Hey you guys think you got it hard, try Japan for western food?
Heres an excerpt from a poster on a Japan site: (not for weak eyes—lots of profanity)
You know what gets my goat here? The lack of foreign food. Ok, ok, we
are in japan, I expect little foreign food. But for fucks sake, get
some staples in here you fuckhead 50 year old jap policy makers who
are too stubborn to change food policies or whatever… Here are some
things are are downright hard to get in japan for god knows why:
Turkey, impossible to find
Peanut butter. Need to go to a International food market to find
only Skippy and PeterPan, which both suck.
Steak. Not the thin slices the japs love, but a real WHOLE 2lb
steak, like Tri-tip or flank steak or even t-bone
Pudding. Not the shit in the convi stores that is like flan in
texture. But REAL pudding you can cook on the stove. Why do japa call
flan pudding? Can a negro just get some jello brand pudding that is
rich and creamy???
Mexican food. Impossible
A deli sandwich. Fuck me, I would kill for a turkey or a roast beef
or pastrami deli sand…
Regular american cake, not the jap shit. Jap cakes are not sweet,
no frosting and suck frog ass… How about something other than
FUCKIN ROLL CAKE you fucks!!!
Cept to make you dudes feel better bout lacking some western food in Taiwan? Its worse elsewhere, even in Japan, the most sophisticated of Asian countries.
Why in hell would you want to eat Western food in Japan when you can sample some of the local culinary delights? Horse sashimi is delicious. So is whale sashimi. Japanese curries are pretty cheap (fast food curry houses on every block and cost about 590 yen or so) and taste great. The seafood at the fish market is amazing and fresh. The city has more Michelin star restaurants than any city outside of Paris and a number of Euroean gourmands have set up shop there. There are some pretty nice international places in the Ginza district. As you can see, they also have some Tex-Mex offerings in Ginza…mind you, these restaurants don’t really cater to people on a budget. Eating out in Japan properly can be an expensive affair. bento.com/ra-ginza.html bento.com/rev/2344.html
That being said–I never had any problem (I’ve visited friends there for about 6 months in total during the past 8 years) finding authentic Western-type of greasy spoons over the years. Mostly I’ve stayed away from them except when nursing a hangover and waiting for the JL lines to reopen after a night out on the piss.
Since you’re Tommy and your probaby searching for some lewd debutantes in Roppongi , why not try out the Denny’s in Roppongi?
I can remember eating some decent burgers there while waiting for a Canadian hometown friend to finish eating some much nastier and greasier Rappongi burgers back in a love hotel with a local.
Love hotels serve up greasy rappongi burgers if you go with a local? Wow I didnt know that?
Lordy, these prices are insane !!! (from one of your links)
Master chef Alain Ducasse’s joint venture with Chanel provides excellent modern French cuisine in a lovely setting. The food isn’t quite as spectacular as the prices though - mains average Y8000-9000, with prix-fixe dinner menus from Y17,000. Lunches start at Y6000 (for a three-course vegetarian menu), and there are a few wines under Y10,000. There’s also a popular afternoon tea set (Y2600) served from 2:30-4pm.
170 bucks for a dinner for ONE???
few wines under a hunski bucks?
ridiculous !
OH thank goodness afternoon tea is only 26 bucks american a head. whew.
It’s “Roppongi” and “sashimi”, both of which are very expensive, and only the latter of which is worth bothering with!
My guess is the guy’s not in Tokyo & doesn’t make enough $$ to enjoy the really fine restaurants even if he was. Western food’s there - it’s just cost-prohibitive to eat it very often. The cheap stuff is crap (Italian food w/no trace of garlic …WTF?)
Most Mexican food in Tokyo does suck though, if you know what it’s supposed to be in the first place & aren’t an Aussie or from Minnesota or something… Lots of good Indian places though, and you can find Outback for “real” steaks if you’re willing to shell out at least 2x U.S. prices for it. He’s right about the cakes & desserts too - no flavor & all presentation (like a lot of Japanese food). Designed to be all fancy & French rather than fatty & delicious. Plus Japanese food traditionally favors a milder palette - not a lot of strong flavors.
Taipei’s not necessarily any better for selection, but at least it’s a helluva lot cheaper! Best foreign food I’ve had in a while was in Beijing though - still comparatively expensive, but good!!
Yeah. Pretty difficult to get a proper US cut steak in Japan (except on the military bases, where they actually have US bone in rib roasts). I’ve heard Lawry’s has a relatively affordable and edible steak lunch menu. Lunches are the secret to eating on a budget in Japan. Ramen restaurants. too. Tip: you can get an extra order of noodles for 100 yen and just dump it into your broth. Cheap and filling.
For nice western sandwiches, Paul’s is good (I think there’s one at the metro stop in the Mori building). I was quite excited when they opened up a branch in Taipei at the RenAi circle.
And we have in States these clinics installed in the middle of the desert offering expensive packages for peoples who want to slim down. They lock you there and serve practically all that is mentioned in the japanese poster.
You could buy a ticket and go to Japan, visit the country and lose weight instead of going to these clinics.
No wonder the people in Japan are considered health in comparison to the people in other countries.
But if you are like me, a heavy consumer of burgers, steaks, real dairy pudding, you are going to miss these stuff in Japan. I remember eating in a soba shop and the noodle was too spicy and the only drink the shop offered was warm water. I wanted a very cold coke and the waitress was telling me that a very cold drink will damage my insides because I ate hot food, not good for my health to cool down like that. And she was very well intentioned, I wanted to kill her, but hey she was right.
[quote=“tommy525”]Love hotels serve up greasy rappongi burgers if you go with a local? Wow I didnt know that?
Lordy, these prices are insane !!! (from one of your links)
Master chef Alain Ducasse’s joint venture with Chanel provides excellent modern French cuisine in a lovely setting. The food isn’t quite as spectacular as the prices though - mains average Y8000-9000, with prix-fixe dinner menus from Y17,000. Lunches start at Y6000 (for a three-course vegetarian menu), and there are a few wines under Y10,000. There’s also a popular afternoon tea set (Y2600) served from 2:30-4pm.[/quote]
You are looking at around NT$3500 per person minimum excluding wine for any half-decent French/fusion restaurant anywhere in the world. It is a nice indulgence once a month or so. Hey, anyone can afford it if they stick to $50 biandangs for the rest of the month. Now that’s one way to remove some panties *.
Some Michelin-starred French bloke is coming this September to open what is supposed to be the first Michel-starred restaurant in Taiwan. I guess that will set you back around $8,000-$10,000 per head for the tasting menu. You will really pick up some hot chicks with that one*.
BTW, I’m surprised at the number of high quality western restuarants that have sprung up in Taichung even in the past 3 years. $3,000-$,4000 might seem steep but there are tasting menus on offer for that price that would cost $5,000-$6,000 in Taipei or double that in LA. Yowzer, I always knew TW girls were expensive*.
can someone please add a TOMMY tag to the forum that inserts a random witty remark such as ‘ho ho, gotta love those Taiwanese girls’ or ‘check out those butts on the MRT’
YOU guys are insane accepting those prices !!! Here in our very own Berkeley we have one of the TOP restaurants in the whole of LE MONDE and their prix fix is “only” 75 bucks a head for dinner (sans wine of course). I have not been there ( yes im too cheap) but its famous. Let me try to remember the name , I walk past it almost daily…
I also walk past their new icecream parlor on college near ashby . And i refuse to pay 4 bucks for a scoop of icecream and have to wait an hour in line to get it. Now whats their name again, its not the French Laundry , which is like number UNO in the whole of the U S of A. And bout 250 a person for dinner , sans wine and ridiculously hard to get in.
OK here we go number 59 in the world for 2009 CHEZ PANISSE in Berkeley. (note to self: I must remember to go there when someone else is picking up the tab) .
edit: sorry the French Laundry dropped by quite a few places this year. IT USED to be number one in the Americas.
And I can safely say that I have never set foot inside any of these price gouging establishments. But will happily go if you will foot the bill. Anyone?
edit 2 :
quote:
can someone please add a TOMMY tag to the forum that inserts a random witty remark such as ‘ho ho, gotta love those Taiwanese girls’ or ‘check out those butts on the MRT’
unquote
Anyone who knows me knows that I have reformed my ways. I am not into checking out butts on the MRT now !! Now I look at the legs
My wife and I ate at Villa32 the other week. A two and a half hour meal, with several courses, including all the handmade bread with oil and vinegar we could eat (we ate three trays worth), for NT$7,000. The wait staff were impeccable. Our waitress in particular was correctly informed about every single dish, and her carriage and deportment were excellent. Well worth it in my opinion.
Villa 32? I just read a write up bout the place. Sounds spectacular. Did you try the hotsprings? Any good? Nice as the pics ?
Im more used to paying 100nt for one of the shacks up on YMS a person though for the hotspring. And maybe try to sneak the GF in for free when they are not looking?
edit: 25,000nt a nite for one of the rooms with a sulfur bath? AT those prices your meal was positively CHEAP by comparison
It is spectacular. We didn’t try the hot springs, but may next time. It is certainly as nice as the pictures. It’s incredibly secluded and you can almost believe you’re right in the country.
What very different lives we lead.
Ah, you’ve found the accommodation page. I’d be perfectly happy to pay NT$25,000 for this suite, complete with private hot tub and private garden. For the same price there’s this suite, which looks a bit ‘modern’ for me. If you really want a bargain, try this suite for a mere NT$16,000. And don’t forget the personal butler service.
I once went to some Chinese restaurant in Taipei many years ago that was something like US$300/person. The food sucked…it tasted as if it was all cooked in the same sauce. I could have gone to McDonald’s and had a better meal. Fortunately, the company footed the bill.
[quote=“tommy525”]
Anyone who knows me knows that I have reformed my ways. I am not into checking out butts on the MRT now !! Now I look at the legs [/quote]
[quote=“llary”][quote=“tommy525”]
Anyone who knows me knows that I have reformed my ways. I am not into checking out butts on the MRT now !! Now I look at the legs [/quote]
Damn buddy, I used to like you [/quote]
Come on!! And where pray tell… do those legs lead to?? Just think for one second bud !! ONe second ! :bluemad:
Japanese curries are pretty cheap (fast food curry houses on every block and cost about 590 yen or so) and taste great. The seafood at the fish market is amazing and fresh. The city has more Michelin star restaurants than any city outside of Paris and a number of Euroean gourmands have set up shop there. There are some pretty nice international places in the Ginza district. As you can see, they also have some Tex-Mex offerings in Ginza…mind you, these restaurants don’t really cater to people on a budget. Eating out in Japan properly can be an expensive affair.
back in a love hotel with a local. 
I bring my own nose ring when I fly steerage , they supply the tether.
