A Short History of the Chinese Restaurant From stir-fried buffalo to Matzoh Foo Young.
The Power Nosh “With its pricey steak-and-sushi menu, the Prime Grill has undertaken the ambitious challenge of adapting the look and taste of nouvelle cuisine to the Orthodox Union’s ultra-strict dietary guidelines. “Kosher” actually means “ritually fit or pure,” and the 3,000-year-old code consists of dozens of complex strictures that can cramp the most accomplished chef’s style. Milk, of course, cannot be mixed with meat, and shellfish are verboten—but that’s only the beginning. Stoves can only be lit by Jewish hands, lettuce must be checked to make sure it’s free of insects, and meat must be soaked, salted and drained of its blood before it can even enter the restaurant.”
Vintage Technology “Phylloxera, a stubborn, tough-to-kill root louse, had been devastating wine crops in California since the mid-eighties, and maybe nasa’s eyes in the sky could help solve the problem.”
Selling Tofu in the 21st Century “Since tofu arrived in Japan in the late 12th century, it has been a staple of the Japanese diet. But Western-style competitors have taken a bite out of tofu’s appeal, hitting mom and pop operations especially hard.”