Hi Plugsy,
Another way to explain Axe's stance on pastes. Most of us on the forum believe that there are two styles of BIR cooking. Old style, 70's 80' and possibly very early 90's, and new way wave or modern BIR, early 90's on.
The two styles do vary in flavour. The earlier BIR food, in my opinion, tasting much fresher and more savoury.
Many members also believe (me included) that the introduction of pastes has contributed to this new flavour in BIR cooking today. Now this flavour is not at all bad, and if you didn't frequent BIR's before the early 90's, then it's what you will be used to.
But there is a very different flavour these days to what I remember, from when I had my first taste of BIR.
At the end of the day, a paste is an emulsification of herbs and spices, usually blended with oil so, it's probably always been around in one form or other but, because the big players such as Pataks, Pasco and Laziza are selling these pastes wholesale, the restaurants using them, all seem to have a very similar taste to each other (new wave) which stands to reason if they are all using the same pastes. Whereas, the older style BIR's will have made their pastes themselves, using their own (secret) ingredients.
Do you get where I'm coming from?
Pastes are absolutely fine, and convenient and could possibly work out cheaper, but there is just something about the older style BIR flavour, that is really worth trying to replicate!
Ray