Blue moon Indian restaurant, yeah right.

I'm almost out of chat masala here. Where can I buy it? I had a place in Pittsburgh where they were real turban heads...not saying that badly...and they sold me this stuff to put on fruit and potatoes. It was the greatest. When I came here I bought 5 lbs of the stuff and its almost gone. What will I do for my masala fix?
And my Jamacian jerk spices are almost gone.
Also saw a suisi place this week. Went in there and asked for umibishi vinager...umi shoban...zen rufu...sencha tea...tamari sause...tahini...wasabi..kombu...haijiki...and all the misos...and they did'nt know what I was talking about. How can you make real sushi without that stuff?
You think it would be good business to bring all that stuff here to sell? Or are the people not ready for this?
AZB...I know places in USA to get all the stuff. Want to start a business? jejeeje
I want some variety here and real food.Dominican stuff is good but need other stuff too....HELP!!!

Jan, try Plaza Paseo de la Churchill on Ave. Churchill esq. Roberto Pastoriza. There is a Lebanese deli there called "L'Epiciere de l'Orient" and they do a wide range of international foods, including Indian (made in India, FYI, AZB) as well as Middle Eastern stuff like tahini.

Chiri

Americanized Chinese food, italian food and mexican food have become gendres all to themselves. While not "authentic", their popularity extends beyond America.

Most people, including Dominicans, prefer "New York Style" pizza to the Neopolitan stuff. TexMex restaurants are found around the world and have become a gendre of their own (notice all of the Europeans eating in the TexMex restaurants in the resorts). "Chinese food" as we know it is really the menu of the "overseas" Chinese community. It has always varied depending on the location and the available ingredients and, yes, the overseas Chinese eat it themselves.

AZB, take your favorite food - bagels, lox and creamcheese - for example. The Jews of Poland would not have recognized this 100 years ago. It is really "New York" food, but is now much more popular throughout the world than real eastern European food (e.g. borscht).

Non-authentic does not always mean bad, especially if it means that things like roasted goat gut curry are removed from the menu.

Hey AZB, I'm wondering why you thought that Blue Moon is an Indian Restaurant. Is it advertised as such somewhere? I happen to know the owner and we have spent some lovely afternoons there just chilling out. I think the Indian Partner would cook Indian food in the past, on request and on a booking. So, sorry that you did not get Indian food. It would be nice if you could let me know what created your impression that it was an authentic Indian Restaurant. I will let the owner know to avoid any disappointment from guests in future.

Chinese food oversees

Porfio_Rubirosa said:

"Chinese food" as we know it is really the menu of the "overseas" Chinese community. It has always varied depending on the location and the available ingredients and, yes, the overseas Chinese eat it themselves.

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Actually, oversees Chinese don't eat the average Jade Express/Panda Express variety. Unless in a real pinch.

Walk into Chino de Mariscos (on Sarasota) or Bella Cystral (on Roberto Pastoriza) and observe any big table seated with Chinese-speaking clientele and you'll likely see dishes you never saw before. What Dominicans and Chinese order in the same restaurant is chalk and cheese.

Typical Dominican client orders: fried rice, hot-and-sour soup, sweet-and-sour pork, chop-suey, Coke/Beer.

Dominicans order for individual servings off the menu.


Chinese people order: Whole steamed fish, fried frogs, Seafood broth contained in shaved winter melon, seasoned jellyfish, sea cucumber with vegetables, sea urchins, geese, shrimp-topped tofu, assorted seafood in suger-caned basket, king crab, boiled jump shrimp with dipping sauce, beef on sizzling iron plate, duck pancake, chicken feet, pig trotters, honey-glazed pork ribs, cured sausage/pork..etc

A round-table typically seats 10-12 and dinner consists of 8-12 courses with all dishes meant for communal sharing. Desserts are typicall thrown in for free for table-full of Chinese speakers. Tea and whisky are beverages of choice.

The Chinese request items not available on the menu and ask for chef's special. Many Chinese insist on ordering from Chinese-speaking waiters. (Not every dish is so easily described in Spanish)


Now see the difference ??

They are eveywhere..

Porfio_Rubirosa said:

Non-authentic does not always mean bad, especially if it means that things like roasted goat gut curry are removed from the menu.

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This is so true.

The most "authentic" Chinese food is probably found in rural Chinese villages where peasants eat their daily grubb (replete with too much grease and salt) with flies overhead and pigs running around.

Not my favoritae setting, I'm afraid


One thing I can say is that you will always find a Chinese restaurant (regardless of quality level) even in the most remote corners of the world where most McDonals won't even bother.

I had had Chinese food in snow-bound middle-of-nowhere in Canadian mountains, in a off-street in Trieste miles from Italian/Croatian border, in dumpy San Pedro de Macoris, in southern Argentine Andes ridge, in a Norwegian village..etc.

I fee sorry for people who are allergic to Chinese food. Must be a miserable life

certain similarities with english food.

while, apparently, eating 'english muffins' and 'london broiled steaks', and sipping endless cups of cream teas, the english tell the tourists that they eat fish and chips out of newspapers or huge pieces of roast beef with something called yorkshire pudding.

in reality, the riff-raff, in the rural areas delight on such delicacies as jellied eels, pigs-trotters, tripe, black pudding and hog's blood (pigs entrails). all this rounded off with a spotted dick (which is nothing to do with a std, but a sponge pudding with dead flies in it.).

on special days, the real english splurge on international food, which usually consists of a very hot chili-con-carne (authentic pub style), a doner kebab with lots of hot sauce (bought from a kerb-side retail unit, otherwise known as a van) or a very hot vindaloo, all washed down with at least ten pints of european lager.

coco's have made a gallant effort, but it's very difficult to serve up this type of 'haute cuisine' here in the dr.

i bring groups from our hotel and clients of our kitesurfing schools up to blue moon about once every two weeks. Not one single person has been disappointed with the food, service or ambiance of Blue Moon, including Indian guests (Patels) and Indian food lovers (they only wanted it hotter!).

Why does the chef/cook have to be Indian to be authentic? Marina the main cook there has worked at Blue Moon for close to 11 years and Sanguita, the original Indian woman who was Gideon's partner, taught her everything she knew about cooking East Indian dishes. Rich and Sandy are wonderful hosts, offer a wealth of knowledge about the island, and provide people with a very unique experience. I'm glad they're here and think they do an outstanding job.

marina said:

Why does the chef/cook have to be Indian to be authentic?

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silly question.

i don't care what most people say, though.
although it may not be authentic, i miss any and all types of curry - and i believe a german-dominican curry has to be better than no curry at all.

your post, marina, almost sounds like a recommendation. so, if you don't mind, i am going to give the restaurant a try based on that.

i hope, at least, they have some decent chipatis.

Thanks AZB if you can bring some chat masala. Love that stuff on all veggies and potatoes. I crave it smetimes. Good thing most of my friends don't like it cause I don't want to share my stash.
My mom may be sending me some umibashi vinegar. Can't wait to get my care box and see whats there.
I don't know that much about authentic foods from elswhere. I just knoow what I like.
And the bagles and lox sound great. Haven't had a doos bagel in a long time. Soon as I get a real oven I'll boil me up some!
Oh..thanks Chimi...next time I'm on Churchill I'll look for that place.

Blue moon--the experience

For visitors who have spent a week or so in Cabarete or a similarly bustling place, the whole experience of going "inland" to Blue Moon, winding up the hill, scampering up the the highest point to view the amazing panorama at sunset, and to just be there--in relative silence after days of motoconcho cacaphony.....

Well the food is good too.

But it really might be secondary to the whole ambience and location.

I don't care that much for authenticity. Food evolves. Think about it, spaghetti: pasta from China, tomatoes from America, cheese from Italy. How long did it take to consider it Italian? Is pasta only Italian? Should the Dominican-style spaghetti be considered Italian food? Should it be considered Dominican?

Authentic food is only as good as the food itself. It is a cultural curiosity. I don't care to eat dogs, no matter how much of an authentic Chinese meal it is. Of course, it is worth preserving, knowing and enjoying, but one can't be blind to one's own taste for the sake of authenticity.

Mondongo anyone?

Any Indian/Pakistani eatery in Santo Domingo ?

AZB said:

Folks when I told you about fixed gringo flavored indian food in DR you folks jumped all over me. I say it again, if you want authentic indian food, might as well go to india because everywhere else it cooked to suit your taste buds.

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AZB, do you know of any Indian/Pakistani restaurant on the south coast ? Bochinche recently mentioned a place on Bolivar that may not be open anymore.

Don't tell me I'll have to wait for my next trip to London to indulge !

Blue Moon serves a set menu by reservation only for guests of 8 or more. If you're group is smaller, they can usually accommodate you with others.

They don't serve chapiti. Meals usually include appetizers (fried corn or yucca things call pakuras?), then rice seasoned with cardomen and main dish of three kinds of side salads and tandori chicken. You also have three dipping sauces of pineapple chutney, mango/peanut hot sauce and yogurt with dill to cool things down. Dinner is followed by desert and coffee or chai tea. The food is spiced just right in my opinion, however, it has been to spicy for some guests I have brought up there....

AZB, I am chinese and know what you mean re: authentic versus non authentic or what I usually term as westernized food. I am also from California and am an connoisseur of Mexican food, which I greatly miss. I find your generalization of people whose last name is Patel to be rather offensive and red necky. You provide a lot of useful information and knowledge in this forum. It would be a shame if you are a bigot.

Sherezade, middle eastern?

I am surprised. They've always advertised themselves as an Mediterranean restaurant. And not much of that either.