Favorite Foreign Food Thread

[MaCruz]

I want Spam and Rice!

[fatediesel]

Chinese
Italian
Mexican

We don't have much for foreign restaurants in my area so I haven't tried a lot of foreign food. All the foreign food I listed are pretty much from chains and aren't authentic. I've heard from people that have had real Chinese food that it is nothing like the Americanized restaurants my area has.

[Elandyll]

One thing I find very sad in the US is that French food is typically associated with expensive/ complicated foods.
There is no chain (that I know of) offering affordable and familly type, uncomplicated French food, when in fact it would normally be very easy to do.
On the other hand Chinese and Italian chains are a dime a dozen, which only serves to reinforce the stereotypes.
Let me tell you that at a trucker familly type stop or a Bouchon Lyonnais type in France, you can eat really really well for about $20 per person, including a glass of wine.

I have already told my dad (great cook) he would make a killing by opening a French chain here, akin to Olive Garden, but offering dishes like homemade quiches, simple meat stews types (like Boeuf Bourguignon, Blanquette, Ratatouille, Cassoulet...), classic simple dishes (like Tomates Farcies, Tartiflette, Bouchees a la reine,...), classic salads (like Lyonnaise or Grenobloise), soups (Vichy -carrots-, Mushroom cream, roasted onions with cheese...) and of course -simple- deserts like Fruit tarts, Flans, Tarte Tatin and Chocolate mousse (my fav being a Chocolate Charlotte with Rhum dipped biscuits). That and homemade French bread / croissants, made affordable and simple, would normally work well.

The closest I've found is Mimi's Cafe I guess, which is pretty decent .

Ah well.

[GLaDOS]

Originally Posted by MaCruz

I want Spam and Rice!

Not a huge spam fan. I was before, but I prefer longanisa a lot more.

[MaCruz]

Originally Posted by kotsedriver

Not a huge spam fan. I was before, but I prefer longanisa a lot more.

Yuck! I prefer american sausage. LOL. I'm too Americanized.

[GLaDOS]

Originally Posted by MaCruz

Yuck! I prefer american sausage. LOL. I'm too Americanized.

Glad I'm still a purebred Filipino.

[b0bby]

Originally Posted by jbig31

Stupid question-what's Korean BBQ?

if you have a trader joe's in your area i suggest getting their korean bbq beef shortribs in the frozen section. the marinade seasoning is perfect when you grill them at home on the grill. yes i recommended someone frozen instead of going to an actual korean restaurant but if you don't care for the whole authentic korean bbq experience with all the side dishes then this is a great item for any ocassion/party.

as far as this topic is concerned in general i love a lot of the food from southeast asia as a lot of the countries share similar flavors and ingredients. i love pho, banh xeo (giant yellow pancake), broken rice dish w/fish sauce from vietnamese cuisine. i love spicy papaya salads, spicy curries, spicy tom yum soups, other spicy foods from thai/indian/laos cuisine.

aside from that i love italian, japanese, and mexican. a lot of foreign food can be really tasty but you have to be very open minded sometimes to even try them.

[LeAnn]

All this talk of food, made me decide to get a big ol' roast duck from my friend's place for my parents for Valentines.

[mikejet]

Originally Posted by kotsedriver

Not a huge spam fan. I was before, but I prefer longanisa a lot more.

Originally Posted by MaCruz

Yuck! I prefer american sausage. LOL. I'm too Americanized.

Spam is the bomb.

MaCruz, you need to try my Longanisa fried rice. It will change your mind. Here's the recipe:


1 Pack of Longanisa defrosted
About 3-4 tablespoons diced garlic
3 eggs
2 cooked cups of rice

Peel the skin off the longanisa and fry it in a pan mashing it up so it will be like ground beef. Once cooked set aside. Do not drain the oil from the pan!

Scramble the eggs in and fry them in the longanisa oil! With about 1 tablespoon of garlic. Set aside.

Fry the remaining garlic in the pan and before it browns put the rice on top of it and add a bit of water. Once the garlic starts to brown mix it up. You can then add the cooked longanisa and eggs.

One mixed serve and enjoy!

Note, you can substitute the longanisa for diced spam for a fun breakfast fried frice!

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by mikejet

I prefer No Reservations over Bizarre Foods.

I was an avid viewer of A Cook's Tour on the Food Network, and I continued to follow his travels on No Reservations when he switched networks. Both Bourdain and Zimmern are entertaining for different reasons; who I prefer to watch on any given day depends on the mood I'm in. If I need biting satire and cynicism to lift my spirits, I'm going with Bourdain; if I'm looking for something more upbeat, then it's Zimmern.

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

I've heard from people that have had real Chinese food that it is nothing like the Americanized restaurants my area has.

That is correct. What I discovered is that most of the local Chinese restaurants in my city aren't owned or operated by folks from mainland China or Hong Kong; they're from Taiwan. Ironically, the bulk of the international students that frequent these establishments are from mainland China (based on my observation).

The Chinese food served in the US midwest is not authentic (the exception may be Chinatown in Chicago, but I haven't been there); the dishes are customized for the American palate, which seem to emphasize thick, heavy sauces that are either too salty, sweet or spicy.

[b0bby]

this thread needs more pictures.

[LeAnn]

Anyone here enjoy Durian? I HATED it before I went overseas, but now I get random cravings for it, the fruit, the ice cream, the dried paste. LOL.

[mikejet]

Originally Posted by LeAnn

Anyone here enjoy Durian? I HATED it before I went overseas, but now I get random cravings for it, the fruit, the ice cream, the dried paste. LOL.

I can't help but remember Andrew Zimmerman not being able to eat it.

I haven't tried it myself. I'm actually an EXTREMELY picky eater. It always bugs my wife too lol.

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by LeAnn

Anyone here enjoy Durian? I HATED it before I went overseas, but now I get random cravings for it, the fruit, the ice cream, the dried paste. LOL.

I have: once was enough, thanks. My dad seems to enjoy it though. The smell I can endure, but not the texture or taste.

[LeAnn]

aww man, now I am going to have to add some durian ice cream to the mix.
But it is really hard to be around if youve not eaten it. It really is true that it smells like something rotting away, that is of course, until you eat it. Then it smells lovely.
I remember all the buses and subways had these images:

[GLaDOS]

Originally Posted by mikejet

Spam is the bomb.

MaCruz, you need to try my Longanisa fried rice. It will change your mind. Here's the recipe:


1 Pack of Longanisa defrosted
About 3-4 tablespoons diced garlic
3 eggs
2 cooked cups of rice

Peel the skin off the longanisa and fry it in a pan mashing it up so it will be like ground beef. Once cooked set aside. Do not drain the oil from the pan!

Scramble the eggs in and fry them in the longanisa oil! With about 1 tablespoon of garlic. Set aside.

Fry the remaining garlic in the pan and before it browns put the rice on top of it and add a bit of water. Once the garlic starts to brown mix it up. You can then add the cooked longanisa and eggs.

One mixed serve and enjoy!

Note, you can substitute the longanisa for diced spam for a fun breakfast fried frice!

Oh, now we're talking, Mike.

[Yautja]

Chinese
Italian
Turkish

[b0bby]

Originally Posted by LeAnn

Anyone here enjoy Durian? I HATED it before I went overseas, but now I get random cravings for it, the fruit, the ice cream, the dried paste. LOL.

i love durian. i don't find it smelly at all or you could say i "like" the smell. durian flavored pound cake is awesome but my fav is durian milk shakes.

[Porkchop Express]

There is a new Vietnamese restaurant that opened by my home. I go there so much now, I'm on a first name basis with the owner & staff.