International Food

[Confessional Lutheran]

I haven't been overseas, ever, but I have had the opportunity to try all kinds of fairly decent food from different parts of my own country. I've enjoyed Cajun food in Acadiana, Tex- Mex in Texas, Chinese, Japanese and Thai food in Northern Virginia. I'm not too crazy about French food and I've learned never to ask the hosts at a Mexican restaurant for the " hottest food they've got." I like Italian food and I can say that I appreciate American barbeque. I have eaten a couple of Afghan kebabs in my time ( kind of greasy, but not bad) and I'm absolutely fixated on Greek gyros.

 

[Josiah]

My parents taught me when presented with ... well..... unknown foods, just shut up and eat. If you don't know what it is, it might just be good. Works. SOMETIMES.

When in doubt, I claim to be a vegetarian. Vegies are less likely to be scary than meat.

I had snails once (not in France). Tasted like garlic and butter (I would have said like chicken but you wouldn't believe that) Garlic and butter. It was a texture thing..... and they put them back in the shell. NO CLUE how they did that - or WHY? Using that pick thing to get them out of the shell - that was the worse part. I thought of my mothers Geramiums the whole time.

I can eat ALMOST anything. But not Menudo (the Mexican breakfast soup, not the Latino Boys Band). Can't do it. Just can't do it. Now I claim to be a vegetarian.

 

[Confessional Lutheran]

My parents taught me when presented with ... well..... unknown foods, just shut up and eat. If you don't know what it is, it might just be good. Works. SOMETIMES.

When in doubt, I claim to be a vegetarian. Vegies are less likely to be scary than meat.

I had snails once (not in France). Tasted like garlic and butter (I would have said like chicken but you wouldn't believe that) Garlic and butter. It was a texture thing..... and they put them back in the shell. NO CLUE how they did that - or WHY? Using that pick thing to get them out of the shell - that was the worse part. I thought of my mothers Geramiums the whole time.

I can eat ALMOST anything. But not Menudo (the Mexican breakfast soup, not the Latino Boys Band). Can't do it. Just can't do it. Now I claim to be a vegetarian.

When I was in college, I befriended a group of Japanese exchange students and I tried salted seaweed for the first ( and last time). Gross. They have other dishes that are awesome, but salted seaweed... no.

 

[Stravinsk]

I haven't been overseas, ever, but I have had the opportunity to try all kinds of fairly decent food from different parts of my own country. I've enjoyed Cajun food in Acadiana, Tex- Mex in Texas, Chinese, Japanese and Thai food in Northern Virginia. I'm not too crazy about French food and I've learned never to ask the hosts at a Mexican restaurant for the " hottest food they've got." I like Italian food and I can say that I appreciate American barbeque. I have eaten a couple of Afghan kebabs in my time ( kind of greasy, but not bad) and I'm absolutely fixated on Greek gyros.

When I was younger and up until a few years ago I assumed that the types of foods available at restaurants that were advertised as being from a different country or part of the world accurately represented them. So for instance - one might get "Chinese" food in the USA or here in Australia - and some of the choices and ingredients are indeed different - one might assume that what is being offered was a fair representation of what the average Chinese person ate.

I've come to find this is not the case, as I have some friends that went to China (mind you - this was quite a few years ago now - things may have changed) - but when they went - the food offered, especially in rural China was completely different than what you'd get going to a "Chinese restaurant" in the USA or another Western country. There are some similarities, to be sure - but Western restaurants advertising a foreign menu often tweak it some to appeal to the host countries dietary habits. For instance - by adding a lot more animal products. Sort of like "Tex Mex" which isn't really a fair representation of Traditional Mexican food.

 

[Lamb]

When I was in college, I befriended a group of Japanese exchange students and I tried salted seaweed for the first ( and last time). Gross. They have other dishes that are awesome, but salted seaweed... no.

Dried seaweed is a really good snack! Kind of salty though.

When I went to art school in Chicago, I was introduced to all kinds of new foods from all over the world. Thai was always my favorite.

I went to a Vietnamese wedding in my early 20s and they had a 7 course meal...some things i loved but the fish...no. It just stared at us.