refrigeration. They are very tasty as crushing food imparts a richer flavor. As for other condiments, they tend to used Thai versions of light and dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, cooking oil and chili sauces.

My favorite story is the day when my wife made a squid curry dish. She had no idea that the curry she had purchased from a neighbor was extremely hot and liberally added the red curry paste to the frying pan. I took some bites and felt that it was hot, but nothing I couldn't manage. I had three helpings that night. At first I thought that burning lips weren't so bad, but later, I felt that my GI tract was completely on fire! I could barely get a wink of sleep that night, so I've learned my lesson. I am no Adam Richman from "Man vs. Food."

In another observation, I noticed that Thai food is actually very protein and starch heavy. In the area of fruits and vegetables, fruit variety is definitely the winner, with so many choices ranging from mangos, to dragonfruit to mangosteen. I even had some fruit I've never had, like this plum that had a really thin skin. I tried rambutan and durian. The durian wasn't as stinky as people say they are. Perhaps I got the newly genetically engineered variety? Anyhow, it was surprisingly pleasant. As for vegetables, the closest I got to substantial vegetable eating was the kailan, which is a local broccoli. Other veggie fillers are many different types of basil, morning glory and Thai eggplant, which is small and green in color. When I get to Hong Kong, you can bet that I'll be ordering plates of choy sum!

Finally, for those of you who are bizarre food lovers, I was offered two grilled rats on a stick. Since the rats are "field rats" they are supposedly okay to eat since they are vermin free. This is where I drew a line and didn't partake and surprisingly, none of the others around me seemed eager to try! The interesting part of this is that it did smell really good as it was butterflied and marinate in soy. I was tempted but didn't. What a wimp! In my second bizarre food episode, we had a thunderstorm which dumped a huge amount of rain on the village. On the following day, all kinds of critters came out, including insects that feasted on rice, lizards, mini-iguana looking reptiles and various toads. The villagers were having a field day. During nightfall, many went out in their motorcycles catching large toads and other animals that came out for water. Many offered to sell us some for food. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to try any of these, but maybe in the future, I'll be brave enough to ask.

In conclusion, many people here are enterprising and eat what is available to them. I almost forgot to mention that many people here make mango "fruit roll ups" dried in the sun and pick tamarind leafs right off of trees to season their food. This shows how close people are to their food - there are mango trees everywhere - and I am now learning that the fewer people there are between the source of your food and your mouth, the better tasting and presumably, healthier it is for you!

Songkran in the Village

2010-04-13T23:19:00.000-04:00

Songkran began yesterday as with most days in the village, but the only difference was the loud music that rung through my bedroom windows in the morning. It seemed that the entire village decided to turn on their stereos at once and at nearly full blast. I noticed that everyone plays their own type of music ranging from sappy K-pop styles, to traditional Issan music to oldies and even English songs that I've never heard of. Surprisingly, I think I am now able to tell all of the Thai types of music apart. In an aside, regarding Thai country music, I can draw a parallel to American country music. When it's played, it is unmistakeably rural and those who like it are considered to be from the countryside and all of its supposedly negative connotations. (I saw a commercial to prove this). Good for the village to have their own music, in my humble opinion!

Before leaving the house, I put on my Songkran shirt, a pastelly-light red/peach flowered shirt traditionally worn for the occasion. In the US, this shirt would be called a Hawaiian Shirt. I had mentioned this to people in previous trips, but no one seems to know where's Hawaii. All everyone seems to know is that wearing one makes for a more festive mood. I settled into the store at around 8 a.m. and then all of a sudden I hear Buddhist chants in come through the village loudspeakers. I couldn't identify whether it was in Thai or some other ancient language, but I could tell it was Buddhist due to its rhythm. This went on for nearly 30 minutes with everyone going about their business for the day.

As the day began, a small procession of families in pickup trucks trickled through the main road in front of the store. Most were on the way to the "big city" Kamphaeng Phet City, to participate in the water-splashing fun. Some were on their way to the local Budhhist temple. I, however, was busy filling water balloons, eager to use them later in the day on some of the kids down the road. Each pickup that stopped by purchased items such as blocks of ice, used to cool the water that they would splash onto others, delivering a stunning sensation. Some other items included packs of powdered yellow dye and small bottles of cologne that were mixed into the water. Bags of white powder (cassava flour) were bought to mix into a paste. The paste is applied to someone's face and while applying it to a stranger's face, the person would say "Khor tort krap" which means "sorry" but in a good way. My wife said it was a chance for boys to touch pretty girls' faces. Ah, they're all the same!

The family store sold all those supplies and business was brisk that day. The only item wasn't sold was the water to fill the huge water urns loaded on the pickup truck. I love drawing parallels, as I can remember that I begged my mom to give me a few dollars to buy packs for firecrackers for Chinese New Year and the Fourth of July. Over here, kids ask their parents for a few baht to buy more powder, water pails or cologne, really different but all in the effort to have more fun.

The blazing hot sun was high in the sky until until 4 p.m. That was when I changed, ventured out and decided to splash some people. On Monday, which was the day before Songkran, some kids decided to start the splashfest early. I brought some water balloons and launched them at the kids down the road. They landed with a thud in front of them and all the kids noticed that it was probably launched by that big, fat guy down the road. I sat down to sip some water but all of a sudden a group of six of the cutest kids, came upon me, pail in hand and some with waterguns, inundated me with water. I was soaked from neck to toe and I was sure payback was sweet, especially since I surprised them with my long range weapon.

Two of the mothers of the kids came by on Songkran and asked me to join the fun at one of the water-splashing roadblocks set up in front of their house. I was first hesitant because my wife wasn't with me and I hardly spoke Thai. I was convinced though by two girls who splashed me the day earlier. They grabbed my hand and we walked down the road, arriving at a newly formed pond. The water was left running the entire day and a small pond formed. People with jumping up and down in it, dancing, egged on by the loud country music blaring from huge speakers rigged in front of a tent.

When I arrived, I was greeted by pails of water and a hose aimed directly at me. Now everything was wet and I was in total submission. I carried my water pistol sidearm, but that was nothing against pails of water being thrown in every direction. Sensing my doom and otherness, the villagers were kind to me and offered me a huge glass of Hong Thong whiskey. I declined with a nod and a smile and later, they offered me the one thing I could say in Thai which was water. They pour me cup after cup of water and Pepsi, which kept me fueled for an hour.

The kids were really fun and most knew my name because of my wife's 7 year old cousin. She joined us and just the day before, she had introduced me to all her friends. An interesting thing that happened during all the fun was that the kids were teaching me a Songkran ritual. I had heard in the past that the youth poured water on their elders hands during Songkran, and there is supposed to be a symbolic meaning to this. The children filled my pail with water and asked me to pour water on their hands, all the while asking me to repeat after them, which I did. I had no idea what they asked me to say, only that after I poured water on their hands, they took whatever remained in their hands and poured it over their heads. I thought it was very cute and hope I wasn't duped into saying something inappropriate. Regardless, it was really cute!

The kids also made strong efforts to communicate with me. Some of the kids knew rudimentary English, such as "What's your name?" or "Where are you from?" These appeared to come from the older kids, maybe 9 or 10. The younger ones, I played a game where I was doing a repeat after me exercise, pointing out body parts. I also did a charade with animals. All the children, about 8, got it and were playing along. It was quickly interrupted by an adult with a hose who didn't want the festivities to end with learning! I'm kidding of course!

The final notable activity was when I was asked to dance by the kids. Apparently, a common type of dance here, which looks to me like a hip-hop, jazz fusion is done along with Thai country music. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to mimic their smooth movements, therefore, I decided to do what I knew which is "the robot" and faux Michael Jackson moves amusing most, but horrifying some. I think I earned a few sprays from the hose for doing it! Was it a sign of approval? I hope so!

Early evening came and went. I returned to the store a sopping mess, leaving a trip of dripping water behind me. I quickly changed and recounted my adventure with my wife. She told me she was sad that she couldn't join me for all the fun, but I'm sure she was glad she was still dry and still looked like a civilized human being. When it was all done, I had some of the best fun in my life. The village kids, their parents and extended families, knew I was a familiar face at the store, but never asked me to participate in anything. This was their chance for to reach out. Although I wished I knew more Thai, we still communicated, and I tried my best to use as many hand gestures that I learned through my years of teaching to get my points across. I was able to do it and it was much fun when we connected. I hope I have more of these experiences before we leave!

Saturday Night is Alright for Muay Thai

2010-04-12T20:06:00.000-04:00

Saturday night is not really the time for Muay Thai. The actual time to view Muay Thai are Saturday and Sunday afternoons when Muay Thai is broadcast nationwide from Bangkok's Lumpini Stadium. Muay Thai is what Americans would call kickboxing, however, the rhythm is much different. One of the differences you'll notice is that there is very little straight leg kicking and the truly huge blows come from the knees. There is also a different type of footwork that you would see. The bobbing motions of the fighters are also in a different rhythm. For fighters who are not as good as the seasoned fighters, one may also see lots of clutching between the fighters. The best fights, as with all fighting sports, are the ones where both fighters are aggressive.

Muay Thai is a national sport here in Thailand and Thais love their sport. The sport is bathed in rituals before the fight, including Muay Thai music playing as the fight progresses. Where I'm staying, some of the local farmers come by my wife's convenience store and take a break from the fields. They come here to enjoy the boxing and also to place some friendly wagers on the matches. One thing that I noticed about the crowd is that no matter how old the men were, there was not much white or gray hair to be found. Everyone was easy going, good natured about what they were doing and respectful of the store.

The trickle of men coming into the store began with two elderly gentlemen, who plopped themselves down on a hammock and a bench. Later, some younger folk came in, then some neighbors. All of a sudden the scene resembled a Las Vegas sports book, with betting of course. Drinks were served, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, and money wagered. There was then the unmistakable din of pain when heavy knee blows were struck by the fighters. The crowd would groan as if they were the ones being hit.

I was thinking about the saying the "nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd" and it was very true with our boxing-crazy neighbors. It was a chance for everyone to take a break, join a crowd, win some money, and to do a community thing. People shared hand-rolled cigarettes and gossip as the fights progressed. Big demonstrations of the joy in winning were quite a sight and many left their "reserved" faces back home.

Thoughts About Congee

2010-04-10T20:41:00.000-04:00

Congee, rice porridge or "jook," has been a staple for Asians for years. It is one of those dishes that can be considered the most basic of Asian comfort foods. I have yet to find an Asian culture where it doesn't exist in one form or another. Yet is all goes back to the basic ingredients of rice and water. The congee I grew up with was made with a thick porridge-like consistency. Congee could also be made thinner with more water. I've seen and eaten congee where the water is completely separated from the grains of rice, which haven't been boiled down.

Condiments vary with congee and reflect local tastes. For example, in Hong Kong, the Chinese add slices of thousand-year old duck eggs, which is a fermented egg into congee. Other common toppings are salted pork, peanuts, scallions, fish balls, fish cakes, chicken gizzards, etc. In Thailand, toppings include cilantro, pork bits and chopped salted vegetables. (see picture) Congee can be found at many street food carts. In Singapore, I discovered that MacDonalds offers a "MacPorridge" bowl for its breakfast diners. As you can see, you really don't have to go far to find a cheap and satisfying bowl of congee that will tie you over until lunch.

In parts of Asia, a common complement to congee is the addition of the cruller, a long stick-shaped fried bread. Now all jokes aside, the sizes do vary by region. In the picture above, taken in Thailand, I have found that the crullers are about the size as a finger and are sold in bags of 10 or 15 (about 33 cents). They are delicious when dipped or added into the congee. In the United States and Hong Kong, crullers or "you tiao" are about a foot long and can be separated into two by tearing it apart. At some restaurants, the crullers are cut into little bits and slices and are added to the congee. Once again, the cruller represents comfort food at its finest.

From an Asian-American perspective, congee represents thoughts of home and what it was like when mom provided for all your basic needs. Congee was and is still used as a recovery food after an illness because of its neutral properties as it's just rice and water, with no harmful additives. No matter how congee is taken, whether it's a breakfast. lunch, dinner or snack, there is always a place for it during the day. Hundreds of millions of Asians and Asian-Americans agree and for those who are new to congee, give it a try, it's healthy, tasty and easy to make!

The Red Shirt Conundrum

2010-04-09T21:23:00.000-04:00

If you have been watching the international news, the Red Shirts of Thailand have been staging mass demonstrations in several areas of Bangkok. They've chosen to congregate around the large and popular monuments in the Thai capital drawing maximum attention to their cause. Every day appears to be a cat and mouse game between the current government, with neither side backing off their official positions. The Red Shirts are constantly trying to change their tactics in order to reach their goals of dissolving Parliament, holding new elections and better equity for their constituents. Unfortunately, it appears that neither side is yielding and that potential violence may be looming in the capital. From my perspective, I must give credit to both sides for showing laudable restraint.

I know that my blog is really about food and culture, but for those who know me well, I am an advocate of economic equity in society, including my own. Being American and knowing how American society has evolved through years of blood, sweat and tears to create "a more perfect union", I can say that most countries in the world inevitably follow the same course in their road to modernity. Just take a look at the past 20 years of world history; almost every country on earth has gone through some sort of political or economic transformation. The only question in my view is the ultimate direction of that transformation: whether that transformation is a force for the greater good for its citizens or if the transformation for the benefit of the few.

As you can see, I am looking at this from the angle of domestic policy and what any government can do to improve the lot of its people. I would submit that in most countries, those who are in positions of leadership have a poor record of guiding a country through a transformation, and if it does succeed, only a few benefit from its fruits. Distribution of wealth is problematic in many countries and just look at the GINI index of income disparity for proof of this. Even the US has a lot of work to do to improve in that measure. As an American, I do not want my country to become a Brazil, China, nor Haiti. There are clear parallels in each of these countries and that is income disparity and concentrated wealth.

If I made the statements I made above thirty years ago when the Cold War was alive and well, I would have been branded a Marxist, Communist, or a variety of other labels that would not have been helpful for discussion of the substantive economic issues at hand. (Also, red is symbolic of Communism-for the younger readers) I am surprised and glad that no one is calling the Red Shirts, Communists, just other names, which I won't repeat here.

In the world press, the story in Thailand has been the clash between royalists/military, business elite and the rural poor. I can't help but equate this struggle with our own rural poor and their political leanings. The conservatives in my country have been able to use cultural issues such as abortion, gay marriage and gun rights to shift focus away from economic issues for a long period of time in the United States. They also say that anything that is good for workers or the poor is bad for the economy. They also give false hope to the poor that "one day, if you become one of us - the rich-, you would not want these egregious government policies to be foisted upon you." Also, another line given to the poor and middle class is "why should I be financing my neighbor's healthcare, etc.", encouraging a culture of separation and lack of focus one's economic realities. This is why despite the poverty that can be found in the American South, Midwest or Appalachia, these areas continue to be solidly Republican/conservative and the gap between the rich and poor grows. Additionally, the Republicans in the US generally represent the interests of business and in turn are not for social equity, which is another story.

In Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra, a powerful businessman who had risen to the Prime Minister's office had garnered political power through his patronage of the rural and urban poor. He was ultimately ousted through a military coup a few years into his second term. Notwithstanding his honesty in his business dealings, it is an undeniable fact that his administration had brought more basic services to those living at the bottom rung of society. Having tasted the fruits of these improvements, the poor have become more aware of their plight which has made this group more politically active. In contrasts, in the United States, where the poor is more manipulated by the conservative media, the poor in Thailand seems willing to be more active in demanding basic services to improve their lives. I know that some in Thailand will say that the demonstrators are being paid to demonstrate, but how many people in the US would demonstrate with the distinct possibility of being shot at by the authorities? I would think that even if they were paid, no amount of money is worth being shot at. To the poor, there is much at stake, so they're willing to risk their lives for their beliefs and the status quo, which is institutionalized poverty is not acceptable. Look at all the movements in American history and you'll see the same parallels.

As events unfold in Thailand, I can't help but imagine that if these demonstrators were in China or Burma, they would be mowed down within the first hours of assembling. There's no democratic tradition in these countries to respect human rights, thus these countries would have no qualms to fire upon its citizens. It's a tribute to Thailand that although Thailand has a spotty history with democracy, they do know that ultimately, that is the way to move forward. Only in democratic countries is where governments tolerate demonstrations without violence. If violence happens, it is not on a monumental scale as in dictatorial regimes.

I remember on my way back to my hotel during my first night in Bangkok, I used a tourist map to guide myself back to my hotel through the roadblocks. Not far from my hotel is the "Democracy Monument". I have never seen this monument before, but the fact that Thailand has one bodes well for it's future.
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Life In The Slow Lane

2010-04-08T22:05:00.000-04:00

The long dry season is moving forward with deliberate slowness, culminating with the all-out water-splashing madness of Songkran, the Thai New Year, this coming Tuesday. I've been told that there's an ongoing drought in Kamphaeng Phet province and that farmers are doing everything they can to keep their crops healthy and watered. Thankfully there are irrigation wells dug along most of the fields I've seen. The hard work lies in pumping it out and transporting it where it is needed.

The dryness is inescapable. The blistering heat has made the topsoil sandy and when the occasional gust of wind comes or a truck passes, the air fills with a light brown sandy mist. The farmers work all day to keep the dust off their home floors. Shopkeepers spend time dusting their goods and I spend time getting it out of my sandals. Despite these conditions, I found an upside to all of this dustiness and that is the dryness allows everyone to walk around with or without sandals. Either way, your feet will make contact with dirt; it's just that the dirt won't harm the soles of your feet in any way and you won't be seen by the locals as being unsanitary. The only sandal etiquette here is that you are expected to leave your sandals outside one's home for fear of transferring in some dirt from the outside.

Aside from the heat and drought, which is always a topic of conversation in these parts, is the pursuit of activities that relieve these conditions. I have a fairly unique perspective of the social activity that goes on in our village and presumably most of Thailand's countryside. My wife's family owns a small convenience store on a main road in a small maze of farmhouses. Rush hour for farmers begins early in the morning, 5 a.m. for some but for most by 6 a.m. This is mainly due to force of habit or because the heat is lowest in the morning. There is a slow yet steady procession of farm vehicles, from threshers to machines used to harvest rice to simple tractors passing through to the fields. Included in this daily convoy are pickup trucks, motorcycles and bicycles. This procession brings steady business to my wife's family store and also to any number of businesses alongside the three or four well-traveled roads in the village. The evening rush hour begins at around 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.

It is with great joy and satisfaction to see how after a long day's work in the fields, these workers like to unwind like any one of us living in large cities after a day at the office. We would think nothing of going to a bar to unwind and the same is true with the farmers. They would stop by the convenience store for a shot of Hong Thong whiskey or a few bottles of Leo Beer. Most would surprisingly come in with huge smiles and joke around with my father and mother in-law. Everyone knows they had a long day. My father in-law set up a huge bench with a large table in front of his store for those who just want to stop by, drink and gossip. There is a large yellow hammock that looks like it had been there since World War II that lies swinging near the table. Any customer is welcome to use it while they are sipping their drink.

The blessing in living in a village where everyone knows each other is that everyone knows each other, if not by name, then by face. Everyone, I found is universally friendly, yet each person I've come across have individual personalities. Although I couldn't speak Thai, I could tell when people are joking, talking about business, being serious or just gossiping. In another aspect of daily life, I love seeing how families interact, how parents handle their children and the surprising amounts of trust they have in them because they are not afraid of the environment in which they live. From what I could see, kindness and trust goes a long way here and is always remembered. I hope I am not romanticizing my experience as there are negative aspects to life out here. What I can truly say is that Thais from the countryside want what families want the world over which is a better home, life, future and the improvement of their family. I now understand why "It Takes a Village."

Three Days in Bangkok

2010-04-08T01:24:00.003-04:00

Before departing for Bangkok, I kept one eye on the unfolding events in Thailand and another eye on what I would do when I actually got there. To start off my trip, I figured I would need three days in Bangkok to get my bearings straight and to fight off some of my jet lag. Having been to Asia several times in the last decade, I knew that I would hit a 3 day jet lag wall, when my body would just give out. I guess I could equate the experience to drug addiction withdrawal symptoms. I handled "the wall" surprisingly well with the exception of one day, when I needed assistance of a cup of Starbucks coffee.

During my first night in Bangkok, my wife and I decided to visit an old university friend of mine in Bangkok. Right before my visit, I was hitting the proverbial jet lag wall and went into a Starbucks. I ordered a "Cafe Americano" hoping that it tasted the same as regular brewed coffee at an American Starbucks. I was satisfied with the quality and happy with the taste which was very similar to what I am used to. The difference was only in the preparation: the barista pulled two shots of espresso into a shot glass before adding hot water to the mug. There was also one unexpected event in ordering: no, it wasn't the language barrier, but it was the different sizing system they use here in Bangkok. Tall, Grande, and Venti sizes weren't used, however, the sizing system here is Short, Tall, and Grande. I ordered the Grande thinking it was medium. I ended up getting a huge mug of coffee, which in the end wasn't so bad as it carried me through the events of the night.

When we made reservations for a Bangkok hotel in January, my wife and I decided that we wanted to be in an area of Bangkok, we have never lived in, thus we chose Khaosan Road, which is the "backpackers paradise" in Thailand. Khaosan Road was easy to spot, not because of the backpackers, but because the street was lined with tiny Thai flags strung across the entire length of the street. We did walk past backpackers with gigantic backpacks, but surprisingly, the tourists here seemed well-heeled and civilized. Most were couples and families and there were very few single travelers.

The street food scene was excellent, as it had been in most of the other parts of Thailand I'd been to. The street food scene starts up on Khaosan road at sundown with carts constantly streaming in and out of the center of the road. On the sidewalks are the permanent businesses, cheap guest houses, internet cafes, and tourist trinket shops. Here you could find every type of street food and since these foods are fast food, they are usually grilled, fried or stir-fried. It is not a place for those on a diet. The healthiest thing I found here are the fruit stands, but I heard from the grapevine that many of these fruits are non-organic, meaning that farmers here use plenty of pesticides and chemicals that promote growth. I didn't let that small detail stop me and I did indulge in mango, watermelon and papaya. Unfortunately, mangosteen season is not here yet, so I'll have to wait. For the record, mangos come in two varieties, sweet orange and hard sour/sweet varieties. Both are excellent this time of year. Watermelons are not as juicy as they are in the States but passable. Some are as small as softballs and the biggest ones are as big as basketballs. As for papayas, they are as juicy and sweet as ever, which beats anything you can find at a New York green grocer.

In later posts, I will describe some of the food I tried in Thailand. I do not know the actual names in Thai for all the foods, but I will do my best to describe them accurately. There is a world of food out there and now that I have left Bangkok, I am learning that food culture is driven by how people live and how people try to use what is available to them to survive. For the record, I am now living in a farming community in central Thailand and living here is a total 180 degree turn from anything I have ever experienced. My trip is not a vacation but in a way, living the life as a local. Having a strong stomach helps too!

New York Sushi Restaurants: Traditional Japanese vs. Chinese Style

2010-03-09T10:27:00.002-05:00

From my earliest days of sushi comsumption, which goes back to the late 1980's, New York City sushi restaurants have always been polarized between traditional Japanese sushi purists and the value sushi contingent. Although I love everything about having a traditional sushi meal, my cheap roots have me standing firmly in the corner of the value sushi corner.

In New York City, as with many places I've been to, value sushi usually means Chinese-made sushi and Chinese-owned sushi restaurants. Why has there been such a huge influx of Chinese sushi restaurants? The reason behind this influx is the general business environment of the the Chinese restaurant business. Chinese restaurants can be found in all corners of the United States and their number makes it a highly competitive business. Even Asian food markets have made inroads in formerly sleepy suburbs, which have indirectly cut into the profits of Chinese restaurant operators. Thus, Chinese-American owners and new Chinese immigrants have decided to diversify and have opened, Japanese, Thai, and even Mexican restaurants right here in Manhattan.

It is quite easy to see why the operation of Chinese restaurants is an expensive proposition. Customers have been conditioned through the years to expect huge portions of greasy food from these operators. More food equals fewer profits. As for Japanese food, small portions equals big profits.

Qualitatively, the entrance of Chinese operators into the Japanese restaurant market have created a dual, polarized choice among sushi consumers. For the Cheap Guy (that is me), I have found that cheapness dictates that I go more often to Chinese-run sushi establishments.

Let's see what I get for my money for going to a Chinese-run sushi restaurant:

A soup and/or salad with an entree.
Potentially a free appetizer, edamame or seaweed salad.
Large maki rolls. (i.e. cut-up and hand rolls)
Large sushi and sashimi pieces
Large tempura
American style rolls, such as California Rolls and Spicy Tuna, etc.
Value prices, usually $2 to $3 less per roll, $5 to $10 less per entree.

Now, let's see what we get for going to a Traditional Japanese sushi eatery:

Impeccable quality in rice, preparation and presentation.
A greater variety in fish, including imported Japanese varieties not on the menu.
Greater interaction between the customer and sushi chef. Generally good service.

Now for the downsides of dining in a Chinese-run Japanese restaurant:

Potentially hurried and rushed service because of a need to turn over tables quickly due to their lower margins than their Japanese-run counterparts.
Less than fresh fish. Sourcing and storage practices may be questionable depending on a restaurant's experience and staff.

Here are the downsides of dining in a Japanese-run sushi restaurant:

Confusion in ordering. Diners may need to know terms like "omakase", "isakaya", etc.
American diners may need to know that Japanese restaurants don't offer American-style maki rolls.
Higher prices across the board. (But keep in mind that quality-mindedness reigns supreme at most Japanese-run restaurants.

So there you have it, a generalized summary of the two largest segments of New York sushi restaurants. I firmly believe that sushi eaters in New York fall into one of the two camps. To me, there is nothing wrong with either, but wouldn't it be a sushi lover's paradise if we could mix the upsides of both? and have value Japanese style sushi? I would love to live in that world!

Juan Valdez in New York and Thoughts on Colombian Coffee

2010-03-02T22:19:00.000-05:00

Every day, I have the pleasure of waking up and watching WPIX, one of the two local news stations here in New York City. I always enjoy watching the antics of their anchors and today was no exception. I couldn't help but notice a guy who was standing in front of the WPIX building all dressed in white. When I took a closer look I thought, "hey, that's Juan Valdez!" And indeed it was! I looked the the right and thought, "hey, that's Tamsen Fadal!" And I was right. But I digress, as Juan Valdez was his usual stoic self and mostly silent self.

He was all there in his white hat, white coat, with a burlap bag slung over his shoulders. His best accessory was his donkey. So many people couldn't resist petting his donkey that they got in the way of my shot.

Anyhow, this had me thinking about Juan Valdez and Colombian coffee. Colombian coffee to me is Arabica, smooth and mild in taste. Bold Colombian blends are just Arabica beans roasted darker. In general, I really like Colombian coffee and think Juan Valdez is just the man to sell the concept, even though it is not a brand per se.

In New York City's Times Square, there is one Juan Valdez coffee shop, which is set up very much like Starbucks. I've been there more than a couple of times and have been disappointed every time. (Why I go there so often is for another blog entry!) The furniture is old, as is the poor upkeep of the store. Although everything is branded with the Juan Valdez logo, one can't help but feel that this poor example of a store is helping to tarnish his image. In fact, I remember the first time I went, I wanted to order a blended drink that was on their menu board, but the barista said he didn't have any! Wow, imagine Starbucks saying that to a customer!

No store can be completely bad, so I must say that Juan Valdez's coffee shop is located in a great location, a block south of Times Square and is a couple of dimes cheaper than Starbucks. It offers ample seating although on well-worn furniture. I wish that one day, those who run Juan Valdez coffee realize the value of their brand and improve their store, especially the one in Times Square!

Three Cheap Korean Food Finds in Manhattan's Koreatown

2010-02-17T09:58:00.006-05:00

Finding cheap Korean food in Manhattan is not easy. Aside from Worrijip on 32nd Street, where else can you go for a reasonably priced Korean meal? I understand that since Korean restaurants must pay for the banchan, these side dishes must be reflected in their prices. This has led to an effort to find some reasonably priced sit-down Korean restaurants. Since my search has been conducted during the dead of winter, it has led me to two tasty discoveries, that is soon du bu jigae and the venerable bibimbap. There is nothing better to eat in the cold weather but to glow in the warmth of foods that are traditionally hearty and keep your body temperature high. Soon du bu jigae is a tofu stew made with silken tofu in a broth that may be made of anchovies. An egg is typically cracked in the bowl and is cooked by the residual heat of the stone bowl. The second dish, sure to heat you insides, is stone-bowl bibimbap. There are many permutations of this, some sans the stone bowl. The best thing about the stone bowl, besides keeping your rice hot is that an inner crust forms at the bottom. It's delicious if you could peel it off with your chopsticks at the end of your meal. The classic bibimbap contains beef and an assorted variety of seaweed and vegetables mixed with a red bean sauce. This is absolutely delicious and warming.

As for the restaurants I can recommend in Koreatown, I recommend Cho Dang Gol and BCD Tofu House. As with all my recommendations, this is seen through the twin lenses of price and quality. At both locations, you could get a soon du bu jigae for under $11. The bibimbaps range from $11 to $13. There are very few restaurants of better value when the quality of preparation and ingredients are considered.

As for my last value meal recommendation, Arirang, a restaurant located on the second floor of an office building, specializes in hand made noodles and rice flakes. Most dishes are $9.95 and are served as a soup and are delicious. $9.95 may not sound cheap but each bowl can easily serve two people.

So there is my rundown of cheap Koreatown sit-down restaurants. I'm sure there are others and would love to know of more!

Mitsuwa Madness

2009-11-23T21:22:00.008-05:00

Two months ago, a friend of mine called me and told me about the yearly Mitsuwa bluefin tuna cutting performance. When I heard that it was a performance, I thought, oh, it'll be a performance where people dressed up as samurai will hack a tuna in half. Although that was half true, about the hacking, it was indeed an interesting experience to behold.

For those of you who do not know Mitsuwa, Mitusuwa is a small chain of Japanese supermarkets with locations around the country. I happen to live near the store in Edgewater, New Jersey so we chose to go to that one. Apparently, this bluefin cutting extravaganza happens at nearly the same time during the year in all of their stores around the country.

We arrived at the store early on a Saturday. My friend assured me that it was the better time to go because of the smaller crowds but boy were we mistaken. When I saw the crowd, I had the feeling that a McDonald's-sized advertising budget was dropped on Northern New Jersey and half of the Asian population showed up. Not only did they show up, but they were enthusiastic AND hungry!

We arrived long after the tuna's head and tail were cut off, there wasn't much of a performance to be had. The workers were just filleting the tuna while we were there so we just partook in the tasting.

The most affordable part of the bluefin cutting was the offering of bluefin sushi, at $9.99 a pop. For that price, you would get 4 pieces of bluefin tuna plus 2 pieces of toro. For the life of me, I cannot tell the difference between otoro, chutoro or regular toro, but I knew we got at least two pieces of toro because of its lighter color. It was scrumptious!

For the more extravagant visitors, blocks of tuna, which were packaged in foam containers, were sold for as much as $60 per pack. From the appearances, it seemed as if you would get nearly a pound of tuna for that price. I had the pleasure of seeing a fairly long line of people lined up at the in-store ATM only 10 feet away from the tuna cutting action. There was nothing to separate the people from their tuna, even an economy that is close to collapse. What a country...

All in all, I was very pleased with my visit. However, I can say that I was at first apprehensive because I thought this event would be a great opportunity for animal rights activists to make their point and I didn't want to be in the middle of some riot. That would have really spoiled the fun.

Grateful For New York

2009-11-01T17:38:00.003-05:00

Having been away from New York has been a bit of a struggle for a New Yorker who is used to the convenience of cheap but good food. As I may have mentioned in a previous post, when there isn't the population density to support that many restaurants, restaurant choice, convenience, and value tends to suffer. You could not imagine my happiness when my bus pulled into Manhattan going down Lexington Avenue from Harlem all the way down through the East Side and finally toward Fashion Avenue. It was visual confirmation of all that is right about the New York food scene, namely its diversity of restaurants, population and vitality. There were plenty of places that were open at 11 p.m. and diners in nearly every one of them. I could not imagine a better place for a fan of food in the U.S.

My hope for the future of New York restaurants is the continued availability of restaurants that recognize the needs of recession-battered customers. I have read that in many parts of New York, restauranteurs are doing just that and are adjusting their menus, offering daily specials, and reduced priced dinners, thus continuing my appreciation of our restaurant scene. Let's keep it going!

Impressions of Boston

2009-10-29T11:28:00.003-04:00

I have been here over a month in Boston on a work assignment. It seems like eons ago since my last blog entry. So without any hesitation, I want to share my thoughts about my stay in Boston, some related to food and some not. Please read and keep in mind that the writer sees most things from a New York perspective!

After having tried several Boston-area restaurants, I've come to the conclusion that places with decent ethnic food tend to reflect heavy immigration, which is truly the case in New York City. There are pockets of immigrant populations around the country where one group is well-represented, but there is nowhere in the United States where immigration is so diverse and from all corners of the globe as it is in New York City. This translates into "authentic" food. In my view, authenticity can mean anything. Food is not static and trends in ethnic food tends to reflect the size and age of a population and tradition, including local tradition. This fact weighs heavily on the Boston food scene.

From my observations, Boston's population is diverse. Picking out restaurants to reflect this tends to be difficult due to the fact that this diversity is spread out and immigrant populations do not dominate whole neighborhoods as they do in New York. Therefore, you really would need to be a real Bostonian to know where to go to find these gems. I can say for sure that you can find almost every type of cuisine in Boston, but you need a good guide or find restaurants online on your own. Here are a few generalizations and observations I can make about Boston:

Boston is a walking city, but you need to walk farther between restaurants.
Some Boston restaurants do not have obvious storefronts, since many are located in older buildings. You may have to step down into a building or go up a flight of stairs to get to a restaurant.
Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts do not all have restrooms and when they do, you can count on finding the homeless inside freshening up.
Boston's downtown and the waterfront are very quiet on the weekends: nary a soul to be found, nor an open restaurant.
Boston's cuisine reflects immigration their contribution to the evolution of their cuisine. For example, Boston's Italian neighborhoods, reflect the fact that immigration has really slowed down from Italy and their restaurants follow the traditional Italian-American style of cuisine handed down for four generations. Not much has changed, whereas in Chinatown, the moderate Chinese immigration has yet to change the 1980's to 1990's style of Chinese cuisine in Boston's Chinatown. New York, in comparison, has made great leaps forward in terms of Chinese regional cuisine and the evolution of Cantonese cuisine, helped in large measure by heavy Chinese immigration into New York. In a side note, I've read that the total Chinese-American population in Massachusetts is about 100,000, whereas in New York City alone, the population is about 350,000. This explains the difference in cuisine.
Bostonians resent tourist trap restaurants.
There are many transients in Boston, most notably students. I've never been in a city with so many colleges and universities concentrated in one area.
Having so many students hasn't translated into tons of student-budgeted restaurants. I admit that I haven't visited Cambridge yet, so I may be wrong.
Boston food is not cheap due to lack of competition.
Boston's mass transit is a-ok.
There are tons of aggressive panhandlers in Boston. In New York, the homeless are just mingling amongst themselves or splayed on the sidewalk.
Something about New England make people there very quiet and reserved. The only animation and joie de vivre were in the college kids.
Hostility towards the Yankees is real! I can attest to that!
You must accept that while in Boston, your lunch will cost $9 and above.
You can get twin lobsters for $15.75! Yay!
In New York's Chinatown, the waiters are bi-lingual. In Boston's Chinatown, most aren't.
To live here, you must get used to not being in a crowd.
In Boston, they do the eye-contact avoiding thing, just as well as we do here in New York.
Bostonians who use the T are not as nimble as New Yorkers in making room for others. They also have the same bad habit as New Yorkers in not moving to the center of the car and blocking exits.
Bostonians do not want Johnny Damon back on their team.

So there you have it, my short but sweet stay in Boston. I will be returning to the Big Apple tomorrow. I want to thank Boston for welcoming me with open arms and providing me with many memories. So long for now!

Keyspan Park Goodies

2009-09-05T12:04:00.004-04:00

Last night, my wife and I visited Keyspan Park for the first time after having read that the chance to visit was coming to a close this summer - the last game is on September 6. We had been to Coney Island earlier this summer but never made it to a game. To sum things up, the Brooklyn Cyclones make sure their fans have a good time, as every trick in the book was thrown in - and sometimes literally - to the fans. They presented, not necessarily in this order, a hot dog race, free t-shirts, free thunder sticks, free childrens' books, free scorecard and program, cheerleaders, and a whole host of other local characters who constantly stirred up the crowd. To top things off, there was a fireworks display after the game, including a performance by the "world's fastest golfer." How's that for your entertainment buck?

What was most appealing were the ticket prices, $9 to $16, and there is not a bad seat in the house. The most dramatic aspect of the park is the parachute jump in right field. What a backdrop! We were really lucky to get free tickets last night unexpectedly. I was waiting on line at the ticket booth and we were approached by an older couple who asked if we were interested in some tickets. I thought they were trying to sell them, so I declined. They said they were giving it away so we agreed! We followed the couple and when we got to our seats, were were literally sitting right over the opposing team's dugout and had a clear view between third base and home. I almost got hit by a foul ball too! That's the last time I check my Blackberry!

So how was the food you may ask? As with the ticket prices, concessions were all reasonably priced with most prices under $5. You could buy a $3 box of popcorn and a $2 soda. Try doing that at Yankee Stadium! I noticed they offered foot-long hotdogs, regular hot dogs, kid-sized hot dogs, pretzels, peanuts, etc. Other foods were sold on carts such as sausages and "Brooklyn-made" (Asian) dumplings etc. Everything looked fresh and unhealthful. ;-)

In the final analysis, this is a really fun place to go and totally family-friendly. I even found out that the well-known major league pitcher, Scott Kazmir played for the Cyclones. Even the game was fun, "how about that?"

Vanessa's Dumplings

2009-07-26T20:06:00.003-04:00

Today's review is based upon a single menu item, the Sesame Pancake Sandwich at Vanessa's Dumplings on 220 East 14th Street. Vanessa's Dumplings is located on 14th Street, close to Third Avenue and not far from all the student hustle and bustle at Union Square. I happened upon this place many times in the past, dismissing it as an overpriced Chinese Restaurant that migrated from Chinatown. I remember when they opened a couple of years ago, there was a prominent sign in front of the restaurant telling passersby of their inexpensive dumplings. As I passed by this weekend, I decided to give this restaurant a try.

I ordered the Sesame Pancake Sandwich with Vegetables as this was an item I've never tried before. The sandwich was made of a sesame pancake larger than an English muffin. It is pan-fried to a crispy brown texture, with sesame seeds embedded on both sides. The filling was made of carrots, cucumbers, lettuce and other vegetables I couldn't identify. These crispy veggies were mixed with a sweet gingery, light fish sauce based dressing. The sandwich was served hot, with the cold vegetables taking on the heat of the pancake. It was delicious, although I was a bit concerned about the sugar and salt content. The pancakes crispy outside was nicely balanced with a chewy inside.

Vanessa's is definitely a Pan-Asian restaurant aimed at students in the area. Most dishes are within a student's budget, with the vast majority of menu items going for under $5.99. The sesame pancake sanwiches range from $1.29 for just the pancake, to $2.99 for the Chicken Teriyaki sandwich. Based upon this one item, I can say that the quality of this item is good and that the other items may be worth trying. And besides, who isn't on a student's budget these days?

Search For Live Octopus In New York City

2009-07-23T18:47:00.005-04:00

As I was surfing YouTube last night, I came across dozens of videos showing people who ate live octopus. Almost all the videos were recorded in Korea, so I'm assuming this is a common Korean meal.

Universally, the newbies said that pieces of octopus stuck to their tongues or to other parts of their mouths. In some of these videos, entire octopuses were consumed and in others, chopped up pieces of octopuses were eaten with a dipping sauce.

This really piqued my curiosity and was wondering if anyone knows of a restaurant that serves live octopus in New York City.

My Atlanta Experience

2009-07-21T11:16:00.012-04:00

My wife and I decided to go down to Atlanta this past weekend to take in the sights and sounds of Atlanta along with some of my relatives who already live there. Although, this post is not related to New York cheap eats, I definitely had my share of degustation down in Dixie and want to share these delights with y'all.

On my first day, I was driven down to an area somewhere in Northeast Atlanta, I think on a road called Buford Highway. Although I couldn't remember the name of the restaurant that I went to, it was a fairly large Vietnamese restaurant known for Pho served in small, medium and large bowls. I ordered the $6.50 medium and it was delicious and as good as any had in New York. I was also told that Banh Mi was available is many places along the highway. Apparently, in this area of Atlanta, most of the Asian food markets and Spanish/South American cuisine were concentrated in this area. I counted two large clusters of Asian shops, one "Chinatown" complete with the typical arch and one large Spanish specialty mall.

Further along on our weekend, on a nonfood-related note, we took in the World of Coca-Cola, and the CNN Center in Atlanta. Both tours were excellent, reasonably priced ($15) and entertaining. World of Coca-Cola was fascinating in the sense of Coke's history and the enduring popularity of the beverage. There was no mention of any of the ingredients in Coca-Cola, not even the suspected cocaine. What we did learn was that the inventor of Coke, Mr. Pemberton, did invent many other drinks that weren't quite as popular. The museum included two movie theaters, including an eye-popping, 4D theater, a theater showing commercials, and exhibits showing vending and advertising paraphernalia through the years. The best part of the tour was the space right before the gift show. This area contained stations of Coke beverages divided by continental regions, which gave tourists a taste of drinks available around the world. I determined that if I were to live overseas, based solely on fizzy beverages, Asia would be the place for me. Asian beverages were consistently sweet, but not sweeter than the other regions, and stayed truer to their labels. I found that the African beverages tasted as if there were some artificial sweetener thrown in. The South American beverages all had a anise or cardomon bitterness. The European beverages didn't really have an identity and were all over the map. The one consistent good thing about all the continents was that no matter which continent, we were on, the ice tea beverages were all drinkable. The most notable was a Chinese ice tea which had a strong aroma of jasmine tea.

As for the CNN Center, for $15, we enjoyed another excellent, and this time, a fully-guided tour. We were able to see a couple of anchors, including Tony Harris and a lady from CNN Espanol, who waved at all the tourists behind the glass separating us from the anchor. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed, but I think we all got the sense that CNN was a fully functioning news gathering organization, although I was a bit surprised that it wasn't bigger. Since I'm a huge fan of CNN and all its channels, it was truly an exciting experience. But now, back to food...

The focus of our weekend was a pig roast. My brother-in-law roasted a pig for his neighbor's annual garden party and since I am a New Yorker and a million miles from being a do-it-yourselfer, it was quite impressive to see the cooking process firsthand. Before I arrived, I was spared the details on the dispatching of the pig and its cleaning. From what I've seen on tv, there is a well-worn process of cleaning and gutting the animal. I saw the end result of that cleaning and having viewed the carcass, has given me a greater appreciation as to the sacrifices animals make for humanity. Lifting and carrying an entire pig is much different that carrying a few slices of pork chops home from your butcher. The separation of our collective experience with food from its sources is vast indeed.

The pig was prepared with needle injections comprising of a secret wet mix. The outside was later seasoned by adobo and cajun seasoning. I had the pleasure of helping to butterfly the pig and mount it on a metal cooking rack. The entire pig was placed in a roasting box, which was then covered by another large piece of metal. Charcoal was spread on top of the roasting box and ignited. I was surprised that putting heat above the pig was enough to cook the meat. I was told that the radiant heat generated above, moved down and then up which creates an effect similar to an oven. As the pig cooked, we only needed to turn the pig over once and when the cover came off after 4 hours of roasting, the pig revealed a glamorous golden color and scrumptious aroma. The skin or cracklins were heavenly, and when he was brought to the garden party, it was unmercilously set upon by the guests. The meat was moist, roasted and tasty, and proved that any good meal is dependent on taking one's time in preparation. I'm sure that if this pig roast took place in New York, we would have surely had it catered.... to save time.

Finally, to round out our protein-filled extravaganza of a weekend, we were delighted that our hosts decided to bring us to two Southern culinary institutions, Mary Mac's Tea Room and Chik-fil-A.

Mary Mac's Tea Room is known for it's delicious traditional Southern Fried Chicken. We decided to have the 4 piece half chicken which consisted of a leg, thigh, wing and breast. For $11.95, you were also given a choice of 2 sides, which we all decided to choose different ones, so as to try as many as possible. The fried chicken was indeed impressive, as the chicken had a tasty, lightly spiced batter. The chicken was not greasy and held it's moisture well. As for the side dishes, I had the macaroni and cheese and vegetable medley. I was a bit disappointed with the macaroni and cheese mainly because it didn't have the thick creamy base that I usually like. It actually tasted like as if an egg batter had been mixed into the recipe. The other sides were excellent, especially the vegetable soup, collard greens with cracklin' cornbread, the fried green tomatoes, broccoli souffle, and sweet potato souffle. Finally, the sweet tea was excellent.

Chik-fil-A was the next stop before catching the plane back to New York. Luckily for us, the original Chik-fil-A was located just 3 miles from Hartsfield Airport, so we were able to linger at the restaurant. We were seated at a counter that had a classic 1950's style look to it. What made the restaurant modern were the video menus mounted above counters. We were told that Chik-fil-A was institution in the South that was still privately owned and is always closed on Sundays. I was also told that the white meat chicken filets were cooked in a pressure cooker. As such, when we were served our classic Chik-fil-A Chicken Sandwich, we were pleased with the divine moistness of the white meat. The filet was nearly three-quarters of an inch thick. The deluxe came with freshly-cut waffle fries with lettuce, tomato, and a pile of sliced pickles. The meal was easily satisfying and the breading on the filet was unobtrusive. The filet was really the center of attention in this meal. I'm starting to become a fan of pressure cooking! Has anyone tried pressure cooked rice? The beverage of choice at Chik-fil-A is the real hand-squeezed lemonade and it did taste like hand-squeezed lemonade! Finally, to end our meal, we enjoyed the fried apple pie, a la mode with Ice Dream. The fried apple pie was alright, but what knocked us over was the Ice Dream. It is by far, the best soft serve ice cream I've ever had. It had the right richness, sweetness and tasted like real milk. It had excellent texture. I was tempted to get another cup on the way out, but my wife stopped me cold!

In a final note, I want warn cost-conscious travelers to avoid LaGuardia Airport's Terminal D for food. The food costs were outrageous as I found $3 bagels, $10 set meals at every fast food joint. I would assume that this is true for all of the other terminals at LaGuardia, but I have never see the prices so high, even at JFK.

So there, was my weekend, filled with food and catching up with friends and relatives. What made the weekend more remarkable was the depth of appreciation of good food from those whom I dined with. It was a pleasure and surely there is more, much more to enjoy in Atlanta!

Doyers Vietnamese Restaurant

2009-07-12T18:21:00.008-04:00

Chinatown has always had its share of good Vietnamese Restaurants. From the stretch of Vietnamese restaurants on Baxter Street from Bayard to Canal, to Nha Trang on Centre Street, Vietnamese food never disappointed me on taste or on price. Doyers Vietnamese Restaurant on 11 Doyers Street, was our new discovery two weekends ago. I always knew about this restaurant but however this weekend we finally decided to take the plunge. Maybe it was that one had to descend a flight of sketchy stairs to enter the restaurant or the gaudy chasing lights that turned me away but we finally went for it and boy were we glad we went in.

Upon entering the restaurant we were pleasantly surprised by the sizable dining room, despite the fact that the restaurant is inside a tenement building. The waitstaff is a group of 50 something men, who are attentive in filling your water glass and taking your order.

We tried three dishes, the Grilled Pork on Thin Rice Noodle, the Stewed Beef Noodle Soup and the Grilled Chicken Noodle Soup. The Grilled Pork on Thin Rice Noodle is a dish of a bed of thin rice noodles that are pan-fried and flattened. It is then topped with a thinly sliced, marinated pork chop with a hint of lemongrass. The noodles are not crispy but just noticeably fried. It came with a side of onions, lettuce, presumably to be used as a wrapper and a light orange Vietnamese sauce. This was utterly delicious and we agreed this was our favorite dish.

The Stewed Beef Noodle Soup was our second favorite. What set this dish apart from my other favorite Vietnamese restaurants was that the soup had the color of a deep-rich brownish translucent beef broth. When broth looks that way, you know they've thrown a ton of beef bones into the stockpot. The soup, as I expected, was delicious. To make matters better, the noodles were the round, white, gummy and translucent, somehow a cross between glass noodles and rice noodles. Once again it was utterly delicious. This was one dish where we wanted to finish both the noodles AND the broth!

Finally, the Grilled Chicken Noodle Soup was another yummy treat. This time, we were dealing with presumably, a pork bone-based soup. The broth was clearer, not as rich, but still tasty. The noodles were thin rice noodles, but what made this dish great was the grilled chicken. The grilled chicken was marinated dark meat, similar in taste to the grilled pork chop I had before.

When considering the quality of the food, I would easily pay $2 to $3 more for each dish, but this is what we actually paid for the meal:

Grilled Pork on Thin Rice Noodle $7.50
Stewed Beef Noodle Soup $4.50
Grilled Chicken Noodle Soup $4.95

After having this meal, I decided that this is probably the best Vietnamese Restaurant in Chinatown, based on the quality of the food. Other places are comparable in terms of price but when you consider quality AND price, this place is truly a bargain restaurant hunters dream and worthy of the Cheap Food Blog!!

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue Plate Lunches

2009-07-05T10:53:00.004-04:00

Before reviewing L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, I did a little research about L&L and found that it's a Hawaiian-based franchise with stores located mainly in Hawaii and the West Coast. The lone New York store is located 64 Fulton Street, in the Financial District. of Manhattan. It's only two blocks from the South Street Seaport and about 3 blocks from Broadway.

L&L takes the multicultural nature of Hawaiian cuisine and simplifies it for mass consumption. You'll find Hawaiian food, side by side with Japanese (ramen, sushi, soba, udon and bento boxes), Chinese (bbq roast meats) and American (i.e. hamburgers). What they've done at this franchise, and the only one west of Texas, is to create a menu that attempts to appeal to everyone, even those who haven't been to Hawaii.

I took a look at L&L's online menu and saw that sushi wasn't available on their menu. I was thinking that their New York franchisee decided to add sushi to widen their appeal. Perhaps this is because many New Yorkers haven't been to Hawaii, as New Yorkers tend to view the Caribbean as their island paradise. So, in a store that is ostensibly selling Hawaiian cuisine, we have a store where the first thing one sees is a sushi counter and a sushi refrigerator. Hmm, is this really Hawaiian?

As for the food, I have tried L&L a couple of times and have ordered their Hawaiian BBQ Chicken, Chicken Katsu and Curry Chicken Katsu as these were in the Hawaiian "Plate Lunch" section of their menu. The plate lunches consists of rice, the meat, a green salad and a scoop of macaroni salad. The Hawaiian BBQ Chicken is an excellent dish, with a sweet tasting sauce that is very similar to teriyaki. The chicken (3 cutlets) is served over a bed of long grain white rice which is a tad stickier than regular rice. There is no sauce drizzled on the chicken, but the chicken is marinated well and goes well with the rice without sauce. As for the green salad, it comes with a creamy ginger sauce and which is quite average tasting. The macaroni salad however, is just like the kind you get in Hawaii, not too creamy, but with just enough mayo to glaze the macaroni and not sour. As for the Katsu dishes, each comes with sauces on the side, either traditional Katsu sauce or curry sauce. The chicken katsu itself, is well breaded and a regular order comes with two full and large cutlets. These are simply moist and fried to the perfect crispiness.

All plate lunches come in small and regular sizes. The regular size is what I described above and comes with multiple cutlets. It is a lot of food at $7.99. I have yet to try the small size, but I would assume that it would be a tad smaller, maybe one less cutlet. Overall, the experience was very satisfying, however, the only taste of Hawaii I experienced in the lunch was the macaroni salad. When I go again, I will try the Laulau, Kahlua Pork or the Spam Musubi. Hopefully they are as good as the plate lunches. At $7.99, a lunch at L&L Hawaiian Barbecue isn't cheap, but unique in terms of getting a taste of Hawaii in New York without the tiki cocktail glasses!

Excellent Pork Chop House

2009-07-01T17:58:00.004-04:00

I'm always wary about restaurants that provide a self-critique in their names, so I tried the Excellent Pork Chop House (5 Doyers St.) with some trepidation. Upon entering the restaurant, you will find a dining room just a bit better than Spartan, though not much better. The dining room had approximately 8 tables and were not set uncomfortably close together. The one notable decoration in the dining room was a shelf full of dolls. As I recall, they weren't Asian-themed nor pork chop related, so it still baffles me.

I was told that this place makes a decent fried chicken leg and fried pork chop, so I decided to give it a try. I was in a party of three and we all ordered noodle soups, in addition to one pork chop and one chicken leg on the side. We decided to try the sides of the chicken and pork chop first. The fried chicken leg was nice and juicy and as I can fathom, was fried. It was skinless and fried to a barely crispy texture without breading. As I bit into the leg, the aromatics hit me and I knew that this place uses five spice powder as their secret ingredient. Overall, the leg was pleasant, salted just right and moist. As for the fried pork chop, I had high expectations because of the restaurant's moniker. I was not disappointed. The pork chop was a bone-in pork chop which usually retains plenty of moisture and richness. I noticed that there was barely a crispy texture again as with the fried chicken leg. I examined what I was eating and found from the way the meat was done, that the meat was probably boiled, then quickly deep-fried. This was very unique to me, so if you come here, don't expect your pork chop to have a deep brown crispiness. Because of their cooking technique, this was a unique experience and it didn't compromise on the flavor at all. I could also detect a hint of the five spice powder on the pork chop.

Now for the noodle soups... I ordered the wonton soup and my friends ordered chicken leg noodle soup and shrimp noodle soup. The soup noodles were thin and white, not vermicelli-like and had a nice rubbery bounce to them in the mouth. They tasted like they were freshly made. As for the toppings, since this noodle shop is not Southern Chinese, but northern, there was a healthy dollop of preserved vegetables in the bowl and other types of crispy vegetables. The stock was fine and tasted pork-based.

All in all, my experience wasn't bad at all. The service was attentive and fast. The food was pretty good, I guess a 7 out of 10. As for the cheapness factor, I would give this place a B+. The pork chops and chicken legs were $2.50 each and the noodle soup bowls were about $5.25. My only complaint is that the pork chop were not thick and the chicken legs were medium-sized. $2.50 is a bit steep when compared to what you could get at Asian food courts. If you could make it out to Manhattan's Chinatown, definitely give this place a try. I think you'll like it!