I'm even fine with paying $5 or more for a soft drink at a super fancy restaurant where it's served to me in a real glass with ice by a professional waiter or bartender. But $5 for a Coke that I had to walk up to a counter to pick up myself, that I had to pay for immediately, that was served in a glass bottle with no cup, no ice, and not even a straw? Am I being unreasonable? More

The 39 Japanese chefs who came to the Culinary Institute of America's Napa Valley campus joined other culinary experts to sell their love of Japanese food. Panelists included Ruth Reichl, Harold McGee, David Chang, Iron Chef Morimoto, and many Japanese culinary legends. Food is clearly serious business in Japan, particularly seafood. We learned that while Japan is smaller than California, due to its coastal jaggedness, it has fifty percent more coastline the entire United States. More

David Chang and me. [Photograph: Traca Savadogo] Lucky me—I recently got a double helping of David Chang, who unwittingly reaffirmed my culinary quest to try and make the leap from critic to cook. First, at the Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium last month in Oxford, Mississippi, I shamelessly ingratiated myself by offering the superstar chef a little "Trick or Meat" on Halloween, sharing some salumi I toted from Salumi in Seattle. Chang and his crew were at the awesome annual event to make lunch for the 300-plus participants. (One highlight of the meal was beautiful, paper-thin slices of Allan Benton's country ham draped over tender salad greens.) After sampling some salumi, I think "mole" might be David Chang's new favorite four-letter... More

Just when I thought there was nothing left to say or learn about David Chang, the USA Network produced this three-and-a-half-minute mini documentary on him that is both selectively revealing (we see him smiling but not yelling) and engaging. I've got to hand it to Chang—he still doesn't pull any punches. The man says exactly what he thinks and feels. My three favorite Chang quotes from the video: "As much as I love to have a fun time and be lighthearted about things, food and how we approach it is life and death to me." "We try not to cook for the customers really, but cook for ourselves." "You learn by burning yourself and basically screwing up."... More

I admit it. My life is not exactly made to order for conventional dieting programs. In any given week I end up going to a couple potential diet-busting events that could make my Friday morning Serious Eats weigh-in problematic. So I've adopted some strategies and tactics that may sound nutty but have been surprisingly effective. For example, I weigh myself every day, which Weight Watchers frowns on as regular practice. I know my weight can fluctuate two and even three pounds depending on how much water I am retaining, even without going to one of these food events. But by getting on the scale every day, I get some sense of how I have fared each day and can adjust... More

Crispy lamb filets with chili cumin from Szechuan Gourmet. Photograph taken by Kathryn Yu Wall Street Journal food writer Raymond Sokolov poses this very question as he decries the dearth of both high-quality, high-end Chinese restaurants in America and contemporary non-Chinese chefs in American kitchens who rarely look to China for inspiration. Is he right? I have an opinion, but I'm sure many other serious eaters do as well.... More

Charlie Rose interviewed David Chang last night for a full hour. It's a great dialogue in that inimitable in-depth Charlie Rose style. The video is an hour long, but well worth watching if you have the time. Video after the jump, plus a bonus video of Chang making pickled eggs on The Martha Stewart Show.... More

New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni is frustrated at the reservation process at Momofuku Ko, the impossible-to-get-into pork-injected haute-cuisine spin-off of David Chang's Momofuku empire in New York. The place has 12 seats and employs a web-based reservation system that requires you to log in at 10 a.m. for seats a week out. It's egalitarian in theory, and I admire Chang and company for subjecting everyone—VIPs and schlubs alike—to the same miserable experience of signing on and viewing a series of little red Xs indicating you're hosed. Supposedly, the place does not play favorites. Still, as level as the playing field is, there've been complaints about logging on, seeing a green checkmark, clicking on it, but then being told... More

Tina Wong (aka The Wandering Eater) documents her meal at Momofuku Ko, chef David Chang's newest restaurant in New York City, with a liberal helping of food porn and mouthwatering descriptions. Her final verdict: "YOU MUST TRY IT!" Just grab one of those notoriously difficult online reservations and you're in! Previously Ed Levine's first impressions of Momofuku Ko Photo of the Day: Cheddar and Bacon Chive Scone Photo of the Day: WD-50 Unique Desserts at the Dessert Studio in New York City... More