Fries, Cheese 'n Gravy: Poutine in the Hutongs

So here we have admin defending someone who insulted a poster for using admin's site too often?

Clever.

while we're on the subject of pedantry, misinterpretation and inaccuracy, how is it that Leon transformed cheddar into "mozza" in his origial critique of the piece?

admin wrote:

Jeremy 29 wrote:

" But there’s another, better option … from a Chinese restaurant! And it’s been here all along."

That sentence implies it's the same. Do I really need to give you a lesson on communication?

The above statement does not imply that its the same. It implies that there is "another option" -- preceeded by comments indicating the author recongizes that what he is about to explain is in fact not really poutine.

There's an obviously humorous tone throughout the piece that is meant to convey (albeit in a subtle way that has shot way over the head of some) the fact that hey, this is a silly laowai just adding some excitement and a sense of discovery to a mostly unknown Chinese dish by bringing cheese and a grater.

The "attacking our readers" issue.

In terms of an "attack", O'Malley at the beginning of the comments replied "Leon you need some joy in your life" to Leon's "Really, writer? If you have to bring your own cheese and grater (And not even cheese kurds, just mozza) how the HELL is it better than "the real thing" in Beijing?"

In my book that hardly consititutes an "attack." It's a way of saying "Leon my friend, I am not actually suggesting that readers begin carrying a block of cheese and a grater to local restaurants to simulate authentic poutine. I have crafted a light-hearted, humorous piece that draws parallels between grated cheese on gravy-covered french fries and poutine, which is cheese curds on gravy-covered french fries. I am not implying what I've done is really poutine, it's just a way of creating something new from something common, and though its not identical to authentic poutine, it is quite tasty."

This interchange is the equivalent of this:

O'Malley: Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.

Leon: In fact, chickens do not cross roads. Close examination of poultry reveals they are deathly afraid of roads and will not, under any circumstances, cross a road. You need to study up on chickens, O'Malley

O'Malley: Lighten up.

Go back and read the comments yourself.

Let me summarize:

Leon: What the hell, no way is this better than poutine.

Jeremy: And it's not from Montreal

O'Malley: Come on Leon, it's meant to be a funny piece.

Badr: That was really funny!

Leon: You don't know what you are talking about, O'Malley, that's not poutine!

O'Malley: I know its not poutine ... please, it's meant to be funny.

Leon: You are a hack, loser, disrespectful, english-teaching sexual predator.

Poppy: Hey i thought the article was funny too.

Admin: Ha ha you are all taking this too seriously for god's sake

Admin: More satire about how seriously people have been taking this.

Leon: Admin, you don't give a shit about the fact that this article is not accurate! Anyone like you who could work for such an organization must be a loser!

Balucaron: I am from Quebec and I am greviously insulted! What the author has created in the above photos is not poutine!

Leon: Yes its damn innacurate and the Brits would never stand for it!!!

beijingteaching: why is it that everyone gets so insulting here

Leon: Damn straight Canadians should be outraged by having poutine compared to "xinjiang grease slopped over potatoes cooked in gutter oil". And I didn't start this! It's O'Malley's fault!

Jeremy: (possibly ironic) agreement with Leon

Admin: Leon, if you go back and read the thread, you're the one that started this. You failed to understand that the author was never intending to suggest that grating cheese over a xinjiang dish = an exact replica of poutine, and you proceeded to insert agressive personal insults into the mix.

dimit: I agree, this is a funny piece and Leon is taking it way too personally, and he's missed the point from the beginning.

admin: (humorous graphic to indicate that a silly article has generated so much argument over poutine)

jeremy: I agree the article is factually incorrect and the author does not know what he's talking about. The audacity of writers reacting to comments on their articles! I've never heard of such things! You guys are amatuers and thin-skinned as well.

[descent into madness name calling etc etc etc etc]

If you don't consider O malley's comments, such as "go away" and his first one to be instigators, nor your "double secret probation" bit of sarcasm to be an escalator, you're just plain daft...or know that you're bullshitting and don't care. failing grades... ciao.

thenines wrote:

Jeremy 29 wrote:

" But there’s another, better option … from a Chinese restaurant! And it’s been here all along."

That sentence implies it's the same. Do I really need to give you a lesson on communication?

That's sarcasm you fucking muppet.

That's actually NOT sarcasm you fucking retard. If anything it'd be considered facetious, which I don't see the point of doing in a food review article. Or are food reviews often facetious to aid the reader when making dining decisions? Is that another exclusive to the Beijinger practice?

Jeremy 29 wrote:

" But there’s another, better option … from a Chinese restaurant! And it’s been here all along."

That sentence implies it's the same. Do I really need to give you a lesson on communication?

The above statement does not imply that its the same. It implies that there is "another option" -- preceeded by comments indicating the author recongizes that what he is about to explain is in fact not really poutine.

There's an obviously humorous tone throughout the piece that is meant to convey (albeit in a subtle way that has shot way over the head of some) the fact that hey, this is a silly laowai just adding some excitement and a sense of discovery to a mostly unknown Chinese dish by bringing cheese and a grater.

The "attacking our readers" issue.

In terms of an "attack", O'Malley at the beginning of the comments replied "Leon you need some joy in your life" to Leon's "Really, writer? If you have to bring your own cheese and grater (And not even cheese kurds, just mozza) how the HELL is it better than "the real thing" in Beijing?"

In my book that hardly consititutes an "attack." It's a way of saying "Leon my friend, I am not actually suggesting that readers begin carrying a block of cheese and a grater to local restaurants to simulate authentic poutine. I have crafted a light-hearted, humorous piece that draws parallels between grated cheese on gravy-covered french fries and poutine, which is cheese curds on gravy-covered french fries. I am not implying what I've done is really poutine, it's just a way of creating something new from something common, and though its not identical to authentic poutine, it is quite tasty."

This interchange is the equivalent of this:

O'Malley: Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.

Leon: In fact, chickens do not cross roads. Close examination of poultry reveals they are deathly afraid of roads and will not, under any circumstances, cross a road. You need to study up on chickens, O'Malley

O'Malley: Lighten up.

Go back and read the comments yourself.

Let me summarize:

Leon: What the hell, no way is this better than poutine.

Jeremy: And it's not from Montreal

O'Malley: Come on Leon, it's meant to be a funny piece.

Badr: That was really funny!

Leon: You don't know what you are talking about, O'Malley, that's not poutine!

O'Malley: I know its not poutine ... please, it's meant to be funny.

Leon: You are a hack, loser, disrespectful, english-teaching sexual predator.

Poppy: Hey i thought the article was funny too.

Admin: Ha ha you are all taking this too seriously for god's sake

Admin: More satire about how seriously people have been taking this.

Leon: Admin, you don't give a shit about the fact that this article is not accurate! Anyone like you who could work for such an organization must be a loser!

Balucaron: I am from Quebec and I am greviously insulted! What the author has created in the above photos is not poutine!

Leon: Yes its damn innacurate and the Brits would never stand for it!!!

beijingteaching: why is it that everyone gets so insulting here

Leon: Damn straight Canadians should be outraged by having poutine compared to "xinjiang grease slopped over potatoes cooked in gutter oil". And I didn't start this! It's O'Malley's fault!

Jeremy: (possibly ironic) agreement with Leon

Admin: Leon, if you go back and read the thread, you're the one that started this. You failed to understand that the author was never intending to suggest that grating cheese over a xinjiang dish = an exact replica of poutine, and you proceeded to insert agressive personal insults into the mix.

dimit: I agree, this is a funny piece and Leon is taking it way too personally, and he's missed the point from the beginning.

admin: (humorous graphic to indicate that a silly article has generated so much argument over poutine)

jeremy: I agree the article is factually incorrect and the author does not know what he's talking about. The audacity of writers reacting to comments on their articles! I've never heard of such things! You guys are amatuers and thin-skinned as well.

[descent into madness name calling etc etc etc etc]

you think i'm the author? that's your last possible retort right?

I've made you look like a completely inept ass here and so the only thing that could discredit my writing is claiming that I must be the author!! OOOH! Brilliant.

No, I'm from MONTREAL and I've been in Beijing long enough to avoid reading these magazines -- but the blog posts I know are less serious, more frequent and tell more about the city through actual personalities than the real articles.
Anyway, I can't prove that I'm 100% not the writer, so maybe you got me!!!! So clever that you are! Maybe... maybe I'm ALL the authors!

Also, maybe you are a dumb ass. Go back home to the USA and stop representing expats here please.

Jeremy 29 wrote:

But, Admin, my complaints would merely be it's not a Montreal dish and just throwing mozzarella on fries and an unkown sauce doesn't really constitute poutine

the author aknowledges this directly in the piece, as well as points you in the direction of real poutine in beijing:

Quote:

Folks in the know will send homesick Canucks to The Box (RMB 35, previously co-run by a Canadian but it’s still on the menu), Grinders (RMB 45), or American Steak & Eggs (RMB 29).

Quote:

Purists may bemoan the fact that the fries aren't super-crispy, and the cheese ain't curds, but just think about it. This is a simple (but very good) Xinjiang restaurant. Which means you can probably order this dish... all over town.

So why are we skewering the author for allegedly not knowing what poutine is? It just doesn't jibe with the facts of the piece

Quote:

let alone saying it's "better" than a number of the places in Beijing that make it specifically.

"better" is a matter of opinion (not fact) so by definition it's not possible to be "innacurate" as you suggest. The man's entitled to his opinion.

BAHAHA, holy shit, what a joke. You're all a bit sensitive aren't ya? Did I hurt your feelings by disagreeing with you?

Fuck, what a retarded display of ineptitude.

Shades of other threads where Admin and the staff at the old BJer have banded together to defend shitsauce articles in the dumbest possible manner. I guess it's okay that it's not a real article, it's not a real magazine.

Good luck to you all!

wow you can't let up can you? Do you inspect the legalese of every food article to make sure the writer dotted the i's and crossed the t's of any claim and then check back in the thread history to make sure you can call out all instances of foul play? Get a life loser.
I'm tired of this forum and I just signed up!

Here's an idea to keep you really busy since you apparently don't get enough done every day to understand the lighter side of life: go check out theonion.com and report any inaccuracies you can find with your version of reality.
And before you try to make the comparison between the beijinger blog posts and the onion, just remember that you are coming here to remind us that you think there's a difference and that we care.

Maybe you are right, and this version of a poutine really SUCKS and is totally unauthentic and the writer is too dumb to know that. So funny! Good we have you to point that out! Oh and the writer is rude too, because he likes to remind people that this is not written as proof that the chinese have been making true non-montreal poutine for years without anyone knowing! Thank the forum gods that we have you to stand up against him and show us what food is all about.

Eagerly awaiting your clever reply while chewing on my french pizza made with real kao nang (NOT the actual authentic version by xiao wang). I'm being thorough so we can avoid a real fight!

ok Jeremy 29, one more time.

yes, I think it is sad that the admin is chiming in in this bizarre way -- but, the writer here was clearly making a fun post about recreating poutine in a chinese restaurant.

I'm just amazed that there could be such a ridiculous lapse in reading comprehension from so many people. I suppose it is forgivable for non-native english speakers, but especially from those claiming to be canadian and still not actually understanding the english writing in the article????? This is why I'm assuming no one here has read the piece. Otherwise grow the &^@*$! up!

One last bit. I AM Canadian, I've lived next door to several places 'specializing' in the lovely mess we call poutine. This article makes a friendly comparison to a hutong restaurant's dish that looks like poutine from a parallel universe. What? You didn't get that??
READ FIRST, COMMENT AFTER

Jeremy 29 wrote:

Uh, I am Canadian and I DO think this was an inaccurate article

these innacuracies you point out ... is this in reference to poutine being from Montreal?

tomomalley wrote:

In between all these numerous publications you've been writing for you've somehow found the time to write 760 posts on the Beijinger forums. You're simply never away from that keyboard, are you? We appreciate your loyalty!

Tom, I don't need to justify myself to the likes of you when it comes to that. Especially since 760 posts over three years ain't that much. Just know the fact you've now chosen to attack me for pointing out the Beijinger's lack of tact in such a situation speaks volumes about your professionalism and sensitivity. Enjoy the station you've risen to, it'll likely be your highest.

admin wrote:

Leon Walsky wrote:

Well, then you're one of the few people who doesn't get ticked off when their national cuisine is compared to xinjiang grease slopped over potatoes cooked in gutter oil.

Scuze me Mr Not-Canadian but your statement that your national cuisine (oops, I mean Canada's national cuisine, because you're not Canadian) is being compared to "xinjiang grease slopped over potatoes cooked in gutter oil" is a far more offensive inference than anything said about Canuck food in this article.

Your virulent remarks and personal attacks in reaction to an amusing article like this -- that both points out where you can dine on real poutine in Beijing as well as presents a creative look at a relatively obscure dish that is likely to appeal to the 99% of everyone else who could give two flying fucks about poutine -- is a real testimony to your character.

Enjoy your culture shock and do look into getting back home soon, as you're on the edge dude. I've seen it many times. Bail before it's too late.

Uh, I am Canadian and I DO think this was an inaccurate article done by a guy who doesn't know what he's talking about and if we were talking about French food in such a manner or Italian food this place would be full of people making an issue out of it.

Your writer attacked the first post by walsky, which was not offensive at all, then your writer got slapped for it and carried it on. Then you got involved. What kind of publication is this anyway? I've worked at numerous publications and I've never seen something as sad as a writer and then "admin" come on and start insulting commentators in such a manner and then keep it going. I've had threats to my safety, been called a stooge for both unions and corporation, had people call me dozens of names and more and I've never GONE on the site and answered. Looks pretty bush league. You guys need to toughen up.

LEON WALSKY

Wow, I had to create an account here, as you instantly converted me from a forum lurker into an active participant --- only to tell you and all other people who comment either on articles they haven't yet read (BALOUCARON & LEON WALSKY), or those they completely don't understand (LEON WALSKY) that you should all crawl back into your little forum holes from which you came.

Leon walsky, you are a total loser.

This is a really funny article from a person who clearly knows EXACTLY what a poutine is, but chose to give us something fun to read instead of being overly concerned that the turds of Beijing's expat community might snort our their warm evening milk from their ayi's tit.

Go home!

Leon Walsky wrote:

No, I'm sorry I haven't done the hours of blood sweat and research required to watch a DVD written by an obviously biased Montreal restaurant. I'm sure in your mind you're giving Mickey Spilane a run for his money with your journalistic prowess and deserve a knighthood. But, the rest of us would prefer article containing factual content and respect for the topic at hand. As well, if you're going to walk around pretending to be a reporter you should learn to take abuse from readers, it's unprofessional to come on here and have a little hissy fit when someone calls you out on your lazy performance. If you can't handle that part of the job then go back to whatever cut-rate English school farted you out and resume spending your time correcting fragment sentences and trying to fuck 18-year-old, doe-eyed girls from Jilin.

-30-

YEEAHHH BOOOYEEEE!

"If you can't handle that part of the job then go back to whatever cut-rate English school farted you out and resume spending your time correcting fragment sentences and trying to f*** 18-year-old, doe-eyed girls from Jilin."

What exactly is wrong with this website (or maybe just some of the people that use it) that it provokes such a reaction? The article is a little bit of fun that's all, if you can't have a sense of humour in life then you really are not going to live that long. As for Leon's quote, I've been a teacher for 10 years and what you wrote is insulting a profession that deserves some damn respect, you really should be careful what you put in print. I'm British and quite frankly couldn't care less what goes into bubble and squeak when you're eating it in a restaurant several thousand miles from home, in fact on the contrary it's one of the great aspects of travel that you find these curiosities. Nice article Tom.

As a Québecoise, I can't help but find this article insulting. What makes poutine so great is the fresh cheese curds which in actual poutine restaurants, are brought in and made that very same day and the gravy, which looks nothing like whats on this picture...My friends, please don't judge poutine based on this poorly made replica.

Shame on you for not paying the proper respect to poutine that it deserves.

I mean you don't hear her majesty's fine subjects of the Great White North referring to Spotted Dick in anything but hushed terms of awe and reverence, now do you?

Canadians would rather jab themselves in the eye with a red hot iron poker than besmirch Baked Beans on Toast or other shining examples of Britain's fine culinary tradition.

I for one enjoyed this article, and read it as the light hearted piece it was intended to be. Let's all just get a grip and let it go!

Tom...

words escape me...

Leon Walsky wrote:

Really, writer? If you have to bring your own cheese and grater (And not even cheese kurds, just mozza) how the HELL is it better than "the real thing" in Beijing?

Not only that, it ain't from Montreal. There's a bunch of smaller Quebec towns that claim it, but none decisively. And it's "sauce" pure gravy poutine is for posuers and Acadians.