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> In Alba, Italy, this is done as follows: a dish arrives in front of you (you can smell it to make sure it doesn't have the artificial truffle aroma) together

by nomilk 4y ago

> In Alba, Italy, this is done as follows: a dish arrives in front of you (you can smell it to make sure it doesn't have the artificial truffle aroma) together with a waiter with a scale. The waiter weighs the truffle and then grates the truffle on the dish until you say stop. After grating, the waiter will weigh the truffle again and charge you the difference. Good to hear a sensible solution was found.

kangalioo 4y ago
I think this is ridiculous. The point of food should be to taste good, not for the eater to feel smug for having real expensive stuff on their plate. As long as my food is delicious, I don't care whether it has the expensive original ingredient or a cheap substitute.
- mdp2021 4y ago
  > The point of food Oh my. The point of food is to be healthy.
  - istjohn 4y ago
    The utility of food has multiple dimensions for most people most of the time.
    - mdp2021 4y ago
      Sure. Which remains very far from an idea that "it is there to be tasty". No, it is there to be good.
- nomilk 4y ago
  In general your idea is good: why use a costly resource when a more affordable one does just as good? But the author (glumly) counters this: so many consumers of truffle receive the substitute which isn't quite as good, and they think that's the true taste of truffles, but it isn't. So they walk away from the experience thinking they've experienced the taste of truffles, but they really haven't. If the truffle substitutes were exactly as good, then your point would hold, but in the case of truffles, at least according to the author, the substitutes don't have the same taste or aroma, or may be truffle but a less palatable species.
saiya-jin 4y ago
We went once to this Alba truffle festival (and actually bought 1 black truffle which got fungus on it in few days because I am a clueless idiot and this was just 10 euro curiosity), quite nice experience if you are around. But what is described in the article about scales was definitely not present in those few restaurants in Alba that we visited. We got boatloads of finely grated / super thin sliced black or white truffles on plates but nowhere were any scales seen. I think best truffle experience there was some local salami made with truffle bits in the festival stalls themselves, that taste was heavenly. That being said, we have some olive oil and balsamico flavored with truffles (real and artificial), which has actually stronger flavor than original mushrooms which have rather mild taste, and we use it very sparingly, not missing it at all. I guess one can overeat even on truffles (or at least that taste). One final point - many here and article too mentioned that it smells like gas. Maybe my olfactory system is broken but I never had this association, nor with real truffles nor with imitation.

by nomilk 4y ago

kangalioo 4y ago

I think this is ridiculous. The point of food should be to taste good, not for the eater to feel smug for having real expensive stuff on their plate. As long as my food is delicious, I don't care whether it has the expensive original ingredient or a cheap substitute.

mdp2021 4y ago
> The point of food Oh my. The point of food is to be healthy.
- istjohn 4y ago
  The utility of food has multiple dimensions for most people most of the time.
  - mdp2021 4y ago
    Sure. Which remains very far from an idea that "it is there to be tasty". No, it is there to be good.
nomilk 4y ago
In general your idea is good: why use a costly resource when a more affordable one does just as good? But the author (glumly) counters this: so many consumers of truffle receive the substitute which isn't quite as good, and they think that's the true taste of truffles, but it isn't. So they walk away from the experience thinking they've experienced the taste of truffles, but they really haven't. If the truffle substitutes were exactly as good, then your point would hold, but in the case of truffles, at least according to the author, the substitutes don't have the same taste or aroma, or may be truffle but a less palatable species.

saiya-jin 4y ago

We went once to this Alba truffle festival (and actually bought 1 black truffle which got fungus on it in few days because I am a clueless idiot and this was just 10 euro curiosity), quite nice experience if you are around. But what is described in the article about scales was definitely not present in those few restaurants in Alba that we visited. We got boatloads of finely grated / super thin sliced black or white truffles on plates but nowhere were any scales seen. I think best truffle experience there was some local salami made with truffle bits in the festival stalls themselves, that taste was heavenly. That being said, we have some olive oil and balsamico flavored with truffles (real and artificial), which has actually stronger flavor than original mushrooms which have rather mild taste, and we use it very sparingly, not missing it at all. I guess one can overeat even on truffles (or at least that taste). One final point - many here and article too mentioned that it smells like gas. Maybe my olfactory system is broken but I never had this association, nor with real truffles nor with imitation.