"Fine dining"

[Jazzy]

What does "fine dining" mean to you?

 

[Lamb]

Fine dining means can't afford it It also means snooty and the chef thinks more of himself than he should and the waiter recommends the "ravioli" and you get one ravioli on your plate. What?

 

[tango]

What it means to me is having exceptional quality food and accepting it's going to be an expensive night out.

What it often seems to mean in practise is hideously overpriced food where you pay through the nose for a night out and still come away hungry and some kind of bizarre concept that it's not supposed to actually taste good or provide a filling meal but you're paying to merely be in the presence of such an awesome chef.

 

[Messy]

Fine dining means can't afford it It also means snooty and the chef thinks more of himself than he should and the waiter recommends the "ravioli" and you get one ravioli on your plate. What?

I went to such a restaurant with Michelin stars once, because we went to a holiday home and they were fixing their normal restaurant, so we could go to the other one for the same price. You had 3 knives, 3 forks, more than one glass and I remember he brought a tiny pathe, which was apparently very special or something.

 

[Stravinsk]

The term to me means it's something that people with money do because they can afford it and consider preparing meals themselves either dull or too much work. I did it on occasion when we were married and we had money. Primarily at business functions.

Today, I wouldn't bother. Besides the fact that expensive restaurants don't cater to Vegans, I enjoy preparing my own food, find it a very useful lifelong skill, and reap the savings. To put this into context, Subway (hardly fine dining) increased my fav sub to $13 AUD from $9 just a few years ago. Why spend that when I can make something very similar for a fraction of that.

 

[Lamb]

The term to me means it's something that people with money do because they can afford it and consider preparing meals themselves either dull or too much work. I did it on occasion when we were married and we had money. Primarily at business functions.

Today, I wouldn't bother. Besides the fact that expensive restaurants don't cater to Vegans, I enjoy preparing my own food, find it a very useful lifelong skill, and reap the savings. To put this into context, Subway (hardly fine dining) increased my fav sub to $13 AUD from $9 just a few years ago. Why spend that when I can make something very similar for a fraction of that.

Some of the bigger cities here in the US have really high end vegan restaurants. My daughter's ex is vegan and was listing off a bunch of places. Most are expensive anyway because vegan "meat" is more expensive than real meat

 

[Stravinsk]

Some of the bigger cities here in the US have really high end vegan restaurants. My daughter's ex is vegan and was listing off a bunch of places. Most are expensive anyway because vegan "meat" is more expensive than real meat

Oh you mean the highly processed textured stuff that is flavored and made into a "meat resembling substance" that vegans crave? Meh. I'd say if that were true, it is only for new or transitioning vegans. It's sold sometimes at the supermarket. I bought a pack of "chickin" nuggets once that tasted great, couldn't tell the difference between that and the real thing, except in one area: feeling satisfied after. This is because for a person who has fully transitioned they should have a gut bacteria that thrives on fiber, and these products are mostly concentrated plant protein with little to no fiber. Give me lentils any day.

 

[Lamb]

Oh you mean the highly processed textured stuff that is flavored and made into a "meat resembling substance" that vegans crave? Meh. I'd say if that were true, it is only for new or transitioning vegans. It's sold sometimes at the supermarket. I bought a pack of "chickin" nuggets once that tasted great, couldn't tell the difference between that and the real thing, except in one area: feeling satisfied after. This is because for a person who has fully transitioned they should have a gut bacteria that thrives on fiber, and these products are mostly concentrated plant protein with little to no fiber. Give me lentils any day.

I've tried Seitan and it was pretty filling for me and really tasty too! It's a wheat product where the starch is removed, leaving behind the protein.

 

[Messy]

Oh you mean the highly processed textured stuff that is flavored and made into a "meat resembling substance" that vegans crave? Meh. I'd say if that were true, it is only for new or transitioning vegans. It's sold sometimes at the supermarket. I bought a pack of "chickin" nuggets once that tasted great, couldn't tell the difference between that and the real thing, except in one area: feeling satisfied after. This is because for a person who has fully transitioned they should have a gut bacteria that thrives on fiber, and these products are mostly concentrated plant protein with little to no fiber. Give me lentils any day.

I don't like all that stuff. I was raised vegetarian, so I never liked the taste of meat. Why make soy beans taste like meat? That's meant for ppl who miss the taste. Lately I bought vegan cheese, cause I ate way too much cheese to the point that I got stomach problems. It tasted okay, but there's nothing healthy in it, so what's the use of eating it?

 

[Josiah]

My beloved and I did a date night at Morton's Steakhouse. Nice. The bill was well over $250.00 (and I think that's before tax and tip). It was probably not worth the price as a meal but it was special and a memory.

Hours + Location | Anaheim, CA | Morton's The Steakhouse

Morton's The Steakhouse is located near Anaheim Convention Center. Featuring the best steak anywhere! View Menu. Reservations are recommended.

www.mortons.com

.

 

[Lamb]

My husband and I spent $75 at the Cheesecake Factory for lunch and didn't even get appetizers or dessert. Is that fine dining?

 

[Stravinsk]

I don't like all that stuff. I was raised vegetarian, so I never liked the taste of meat. Why make soy beans taste like meat? That's meant for ppl who miss the taste. Lately I bought vegan cheese, cause I ate way too much cheese to the point that I got stomach problems. It tasted okay, but there's nothing healthy in it, so what's the use of eating it?

The irony is, people associate something like meat with taste, but stripped of spices, salt and ways of cooking (like smoking), it has very little taste. I tried this when investigating Veganism (but not yet a vegan) for the first time. See, I was raised on eating a fair amount of meat. I made beef jerky, I often marinaded and cooked fairly large portions of beef. All my methods involved adding flavors - spices, salt, smoke flavor etc.

So one day I took some ground beef and boiled it without anything. This causes the fat to float to the top of the water which I removed. Then I tasted the boiled ground beef. It basically had a slight iron taste to it but that was it. There was no inherent "tastiness" of it. Bland as.

Ever notice the ingredients on stock cubes and seasoning packets labeled "beef" or "chicken"? Besides salt, the main ingredients are often yeast extract and flavor enhancers. Some manufacturers throw in beef/chicken fat/extract but these are likely to only lend "authenticity" to their brand and no real flavor.

 

[Stravinsk]

I've tried Seitan and it was pretty filling for me and really tasty too! It's a wheat product where the starch is removed, leaving behind the protein.

Seitan is only as tasty as what it's marinaded in/cooked with. I've had it too, it's alright but nothing I get excited about.

 

[Lamb]

The irony is, people associate something like meat with taste, but stripped of spices, salt and ways of cooking (like smoking), it has very little taste. I tried this when investigating Veganism (but not yet a vegan) for the first time. See, I was raised on eating a fair amount of meat. I made beef jerky, I often marinaded and cooked fairly large portions of beef. All my methods involved adding flavors - spices, salt, smoke flavor etc.

So one day I took some ground beef and boiled it without anything. This causes the fat to float to the top of the water which I removed. Then I tasted the boiled ground beef. It basically had a slight iron taste to it but that was it. There was no inherent "tastiness" of it. Bland as.

Ever notice the ingredients on stock cubes and seasoning packets labeled "beef" or "chicken"? Besides salt, the main ingredients are often yeast extract and flavor enhancers. Some manufacturers throw in beef/chicken fat/extract but these are likely to only lend "authenticity" to their brand and no real flavor.

Actually, when cooking meat, you don't need to add a ton of spices. Salt is the best thing to bring out the true flavor of the meat and that's it. Boiling meat removes the flavor a bit, did you know that? You're removing the fat that adds flavor to the meat. I don't think I've ever boiled ground beef before. I've boiled chicken and it's bland compared to grilling it with no spice added.

 

[Stravinsk]

Actually, when cooking meat, you don't need to add a ton of spices. Salt is the best thing to bring out the true flavor of the meat and that's it. Boiling meat removes the flavor a bit, did you know that? You're removing the fat that adds flavor to the meat. I don't think I've ever boiled ground beef before. I've boiled chicken and it's bland compared to grilling it with no spice added.

Ok, well, here's an experiment for you. Take a small amount of ground beef and boil it in just enough water to cook it (so as not to dilute the "flavor"). When cooled, the fat floating on top will solidify. I assure you, it tastes like nothing. But try it anyway. Try the water you cooked it in. It should have some taste since it isn't diluted.

Now I know the fat tastes like nothing ( I have actually tried it isolated from the beef), but I admit I didn't taste the water in this experiment.