"I come sometimes when I want to be happy, " said Ms. Tounkara, who was in the food pantry cooking mafe, a traditional dish of stewed meat, peanut sauce and rice.

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Order casoncelli, a typical dish of tortellini stuffed with meat, breadcrumbs and cheese served with melted butter and sage, at the family-run Osteria al Bianchi, while excellent pizzas are available at the tiny Pizzeria Manuno.

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Jung Sik Dang combines ingenuity and impeccable form, turning out dishes like a bowl of tomato jelly, basil sorbet and fresh vegetables, all mixed together at the table in a modern spin on bibimbap (a traditional dish of rice, vegetables, meat and chilli paste, which are stirred together right before eating).

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He discussed the idea of having items on the menu that uses meat or fish as the essence of a dish.

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But some people dispute whether the dish of meat, potato, onion and turnip in a pastry casing originates from Cornwall or neighbouring Devon.

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The donburi, a traditional Japanese dish that consists of rice and savoury toppings, can be ordered with US flavours like taco meat (spiced minced pork), creole chicken or shrimp patties instead of teriyaki meats.

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Young people with whom I chatted in Ulsan believe that whale meat is an older person's dish, a taste forged in the harsh after-flames of World War II.

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