Ethnic foods you're supposed to like (but hate)

[matadorpoeta]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

No, but Tokyo Slim is flat broke in Seattle (his words, not mine) and he basically makes barbecue.

mr. slim is an exceptional young man.

 

[celery]

Well, I'm gonna have to go with Russian food. WTF is that ****? Keep it away at all costs.

 

[Macallan9]

Originally Posted by matadorpoeta

i don't think peasants in california eat those things. especially if they are not black.

It's a bit hypocritical of you to condemn someone for not experiencing a wide enough range of mexican food, then turning around and localizing all american peasant food to california. America is a gigantic place - what poor people eat in california is nothing like what they eat in the deep south.

And by the way - black people are not the only ones that eat collard greens and chitlins, not by a long shot. Your ignorance is mind-boggling.

 

[matadorpoeta]

Originally Posted by Macallan9

It's a bit hypocritical of you to condemn someone for not experiencing a wide enough range of mexican food, then turning around and localizing all american peasant food to california. America is a gigantic place - what poor people eat in california is nothing like what they eat in the deep south.

And by the way - black people are not the only ones that eat collard greens and chitlins, not by a long shot. Your ignorance is mind-boggling.

name some american peasant food that is truly national. something that if you got to l.a. or nyc or atlanta, chicago, seattle, pittsburgh, americans are eating this a lot because they are poor. name it. it's going to be something processed, in a box, in a sealed bag, or a can, frozen or full of preservatives.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by celery

Well, I'm gonna have to go with Russian food. WTF is that ****? Keep it away at all costs.

Almost everything I can think of from the slavic countries is bad. I think they make some of the most bland food anywhere, but keep in mind that availability of good product in most of those countries made it difficult for them to have anything decent.

 

[Macallan9]

Originally Posted by matadorpoeta

name some american peasant food that is truly national. something that if you got to l.a. or nyc or atlanta, chicago, seattle, pittsburgh, americans are eating this a lot because they are poor. name it. it's going to be something processed, in a box, in a sealed bag, or a can, frozen or full of preservatives.

You're not getting the point.....

In any case, the thread is getting derailed. Back on track:

I dislike Indian food.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by matadorpoeta

name some american peasant food that is truly national. something that if you got to l.a. or nyc or atlanta, chicago, seattle, pittsburgh, americans are eating this a lot because they are poor. name it. it's going to be something processed, in a box, in a sealed bag, or a can, frozen or full of preservatives.

Most regions have something that is unique to them. Look at the different styles of chilli... bagels, BBQ (differs by region), then the seafood culture of New England, New Orleans has incredible food. You also have brisket, Chicago style hot dogs, deep dish, the hamburger...

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by Macallan9

I dislike Indian food.

What is it that you don't like? The flavors, the style?

I grew up eating great Indian food so for me it's a staple, but I'm interested to hear what you don't like.

 

[madaboutshirt]

what? there are people who don't like Chinese food? this is hard to comprehend.

Seriouslly I agree that a lot of Chinese restaurant food are very oily probably also has a lot of msg in it (with msg being good/bad a separate issue). I also understand that this can be a problem with Europeans.

However there are a lot of other dishes that are not. There are many different ways of cooking in Chinese food with frying being just one of them (others include steaming, boiling, grill, etc).

I say keep experimenting and don't jump to conclusions too soon. And usually if something is oily its quite obvious and you don't have to eat it.

 

[acidboy]

well I have to differ with SField's opinion on Chinese food. Chinese food is not, in general, "a pile of slop swimming in oil and chilis to account for the lack of ability to season or pay any attention to ingredients." Proper Chinese cooking stresses the importance of using the freshest food available, and there are so many techniques in Chinese cooking, deep frying is just one of them. In particular I am a big fan of the Chinese way of steaming fresh seafood. There are so many Chinese cuisines out there, not just Szechuan and Cantonese which are the most popular. All regions have their own cuisine, like how food in the American South might differ than in the Northwest. And only a small portion of them is glazed in sauce or floating in oil.

 

[skunkworks]

If any of you are in the OC, I recommend Taco Rosa for some reasonably priced, sit-down restaurant Mexican food. Agua MF Frescas.

 

[matadorpoeta]

Originally Posted by acidicboy

well I have to differ with SField's opinion on Chinese food. Chinese food is not, in general, "a pile of slop swimming in oil and chilis to account for the lack of ability to season or pay any attention to ingredients." Proper Chinese cooking stresses the importance of using the freshest food available, and there are so many techniques in Chinese cooking, deep frying is just one of them. In particular I am a big fan of steaming fresh seafood the Chinese way. There are so many Chinese cuisines out there, not just Szechuan and Cantonese which are the most popular. All regions have their own cuisine, like how food in the American South might differ than in the Northwest. And only a small portion of them is glazed in sauce or floating in oil.

true, but acknowledging that does not make for a good thread for white americans to bash ethnic foods they're supposed to like.

 

[matadorpoeta]

Originally Posted by SField

Most regions have something that is unique to them. Look at the different styles of chilli... bagels, BBQ (differs by region), then the seafood culture of New England, New Orleans has incredible food. You also have brisket, Chicago style hot dogs, deep dish, the hamburger...
let's take the hamburger. what is a hamburger like? i'm talking about a hamburger a poor person would buy, not the $12 burger at a pub. how fresh is the meat? what preservatives are in the bread? how about the mustard and ketchup? made at home or in a factory? (and the fake cheese!) good chili takes a lot of time and good ingredients to make. i doubt you can sell it that cheap as to be eaten by peasants. are peasants in new england eating fresh seafood all the time? if so, you win.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by acidicboy

well I have to differ with SField's opinion on Chinese food. Chinese food is not, in general, "a pile of slop swimming in oil and chilis to account for the lack of ability to season or pay any attention to ingredients." Proper Chinese cooking stresses the importance of using the freshest food available, and there are so many techniques in Chinese cooking, deep frying is just one of them. In particular I am a big fan of the Chinese way of steaming fresh seafood. There are so many Chinese cuisines out there, not just Szechuan and Cantonese which are the most popular. All regions have their own cuisine, like how food in the American South might differ than in the Northwest. And only a small portion of them is glazed in sauce or floating in oil.

I seldom order anything fried. I'm actually refering to most of the things comming out of a wok. Anything like eggplant, mapo tofu bok choi is going to be swimming in oil. I do enjoy steamed dumplings and vegetables but most of the time this is a very generic flavor (steamed veggies).

Fish dishes and whatever else are usually cooked in a ton of oil as well. You find this literally all over china, and chinese people anywhere in the world will tell you that oily food is extremely common. I have many asian friends and they all admit this, and it's something you observe being in China. Japanese food also tends to be on the salty side, which is a carry over from food preservation, since a lot of the country is mountainous.

 

[Macallan9]

Originally Posted by SField

Most regions have something that is unique to them. Look at the different styles of chilli... bagels, BBQ (differs by region), then the seafood culture of New England, New Orleans has incredible food. You also have brisket, Chicago style hot dogs, deep dish, the hamburger...

Exactly. It's not possible to point out a national brand of peasant food, because America cannot be generalized like that. Some other cultures can, but America is just way too varied.

Originally Posted by SField

What is it that you don't like? The flavors, the style?

I grew up eating great Indian food so for me it's a staple, but I'm interested to hear what you don't like.

No, actually I think Indian food is great going down but I've never had one experience that didnt end with complete vaporization of my bowels.

Originally Posted by acidicboy

well I have to differ with SField's opinion on Chinese food. Chinese food is not, in general, "a pile of slop swimming in oil and chilis to account for the lack of ability to season or pay any attention to ingredients." Proper Chinese cooking stresses the importance of using the freshest food available, and there are so many techniques in Chinese cooking, deep frying is just one of them. In particular I am a big fan of the Chinese way of steaming fresh seafood. There are so many Chinese cuisines out there, not just Szechuan and Cantonese which are the most popular. All regions have their own cuisine, like how food in the American South might differ than in the Northwest. And only a small portion of them is glazed in sauce or floating in oil.

It's easy to see how someone develops this kind of view on Chinese food, though. It seems like 95% of Chinese restaurants serve the standard sauce-slathered low quality meat with rice or noodles. I've traveled a decent bit and the only places I've had good Chinese food in North America are Vancouver BC and maybe Seattle.