Cultural Cuisine Preferences?

[The Spectacular Professor]

Or, in plain English: What style of food from what country is your favorite?

As for me, Italian is number one. Give me good plate of shrimp fettuccine and some garlic bread any day. Good old fashioned spaghetti is also a great dish. Mostly any Italian dish I've ever tried I liked.

I also like Mexican. A good taco or burrito is a wonderful thing. Just make sure the salsa is fresh. I can't stand that canned or jarred stuff.

Sushi is good too, but too expensive to make a habit of eating.

So, how about you?

[Drizzt Do'urden]

Being in the NationalGuard I've had the chance to experiencecuisine from all over the world. Japanese, Korean, Mexican, Polynesian, and Chinese. There's a HUGE difference between what you get in the States. The "Americanized" versions of different cuisines don't compare to what you get in the host nations.

I can't really say which is my favorite. I too like Italian food enough to eat every day. But I would have to say my FAVORITE foods would be a toss up between Miso Ramen soup, or the Korean Spicy Octopus (weird I know but its AWESOME)

[Retribution]

[quote name='Drizzt Do'urden']Being in the NationalGuard I've had the chance to experiencecuisine from all over the world. Japanese, Korean, Mexican, Polynesian, and Chinese. There's a HUGE difference between what you get in the States. The "Americanized" versions of different cuisines don't compare to what you get in the host nations.[/QUOTE]
[font=Arial]Definitely true. I go to school in NYC so there are a wealth of first/second generation immigrants with authentic restaurants, most notably the Chinese. The difference between "real" and "Americanized" cuisine is simply astonishing.

I have a broad palate, so I like all sorts of stuff. Gyros (Greece), falafel (Middle East), sushi (Japan), American Chinese food, burritos (Latin America), and all sorts of American stuff are great. There's nothing like a stuffed turkey alongside mashed potatoes, green beans, macaroni, and dinner rolls.[/font]

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]Gyros are the ****, but the most delicious food I have ever had is Indian food. San Antonio has this awesome first generation Indian buffet called India Palace that is my favorite place in town to eat.

Aside from that, tex-mex is a staple around here - none of that awful Taco Bell stuff either. Caldo, chile relleno, enchiladas verdes, mmm. Man, that makes me hungry.[/color]

[Raiha]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]I live in San Bernardino right now, so the Mexican food is the best. Real Mexican food. So none of that Chili's nonsense, no excess of cheese. Just salsas and meat and corn rolled tortillas. From the gods.

But when I'm in Nor Cal again, in a particular town I visit, the Phillipino food is unparalleled in their levels of grease, flavor, and saffron. They make the best rice, the best skewered chicken, the best pork ribs. I can't really explain it because I'm going to go out on a relatively thick limb here and tell you that most OBers have no bloody clue what Pansit is. Oh well.

But as for my own? I love my mother and grandmother's hand made dumplings and fried rice. Their Western Chinese food, and by western I mean from Western China, is simply divine. I dream about it when I'm away.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[eleanor]

[font=trebuchet ms] I have random favorites from a variety of countries, although Korean food will always be my favorite comfort food. I guess it makes sense that it's my favorite, since I know it the best and I've grown up with it. Can I be unreasonably proud I say it totally owns Japanese and Chinese cuisine? :p But to be honest, Koreans constantly usually only eat 4 "real" Chinese dishes, two of them generally "Koreanized". And with Japanese stuff, I've only had sashimi, sushi, miso, tempura, etc.

- Gyros rock. The last time I went to NYC there was this one gyro stand that I loved. I would stalk the corner around night when it opened. lol I love white sauce, whatever the hell it's made of.

But on the topic of NYC, while we were there our advisor took us to Greenwich and then abandoned us in about .03 seconds and went into this tiny restaurant that just said "Noodles", and it was delicious. I think it's just a general rule of thumb that the best place to eat ethnic food will always be in the "sketchy" looking restaurants, since they're owned and operated by natives.

- Falafels.

- Naan=delicious.

- Sashimi...although I agree it's hella expensive. I've been completely spoiled by my dad, as he's sort of like a seafood guru and I've only eaten sashimi he considers good...but also costs upwards to $100+. But also at Korean places they take the fish leftovers and make a very spicy stew called mae-oon-tang, very good stuff.

-Thanksgiving dinner. <3

I really want to try food in Singapore. I watch No Reservations a lot, and the food Bourdain ate there looked delicious.[/font]

[Drizzt Do'urden]

Lunox, you can def. Say that Korean is the best between Chinese, Japanese, and korean.

Also DeathKnight, you are the $hI! I am the onlyone I know who likes burittos/enchilladas verdes (Green Sauce) I fell in love with it in Texas and it's the only thing I'll get when I'm hankering for some mex. food.

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"]Probably my only preference is for foods that run a little on the spicy side. I love that or a sharp tangy taste instead of sweet. It's hard to list a preference when I love cooking and trying out new stuff. I'm always checking out cookbooks and getting the ingredients to whip up something new. So it's hard to list a preference when there are so many types out there that I like. :catgirl:[/FONT]

[Lucy]

[COLOR=#35425e][FONT=Georgia][quote name='Raiha'][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]But when I'm in Nor Cal again, in a particular town I visit, the Phillipino food is unparalleled in their levels of grease, flavor, and saffron. They make the best rice, the best skewered chicken, the best pork ribs. I can't really explain it because I'm going to go out on a relatively thick limb here and tell you that most OBers have no bloody clue what Pansit is. Oh well.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]Check, ditto, indeed, indeed, indeed. Pansit with rice, now that's carb-overload but who's dieting, yeah?

My patriotism extends even to my food choices. I am very, very fond of Filipino food. Everything has a partner, and though recipes vary per region, one is rarely served without its mate. Sweet mangoes and sticky rice, rice in bittersweet chocolate paired with salty dried fish, grilled chicken and tangy-sweet green papaya pickles, [i]kare-kare[/i] (beef tripe curry) and shrimp paste. And oh, my personal favorite, sweet rice cakes and [i]dinuguan[/i] (pork blood stew). Yum yum![/FONT][/COLOR]

[Zen]

[color=royalblue][size=1]

Being the son of a Greek man, I have experienced Greek food as it was meant to be. Perfect. Gyros, I will agree, are amazing. But you ain't had nothing until you've had lamb on a spit, souvelakia, or chicken reganatto. Delecious. It's what I was raised on. to Greece and knowing several Greek families in America have definetly allowed me to experience the food best as possible.

Next to that, I love Japanese food. The steakhouse meals are good and all, particularly the shrimp/steak combo. But I'm a huge fan of sushi and sashimi. My favorite type of food, I actually had some today in celebration of my graduation. Great stuff. Gimme a slice of fresh red tuna over rice with soy sauce over anything.

I love me some Mexican food, particularly my favorite meal, Fajitas Texanas, which is pretty much a plate of sizzling win with tortilla on the side. Shrimp, steak, chicken, onions, green peppers, and other veggies still hot on a griddle. Awesome. Also I enjoy myself a good ol' Grilled Stuffed Burritto every now and again.

Apart from those, I'm a fan of Chinese American foods, particularly General Tso's chicken, and Southern Cuisine such as fried chicken with mashed potatoes and brown gravy and Maurice mustard BBQ chicken. And don't get me started on some baby back ribs... beautiful. With pepperoni, it's the only time I'll break my no pork diet.

That's all.[/color][/size]

[The Spectacular Professor]

[quote name='Raiha'][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]But when I'm in Nor Cal again, in a particular town I visit, the Phillipino food is unparalleled in their levels of grease, flavor, and saffron. They make the best rice, the best skewered chicken, the best pork ribs. I can't really explain it because I'm going to go out on a relatively thick limb here and tell you that most OBers have no bloody clue what Pansit is. Oh well.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Oh, yes. Filipino food. Love it. Some chicken adobo and lumpia hits the spot every time.[/FONT]

[Rachmaninoff]

[quote name='Aceburner']As for me, Italian is number one. Give me good plate of shrimp fettuccine and some garlic bread any day. Good old fashioned spaghetti is also a great dish. Mostly any Italian dish I've ever tried I liked.[/QUOTE]I love Italian food and like you just mentioned so far every dish I've tried, I've liked. I also enjoy Mexican or rather the version of it we get here, and I'm not talking Taco Bell. Americanized Chinese is okay and good so long as I don't have it too often. What I love best though is some of what would be considered southern cooking. I love Cajun cuisine. I also like barbecue but the variety here in Utah just doesn't compare to what I got when I was in Texas. Utahans do not know how to make barbecue. >_>

[The Spectacular Professor]

[quote name='Rachmaninoff']I also enjoy Mexican or rather the version of it we get here, and I'm not talking Taco Bell.[/QUOTE]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Trust me, neither do I. I go to school in a highly concentrated Hispanic/Native American/Filipino community. We get real tacos, real burritos, real tamales and real hot sauce. Real Filipino cuisine, too. All the restaurants around here are legit.

'Cept Taco Bell. Not that I won't stop by there for a quick bite from time to time, but around here I'm surprised they stay in business.[/FONT]

[Claire]

[FONT="Arial"]I can never get enough Chinese food. I'm not sure what is meant by Americanized, since around here all the Chinese restaurants are run by Chinese people...except for Pei Wei, but I've only been there once and I know it's a chain.

My favorite restaurant ever is called Mei Wah, I'm not sure if it's just local or if it has any sister companies. They have the best EVERYTHING: lo mein, rice noodles, fried rice, sauteed potatoes (which is unfortunately only on the lunch menu, so I don't always have the chance to get them), honey potatoes, etc. etc.. And back when I wasn't vegetarian I always ate half my weight in their bourbon chicken, bbq ribs, and pork egg rolls. Om nom nom nom.

They're somewhat expensive for me, though - one buffet box, kinda small in size, is about $10. I'm sure the amount of food I usually stuff inside of it is worth more than that, but it just feels terrible to shell out that much money on food period (I hardly ever have more than that on me anyway).

So if I'm ever craving lo mein but can't afford Mei Wah, I'll go to one of the tiny clone restaurants. They all have the same interior, same menu (both the pictures on the wall and the paper packet), use the same take-out boxes, and I swear the same woman works at all of them. It's decent enough if I really really need to eat something Chinese.

My second favorite cuisine is Italian. For the most part this means American chain Italian like Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill. However, sometimes my half-Italian friend invites me over for dinner, and I get treated to authentic pesto and ravioli. <33

My favorite Italian dish is eggplant parmesan (with spaghetti, please). It's weird, I prefer Olive Garden's eggplant parmesan to a local Italian restaurant's. D: [/FONT]

[eleanor]

[quote name='Clurr'][FONT="Arial"]I can never get enough Chinese food. I'm not sure what is meant by Americanized, since around here all the Chinese restaurants are run by Chinese people...except for Pei Wei, but I've only been there once and I know it's a chain.
[/FONT][/QUOTE]

[font=trebuchet ms] A lot of Chinese-owned restaurants will still serve "Americanized" Chinese food because it's what Americans are used to and will eat. The local Chinese buffet in my town is owned and operated by Chinese people, but there's no question that the food they serve is still Americanized. In your example, they also serve bourbon chicken, bbq ribs, etc... probably because it's more profitable.

Personally I still think Americanized Chinese food is awesome. lol [/font]

[Decay]

Yeah, I really like mexican food, being so close to the border. My mom was taught a whole bunch of recipes by some crazy old woman who lived as a chef in central mexico, so I got chimichangas and tamales and home-made salsa and -- *drools*

Also I really hate how when I do try to go into an 'authentic' mexican restaurant up to where I moved to they don't ask about red or green chile. I feel compulsed to tell them my preference, even though I'm pretty sure they don't even use chili to make the food. Arg, I miss sopapillas so much.

Also I'vel always liked japanese food, but I haven't been experienced to it much. My sister's babysitter back on some air force base was japanese, started to teach my sister the language and always seemed to be stocked with a few foriegn delicacies. I liked everything I tried, except for this werid corn-flavored bar thing that I couldn't stand.

[DeathKnight]

[quote name='Decay']Also I'vel always liked japanese food, but I haven't been experienced to it much. My sister's babysitter back on some air force base was japanese, started to teach my sister the language and always seemed to be stocked with a few foriegn delicacies. I liked everything I tried, except for this werid corn-flavored bar thing that I couldn't stand.[/QUOTE]

[color=crimson]Seconded. I love sukiyaki. There is this awesome Japanese restaurant in San Antonio called Fujiya's that I go to often. I need to try their sushi bar, but their other Japanese dishes are too tasty for me to skip when I go, lol. I'm like mmm, sushi - but wait! Tonkatsu!

What is a man to do :([/color]

[chibi-master]

Gimme chicken terriyaki and my grandma's home-made egg custard pie and I'll do anything. Seriously. Anything.

[Adam]

I once went to a Korean restaurant for a friend's birthday; he did all the ordering. I kid you not, this is what EVERYONE had there:

(1) Fried chicken
(2) French fries
(3) Calamari
(4) Mozzarella sticks
(5) Onion rings

It was ridiculous.

Japanese food is easily my favorite. I also enjoy *good* Chinese food and, once in a while (not too often because they're heavy), Persian/Italian/French/etc., etc.

It's really the specific restaurant that's important for me vs. the genre of food.

The only genre of food I passionately dislike is Ethiopian food.

[The Spectacular Professor]

[quote name='Adam']I once went to a Korean restaurant for a friend's birthday; he did all the ordering. I kid you not, this is what EVERYONE had there:

(1) Fried chicken
(2) French fries
(3) Calamari
(4) Mozzarella sticks
(5) Onion rings

It was ridiculous.[/QUOTE]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Wow. Bad luck, Bossman.

"Hey, guys! Let's got to KFC!"
"I'm in! Wait, What does the 'K' stand for again?"
"Korean."[/FONT]

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]My mom is from Texas, so that of course means lots of what would be considered southern cooking. She has some utterly fantastic recipes that are so tasty. Barbecue, black eye peas with bacon bits. Pecan pie and a whole lot more that she makes that is just downright yummy.

I do like Mexican and Chinese from time to time but in the end the homemade stuff that my mom makes is the best. :catgirl:[/FONT][/COLOR]