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I like to eat. As my time in New Haven winds down, I thought I would make a conversion chart for people who like to eat, have lived in either Ann Arbor or New Haven, and are going to the other “city”. Thus, I present you a very opinionated rough conversion chart between food establishments in Ann Arbor and food establishments in New Haven.
Ann Arbor = New Haven
Cheap Eats
BTB = Tijuana Taco Company Burrito Carts
other burrito places = other burrito carts
Jerusalem Garden = Mamoun’s
Silvio’s = Romeo & Cesare
Cottage Inn = Yorkside Pizza
NYPD = Est Est Est
Noodles & Co = Ivy Noodle (DON’T GO!!!)
Fancy Eats
Zola = Zinc, Heirloom, Union League Cafe
Pacific Rim = Miya’s, Bentara
Bella Ciao ~= Ibiza (different nationalities)
Cafe Habana = Soul de Cuba
restaurants on Main St. = Hot Tomato’s (DON’T GO!!!)
Fat Eats
Fleetwood Diner = The Pantry
Asian
Shalimar, Madras Masala = Thali
Raja Rani, Mahek= Tandoor, Indian Palace, Royal India
Earthen Jar = Thali Too
Middle Kingdom = (no comparison)
TK Wu, Great Lakes = Great Wall
Lucky Kitchen, China Gate = China King, Hunan Cafe
Yamato = (no comparison)
Miki’s = Miso
other indistinguishable sushi places = other indistinguishable sushi places
Marnee Thai, Saigon Garden = Thai Taste, Thai Pan Asian, Bangkok Gardens
No Thai = York Street Noodle House
Coffee
Comet, Zingerman’s = Atticus
Ambrosia = Blue State
Espresso Royale = Koffee, Publick Cup
Starbucks = Starbucks
Drinks
Arbor Brewing Company, Grizzly Peak = Bar
Ashley’s = Prime 16
Red Hawk Grill = Anchor
Melange, Black Pearl, Vinology = Barcelona, Bespoke
La Dolce Vita = The Owl Shop
Conor O’Neill’s = The Playwright
8 Ball ~= Rudy’s (well, nothing really compares to 8 Ball)
Scorekeepers = Toad’s
Ice Cream
Stucchi’s = Ashley’s
Overrated Local Landmarks
Zingerman’s (qua sandwiches) = Pepe’s, Sally’s
Blimpy Burger = Louis’s Lunch
Suggestions, comments, and hate-mails are all welcome. I might update this from time to time.
I wrote the following to the editor of New York Times:
Dear Editor,
I find the article, “Let the Meals Begin: Finding Beijing in Flushing,” which appeared in the Dining section July 30, insensitive.
Take the title to begin with. I understand the need to draw eyeballs in times when many are focused on the Olympics in Beijing, but to use Beijing synonymously with China ignores the variety in Chinese cuisine. This synonymy again reinforces the unfortunate notion that there is a singular Chinese cuisine, rather than multiple interrelated, yet distinct, culinary traditions.
The insensitivity betrayed by the careless headline unfortunately extends into the article itself. The report, as well as the recommendations, included a number of Taiwanese restaurants and dishes. Given the controversial (to say the least) status of the Taiwan-China relation, it is inappropriate to lump Taiwanese cuisine with the other Chinese cuisines in the article. Politics aside, Taiwanese cuisine is a distinct tradition that includes Japanese and aboriginal influences. (Uyghur, or Xinjiang, could make a similar political and culinary claim also.) To illustrate why doing so is insensitive, consider how inappropriate it would be to include Singaporean restaurants and dishes in this article, despite the country’s majority of ethnic Han-Chinese.
While my complaints may seem semantic, they are not merely so. As Orwell reminds us in “Politics and the English Language”, the words we use can have profound political implications. This fact holds true even in the Dining section, especially for a publication as important as the Times.
Sincerely,
Shen-yi Liao
If you care about this issue as much as I do, a letter to the Times editor would be much appreciated. The email address is letters@nytimes.com.
Yesterday, inspiration struck me with an awful offal theme dinner party. It would be a potluck, and guests would bring their favorite offal dish. Pig brain, goose liver, chicken heart, blood cakes, duck fries, et cetera would all be welcome. Vegetarians can bring items such as artichoke heart, tofu skin, black-eyed peas, or kidney beans (more suggestions?). Then we will have an oblong table covered with a picture of human anatomy. Guests will place their dishes in the appropriate region. Bon appetit!
After a recent experience, I feel a strong need to echo opinions expressed on yelp.com on Cafe Felix: Really awful service, mediocre food, very overpriced. If you are interested in a faux-Parisian experience with martinis that are not really martinis, go there. If you are not interested in being treated terribly by the owner and a waiter named Derek D., then do not go there. That’s basically it.
