TS: Chinese buffets vs. regular buffets

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Chinese buffets are better, because they don't cook vegetables to a mush.

― Christine 'Green Leafy Dragon' Indigo (cindigo), Sunday, 7 September 2003 00:11 (twenty-two years ago)

You want vegetables? Eat the salad. Buffets ain't for vegetables no how. (Potatoes excluded, of course.)

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Sunday, 7 September 2003 00:18 (twenty-two years ago)

I forgot to mention the greasy meatloaf and dry roast beef, sorry. And Chinese buffets have better looking waitstaff.

― Christine 'Green Leafy Dragon' Indigo (cindigo), Sunday, 7 September 2003 00:22 (twenty-two years ago)

No they're all ugly middle-age people.

― Leee (Leee), Sunday, 7 September 2003 00:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Plus hardcore Chinese food is gross.

― Leee (Leee), Sunday, 7 September 2003 00:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Buffets are best for places where you like many things and they divide easily into small portions; places you've recently discovered or are curious about, that have many things you haven't tried; and places you aren't able to go to very often. The best buffet I've been to was a Thai buffet where nothing was labelled, and things were replaced with different things as often as with the same; maybe not so great if someone has food allergies, but great for food exploring. The worst I've been to was a Chinese buffet in Amherst, where I got food poisoning from still-raw-in-the-middle pork dumplings, and still went back later (it was the only restaurant I could walk to, and there was no bus).

Somewhere in the middle is the Court of Two Sisters brunch buffet, which does grillades and grits very differently than I do but still good; has the requisite Eggs Benedict and Shrimp Creole; decent dessert selection, lip-service fruit; good gumbo, although there are plenty of places that do it better, and many of them are cheaper; no turtle soup, at least when I went, which is a shame for a New Orleans brunch buffet; and to its discredit, served King Cake even though it was near Thanksgiving. Fie on you, two sisters, and your Court as well.

― Tep (ktepi), Sunday, 7 September 2003 00:26 (twenty-two years ago)

No they're all ugly middle-age people.

No, the ones that work in the ones here are all nicely dressed sweet young things (female and male). And I mean all five of the ones that I go to around here.

― Christine 'Green Leafy Dragon' Indigo (cindigo), Sunday, 7 September 2003 00:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Chinese buffets, because most of the regular buffets I've been to have served some of the most absurdly bland food I've ever had and because the Taste of China Super Buffet is the best buffet place in the city, period. (The buffet is amusingly referenced in this online journal, btw. At least I *think* it's the same one. I think the only other Taste of China buffet in the state of TX is in Bryan/College Station, and San Antonio is close to San Marcos, so it *has* to be the same place.)

Ooh, now I feel like going to the Taste of China and getting me some lo mein noodles, shrimp stir fry, steamed white rice, green beans, and fried bread.

― Just Deanna (Dee the Lurker), Sunday, 7 September 2003 01:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I've lived about a ten minute walk away from Chicago's Chinatown for 2 and a half years now, and I've still never walked over for Sunday dim sum. I mean, I want to, one of these days, I'm just lazy. Plus I never get up until after noon anyway on Sundays.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Sunday, 7 September 2003 01:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Tep you are insane if you don't like Court of Two Sisters! And of course they have turtle soup, my stepmom had it when we were there like two months ago!

― hstencil, Sunday, 7 September 2003 02:13 (twenty-two years ago)

I didn't say I didn't like it! It's just in between the best and the worst. The lack of turtle soup cost them (I'm glad they've had it other times, but they didn't have it this time), and I automatically dock points for having King Cake out of season. Don't worry, I like it :) It's one of the places I recommend to people who visit (the building is very weird, but maybe that's good; it's got that lived-in feeling you don't get in the shiny new places).

― Tep (ktepi), Sunday, 7 September 2003 02:19 (twenty-two years ago)

of course it's lived-in, it's one of the oldest restaurants in New Orleans!

― hstencil, Sunday, 7 September 2003 02:26 (twenty-two years ago)

What are you, in Florida or something, Christine?

Indian buffets are the answer.

― Chris P (Chris P), Sunday, 7 September 2003 02:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Exactly, stence. Well, mostly exactly -- not all old restaurants keep that, you know? I mean, Galatoire's has been around a hell of a long time, unless it's the other one I'm thinking of, and it doesn't have that feeling nearly as much. (On the other hand, Nola is pretty new, and it's got it; I'm not sure what the building used to be, but it's at least meant to look like they haven't changed it much.)

― Tep (ktepi), Sunday, 7 September 2003 02:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Indian buffets are the answer.

Really? I live close to two Indian buffet places. Hm. Should try that out for lunch sometime next week.

― Just Deanna (Dee the Lurker), Sunday, 7 September 2003 02:46 (twenty-two years ago)

"Mongolian grills" are the best. Too bad the closest cheap one to me shut down (in its place, a fucking sports bar).

Also good - various truck-stop breakfast buffets.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Sunday, 7 September 2003 03:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Mongolian grills are also nice, but I still think Indian buffets are the answer. Maybe Mongolian grills are better for the flesh-eaters, I dunno.

― Chris P (Chris P), Sunday, 7 September 2003 03:27 (twenty-two years ago)

EAT THE FLESH

Er, sorry.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 7 September 2003 03:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Old Country Buffet. YUM!

― phil-two (phil-two), Sunday, 7 September 2003 03:30 (twenty-two years ago)

I've never been to an Indian buffet in my life - in fact I can't think of anywhere in my area (Surrey & South West London) that is such a place. Maybe it's an American thing? (I hope one of the UK posters will prove me wrong.)

Chinese buffets: There's this restaraunt in Kingston-Upon-Thames (which is near London) which is a really good Chinese buffet - when I went there it had the most divine Chinese food I have ever tasted. I think it's called "Mr. Wu's" if you're in the area and want to try... though I should add I last went there in 1997, so they've obviously changed the entire staff by now, and to be honest I'm not even sure it's still there anymore. I keep meaning to check whenever I'm in Kingston, but I always forget and spend all my time in the record shops instead.

― Chriddof (Chriddof), Sunday, 7 September 2003 10:31 (twenty-two years ago)

All the Indian restaurants round our way (Glasgow) do excellent buffet evenings for about £6 or £7. Consider it not an American thing.

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 7 September 2003 11:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Goodo!

― Chriddof (Chriddof), Sunday, 7 September 2003 13:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Indian buffets are the answer

yes, but

Chinese buffets are better, because they don't cook vegetables to a mush.

a good rejoinder

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Sunday, 7 September 2003 13:11 (twenty-two years ago)

we only have chinese buffets and the old country buffet at home, and i vote chinese on the absurdly bland western food grievance. in williamstown i have no idea what buffets there are besides the dining halls.

― Maria (Maria), Sunday, 7 September 2003 13:32 (twenty-two years ago)

there's a pan-asian buffet on long island that has fresh sushi and bubble tea! and the vegetables are astonishingly unmushy.

― animal wrangler (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 7 September 2003 13:55 (twenty-two years ago)

What are you, in Florida or something, Christine?

You guessed it.

there's a pan-asian buffet on long island that has fresh sushi and bubble tea! and the vegetables are astonishingly unmushy.

Every Chinese buffet I've seen down here has sushi.

I've never seen or heard about any Indian buffets here. If I see any, I'll go.

― Christine 'Green Leafy Dragon' Indigo (cindigo), Sunday, 7 September 2003 14:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Whoops, I forgot about Sweet Tomatoes. There's two of them within a fifty-mile radius of me. They have good food.

(It's a salad/pasta/soup/vegitarian-friendly buffet chain, for those of you that don't know about them.)

― Christine 'Green Leafy Dragon' Indigo (cindigo), Sunday, 7 September 2003 14:21 (twenty-two years ago)

there's a pan-asian buffet on long island that has fresh sushi and bubble tea! and the vegetables are astonishingly unmushy.

Every Chinese buffet I've seen down here has sushi.

but this sushi is GOOD. :-)

― animal wrangler (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 7 September 2003 14:32 (twenty-two years ago)

I mean I'm usually afraid of buffet seafood no matter how good it looks, but I trust this place b/c it has a really high turnover rate.

― animal wrangler (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 7 September 2003 14:34 (twenty-two years ago)

There's a couple bad-ass Mediterranean buffets in Lex that I love. There's a BBQ/buffet joint in Memphis that I still have fond dream rememberences of. However, there's only one kind of buffet I get a soul-shaking craving for, and that would be the Chinese buffet.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Sunday, 7 September 2003 19:53 (twenty-two years ago)

A) I cannot believe that anyone here would eat/has eaten turtle. Ever. *shuddering* *gagging* *horrified* (And no, I'm not a vegetarian, and I have no trouble eating meat, but I cannot imagine eating turtle. They're too damn intelligent and sweet and basically screwed by nature.)

B) I can no longer eat at buffets, period, after having read Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential.

― I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Monday, 8 September 2003 00:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Chinese buffet = MSG glop and watching some 400 lb guy devour yet another mountain of special fried rice on his plate pretty much kills my appetite. Regular buffets don't fare much better, although there is a decent thai buffet I patronize occasionally.

― fletrejet, Monday, 8 September 2003 01:11 (twenty-two years ago)

What's good about buffets? If I'm going to pay restaurant prices, someone better bring me the goddamn food.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 8 September 2003 03:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Being able to try lots of stuff without paying lots-of-stuff prices: if I'm going to a Thai place I'm familiar with, I'm gonna get the gai kaprau or the beef salad almost every time, just because I really really like those things. But if it's a buffet, I can satisfy those cravings and still have the pad thai and the chicken and coconut milk things and so on.

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 8 September 2003 03:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Chinese buffets generally have unlimited snow crab legs = Chinese buffets rule all things ever.

― Ally (mlescaut), Monday, 8 September 2003 04:22 (twenty-two years ago)

B) I can no longer eat at buffets, period, after having read Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential.
I haven't read that, but after stuff I've seen in kitchens, none of it really bothers me. Whether I'm eating at a $6.95 buffet or having a $29.95 lobster tail, the odds are, something's going on that I don't like. Silverware being dropped on the ground and picked up, given the old hot breath polish and so-on.

If I haven't died/gotten sick/noticed-the-spittle-in-my-food yet, then I probably never will.

What's good about buffets? If I'm going to pay restaurant prices, someone better bring me the goddamn food.
I prefer not being waited on - partially because I think most servers are terrible (We're there to eat and/or talk to friends/family - not you, please do not try to be our friend. You don't care how our day has gone, thanks for asking), partially because of my own experiences (and how much I despised 90% of the guests).

Buffets generally save the trouble. And I don't feel obligated to tip 50% to soothe my own guilt and issues with the job.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 8 September 2003 04:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Based on recent evidence (#1 China Buffet on Reynolds Rd. in Lex. this night's PM), Ally is 100% OTM. Snow crab legs = REWL!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 8 September 2003 04:45 (twenty-two years ago)

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