I’m not sure if the chef you mentioned at first is the owner/manager; if he is, then I would first try to reach out to him maybe at the end of lunch service when things are quieter and have a word with him. If not, the regular management works too, though you don’t have a personal relationship with them.

Yelp reviews…

This is what I hear too from the people I know in the aircraft leasing industry. Ethiopian Airlines is a serious player that is (was?) set to become the regional carrier for much of Africa, much like Emirates or Eithad does for the Middle East.

Could we get the list of the shops they’re going to showcase? I’d like to visit before the lines go around the block.

(Cool and necessary idea, but I worry what what overexposure will do to local favorites)

Other events:

Jim Arbuckle-themed Speed Dating
Throw the Nermal
Lecture Series: “Reheated Mediocre Comics as Retirement Annuities”

As an East Coast transplant living out in the Midwest, Pittsburgh is definitely the Midwest. And I would count Buffalo too as well from a cultural/Rust Belt standpoint.

The definition of the “Midwest” is difficult because it’s a mix of both culture and geography, and is so often equated with “flyover country” which is…

I’ve heard and seen that dynamic too, but it wasn’t applicable to my case.

“The calls are coming from inside the house school!”

Pittsburgh’s definitely the Midwest as it’s west of the Appalachians.

You can break it down more finely and claim that Pittsburgh and Cleveland are more “Old Northwest” and that they have elements that recall the older east coast cities like New York, Boston, Philly, even Baltimore. This is evident especially in…

Agreed, I definitely have an easier time speaking than listening/comprehending in the local language. I do what you propose sometimes, but usually I find it tough to continue speaking the local language after the servers switch to English because I start worrying that I’ve overestimated my language skills and don’t…

Agree with Salty here: if you can reasonably slog your way through ordering in the local language, you should do it. Just be patient with your servers as they’re trying to understand you.

Of course, there have been cases where I’ve tried to order in the local language and the server cut me off with his/her rendition of…

Agree with this approach: making an earnest effort to communicate in their language and being patient with the waitstaff’s efforts to understand you and confirm your order goes a long way.

Incidentally, you mention “a smile goes a long way”—that’s actually one of the hallmarks of an American that singles us out abroad. …

Here are some events that Bre Tiesi-Manziel can choose to cheat in.

I know, but I actually think the food-knower tendency to over-philosophize food—especially that from a different culture—to be worth criticizing.

...dude, I was commenting on the original letter writer that you quoted in your comment.

People who claim who attribute “tradition” and “ritual” to sushi are ridiculous. There’s no over-engineered tradition involved: if you go omakase, eat it and make sure you don’t drop the rice into the soy sauce. That’s it.

Japanese, Indian, French food are just food. Stop trying to imbue with some meta-philosophical…

Ah, thanks. Looks like I got some of the details wrong (shot herself at the start of WWII, not the end; was disabled rather than brain-dead). It’s still a pretty crazy story of Unity’s devotion.

This was fascinating. I first encountered the Mitfords via Nancy when I was on a Louis XIV binge after reading The Three Musketeers in high school. Nancy had written a gorgeous biography/coffee table book of Louis XIV, as well as a biography on Phillippe II d’Orleans.  Later on in college I decided to do a term paper…

A mimosa food truck parked next to one serving either chicken & waffles or fish tacos would be a better experience than 3 of my past 4 brunches.

Down with puritanical alcohol sale laws!

Ah, got it. He was before my time in Tokyo and he’s now moved to Hyogo. Saw him on a variety show last year and added it to my to-visit list because it looked amazing.

But honestly, other than 69RnRBilly1 and the closed Sora in Tokyo, feel free to talk and snap photos in a ramen shop. Just don’t be an idiot about it.

Which episode/shop is that? I’m not seeing it in their visit to Taishoken or Rokurinsha.

And as someone who’s visited several dozen ramen shops in Japan, I’ve seen bans on photographing the interior of the shop a few times, but never any outright bans on photographing one’s own food or talking. So if the talking ban di…