Comments for Gastroville

Comment on Paleo-style beef tartar by Mikael

Mikael — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:37:13 +0000

Hello Mikael,

Hum, that is strange. Here is one link: http://iai.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/72/11/6294 . Not sure if it was what I posted. It is the same mechanism as for H. pylori, in other words hydrogen is a much needed fuel. You ensure hydrogen production by eating wheat, lots of fructose and some other fibers, all of which we have only eaten for a short time of our evolution. Though it seems starch that is easily broken down does not cause hydrogen production in our stomach. It all makes sense. Stephen at Wholehealthsource has written about this I think.

Comment on Paleo-style beef tartar by Mikael Jansson

Mikael Jansson — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:12:37 +0000

The more here link on salmonella on a paleo-diet is missing. Think you could re-post it?

Comment on Putting your life at stake with a meal by david

david — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:01:29 +0000

It is interesting trying to wrap your mind around the concept of a fugu restaurant. The whole meal, or process is about understanding the whole fish i.e. the meal tells the story of the fish. for me, it is the same as yakitori, though perhaps a bit on a lesser level. Yakitori is more than grilled chicken on a stick but through a series of bites you start to understand everything that a chicken is and what its true potential is. Skin, ball joints, tendons, inner and outer thigh, the various offals, etc., each piece adds more depth to an understanding. Throw in the fact that ambitious yakitori-yas will source a specific breed, indeed a specific supplier to highlight, then truly, a story is being told.
The sum is much greater than just
“chicken grilled on a stick.”

Comment on Putting your life at stake with a meal by Mikael

Mikael — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:33:58 +0000

@G. Thanks, I will try to fix it. I have had problems recreating it but now I start to understand what the problem is.

Comment on Putting your life at stake with a meal by G.

G. — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:52:50 +0000

Interesting post. I’ve had fugu once, and fell into the majority group: a good meal, and something worth experiencing but perhaps not more than once.

Bte, your site doesn’t work properly in firefox 3.0.17 . About 5 characters are “cut off” on the left side of the main column when viewing individual posts, making it very difficult

Comment on Putting your life at stake with a meal by S Lloyd

S Lloyd — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:26:02 +0000

For years, I have been scratching my head back and forth over that one: should I take the risk or not of eating fugu? Each time the occasion occured, I could not find the necessary courage to do so. I am probably just over-reacting for nothing, but it is just a sort of psychological blocus I still haven’t managed to bypass. Your writing helps me to lower down my anxiety and gove that one a try.

Comment on Kawamura – THE steakhouse in Tokyo by Roy Wu

Roy Wu — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 15:54:35 +0000

@CuriousEats – Lissa

I face the problem with the page not displaying properly too. Try this: delete “#more-417″ from the url: http://www.gastro…tokyo/#more-417 . It worked for me.

Also, if you are getting knives from Aritsugu, INSIST that they perform a initial sharpening for you at the shop. Aritsugu knives are notorious for being blunt out of the factory as they expect the owner to “breath life” into their knives by sharpening it themselves.

I guess you won’t face this problem as a westerner but just beware.

Comment on Kawamura – THE steakhouse in Tokyo by Mikael

Mikael — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 15:40:56 +0000

@Roy Wu,

Yes, in that sense Japan is like everywhere. You really need to work hard to get the best stuff.

I will write about Tsujiki. Not sure yet in what form. I went there four full mornings. Two days with a supplier to the top restaurants of the American West coast as a guide. I want to set up a base camp there and cook for three weeks or a full year.

Comment on Kawamura – THE steakhouse in Tokyo by Roy Wu

Roy Wu — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 15:08:41 +0000

Incredible! This just proves that even in Japan you need to be an insider to score the really good stuff. I just returned from my trip to Osaka and Tokyo as well. Being a student on a budget, I could only afford to try a piece of Tajima sirloin which I bought from Isetan. It was disappointing. I’ve had better with crossbred wagyu from Australia!

Well, I am still young, and hopefully Kawamura will stay open until my pockets grow deep enough.

PS Will you be writing up on the Tsukiji Market? It was the most memorable destination of my trip, I trust that it was equally fascinating for you.

Comment on Kawamura – THE steakhouse in Tokyo by Melody

Melody — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:02:57 +0000

Holy marbling! That is one beautiful hunk of meat!

Comment on Buying and cooking spiny lobster and how to avoid disappointments by Pia

Pia — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:56:06 +0000

You are a fountain of knowledge. I love it.
Thanks for a great post.

Comment on The black art of murdering fish by Sebo « yan can eat

Sebo « yan can eat — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:22:39 +0000

[...] [2] The Monterey Bay Aquarium website is a good source for information regarding different types of fishing practices and their impact on the environment, as well as on fish quality. Further ruminations on fish quality as it relates to fishing and slaughter can be found here. [...]

Comment on Kawamura – THE steakhouse in Tokyo by Mikael

Mikael — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 06:24:16 +0000

@ CuriousEats – Lissa,

The knife company is Aritsugu. They have a shop at Tsujiki market. There is another Aritsugu in Kyoto. They are unrelated but used to be the same company as far as I can understand. I fell in love with that knife. It has proven fantastic to use for large fish for example.

I got some other knives while in Tokyo. One from Masamoto, which I also highly recommend.