Submitted by glopmod t3_11wl8yf in washingtondc
Restaurants and bars making limited menus for cherry blossom tourists:
​
Cherry blossoms don't taste like cherries, the fruit. Two different trees. Try to get the taste right or why bother
Comments
glopmod OP t1_jcyio09 wrote
Someone that likes gimmick limited time cocktail menus and the taste of cherry blossom
Surefinewhatever1111 t1_jcyitm3 wrote
How many cherry blossoms do you eat a year and are you also mad about Japanese Kit Kats?
twenty-six-sixty-six t1_jcyiva2 wrote
some cherries are sour
Kudemos t1_jcyiw0r wrote
The Botanical Regent of the Basin?
iggly1999 t1_jcyj8rm wrote
I'm glad you took this to reddit... this is a pretty serious issue that the district has been facing for years now and I'm tired of it.
glopmod OP t1_jcyjdwd wrote
Man, it's a break from photos of monuments and posts about crime and the homeless
twenty-six-sixty-six t1_jcyjh9e wrote
candy that tastes like other candy is unamerican
if we had known this was going to be an issue, we would have banned this kind of thing when we wrote their constitution
glopmod OP t1_jcyjjhw wrote
Japanese Kit Kats, surprisingly, taste like cherry blossoms, likely because the base consumer for that product knows the difference
Surefinewhatever1111 t1_jcyjp2y wrote
Plenipotentiary of Drupes.
Surefinewhatever1111 t1_jcyjzaf wrote
Cherry blossoms do not taste of much at all, which seems to be why they are often served preserved in sugar or other things. Umeboshi they are not.
[deleted] t1_jcyk4rx wrote
[removed]
Surefinewhatever1111 t1_jcykch7 wrote
Moms Demand but for accurate analogs of flavor.
Veszerin t1_jcykek0 wrote
Japan has hundreds of flavors of kit kats though. I wish we got more of them.
glopmod OP t1_jcykzhp wrote
I assumed he was talking about the one that tastes like the thing this post is about.
​
Stop at Hana. They get a pretty good selection throughout the year of seasonal KitKats.
messmaker523 t1_jcylvh2 wrote
Grape Skittles don't taste like grapes either
glopmod OP t1_jcymqyq wrote
But this is because the two things sound the same, in one language.
​
It would be like ordering dogwood berries and they mail you a chunk of raw dog.
celj1234 t1_jcyn5ai wrote
This should be a crime
Surefinewhatever1111 t1_jcynjuc wrote
They're supposed to taste like purple and they do. What is "grape"?
messmaker523 t1_jcynt4b wrote
Grape is the soft tissue around a dog butt
tacojohn44 t1_jcyo2hm wrote
Ahh man, I'm actually glad to see this. I had Sakura flavoured ice cream in Japan years ago and am constantly looking for it out in the wild. This would have been an excited then let down experience.
messmaker523 t1_jcyo5vs wrote
What if I wanted just the bark from a dogwood.😁😁
nintrader t1_jcyoe6a wrote
The only way to get the authentic experience is to eat the blossoms straight from the trees, otherwise it's just a pale imitation
glopmod OP t1_jcyozyr wrote
I have been let down ordering "cherry blossom" cocktails that use cherry flavor. It dominates the drink and doesn't taste anything like cherry blossom.
​
I brought back a bottle of sakura liqueur to replicate for our wedding menu a few years ago. This stuff is pretty solid, compared to actual sakura liqueur, if you mix it with 1 part vodka and 1 part sugar.
brightblade13 t1_jcypcc6 wrote
cc'ing our region's breweries as well
glopmod OP t1_jcyppnr wrote
Oh man which one is it that lets me down every year because I forget it's inaccurate
AssumptionSlow76 t1_jcyqj5q wrote
Fat fish has a cherry blossom icecream where they use sakura and vanilla and also cherry blossom sushi. I haven’t had it yet to see if they used cherry flavouring for the icecream as well or if it tastes like Sakura but it’s worth a try.
[deleted] t1_jcyqvaf wrote
goddeszzilla t1_jcys5gl wrote
For those of you who don't know - cherry blossoms are edible and you can put them in cookies and make simple syrup with them.
They taste similar to almonds.
twenty-six-sixty-six t1_jcysfhs wrote
i didn't say it was
[deleted] t1_jcysudx wrote
twenty-six-sixty-six t1_jcytfn1 wrote
well that's just your opinion that it wasn't worth mentioning, personally i enjoy a good non sequitur
puttinonthefoil t1_jcyujue wrote
Yeah, way better to have 40 posts a day about crime and balaclavas.
brightblade13 t1_jcyw5um wrote
My brother in Christ, I can all but guarantee that you're thinking of the Dominion Cherry Blossom Lager.
glopmod OP t1_jcywq2b wrote
Thank you brother, yes I am.
Formergr t1_jcyxdi1 wrote
Neither do Grape Nuts!
Yikes_Brigade t1_jcyxj8v wrote
If you can’t pull the cherry blossoms directly off the tidal basin trees, store bought is fine.
Formergr t1_jcyxjlp wrote
Thank you for that, I was wondering!
seaweedstampede t1_jcyxmed wrote
The oldest dc residents have giraffe-like necks exactly for this purpose and the reason you don't see many of them anymore is gentrification
kzanomics t1_jcyy77v wrote
I enjoyed it
burrito-disciple t1_jcyyh0y wrote
Eh, let people enjoy things.
Tahh t1_jcyyvq4 wrote
That's a bit dramatic lol, they are fairly closely related to the trees that produce edible cherries.
Tahh t1_jcyz1yw wrote
Which, as everyone knows, tastes like Skittles
glopmod OP t1_jcyzcdp wrote
They aren't fairly close flavors at all?
One is a fruit.
The other is the flower from a fruitless tree.
glopmod OP t1_jcyzinx wrote
People can enjoy whatever they want. That isn't at all the discussion.
​
The discussion is that bars and restaurants create flavor profiles based around a piece of fruit because the tree shares the same name as a fruitless flowering tree in English.
​
You can like watermelon, but that doesn't mean it tastes like tap water or musk melon, the type of fruit that most Asian flavored products base their melon flavor on.
[deleted] t1_jcyzupk wrote
[deleted]
derpycalculator t1_jcz075r wrote
I was very disappointed when I learned the cherry blossoms dc was famous for was not accompanied by cherries. 🤣. It’s alright, I don’t even like cherries. It is very confusing to find out cherry blossom trees don’t produce cherries.
FairfaxGirl t1_jcz14gm wrote
“Sound the same in one language”? What is that supposed to mean? Botanically, ornamental cherry trees, sweet cherry trees, and sour cherry trees are all prunus trees. Of course the blossoms don’t taste the same as the fruit, that isn’t because the trees are some totally unrelated plants that just have names that rhyme or something.
FairfaxGirl t1_jcz19rn wrote
Or the flower of a fruit tree. Cherry producing cherry trees also have blossoms. That’s how fruit works.
hamhockshuttlecock t1_jcz1tt8 wrote
Relax.
glopmod OP t1_jcz28jl wrote
And those aren't the ones on the tidal basin that we have a festival for.
The flavors are different.
Thanks for coming to the TEDtalk.
glopmod OP t1_jcz2kgb wrote
People don't make the assumption that cherry blossom flavored food tastes like cherry because the trees are biologically similar.
​
They make the assumption because they assume a cherry blossom flavor tastes like cherries.
​
If everything cherry blossom flavored was called sakura no one would make that mistake.
​
I didn't say or suggest they were totally unrelated plants.
Tahh t1_jcz2xy9 wrote
Fair enough, it's not remotely the same as dog and dogwood though lol
BartletForPrez t1_jcz3a8s wrote
giraffication
ManitouWakinyan t1_jcz3hix wrote
In my experience, dogwood and dogs are not remotely related.
AsbestosIn0bstetrics t1_jcz3yov wrote
That goes for all the pumpkin beers in the fall that are loaded up with the spices used in pumpkin pie recipes, but taste absolutely nothing like pumpkins. Not that you'd want them to.
glopmod OP t1_jcz46yf wrote
I cannot believe people are so hung up on a funny comparison.
​
I would say get a hobby but I made and have been on this thread all day so
brightblade13 t1_jcz4rl5 wrote
haha, I was going to say, I'm *glad* pumpkin beer doesn't taste like actual pumpkin, though. I *want* the cherry blossom beers to taste like cherries.
brokenfuton t1_jcz5g2x wrote
They do actually! Artificial grape flavoring tastes like Concord grapes, which taste completely different from the Thompson (or “table”) grapes that are normally found in supermarkets.
ManitouWakinyan t1_jcz5o8v wrote
Bud I'm in a meeting and playing Planet Zoo don't worry you aren't taking anything away from my day
minion_toes t1_jcz5whd wrote
some of the cherry blossom lattes use raspberry syrup 😝
KatzMwwow t1_jcz5yvr wrote
[deleted] t1_jcz66jl wrote
[removed]
RockItGuyDC t1_jcz770d wrote
>a funny comparison.
No, it's a bad simile.
glopmod OP t1_jcz7ji9 wrote
Please find something more significant to pick an argument about, holy fuck
bromacho99 t1_jcz8285 wrote
Go for the schlafly, they use actual pumpkin
coolfuzzylemur t1_jcz8cea wrote
> and 1 part sugar
Bruh
DJ_FUNKWIZARD t1_jcza6i9 wrote
ANYTHING CHERRY BLOSSOM FLAVORED HAS GRENADINE IN IT!!!!! IM THE BARTENDER THAT MAKES THAT DUMB SPECIALTY DRINKS FOR OUT OF TOWNERS!!!!
loogie_hucker t1_jczauyi wrote
"yeah, so if you make alcoholic soda, it's actually pretty tasty!"
glopmod OP t1_jczawff wrote
Have you had sakura liqueur?
glopmod OP t1_jczazip wrote
Sakura liqueur does not.
manifestdustiny t1_jczbbit wrote
The first time I had a concord grape I was amazed. ‘It tastes like purple!’
coolfuzzylemur t1_jczbx3f wrote
Just saying, one part syrup and 1 part sugar is a LOT of sugar
dozyhorse t1_jczdvtt wrote
This is my favorite thread that I've ever seen on this sub.
glopmod OP t1_jcze6n8 wrote
The syrup I linked to isn't that sweet, and you missed the 1 part vodka. You're making a liqueur.
glopmod OP t1_jczeeeh wrote
I mean you are following along and see that the goal is to replicate a liqueur, yes
noquarter53 t1_jczk49b wrote
long horse
noquarter53 t1_jczkc7p wrote
hate it when that happens
Vio_ t1_jczkvs0 wrote
Lamarckification.
violet-shift t1_jczmd47 wrote
That kind of makes sense -- cherries and almonds are related.
(That's also why whole almonds look a bit like plum pits)
kpfluff t1_jczmklj wrote
It irritates me more when it's a note in a perfume and people are like, "ah yes, I smell the cherry blossom." Very few cherry blossoms have a scent, ime. There's one variety on Hains Point that smells like almonds, and that's it for what I've encountered.
welltimedappearance t1_jczoika wrote
what does Baked and Wired use in their cherry blossom cupcakes? cause whatever they’re doing, that’s personally my favorite cupcake of all time
electriclady09 t1_jczpwy5 wrote
just saw that city-state's sakura ale is made with actual blossoms
tacojohn44 t1_jczq0i6 wrote
Wow - thank you
tacojohn44 t1_jczq2wb wrote
Buying - thank you!
DC-COVID-TRASH t1_jczrkv2 wrote
they're only blossoms if the trees are in blossom, France actually
DC-COVID-TRASH t1_jczrq32 wrote
yea, that's literally what a cocktail is
messmaker523 t1_jczu57u wrote
Concord grapes taste like Barney turds, not Skittles.. sorry
messmaker523 t1_jczusnv wrote
Is that why dogs always lick their butts and smell other dog butts?
messmaker523 t1_jczveui wrote
I forgot about those things. They don't taste like nut either
dmethvin t1_jczxnif wrote
Some residents have racked up more than 10,000 blossoms over the years, and nobody is doing anything about it.
JohnJohnston t1_jczzaea wrote
I think more people would be upset that cherry blossom inspired cocktails didn't taste like cherries than people who are upset they do taste like cherries. Most people see cherry and expect cherry flavor.
Remember, this is the country where the 1/3lb burger failed to the 1/4lb burger because the "1/4lb burger is bigger than the 1/3lb burger".
landlocked_kook t1_jczznar wrote
POV: your a mid level manager at Deloitte and passions are Reddit and cocktails
glopmod OP t1_jd02ta6 wrote
- You're
- I wish I was a mid level manager
- I fucking hate Reddit
- I do like cocktails tho
Gumburcules t1_jd02zwo wrote
...if you're at the kind of bar with sticky floors where everything is served in disposable cups.
glopmod OP t1_jd0325u wrote
"I got what I asked for and am upset"
A you problem
If you order the sockeye salmon with your cherry blossom martini and are mad you got neither socks nor eyes, that's not the fault of the establishment
JohnJohnston t1_jd049ww wrote
I'm sure restaurants will be glad to put a drink on the menu that annoys more people than it satisfies. Clearly how successful businesses are run.
Sounds like you not liking how local restaurants capitalize on the cherry blossom tourism is "a you problem".
Stardust_Particle t1_jd050mh wrote
Please don’t give tourists and others this idea or they’ll be breaking branches to try this and exposing trees to disease.
velveteen311 t1_jd051zn wrote
So this is why everything that’s “almond flavored” tastes like cherry flavoring to me. But cherry flavoring tastes nothing like cherries.
glopmod OP t1_jd05669 wrote
I think it's ignorance on the part of restaurants.
​
There are also a lot of "successful businesses" that cater specifically to... serving what they say they are serving, even if someone might not have heard of it. It's why a cheap Americanized roll of sushi with spicy mayo and avocado costs a fraction of a piece of fish that the person who is upset their sakura drink doesn't taste like the wrong thing would say "ew, it's raw."
​
You will notice several people share this criticism in these comments.
ifonefox t1_jd07zc3 wrote
Fixed link for old reddit without all the tracking stuff: https://www.amazon.com/Floral-Elixir-Co-Cherry-Blossom/dp/B071CZ5G2J
Solenya-C137 t1_jd0901m wrote
I laughed unreasonably at this comment
rennbrig t1_jd092gn wrote
I was going to say this sounds a lot like McCarthyism but that means something different now lol
supercoffee1025 t1_jd09bhj wrote
Girl it is not that deep ☠️
Let the people have their cherry flavor.
MishileStrike15 t1_jd09y95 wrote
I'm so glad to see this!! Every year I make a liter of cherry blossom simple syrup from a cherry tree in my yard because I got so sick of getting excited for cherry blossoms things, just to get "cherry-flavored" every year.
Almondy, floral, lightly fruity. Divine. Great in coffee, tea, tonic water, on your waffles, everything :)
enigma_goth t1_jd09zh3 wrote
Who cares! Just let people have fun.
ofiuco t1_jd0ahrs wrote
You can order Monin Sakura syrup on the internet now. Cheers
ackme t1_jd0aneh wrote
This is why for St Patrick's Day all my special cocktails taste like some sweaty Irishman instead of mint. For the authenticity!
__mud__ t1_jd0b1dy wrote
Precisely. What we have here are cherry sparkling flower trees
TheJoYo t1_jd0c5gz wrote
Rose ice cream is a Persian dessert that has a similar flavor.
Komischaffe t1_jd0c8qu wrote
I just hang around there and catch falling ones in a big hat. After a few days I have enough to cook with
llamadolly85 t1_jd0ehwg wrote
Cherry blossom trees have fruit. Humans just don't eat it.
sweatyMcYeti t1_jd0eo8x wrote
Kinda the other way around. A lot of “cherry” flavors use almond extract, very specifically most maraschino cherries that aren’t made with actual maraschino liqueur
whadisabout t1_jd0kzbw wrote
It’s equal parts cherry and Mayim Bialik
neil_va t1_jd0no1r wrote
What would you compare the taste to?
conspiracydawg t1_jd0rtv7 wrote
Cherry blossoms don’t even taste that good.
extraglop t1_jd0s1l6 wrote
It's very mild, a little sweet and floral, closer to a rose hip
extraglop t1_jd0s3pb wrote
Monin is cherry flavored I believe
extraglop t1_jd0shq7 wrote
They can. That's fine.
But if I pay $15 for a sakura cocktail that tastes like cherry I am annoyed
extraglop t1_jd0sofm wrote
For like the third time this isn't about people and their taste
It's about products that taste like the wrong thing, the title says restaurants, the post is about restaurants, it's restaurants
ofiuco t1_jd12eb6 wrote
Nope. Not if you buy it from Japan, which is achievable. It's not the strongest Sakura flavor ever, for that you should probably just buy pickled Sakura instead and make your own syrup.
glopmod OP t1_jd1cu97 wrote
This would be ordering a Guiness and an Irish and getting bud light and gin
CandyCaneCrisp t1_jd1xa0e wrote
This stuff uses wild cherry extract, which tastes like cherries in my experience.
CandyCaneCrisp t1_jd1xc0u wrote
Is it sour like rose hips?
ChurchMilitant91 t1_jd26io2 wrote
I’m trying really hard not to laugh out loud in the dark right now.
SchokoKipferl t1_jd2cw5w wrote
I love cherries, would be nice for restaurants and bars to have both.
ofiuco t1_jd2g4p8 wrote
There are resellers like Sugoi Mart.
extraglop t1_jd2r4he wrote
It's tart but I have always had it in a syrup of some kind of candy
glopmod OP t1_jd2spv2 wrote
I compared it to a bottle of Suntory sakura I brought back and they're similar
sagarnola89 t1_jd2yk4j wrote
I'm hoping the DC reddit thread doesn't attract too many tourists... but I could be wrong.
ackme t1_jd3b9e9 wrote
Disagree. I believe the greater expectation by people ordering "cherry blossom" is for it to taste like cherries, same as a Shamrock Shake tastes like mint and not shamrocks.
glopmod OP t1_jd3bsu4 wrote
Because people don't eat shamrocks. A shamrock shock is a madeup item from an American burger place to celebrate a watered down American version of an Irish holiday.
Sakura season is specifically celebrated here, in one city, because we were gifted sakura trees from the culture known for sakura season.
​
The only people expecting it to taste like cherries is people who know nothing about it.
This is the stupidest fucking comparison.
Crapital-Beltway t1_jd3g77l wrote
I suspect there are far more people who "know nothing" about the cherry blossom trees than people who expect authentic Sakura flavor from any "cherry blossom" drink.
glopmod OP t1_jd3gzcc wrote
Ok? Are we supposed to cater to people's ignorance?
​
If you go to a restaurant and order something and get upset because it's what you ordered but you don't know what you ordered, that's a you problem.
Crapital-Beltway t1_jd3iywf wrote
Businesses are generally trying to make money so if most people expect "cherry blossom" drinks to taste like cherries then yes, you do cater to the ignorance. It's not customer's problem if the business loses money because people didn't like the taste of their "cherry blossom" drinks and stopped ordering them.
CandyCaneCrisp t1_jd3jukt wrote
Suntory Sakura is made with the blossoms and leaves.
extraglop t1_jd3w8f0 wrote
I am aware
extraglop t1_jd3wdy2 wrote
But you're entirely guessing they expect that when ordering a specific culture's food
Honestly dude, find something else to argue about
Crapital-Beltway t1_jd41vn5 wrote
This whole post was a stupid rant anyway lol. You seem more pressed than any of my comments were
CandyCaneCrisp t1_jd44zhj wrote
>I have been let down ordering "cherry blossom" cocktails that use cherry flavor. It dominates the drink and doesn't taste anything like cherry blossom.
Was what you said, but now you are claiming that your homemade drink WITH cherry extract tastes like something made with cherry blossoms... but also leaves. So which does it actually taste like, the leaves or the blossoms?
extraglop t1_jd45fia wrote
"It's your fault I am arguing some dumb unqualifiable bullshit, no u"
extraglop t1_jd45r08 wrote
I don't give a shit what it's made from. I care how it tastes. I compared a bunch of products. This one was the best. Reviews share the concept.
I'm not sitting here and arguing about what something you haven't tasted tastes like. You wanna come over and try it?
CandyCaneCrisp t1_jd4hn2b wrote
I've tasted cherry blossoms and leaves, and wild cherry in many forms. The first two have so little scent and taste I can hardly believe that they can flavor a beverage at all by themselves. Japan also popularized drinking "maple water", e.g. sap, that tastes just like... water.
ackme t1_jd5j2uv wrote
Who the fuck calls it Sakura season though?
Absolutely no one! It's not unreasonable to admit that for most people, the words "cherry tree" are the applicable words, and that, due to common practice, people associate the word "cherry" with the flavor of "cherry".
If someone released a sakura beer and it tasted like bing cherries, by all means, hit 'em up. But no one is lining up outside their local bar for a "sakura surprise" cocktail.
glopmod OP t1_jd5jyvq wrote
A. The people who gave us the trees
B. [DC, as the biggest part of the cherry blossom festival is called Sakura Matsuri](https://nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/)
Sakura literally means cherry blossom. Cherry blossoms don't taste like cherries. The trees we have a festival for don't produce fruit.
​
Tens of thousands of people are lining up downtown for a festival called Sakura Matsuri, and local restaurants serve drinks during it that taste like cherry. That is the post.
​
It's been 48 hours. Please go away.
ackme t1_jd5kjam wrote
It's been 9 hours since your reply. Figured convo was still going.
More than happy to let this drop, because it's pretty obvious neither of us is going to budge. Hope you have a great spring!
fizzy1317 t1_jd9csna wrote
You should check out Mt Desert Island in Mt Pleasant! They have a sakura ice cream right now for the cherry blossoms.
AssumptionSlow76 t1_jda5126 wrote
Hey FYI I went today - definitely not cherry flavoured and it was insanely delicious. I splurged for the fancy cake fish cone.
Surefinewhatever1111 t1_jcyiino wrote
Who are you, the cherry police? Appointed by the Chrysanthemum throne?