Comments on: Where’s the Beef? 牛肉はどこあるの？

By: Viking Five: Things I Miss About Japan « I am a viking.

Viking Five: Things I Miss About Japan « I am a viking. — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:17:36 +0000

[...] rarely did this lead to food that was less than excellent (as in my disappointing experience with Kobe beef). Usually the food I found was not only delicious, but special – not necessarily something [...]

By: Adam

Adam — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:30:13 +0000

This tread is old but might help someone out….

Beef is best char-grilled to using some form or another. That being said i had what was said to kobe beef from a reputable place tonight. It was well marbled and was probably the real thing however it was cook on a flat wide surface which just made it a fatty mess but did taste good. In hindsight i should have walked out of the resturant the second i saw it but decided that i came all this way that i might as well. Find a place that grills it properly so the fat inside will break down even when cooked rare…. i’ll try to find a place tomorrow that does this in kobe and follow up with a recomendation

By: Dad

Dad — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 17:56:56 +0000

This is exactly why I like tasting beers side by side. Is a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale really better than a Point Pale Ale? How about that Allagash White versus Berghoff Solstice Wit? It seems like our senses get confused by other factors including price and reputation.

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 13:25:42 +0000

Sam, I think you’re exactly right. Kobe beef is just another brand, and people fetishize it just like they would with any other brand name item!

However, I do want to make one thing clear, and this is partly in response to Grumpy’s comment, too: the Kobe beef I had was really quite yummy. And who knows? It may get even better. As Grumpy pointed out, there are a lot of factors involved here, and that teppanyaki place might have simply screwed up somewhere along the line, resulting in the less-than-mind-blowing tataki I tasted.

So to recap: I didn’t mean to say that it’s bullshit to claim that Kobe beef is phenomenally delicious, I meant to say that it’s bullshit how crazy people are for Kobe beef as a sort of brand name item when there’s other, cheaper and less famous beef out there that tastes better.

I guess the moral of the story is to just try all the beef that comes your way with an open mind. Or something like that.

By: Sam

Sam — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 11:46:40 +0000

Perhaps this is due to Kobe and their beef industry creating such a strong brand image for their product? You do mention the mystique of luxury it is so often associated with. No doubt you bit into their beef-flavored ruse and now, upon digestion, have discovered the truth behind it all.

I can only guess, though, since I’ve never been to Kobe.

By: grumpyprofessor

grumpyprofessor — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 20:40:22 +0000

Tim – I want to try all these dishes! The photos are also beautiful, as usual.

Isn’t it possible that what you preferred was the method rather than the meat? It seems hard to disaggregate all the variables here. I especially wonder if it is fair to compare a lovingly cooked meal in what sounds like a relatively unique joint (the ishiyaki place) to a cheap dish in “just another teppanyaki” place??

There’s a technical term for this in logic, but I can’t remember what it is. Unequivalent sets, or something like that. :)

By: Benna!

Benna! — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 16:19:25 +0000

Heya!
So I’m here in Hong Kong visiting Amanda and I was checking out your blog. Great work! I always love reading about food. I also wanted to tell/ ask you about a couple of things…

1) My sister lives in Chicago and writes a cheap eats restaurant blog. http://www.themangolassie.com. I think its pretty sweet. Plus she has even written a post or two about places in Wisconsin!

2) I will be arriving in Tokyo on the 24th. I don’t know if I’m going to make it down to your neck of the woods. I wanted to see if I could get some restaurant suggestions in Tokyo if you have any.

Cheers!