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Re: If you don't like Italian food . . .

Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 4:20 am
by bandfan88
Southern California food makes me want to throw up sometimes. Western food's ok. My favorite has to be American food. International food on another hand, they're just completely in another league.

Re: If you don't like Italian food . . .

Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 8:31 am
by twinmomma
The great thing about restaurants is we don't all have to agree. If you like Italian food - go to the Italian restaurant. I can go to the Mexican place if I like. It's only when someone tries to make EVERYONE go to the Italian place that it's a problem.

Re: If you don't like Italian food . . .

Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 11:13 am
by The Aceman
Of course if one of the restaurants is introducing fundamentally unsound practices into the art of cooking, shouldn't I be able to publicly criticize their actions, without fear of a public outcry of how unjust I am being by the restaurants supporters, owners, and employees?

Re: If you don't like Italian food . . .

Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 12:01 pm
by twinmomma
Hmmm..."fundamentally unsound." I'd worry that this terminology is infused with more of a criticism on the differences in personal preference. Just because you think Italian is the best thing out there, doesn't make it the case. Maybe you grew up with Italian, and everyone told you everything else was wrong? Does that truly make it wrong, or just different? If you go to an Italian restaurant and then a Mexican one, are the differences between them so egregious that the quality of the food is affected, or is it simply that you just aren't partial to the taste of the Mexican food and the result is just not palatable to you, but might be well received by others?

**Edited to add that yes, you have the right to say something, but telling the Mexican restaurant that their food is fundamentally unsound might not be the best way to go about it.

Re: If you don't like Italian food . . .

Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 1:52 pm
by The Aceman
So if their cooking in a kitchen full of rats and insects, and not cleaning properly, and using expired ingredients to make their food, and it's obvious that it's fundamentally unsound, even if some are blind to it, does that mean it should be kept shut up? The restaurant should be able to take and understand the criticism and make changes to improve, even if that means *gasp* admitting they were wrong.

Re: If you don't like Italian food . . .

Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 2:27 pm
by twinmomma
Well, it's clear we are talking about two different things. Intentionally ignoring unsafe practices vs. promoting ideology different than yours.

If, you can prove that the practices engaged in equate to what you are talking about (patrons get food poisoning and their quality of life is severely affected) and that there is willful intent to ignore the issues contributing to it that's one thing. But if you can't see rats and insects, and you don't have people complaining of illness, how are you going to prove your assertion? I think, if you can reasonably show that this sort of thing is happening, then absolutely be heard - but do it in a constructive way. Don't run into the kitchen waving a butcher knife demanding the restaurant change it's ways or else.

If, on the other hand, you're assuming the kitchen is full of rats because you just don't like the taste of what's coming out of the kitchen, complaining just makes you look like you're mad you spent money on a dinner you didn't like.

Re: If you don't like Italian food . . .

Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 2:54 pm
by fieldshowqueen
And then there's the Chinese place which thinks they are different than the Italian and Mexican places, but really isn't. It's big, it has a great selection, but after eating there you are hungry two hours later. The biggest issue with Chinese at times is the better dishes are overpriced and an inflated value, they don't speak the language and the miscommunications can cause a lot of problems between the patrons and the kitchen/owners.

Having worked in different kitchens over the past 30 years, I can attest that ALL restaurants have a rat or two and the area near the garbage probably has roaches.

Re: If you don't like Italian food . . .

Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 2:56 pm
by BD94Euph
This is pretty funny...lame: yes. 4th-grade-ish: yes. Does EVERYONE know exactly what you're talking about: yes. Are you fooling anyone: no. Do you care: no. Are these veiled comments going to change anything: no. Do the Italian guys want to be the Mexican guys: no. Is that good for the mexican guys: yes. is the american joint still too expensive to be plausible for most customers: yes. do they care: no.

good times

:nenr:

Re: If you don't like Italian food . . .

Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 3:39 pm
by twinmomma
:rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

Re: If you don't like Italian food . . .

Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 5:50 pm
by mkosbie
So I know that asking this is equivalent to admitting that I live under a giant Marching Band rock, but, what exactly are we talking about here? I was actually convinced for the first two or three posts that it was about restaurants....

Re: If you don't like Italian food . . .

Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 8:42 pm
by BD94Euph
mkosbie wrote:So I know that asking this is equivalent to admitting that I live under a giant Marching Band rock, but, what exactly are we talking about here? I was actually convinced for the first two or three posts that it was about restaurants....

correction! are we fooloing anybody: YES!!!

:nenr:

Re: If you don't like Italian food . . .

Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:25 pm
by senza cervello
I haven't been able to go out this year, partially because I no longer have as much of an interest in being a food critic. I find that as long as I get something to eat, I'm happy. I've been sitting at home watching Food Network and that's pretty much where I'll stay.

Re: If you don't like Italian food . . .

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:11 am
by laurab
The Aceman wrote:So if their cooking in a kitchen full of rats and insects, and not cleaning properly, and using expired ingredients to make their food, and it's obvious that it's fundamentally unsound, even if some are blind to it, does that mean it should be kept shut up? The restaurant should be able to take and understand the criticism and make changes to improve, even if that means *gasp* admitting they were wrong.

just in case you missed this the first time

Re: If you don't like Italian food . . .

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 8:40 am
by The Aceman
twinmomma wrote:Well, it's clear we are talking about two different things. Intentionally ignoring unsafe practices vs. promoting ideology different than yours.

If, you can prove that the practices engaged in equate to what you are talking about (patrons get food poisoning and their quality of life is severely affected) and that there is willful intent to ignore the issues contributing to it that's one thing. But if you can't see rats and insects, and you don't have people complaining of illness, how are you going to prove your assertion? I think, if you can reasonably show that this sort of thing is happening, then absolutely be heard - but do it in a constructive way. Don't run into the kitchen waving a butcher knife demanding the restaurant change it's ways or else.

If, on the other hand, you're assuming the kitchen is full of rats because you just don't like the taste of what's coming out of the kitchen, complaining just makes you look like you're mad you spent money on a dinner you didn't like.
They can be things that are dangerous to the activity of cooking, but not actually dangerous to human health. But both can be equally as dangerous.

Re: If you don't like Italian food . . .

Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:03 am
by BD94Euph
In a different time perhaps, with very simple dishes, the Italian restaurant may have been perfectly fine. Afterall, how many ways can you serve or mess up spaghetti? But over time, the dishes have evolved and become more complex, leaving some spaghetti chefs obsolete. I guess the more complex a palate becomes, the more we want a variety. Tastes are a-changing!