Pupu Platter Article in Saveur

I picked up the May issue of Saveur magazine and when I turned to Page 15 found an article, "Fantasy Food," somewhat apologetically enthusing over the classic Pupu platter. The author, Chris Amirault, reminisces over the Kowloon in Saugus, MA, and credits the invention of the Pupu platter to Don the Beachcomber and his Cantonese chef.

Alas, the article is not available online. However, several recipes are: http://www.saveur.com/food/classic-recipes/chinese-barbecued-spareribs-21391803.html (Below the photo on the left are links to additional recipes).

I also did a search and found links to other articles and recipes that appeared in earlier issues of Saveur: http://www.saveur.com/article_listing.jsp?keyword=tiki&sType=all

The only thing I don't like about the Pupu platter is Crab Rangoon. Every time I've tried it, it's tasted like a wonton wrapper stuffed with library paste.

thanks for posting that site!

if you're ever in Portland, Thatch's Pupu Platter will change your mind about Crab Rangoon~ amazing crabby goodness.

Wow, didn't know Saveur was so Tiki-friendly! Nice interview with the bum, and that Trader Vic's B.H. fan article is great, though it brings home again how much it had been de-tikified over the years:

"...The Trader Vic's experience is different now from what it once was (hamachi tartare and crab cakes with wasabi rémoulade appear on the menu these days; the tikis are gone from the Beverly Hills dining room); we're different now..."

And this:

"...The windowless exterior walls were textured with stylized Polynesian (Maori?) patterns and guarded on one side by a quartet of 12- or 14-foot dark brown wood tikis set on pedestals (a fifth one stood by the entrance on the other side, off the parking lot);.."

A QUARTET of 12-14 foot high Tikis !!? I had heard about these before, but to this day, I have never seen a photograph. Damn!

On 2008-05-11 10:34, Dr. Zarkov wrote:
The only thing I don't like about the Pupu platter is Crab Rangoon. Every time I've tried it, it's tasted like a wonton wrapper stuffed with library paste.

Contrary to popular belief (and Wikipedia), Yangon (aka Rangoon) in Burmese (Myanmar) means "library paste." 8)

Though I haven't been trying to find and prove otherwise, all of the Crab Rangoon around here seems to be delectable. Maryland is a crab state. The motto in Virginia is "Virginia is for lovers" while across the Potomac in Maryland it's "Maryland is for crabs," presumably in honor of the Maryland Blue Crab that thrives in good years in the Chesapeake Bay. Crab dishes that are not good are an insult to customers in this area.