Mission Chinese Food Puts Ice Cubes on the Menu, Twitter Reacts | Eater
"A New York City restaurant led by Danny Bowien provoked a social-media firestorm with an $8 dish labeled “iced Sichuan water pickles”—small pebble ice crystals dusted with Sichuan spices and listed on the menu as containing smoked habanero, caraway, hibiscus and ice. Critics and chefs accused the spot of selling “dollar ice,” while prominent food writers and radio hosts debated the perception of value, presentation and intent online; some diners said they were served nothing but seasoned ice, others insisted the dish contained chiles and kimchi and praised it. Bowien later clarified the preparation: Napa cabbage, radish and hibiscus fermented in a water-and-salt brine, served with some pickling liquid and topped with pebble ice, tingling chili oil and aloe salt as an interpretation of water kimchi, and noted the restaurant does not actually charge for ice. The episode highlighted the restaurant’s experimental, boundary-pushing approach to texture and plating and sparked a wider conversation about culinary theatrics versus substance." - Chris Fuhrmeister
