That's egregiously expensive.

On another note, it reminds me of the "wooden milk bread" from a bakery in the East Tsim Sha Tsui metro station in Hong Kong (http://buildingmybento.wordpress.com/2012/01/12/woodenmilk/ and http://www.a-1bakery.com.hk/eng/products/p-bakery-french.php)

I'd like to see Haraguchi san's take on the coffee ramen I ate at Aroma in Ohanajaya (Tokyo). That was two weeks ago, and my stomach is still searching for answers.

If you're vegetarian and traipsing around China, expressing that to the waitstaff/chef is a euphemism for "add bits of pork, not strips." Saying you will be gravely ill should an animal touch your plate might work out better.

Fortunately, I didn't have to worry about this, though a couple of mates did. Unfortunately, gravely ill might happen with or without speaking up.

@metaphora, for Filipino foodstuffs (and among those, extremely bright colors found in jars) you may want to get to Phil-Am Foods in Woodside (or this website: http://www.philamfood.com/).
Fans of ube, the small Filipino stretch on Roosevelt Ave. may cheer you up.

@debragaynor I've asked around at a few Turk places in Manhattan (and Sunnyside), but kumru seems to be a bit more shy than other (more familiar, I guess?) staples. Either find a place that specializes in regional Izmir cuisine, or inquire about its ingredients at Kalustyan's.

Though Turkish eateries have become more prevalent over the past few years, I still wish NYers could just roll up to the water's edge and grab a balık ekmek...

Whenever I ate the triple delight (as Fu Run calls it) in China, it had bell peppers, though what makes the dish looks more true-to-form is the fact that it is almost drowning in sauce.

The cucumber salad looks nice, so long as they weren't heavy on the sugar.

Quality (and free-flowing) olive oil is one of the few reasons to keep me going back to a restaurant/country. For instance, the Turkish Airlines lounge in Istanbul has an olive oil tasting table, as well as a decent stock to be taken advantage of by the cold dishes section; even though their grilled patlıcan (eggplant) had been pre-OO'd, adding a few more fluid ounces didn't hurt.

@ Erin, Pupusas are one-half the reason why I order...pupusas. The other is curtido. Do they have red cabbage salad and curtido, or does the former take the place of the latter? Either way, the plate looks nice.

Regarding the kebabs, I'd typically say "buyao feifei de," or "I don't want the very fatty ones." By that point, I'm just left with a cumin-flavored oversized toothpick.

Although starting a bit too late, I've taken a picture of every onigiri I've tried in Japan. About half are eliminated due to the presence of mayonnaise (which is good, just not in Asia).

Now more than ever, it'll be like eating in China, and not just Chinatown. Only difference is, I'd actually eat the oyster-stuffed garlic here.

One of my favorites is the koon pan, "corn" bread, with kernels baked in it. I could only ever find it at DONQ in Japan, but maybe Takahachi has it too...did you notice it @AndrewCoe?

Will the ORD, the fake Oreo, be included in your next review? My flavor preferences are surely different, but I'd rather know which flavors go best with Chinese milk, as besides Guangming and Kowloon Dairy, the rest seem to be 不好喝.