Kim Kohatsu judges the quality of her relationships on the ability to share food. If she can't split an appetizer with you, in her eyes, you are pretty much worthless. Kim's current food adventures revolve around ramen, sushi, Indian curries, Sichuan food, and fried chicken. Oh, and cheeseburgers. Kim loves a good cheeseburger.
You’ve seen the Colonel’s illustrated face on KFC buckets, or Norm MacDonald’s portrayal of him in recent ads. But chances are, you don’t know who Colonel Sanders was, or even whether he was real. (more…)
Photo by Gregg Koenig / Flickr
It’s not exactly news that fast food contains fillers, additives, and lessons in chemistry that would make your high school teacher proud. Despite a recent push toward fewer artificial ingredients, fast food restaurants still serve chemical concoctions by the millions. In particular, sauce packets and condiments tell the tale of food that’s not quite the food it’s supposed to be. (more…)
Photo by Toshihiro Gamo
Let’s face it: sushi has evolved (or arguably, devolved) far from its traditional Japanese roots. Offerings with cream cheese, pineapple, and barbecued meats all purport to be sushi, but aren’t exactly authentic. There’s a reason it’s called a California roll and not a Tokyo roll.
This doesn’t mean that it’s bad to like these menu choices, or for restaurants to offer them. All chefs, including sushi chefs, should feel free to experiment and offer anything they think will delight their guests. But with sushi so far from its origins, how closely to traditional sushi etiquette should we hold ourselves? Will you look like a dork if you bow to the sushi chef? (Answer: probably, even though this would be expected in Japan). (more…)
Photo by Guian Bolisay
In deciding to tackle the topic of dining alone, I had to rewind and revisit my life almost fifteen years ago. I’ve been going out to eat by myself for such a long time, I often forget how intimidating it seemed at first. So, if none of my tips or advice feel like they’ll help you, take heart – once you get started, it becomes second nature. Give it fifteen years, and you’ll wonder why you ever worried in the first place.
Then again, that’s fifteen years from now. What do you do today? You’ve got that dreaded table for one somewhere in your future, and you’re not sure how to deal with it. Here’s what I’d recommend: (more…)
Photo by Scott Akerman
Graham crackers are one of those foods so innocuous that you’ve probably never given them much thought. But there was indeed a Graham who lent his name to the Graham cracker, and his story will surely change the way you see the snack from now on.
Born in 1794, Sylvester Graham was a Presbyterian minister who became a leading figure in the temperance movement. Reverend Graham was deeply interested in human physiology and nutrition, and adopted and expanded upon English minister William Metcalfe’s ideas of vegetarianism and abstinence. (more…)
Bloody marys are my favorite. They’re the perfect excuse to drink in the morning and not prompt your family to convene an intervention. Plus, you get to snack on cured meats and pickled veggies while you do. I sought out some of the craziest, over-the-top, most Leaning Tower of Pisa-esque bloody mary garnishes out there. Then I decided to alphabetize the list because amidst all this chaos, I believe a little order is called for, don’t you? Good. Then let’s proceed. (more…)
With soaring obesity rates and ever-growing weight consciousness, it’s no wonder restaurants have tried to cater to diners looking for healthier choices. But don’t be fooled by a dish just because it’s on a bed of lettuce. The unhealthy choices aren’t always easy to spot. These ten salads have up to three times the fat of a McDonald’s Big Mac, which, in case you’re curious, has 29 grams of total fat. (more…)
Another great year at Menuism! Our site continues to update thousands of restaurant menus, our ever-growing community keeps adding their restaurant reviews, our team aggregates hundreds of Restaurant Weeks, and here at the Menuism Blog, our content is as wide-ranging and scrumptiously delicious as ever! This year, readers were enticed by succulent subjects like vegan food, Chinese restaurants, fast food, and pizza. And we’ve developed a fiercely dedicated group of foodies in the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico! Read on to see the articles that got the most eyeballs this year, and then get to eating your way into the new year! (more…)
Photo by invisible_helicopter
When we reflect on our American heritage, images of baseball, the Statue of Liberty, bald eagles, and perhaps most often, apple pie, immediately come to mind. But apples aren’t indigenous to America, so why is our identity so inextricably tied to this flaky dessert? (more…)
Photo by Alpha
First and foremost, General Tso was a real guy. Tso Tsungtang was a war hero who served with brilliant distinction during China’s greatest civil war, the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864), which claimed millions of lives over 14 years. Tso’s ruthlessness was legendary, causing many thousands of the rebels to emigrate from China. Those who came to America largely worked on the Transcontinental Railroad, which was completed in 1869.
But this very real general had absolutely nothing to do with the battered and sauced chicken that now bears his name. In fact, it’s unknown to the whole of Hunan province, Tso’s home.
Instead, another well known Hunanese man may take some credit: Mao Zedong. (more…)
