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And if you have indeed been to even any of them...Chicago in particular I'd love to hear about your experiences at these various establishments and what LA has that Chicago doesn't...this is the point of the thread. Debate....Lol so thanks for pointing that out.
And if you have indeed been to even any of them...Chicago in particular I'd love to hear about your experiences at these various establishments and what LA has that Chicago doesn't...this is the point of the thread. Debate....Lol so thanks for pointing that out.
Even though I don't agree with your view of LA and the Cali food scene in general (I think Cali has an amazing and diverse food culture) I do agree with people having to actually prove that some of these cities are that far ahead when it comes to variety. I think NYC is probably the only city in the country that could really check ALL the ethnic food boxes, all the others will have some types of foods not available.
So Chicago, SF, LA, Philly, DC, Hou, Dal, Boston, Seattle, is there really that much of a difference between them that there would be that many foods not available in each? Also it would be interesting to include Canadian cities. Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, I wonder where they would rank?
Quality wise, there are obviously some that stand out, but that is another topic.
No kidding...I seriously doubt everyone on this post or any post that gets commented on has been to every place that gets mentioned. So I doubt you've been to every single city mentioned here. That doesn't make you biased?
The thing is, I haven't given an opinion on multiple cities. All I've said was NYC had the best Chinese I've ever eaten and San Francisco had the best seafood and clam chowder I've eaten. I'm from LA, so I'm not being biased. I haven't ranked any cities in a specific order and I haven't given an overall opinion because I've yet to eat in these major cities. I have little to no experience, and therefore my opinion on this subject is invalid.
The fact that I've been to both Singapore and Malaysia and was shown around both places by locals who are obsessed with food. Not to mention friends of mine who have been to both agree on this, as well as friends of mine who live in Singapore or have lived in Singapore and are familiar with Malaysia. Most them grew up in Malaysia, but they all love Singapore and grew up visiting often. Singapore is only about a 3 hour drive from KL.
I've honestly never met anybody who's visited both countries say that Singapore has better food, myself included. I know people who think Singapore is a better city (urban wise, it is for sure. KL is more like if Honolulu and Los Angeles had a baby).. Myself included again - Kuala Lumpur has much better food based on what I had and on average it's much cheaper too (and according to all my friends, Penang has amazing food even compared to KL standards, but I haven't been there yet). I thought the food in Singapore was good, but overrated as a supposed "great food city." I thought the KL area pretty much outdid it on everything food.
I also have a friend who recently went to Malaysia and Singapore, and has spent a decent amount of time in both Vietnam and Thailand and said Malaysia had the best food of the four.
I'm a Singaporean citizen, I live in the United States on a Green Card. It's my hometown (Marina District more specifically) and I've lived there and been back there numerous times. I know the city better than anyone else on this forum minus The Postman and Singaporelady, as it's their hometown too.
I've been all over western Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur, Georgetown (Penang), and several of the villages along in Klang Valley and the coast as well as Singapore's bi-national suburb, Johor Bahru. It's much easier to do that when you have a red Singaporean passport.
Yeah, when someone who has only been there for three days and never even been to Thailand (while I haven't seen all of it, Bangkok I have seen) telling me about the food scene of my hometown, it becomes pretty hard to believe. Considering Singapore attracts the top culinary talent from Southeast Asia, if widely considered the fusion food capital of Southeast Asia, and then attracts top culinary talent from the world and you haven't even expressed which variation of Malaysian food you like yet. Or which foods you didn't like in Singapore. So I'll ask for clarification and detail, if that's alright with you. Where in Singapore did you go? What did you try? Which cuisines did you touch up on in Singapore? Where in Malaysia did you go? Which variations of Malaysian cuisine did you touch up on? What else did you try? Where is your experience profoundly with Thai food (in the United States?)?
Last edited by Trafalgar Law; 05-23-2014 at 01:37 PM..
I'm a Singaporean citizen, I live in the United States on a Green Card. It's my hometown (Marina District more specifically) and I've lived there and been back there numerous times. I know the city better than anyone else on this forum minus The Postman and Singaporelady, as it's their hometown too.
I've been all over western Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur, Georgetown (Penang), and several of the villages along in Klang Valley and the coast as well as Singapore's bi-national suburb, Johor Bahru. It's much easier to do that when you have a red Singaporean passport.
Yeah, when someone who has only been there for three days and never even been to Thailand (while I haven't seen all of it, Bangkok I have seen) telling me about the food scene of my hometown, it becomes pretty hard to believe. Considering Singapore attracts the top culinary talent from Southeast Asia, if widely considered the fusion food capital of Southeast Asia, and then attracts top culinary talent from the world and you haven't even expressed which variation of Malaysian food you like yet. Or which foods you didn't like in Singapore. So I'll ask for clarification and detail, if that's alright with you. Where in Singapore did you go? What did you try? Which cuisines did you touch up on in Singapore? Where in Malaysia did you go? Which variations of Malaysian cuisine did you touch up on? What else did you try? Where is your experience profoundly with Thai food (in the United States?)?
That's cool, and I'm telling you what my experience was, along with my friends who are from both Malaysia and Singapore. I also don't know how you get off by saying I was telling about "your scene." I'm telling my own experience as a traveler - stop being so touchy because someone said your food wasn't as good as your neighbors'. Most of what I was saying was about Malaysian cuisine, which you would have realized had you read about 5 of my posts talking about my experience there. I only stated about my experience in Singapore. I also barely mentioned Thai food, so I don't even know why you keep mentioning that in the first place. I mentioned friends who have been to all countries and their opinion. Apparently you somehow think that's me when I barely even brought up Thai food in the first place. All I said was that I like Malaysian food more than Thai. Is there something wrong with this? Oh, because I never went to Thailand, I don't have an opinion all of a sudden on anything?
I don't remember the name of every single place I went to in Singapore, just like I barely remember any names of places I went to in Malaysia - I can tell you that in Singapore I had different types of Chinese foods (as my ex and her family are Chinese) showed to us by their friend who's been living in Singapore for 15 years with good "local spots" (which her parents already knew about since they go to Singapore 10X/year). I also had Indian food there in Little India. NOTHING I had was bad. NOTHING. However, what I had in Malaysia was more memorable. I can tell you that my first meal in Malaysia, a hole in the wall Nasi Kandar place, was one of the best plates of food I've ever had. That includes plates of food against Michelin starred restaurants in NYC and Chicago I've eaten at.
Maybe you should actually read the posts I was responding to with the other guy, otherwise you wouldn't be asking me what kinds of Malaysian food I had. My ex girlfriend is from Malaysia, a Malaysian citizen, and had only been in the US for a whopping 2 years. I was shown around KL (i.e. KL, PJ, Klang, etc), Khota Bahru, Malacca, and Johor Bahru for a few weeks by not only her, but her entire family who's very familiar with both countries. You can say I didn't get as much as a crash course on Singapore for its food, you're correct, but you questioning me about the fact that I thought Malaysian food was better is bull. It's called an opinion, and yes I covered a lot of ground in 3 days I was in Singapore. My ex's parents love the country and just like they did in Malaysia, they showed me around Singapore constantly. I barely got to rest and since they're obsessed with food, the entire vacation in both countries was the fullest I've ever been on any vacation.
I was also bringing in my friends who've lived in both places and what their opinions of it are. Both are culinary powerhouses, but again my own experiences is that what I had in Malaysia was superior to what I had in Singapore, and by no means was the food in Singapore even close to "bad" but it was not, on average, not as memorable as what I had in every part of Malaysia I traveled to. I already know from having many Malaysian friends, who've also lived in Singapore, that you guys spar on this all the time too.
Last edited by marothisu; 05-23-2014 at 02:34 PM..
Most of what I was saying was about Malaysian cuisine, which you would have realized had you read about 5 of my posts talking about my experience there. I only stated about my experience in Singapore. I also barely mentioned Thai food, so I don't even know why you keep mentioning that in the first place. I mentioned friends who have been to all countries and their opinion. Apparently you somehow think that's me when I barely even brought up Thai food in the first place. All I said was that I like Malaysian food more than Thai. Is there something wrong with this? Oh, because I never went to Thailand, I don't have an opinion all of a sudden on anything?
A few things first:
You have 37 posts in this thread. Most of them very long with large paragraphs to several other members. Calm down man. I did my part and read every single post you addressed to me. Which is true. It's not really on me if you explained to someone else and I missed it. I'm not going to read it all, I rarely do. I skim, see things that stick out or things quoted for me, and that's about it. Which reminds me, to answer your earlier question about Mexican food in Houston. The western half of the metropolitan area is nearly all Tex-Mex, the eastern half is nearly all authentic, some places with menus that aren't even in English (the descriptions and everything) and 100% food that's made and cooked in Mexico.
That's fine as it's your opinion, and to be clear, you're very welcome to keep that opinion that you're entitled to. However, my opinion is that people should at the very least go to the place (Thailand) before having any sort of opinion on the actual thing. It's not really hard to see why we disagree on this one. I'll stand by this one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by marothisu
I don't remember the name of every single place I went to in Singapore, just like I barely remember any names of places I went to in Malaysia - I can tell you that in Singapore I had different types of Chinese foods (as my ex and her family are Chinese) showed to us by their friend who's been living in Singapore for 15 years with good "local spots" (which her parents already knew about since they go to Singapore 10X/year). I also had Indian food there in Little India. NOTHING I had was bad. NOTHING. However, what I had in Malaysia was more memorable. I can tell you that my first meal in Malaysia, a hole in the wall Nasi Kandar place, was one of the best plates of food I've ever had. That includes plates of food against Michelin starred restaurants in NYC and Chicago I've eaten at.
You're taking the questions too literally this time, last time you took it too lax. Last time I asked simply "any clarifications" and I wasn't satisfied to your response. (See below)
Quote:
Originally Posted by marothisu
Quote:
Originally Posted by Red John
I'm going to have to ask for clarification, under what grounds are you asserting that Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia have better food than Singapore and Thailand?
The fact that I've been to both Singapore and Malaysia and was shown around both places by locals who are obsessed with food. Not to mention friends of mine who have been to both agree on this, as well as friends of mine who live in Singapore or have lived in Singapore and are familiar with Malaysia. Most them grew up in Malaysia, but they all love Singapore and grew up visiting often. Singapore is only about a 3 hour drive from KL.
I've honestly never met anybody who's visited both countries say that Singapore has better food, myself included. I know people who think Singapore is a better city (urban wise, it is for sure. KL is more like if Honolulu and Los Angeles had a baby).. Myself included again - Kuala Lumpur has much better food based on what I had and on average it's much cheaper too (and according to all my friends, Penang has amazing food even compared to KL standards, but I haven't been there yet). I thought the food in Singapore was good, but overrated as a supposed "great food city." I thought the KL area pretty much outdid it on everything food.
I also have a friend who recently went to Malaysia and Singapore, and has spent a decent amount of time in both Vietnam and Thailand and said Malaysia had the best food of the four.
As you can see, not the response I was hoping for. No name of any food items, no mention of any memorable restaurants or alleys or food vendors. No mention of the genre of food. I have to admit, the last answer to my very vague questioning was unsatisfactory for me. So I pressed on with more specific and precise questions. Didn't know it would cause frustration though.
City-Data is not the best place to ask questions, since it's all written text. So one has to be pretty precise with what they asked, so I asked it all (clearly not expecting an answer to it all), hoping for the names of some dishes, possibly one or two restaurants, if anything, personal gain to see if I've been there, tried the same thing, stuff like that.
I just simply wanted to know which cuisines in Malaysia (other than Malaysian of course) were better than Singapore, since to paraphrase you after your three day stay in Singapore, "Kuala Lumpur outdid Singapore on everything food". Singapore itself has an innovative food culture, one that rips Malaysia apart in it's fusion category, everyone I've spoken to and all reviews I've seen give the nod to Singapore over anywhere in Malaysia. So I was simply curious what Malaysia has going on that I've missed out on.
No more, no less.
Again, relax man, it's not a big deal. I just don't let people walk away without explaining themselves. I'm cool with someone liking Malaysia more than Singapore with food, I get it, different places with different strengths, like I said. Just like you're cool with someone liking Detroit or Toronto more than Chicago for food. Different places, different strengths. I'm sure you wouldn't let someone walk away with saying "Detroit has better food than Chicago, superior in my experience, all my friends and ex-wife also think so" without any explanation. You just don't let those things fly by uncontested, that's all.
Last edited by Trafalgar Law; 05-23-2014 at 03:41 PM..
I already know from having many Malaysian friends, who've also lived in Singapore, that you guys spar on this all the time too.
Yeah typically Singaporeans are snobs in regards to their views of Malaysia. I'm not a fan of transplanted Singaporeans, many of whom are from India, China, and especially Malaysia, very cold and apathetic people in general. The few times they do talk about how they feel, in relation to other places at least, it'll be to put down where ever they came from and especially Malaysia. Singapore is a place for "status driven" people, even my own mother and father hired a nanny to accompany them everywhere they went shopping, not because they even needed a nanny but because it's just a "for show" thing to do there. A classist and very uptight society, in many ways, reminds me of some of the (transplanted) Bay Area boosters on this forum. Which sort of makes me sick of my hometown.
I like rivalries and all, but I don't participate in the hatred involved with them. I never hated Houston when living in Dallas, never hated Dallas when living in Houston, never hated Kuala Lumpur because I'm Singaporean either. Never hated anywhere when living in Chicago. Admittedly do have disdain for Delhi but not because of life inMumbai but because it's a true third world cesspool in every way possible. I find Klang Valley (centered around Kuala Lumpur) to be infinitely prettier than Singapore, especially as you start getting closer and closer to the coast. The climate and very lush green emerald like greenery of Malaysia is awesome.
No hate. I was just curious why. I've never actually heard of anyone ever preferring Kuala Lumpur to Singapore before on food, having experienced both myself, I also follow Singapore on the food category, but just wanted some recommendations/suggestions/answers/whatever you want to call it. I'm a food snob. You can guess, I would write it down and look into it immediately to try it out.
In Toronto, so I have the supposed "unlimited diversity" to take advantage of for a few days. Might as well look into dinner with a taste of Malaysia tonight.
You have 37 posts in this thread. Most of them very long with large paragraphs to several other members. Calm down man. I did my part and read every single post you addressed to me. Which is true. It's not really on me if you explained to someone else and I missed it. I'm not going to read it all, I rarely do. I skim, see things that stick out or things quoted for me, and that's about it. Which reminds me, to answer your earlier question about Mexican food in Houston. The western half of the metropolitan area is nearly all Tex-Mex, the eastern half is nearly all authentic, some places with menus that aren't even in English (the descriptions and everything) and 100% food that's made and cooked in Mexico.
Again, relax man, it's not a big deal. I just don't let people walk away without explaining themselves. I'm cool with someone liking Malaysia more than Singapore with food, I get it, different places with different strengths, like I said. Just like you're cool with someone liking Detroit or Toronto more than Chicago for food. Different places, different strengths. I'm sure you wouldn't let someone walk away with saying "Detroit has better food than Chicago, superior in my experience, all my friends and ex-wife also think so" without any explanation. You just don't let those things fly by uncontested, that's all.
To the first paragraph, I think Houston isnt that abnormal in that sense. The East side of Houston is mostly Latino and the West side of Houston is mostly not. In Dallas and Chicago, its the same. Oak Cliff and Pilsen will produce much better authentic Mexican food than North Dallas or Downtown Chicago. Houston is the same way.
For the second paragraph, I think it can be agreed that Chicago is a better food city overall than Detroit, but that doesnt mean it does everything better. Lebanese and Jordanian food is one thing that not even NYC can match Detroit on.
I'll say this Red John, I do have a lot of Malaysian friends, but many of them have moved to Singapore and are currently living there or used to. They all love Singapore, including my ex who's considering a move there right now. I have a friend here who lived in Singapore for a handful of years and he's specifically mentioned that "anybody who thinks KL is better than Singapore is crazy." He loved/loves Singapore. He was in SE Asia not long ago (Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore) and spent just as much if not more time in Singapore than he did in Malaysia. I actually asked him today which cuisine he prefers and his response was "Malaysian of course" which actually surprised me because he loves Singapore so much.
NYC
L.A.
Houston
S.F.
Chicago
Dallas/Fort Worth
Miami (various immigrant groups but lots of shared history lessens diversity of food)
D.C.
NOT Atlanta..still mostly, a southern white/black city
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