Zao Noodle Bar is neither a bar, nor a place of noodles. No amount of upswimming plastic koi fish, and a variety of various Asian noodle offerings can compensate for the attractive yet unrealistic menu. We got the "tofu fries" with the peanut satay sauce. They're delicious and incredibly annoying. Don't ask me to elaborate on that. I love them, and I hate them. Note to self--never order phad thai unless dining in a Thai restaurant.
That said, I know I'm guilty of loving non-authentic foods, thinking it's THE real deal--or knowing they are not real and enjoying them anyway. I know, for example, that the Moroccan chicken couscous dish I had for lunch the other day was neither Moroccan, nor savory. And I know that the chicken adobo I had a few weeks ago at the Hitachi building cafeteria was not real adobo. The fact that it was served with cornbread and saffron rice proves that the cook staff should really sort their lives out.
And what about the countertop oden at 7-11s throughout Japan? When I said how yummy it was to my former co-workers, were they actually grossed out? Was that the equivalent of my distaste when my students from Asia would say "We had some great nachos at the cineplex!" Read: overly salty chips and plastic melted car seat "jalapeno cheese" sauce.
I call this "food sabotage." The worst offense is when you food sabotage your own ethnic food. For example, eating "tem-PURA" at Yoshi's. I pronounce it like this because it's not real tempura. I figure if I mispronounce the word, it's ok, I'm not really eating the real thing.
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3 comments:
Zao is the "when you can't get to the real thing" restaurant for me. And later on, I always feel guilty for not taking the extra step and getting the real thing.
Good point--this has expanded the definition of "food sabotage." Another example is eating "crepes" at Squat and Gobble. By the way, the mere name of this place is pretty disturbing in itself.
....as opposed to "friendly food sabotage." where you participate willingly in the enjoyment of an outright bastardization of your culture's beloved food - i.e. for example, being of chinese descent and absolutely loving HOT & SOUR soup...
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