Ne-Yo's Conditional Love of Japan

[Mulboyne]

[floatl][/floatl]Contact Music: Ne-Yo's Japanese Obsession
Ne-Yo wants to move to Japan - but only if they open a range of chicken shops. The US 'Closer' singer said the far eastern nation is his favourite country, but he has trouble with the local cuisine - which includes lots of fresh fish, sushi and seaweed - when he visits. He said: "Japan is my favourite country in the world. I'd probably live there if everything wasn't so small. The apartments are so small and I need my space. I love the culture, the people, everything about it. "The only thing I don't like is the food. We'd have to set up a chain of chicken restaurants - my favourite is peri-peri chicken like they serve at South African chain Nandos - over there, then I'd be ok!" Comic books are also a huge part of Japanese popular culture, and are something else Ne-Yo is a huge fan of. He added: "I'm a comic book fanatic. I recently read one called 'Preacher'. It's not for kids as it's gory, but it's entertaining. They're a great method of escapism and I'd rather read an adult comic over anything else."

[IkemenTommy]

[Doctor Stop]

I'd probably live there if everything wasn't so small.

It sounds like Ne's commenting directly on Japanese H··ters.

[Mulboyne]

[Tsuru]

I don't know about his comments regarding the dimunitive size of stuff in Japan... He seems aptly sized for the environment.

[Gum]

I'd Move to California, if they would have more shoppes dedicated to my liking and a free house on the hills.

Just sayin',

-Gum-

[IparryU]

I'd Move to California, if they would have more shoppes dedicated to my liking and a free house on the hills.

Just sayin',

-Gum-

dont forget wingstop, Jack in the crack, Carl Jr.'s, or Tacoshmell my man!

[McTojo]

I don't give two shits about what he thinks about Japan. Just come here, do a jig and take your black ass back to America!

(" A chain of chicken restaurants. Japan is too small. Japanese food is no good!"). Just like a fucking "$#%#%##! No sense of taste, stinks, don't know anything about refinement. Japanese cuisine is one of the most highly regarded cuisines in the world!

[AlbertSiegel]

Who?

[IparryU]

Japanese cuisine is one of the most highly regarded cuisines in the world!

It also has the least amount of flavour... I would prefer many other foods over Japanese food.

Some J-food I cannot live without:
Sukiyaki
all varieties of Donburi
that miso and peanut salad dressing
Hyouketsu
...

cant think of much else...

[McTojo]

It also has the least amount of flavour... I would prefer many other foods over Japanese food.

Some J-food I cannot live without:
Sukiyaki
all varieties of Donburi
that miso and peanut salad dressing
Hyouketsu
...

cant think of much else...

I think you have it all wrong. Maybe your tongue has the least amount of refinement. There's something wrong with your tongue. The flavors are there. I had to grow a whole new set of receptors in my brain to learn how to appreciate Japanese taste.

[Greji]

I think you have it all wrong. Maybe your tongue has the least amount of refinement. There's something wrong with your tongue. The flavors are there. I had to grow a whole new set of receptors in my brain to learn how to appreciate Japanese taste.

You've been in Japan a day and a half and have developed Umami?

No wonder you feel qualified to instruct them on their 6,000+ years of culture...

[Samurai_Jerk]

It also has the least amount of flavour... I would prefer many other foods over Japanese food.

Japanese food is excellent. Non Japanese food in Japan is horrible. And I don't want anyone telling me about the three-star French restaurants and the the guy who won the pizza making contest in Italy. Those examples are not representative of the average.

[Mulboyne]

...Non Japanese food in Japan is horrible. And I don't want anyone telling me about the three-star French restaurants and the the guy who won the pizza making contest in Italy. Those examples are not representative of the average.

The options have improved substantially over the last 20 years in Tokyo. The average quality might be the same as before, or even lower, but that's because cheap, mediocre restaurants have proliferated faster than decent joints. Take an extreme example like burgers, for instance. There may now be as many as 20 places which are worth eating it but there must be hundreds more fast food burger joints which have opened up in the meantime.

[McTojo]

Japanese food is excellent. Non Japanese food in Japan is horrible. And I don't want anyone telling me about the three-star French restaurants and the the guy who won the pizza making contest in Italy. Those examples are not representative of the average.

Let's see...First of all, I've been to over 12 countries and I'm hear to tell you, your assessment is wrong. I know from experience that dishes like pasta and even fettuccine taste better here in Japan than in Italy. Chinese food in Japan taste better than Chinese food in China. However, in America junk tastes better in America. Even Thai food taste better in Japan than Thailand. Korean food taste better in Korea.

[BigInJapan]

your assessment is wrong. I know from experience that dishes like pasta and even fettuccine taste better here in Japan than in Italy.

I think 60 million Italians might disagree with you on that one.

An American (even one with such self-declared culturally superior taste buds as yourself) decreeing that pasta tastes better in Japan, is like a Japanese saying that curry rice in Japan is better than the real thing in India.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Chinese food in Japan taste better than Chinese food in China.

If you had any credibility it would have been lost with that statement. The Chinese food in Japan is fucking awful.

[Yokohammer]

Let's see...First of all, I've been to over 12 countries ...

Why, keep getting kicked out?
Oh good, it won't be long then ...

[McTojo]

If you had any credibility it would have been lost with that statement. The Chinese food in Japan is fucking awful.

Chinese food in China is crap! Anybody who's been there knows this fact. Hell, Bamiyans puts out better tasting Chinese food than China.

I think 60 million Italians might disagree with you on that one.

An American (even one with such self-declared culturally superior taste buds as yourself) decreeing that pasta tastes better in Japan, is like a Japanese saying that curry rice in Japan is better than the real thing in India.

Of course they'd disagree with me, but I've been to Italy twice and know that to be true.

[IparryU]

I think 60 million Italians might disagree with you on that one.

An American (even one with such self-declared culturally superior taste buds as yourself) decreeing that pasta tastes better in Japan, is like a Japanese saying that curry rice in Japan is better than the real thing in India.

fuck japanese curry:
no spices, just thick stew...

fuck japanese pasta:
same shit like in any country but with less taste...

[Greji]

I've been to Italy twice and know that to be true.

You forgot to mention teaching them culture as well as cooking.....

[nottu]

[Netherlander]

fuck japanese pasta:
same shit like in any country but with less taste...

Don't you mean; less garlic.

[Mulboyne]

...The more common Italian restaurants in Japan are not very good IMO...

That's really the point. The average is not the best guide to the standard of any city's international offerings. London has great Indian restaurants but there are hundreds which are only mediocre or worse. The same is true of the city's Chinese, Thai and Italian restaurants.

I think Japan's average restaurant offering is worse than it was 20 years ago. Deflation has taken its toll and sites get taken more and more by large scale chains. You don't always notice the preponderance of restaurant chains in Japan because they operate so many brands. Take a typical company like Dynac. They run 43 formats including Hibiki dining bars and faux international offerings like Papa Milano, the Rose & Crown pubs, Tiki Tiki Hawaiian, and Tokyo Vin Vin. The key piece of kitchen equipment in restaurants like these is the microwave.

With customers paying less and less, restaurants have been cutting costs, which means more central buying of lower quality ingredients, more frozen food and more standardized preparation to suit part-time employees. I think sometimes tourists give mediocre Japanese restaurants higher praise than warranted because the service and presentation is usually good and they appreciate the whole experience.

Having said that, you really don't have to look too hard to find great food in Tokyo which is why it does deserve its position as one of the world's gourmet capitals.

[Dragonette]

[Adhesive]

I always love arguments over subjective preference.

[nottu]

[McTojo]

[Gum]

Mayonnaise for everybody!

-Gum-

[Greji]

Mayonnaise for everybody!

-Gum-

The new replacement for soy sauce...