Kinda like those wanna be wine tasters. My buddy put one on. He works for a distributor. The most pretentious asses you could find. It was hidden label.

Everything had a fruity flair. It's made f ok fruit!
Hint of nuttiness...I'll say.
A cheap $11.00 bottle of win won.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
Where do you stand on the 8 year old burger chain called Umami Burger? Some people say they're the best gourmet burger chain in the US.

I'd hold it in similar regard to the plethora of places I don't patronize like Samurai Sushi or Super Sushi Buffet or Teriyaki King. Stupid names, shit for food. Unless the chef is completely removed from the restaurant marketing.

Maybe they could just call the place Grilled Ground Beef Patties. Maybe we need Creamy Ice Cream. Or how about Spiced Curry House?

I would never, in a million years, eat at a restaurant named Umami Burger - on principle alone. What in the everloving fuck. That's on par with idiotic phrases like Tres Awesome and the like.

quote:

How is it pronounced? I keep thinking of "yo' mama."

V-Tail, you & I are culturally deprived as I thought the same when I read the title. Rice, the doctor told me not to eat it as it raises blood sugar levels. Also during Basic Training in 1967, we were told never to be captured as we would only be fed rice & too much rice makes white & black men crazy!

I hadn't heard the word before until last week, and then I heard it twice on the radio. Then this thread showed up.

Obscure to current; the very definition of pretentious, annoying, unnecessary usage.

quote:

Umami has replaced actually describing tastes and nuances.

False.

It may be that it's being misused but umami is a flavor like sweet, salty or sour.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Zojirushi's, like many made in Japan products, seem to last a lifetime.

Agree. I had one of their bread makers. After ~20 years, I needed a new bread pan/insert and contacted them. I was told they stopped supporting that model years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by tanksoldier:

quote:

Umami has replaced actually describing tastes and nuances.

False.

It may be that it's being misused but umami is a flavor like sweet, salty or sour.

Understand. The point of contention is not with the word but with how it's being overly used in non-useful manners.

For example, one now simply says that the dish has deep umami.

That's similar to one saying a dish is citrus. But there are many nuances to citrus -- tartly like lemons, sweetly tart like meyer lemons or key limes, sweet like oranges, sweetly sour like grapefruits, musky sweet like mandarin oranges.

So, instead of spending the time to describe, it's now common to use a one word catch-all as if people will know what that means.

Not to mention it's used where we don't need it. Umami ramen is like saying Frosted Flakes is sweet. Like we haven't known that for the past 50 years?

It's become a stupid fad buzzword instead of being meaningful.

That's the rant. It's being over used where meaningless.

Agreed.

As a side comment. I'd like everyone to taste straight MSG just once in their life, so they know precisely what umami flavor is.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Agreed.

As a side comment. I'd like everyone to taste straight MSG just once in their life, so they know precisely what umami flavor is.

Couldn't have put it any better

quote:

That's the rant. It's being over used where meaningless.

That I will agree on. It's like saying the dish has great sweetness.

What does that even mean?

quote:

I'd like everyone to taste straight MSG just once in their life

I miss MSG in my fried rice

quote:

Originally posted by 9mmepiphany:

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Agreed.

As a side comment. I'd like everyone to taste straight MSG just once in their life, so they know precisely what umami flavor is.

Couldn't have put it any better

Bingo.

Umami = Glutamate.

And of course foodies will go into chinese restaurants and order no MSG. But hey, they're missing that umami experience.

Not embracing the proliferation of Umami? Guess your not "woke"....