[SeattleUte]

Japanese food is really quite a simple cuisine. There is not much subtlety or diversity in my opinion. Sushi is so one dimensional that some super markets can make it as well as a fine Japanese restaurant. What unique artistry you do find in sushi is generally the product of fusion with Western cuisines.

I find teriyaki and tempura unimaginitive and I get bored of them fairly quickly, though I will eat a teriyaki lunch every once in a while. Much teriyaki is simply overbearingly salty/sweet. The soups are tasty and elegant, but again, redundant and fairly simple. Whole Foods supermarket has a nice array of Japanese soups about as good as you'll find anywhere. I have similar comments about sukiyaki as the soups.

On my visits to Japan I enjoyed teppanyaki, including especially the kobe beef. But you don't get teppanyaki and kobe beef anywhere like it is in Tokyo. Here it's the stuff of chains for some reason. Maybe culterally Americans don't like sharing a table with strangers. Kobe beef probably requires cruelty to animals.

In contrast, the varieties and subtle qualities of excellent Chinese food are infinite. Personally, I never saw this so evident as when I visited Beiging. The hotel we stayed at had half a dozen nice restaurants, all serving Chinese food, and each one was a completely unique experience. Yes, super markets serve something that passes as Chinese food, but it's like calling French fries French food. The only places you can get fine Chinese food is at Chinese restaurants, invariably prepared by master chefs. Indeed, I've found that Chinese restaurants wax and wane depending on the chef, and I imangine they are sought after like baseball free agents.

Like French food Chinese food is a mother cuisine in that has impacted a variety of lesser cuisines such as Japanese and Thai enormously.