# What International  Foods Have You Tried ?



## Chris21E (Jul 2, 2021)

*Having live in Brazil I grew up on that cuisine, which is not spicy. 

My Mother was Spanish Father Cuban so did have that cuisine, also lived in Mexico, so familiar with authentic food. Sorry to say taco bell not even close.

Did enjoy Chinese, Mother introduced me to Japanese food, did not care for that food, felt it lack flavor.

Did try out Indian food that was way too hot and spicy,  and the last Greek food fine.

Share your food adventures.

ps. Not use to American food*


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## hollydolly (Jul 2, 2021)

Aside from British food ( and do not believe everything you're told about British food being awful, it's simply not true)..

I've travelled widely within Europe... French, Swiss,  German, Italian, Greek, Turkish...Bulgarian, Spanish (not Mexican Spanish, real Spain)

I've had Authentic  Indian, ( which isn't Hot)... Pakistani,..Viennese, Swedish, Chinese  and Japanese...

My favourite is Greek or Italian... my least favourite is German.. (bland & boring)


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## SmoothSeas (Jul 2, 2021)

I have an adventurous palate and I'm willing to try almost anything...


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## RadishRose (Jul 2, 2021)

Almost all European food; Mexican, Asian, Middle Eastern, Indian


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## Aunt Bea (Jul 2, 2021)

I’ve enjoyed the Americanized versions of foods from many countries.

The only foods that I’ve experienced first hand were in the Canadian Maritimes.  I’m sure that many of those were the Canadian versions of foods from around the world.


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## Don M. (Jul 2, 2021)

I was in Europe for 4 years, back in the '60's, and ate all sorts of local foods...nearly all of which was excellent.  Then, I was in Thailand for most of 1967, and ate some of their foods...some of which I'm glad I never really knew what was in it.


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## Pinky (Jul 2, 2021)

Indian
West Indian
Greek
Italian
Turkish
Japanese
Chinese
Korean
Mexican
Thai
Portuguese
German
Polish
French
I'm sure I've left out a few ..


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## Alligatorob (Jul 2, 2021)

Every thing I could get, and I have traveled a lot so tried a lot. 

The only one I regretted was a dinner of cuy (guinea pig) and chicha (you don't want to think about how it is made...).  It took my gut about 3 months to recover, or at least I think the cuy and/or chicha was the culprit, but after a week or so in Ecuador who knows for sure.  I got it in an out of the way locals only place in Quito, though cuy is popular in Ecuador it is surprising hard to find in any tourist place.  Had to get a local cab driver to help me search it out, then I regretted it...

That did not stop me from continuing to try everything I could, still do.  Its fun and interesting.


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## jujube (Jul 2, 2021)

I'm very adventurous, so I've tried food all over the world. I did draw the line at guinea pig in Ecuador, only because I had guinea pigs as pets when growing up and it would have been like eating one of my dogs or cats.  Nope.


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## Chris21E (Jul 2, 2021)

A long the way some tried to slip a few items like frogs legs, and duck meat,very rich and goat meat, when they were my pets, hard to eat.

My trip to Brazil sure eel was on the menu. I became a picky eater.


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## Chet (Jul 2, 2021)

The worst was Spanish calamari. You never get done chewing it. You just swallow when you get tired of chewing. That was my experience.


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## Jules (Jul 2, 2021)

Lots of the locals‘ versions of their cuisine - Japanese, Vietnamese, East Indian, Greek.  I don’t really like Chinese food.  Rarely choose Canadian/American cuisines when we go out.  Most of them are chains.  



hollydolly said:


> Aside from British food ( and do not believe everything you're told about British food being awful, it's simply not true).


LOL.  You’ll have a bit of a time convincing me of this based on my Brit friend’s meals.  Overcooked!  JK.  Actually, I do believe there’s lots of great cuisine in Britain and I’d love to go and try it.


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## Keesha (Jul 2, 2021)

Ukrainian 
Chinese
Jamaican 
Italian 
Mexican 
Mediterranean 
Greek 
East Indian 
American 
British 
Scottish 
Irish


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## Llynn (Jul 2, 2021)

Pancakes.     Well the joint WAS called the International House of Pancakes after all.


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## StarSong (Jul 2, 2021)

Authentic foods - not just Americanized versions like lasagna or chop suey:

Spanish
Italian
French
Moroccan
Mexican
Indian
Thai
Korean
Vietnamese
Chinese
Japanese
Greek
Caribbean
American


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## hollydolly (Jul 2, 2021)

Chris21E said:


> A long the way some tried to slip a few items like frogs legs, and duck meat,very rich and goat meat, when they were my pets, hard to eat.
> 
> My trip to Brazil sure eel was on the menu. I became a picky eater.


Eel is very popular here in London... we have Eel pie shops and cafe's... ( not that I would ever eat it..).......


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## StarSong (Jul 2, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> I've travelled widely within Europe... French, Swiss, German, Italian, Greek, Turkish...Bulgarian,* Spanish (not Mexican Spanish, real Spain)*


Mexican food and Spanish food are as different as night and day.  Both are delicious but they're not remotely similar.


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## hollydolly (Jul 2, 2021)

Jules said:


> Lots of the locals‘ versions of their cuisine - Japanese, Vietnamese, East Indian, Greek.  I don’t really like Chinese food.  Rarely choose Canadian/American cuisines when we go out.  Most of them are chains.
> 
> 
> LOL.  *You’ll have a bit of a time convincing* me of this based on my Brit friend’s meals.  Overcooked!  JK.  Actually, I do believe there’s lots of great cuisine in Britain and I’d love to go and try it.


LOL..well you have friends who are clearly terrible cooks..  just remember that it took a British Chef.. Gordon ramsey  to go over there and teach your restaurants how to cook...lol

BTW.. remember this 

A famous line from _Annie Hall_ captures the American attitude towards food: "Two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, 'Boy, the food at this place is really terrible.' The other one says, 'Yeah, I know - and such small portions.'" If we fall short on quality, we certainly won't let you down on portion size.

...Jules you'd be welcome to come and try our food anytime you like...


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## hollydolly (Jul 2, 2021)

StarSong said:


> Mexican food and Spanish food are as different as night and day.  Both are delicious but they're not remotely similar.


precisely, but Americans generally believe that  to have anything Spanish or to speak Spanish means Mexican... rather than the Real McCoy, Spain itself...


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## StarSong (Jul 2, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> LOL..well you have friends who are clearly terrible cooks..  just remember that it took a British Chef.. Gordon ramsey  to go over there and teach your restaurants how to cook...lol
> 
> BTW.. remember this
> 
> ...


The best airport meal I ever had was at Gatwick in London during a few hour stopover from Los Angeles to Rome.


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## Murrmurr (Jul 2, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> Aside from British food ( and do not believe everything you're told about British food being awful, it's simply not true)..


Ok, I wouldn't say it's _awful_. It's, um....different.

I went motorcycling with a friernd in southern England, and we stopped in Eastbourne for a bite. I ordered chili, mainly because I was curious. They served it on a bed of rice. Rice. With some chili on it.

Seriously?


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## hollydolly (Jul 2, 2021)

StarSong said:


> The best airport meal I ever had was at Gatwick in London during a few hour stopover from Los Angeles to Rome.


well I suppose it depends which restaurant you ate at...some are not so great at the airport, and some are really good.We always eat in the 1st class lounge...


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## Murrmurr (Jul 2, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> precisely, but Americans generally believe that  to have anything Spanish or to speak Spanish means Mexican... rather than the Real McCoy, Spain itself...


Not _all_ Americans, dear Holly.  
But we do have to be told, "No, I mean Spanish from Spain."


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## hollydolly (Jul 2, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> Ok, I wouldn't say it's _awful_. It's, um....different.
> 
> I went motorcycling with a friernd in southern England, and we stopped in Eastbourne for a bite. I ordered chili, mainly because I was curious. They served it on a bed of rice. Rice. With some chili on it.
> 
> Seriously?


 that's how it's served here... Rice with Chilli -con-carne on top...








still it must have come as quite a shock from hot dogs and burgers...


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## hollydolly (Jul 2, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> Not _all_ Americans, dear Holly.
> But we do have to be told, "No, I mean Spanish from Spain."


if you read that again I said..'generally''....


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## Murrmurr (Jul 2, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> that's how it's served here... Rice with Chilli -con-carne on top...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's just wrong.


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## hollydolly (Jul 2, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> That's just wrong.


Not in the UK it isn't...and we were here first..


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## Murrmurr (Jul 2, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> Not in the UK it isn't...and we were here first..


We made chili first, though.

Bayam!


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## hollydolly (Jul 2, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> We made chili first, though.
> 
> Bayam!


errrm...try again....

https://www.seasonedpioneers.com/a-brief-history-of-chilli-con-carne/


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## Murrmurr (Jul 2, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> errrm...try again....
> 
> https://www.seasonedpioneers.com/a-brief-history-of-chilli-con-carne/


Yeah, the southwestern US was mostly Mexican then. Ergo; Tex-Mex.

You know I'm just messin' with you, right? (with facts  )


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## hollydolly (Jul 2, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> Yeah, the southwestern US was mostly Mexican then. Ergo; Tex-Mex.
> 
> You know I'm just messin' with you, right? (with facts  )


I like facts... I'd enjoy it more if you got yours right...


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## Chris21E (Jul 2, 2021)

StarSong said:


> Mexican food and Spanish food are as different as night and day.  Both are delicious but they're not remotely similar.


I agree totally


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## Chris21E (Jul 2, 2021)

*Yay!!   Food fight *


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## Chris21E (Jul 2, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> precisely, but Americans generally believe that  to have anything Spanish or to speak Spanish means Mexican... rather than the Real McCoy, Spain itself...


So true... Just like English UK and USA


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## hollydolly (Jul 2, 2021)

Chris21E said:


> So true... Just like English UK and USA


Exactly Chris...


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## Chris21E (Jul 2, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> Exactly Chris...


My father was British...


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## hollydolly (Jul 2, 2021)

Chris21E said:


> My father was British...


Ha!! So you know very well...


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## CinnamonSugar (Jul 2, 2021)

I guess my most interesting experiences with international foods have come from families I've met in their homes... a lot of times as a home-visiting nurse you become like family.  So when homemade Puerto Rican stew with beef and sweet potatoes is offered, I say, "YUM!"  or when I have the chance to learn about preparation of vegetables I've never seen from a Yugoslavian family, I say, "yes, please..."

There are restaurant-prepared meals that fall under the "Ok, I can say I've tried that..." category, like escargot at a French place or abalone  from Korea.  

Have to admit I "got cold feet" when cold cooked chicken feet were on the menu at a Chinese restaurant in Seattle (though the rest of the food looked amazing).


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## Jules (Jul 2, 2021)

CinnamonSugar said:


> I guess my most interesting experiences with international foods have come from families I've met in their homes..


That would be wonderful. I’d have to bypass the chicken feet too.  

Reminds me that I had homemade Russian food.  It was delicious.


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## hollydolly (Jul 2, 2021)

Jules said:


> That would be wonderful. I’d have to bypass the chicken feet too.
> 
> Reminds me that I had homemade Russian food.  It was delicious.


I had Home-made Bulgarian food...mostly red  peppers and rice based...not really my cuppa tea, but I ate it obviously to be polite..


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## Jules (Jul 2, 2021)

There’s nothing really distinctive about Canadian cuisine.  Mostly meat and potatoes as the base.  Now with many nationalities moving to Canada, we have lots of variety for ethnic food.  This is a _huge generalization_ re most mom & pop restaurants, they’re often owned by oriental folks.  We’re lucky they brought these skills.

Some of us would call Poutine Canadian cuisine.  Not me.  Yuck.


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## Chris21E (Jul 3, 2021)

I had a simple caesar salad and grapes before posting this and missed the fun because the carbs put me to sleep diabetic coma.  

I enjoy all the food adventures and wondering what is fun for everyone now. I crave flavor and fruits, Brazil, had so many mangos and other fruits not found in the US.

My food choices are less complicated, would enjoy going to a nice restaurant. 

Enjoy this Show from PBS
Check Please Bay Area

https://www.pbs.org/video/check-ple...ase-bay-area-takes-you-culinary-comfort-food/


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## Remy (Jul 3, 2021)

Probably not a lot. Just local Mexican and Chinese or Thai. 

@hollydolly I'd totally eat that as long as it didn't have meat in it.


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## hollydolly (Jul 3, 2021)

Remy said:


> Probably not a lot. Just local Mexican and Chinese or Thai.
> 
> *@hollydolly I'd totally eat that as long as it didn't have meat in it.*


you'd probably eat what Remy ?...was it something in my long list or was it the Bulgarian peppers and rice ?


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## Chris P Bacon (Jul 3, 2021)

I was stationed in the Philippines while I was in the Navy. One day, I saw a small bowl of some type of meat in sauce on my kitchen table. I assumed it was pork that my wife had made but I was wrong. I only had a couple of bites but as it turns out it was dog meat which is a delicacy to some folks there. It tasted kind of sweet but that may have been the sauce. Nonetheless I was more careful with what I ate from then on. Filipino food though, especially pork and chicken dishes are very good. I never though was brave enough to try *Balut*, the egg with legs!


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## PamfromTx (Jul 3, 2021)

OMG, @hollydolly , are you still awake?  It must be pretty late over there.


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## hollydolly (Jul 3, 2021)

PamfromTx said:


> OMG, @hollydolly , are you still awake?  It must be pretty late over there.


I'm a night owl Pam..it's 25 past midnight...


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## Pecos (Jul 3, 2021)

Chris P Bacon said:


> I was stationed in the Philippines while I was in the Navy. One day, I saw a small bowl of some type of meat in sauce on my kitchen table. I assumed it was pork that my wife had made but I was wrong. I only had a couple of bites but as it turns out it was dog meat which is a delicacy to some folks there. It tasted kind of sweet but that may have been the sauce. Nonetheless I was more careful with what I ate from then on. Filipino food though, especially pork and chicken dishes are very good. I never though was brave enough to try *Balut*, the egg with legs!


I thought that most Philippine food was very good, but like you, ..... NO Balut's on my  dinner plate!


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## RadishRose (Jul 3, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> But we do have to be told, "No, I mean Spanish from Spain."


Not where I am. I've never heard such a thing.


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## Chris21E (Jul 3, 2021)

Chris P Bacon said:


> I was stationed in the Philippines while I was in the Navy. One day, I saw a small bowl of some type of meat in sauce on my kitchen table. I assumed it was pork that my wife had made but I was wrong. I only had a couple of bites but as it turns out it was dog meat which is a delicacy to some folks there. It tasted kind of sweet but that may have been the sauce. Nonetheless I was more careful with what I ate from then on. Filipino food though, especially pork and chicken dishes are very good. I never though was brave enough to try *Balut*, the egg with legs!


Scary... Unknown foods


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## Gary O' (Jul 3, 2021)

Chris21E said:


> Share your food adventures.


I'm an authentic Mexican food slut.

However;
Chinese food runs a close second

The most pleasant surprise was finding an open air eatery in Dongguan

Never tasted such delicious chow mein in my life

Yeah, it had a bit of dog in it...but......it was a good dog

*WOOF!*


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## StarSong (Jul 4, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> Not _all_ Americans, dear Holly.
> But we do have to be told, "No, I mean Spanish from Spain."





RadishRose said:


> Not where I am. I've never heard such a thing.


When someone in the US is speaking Spanish, given our location and the migration patterns over the past several centuries, it makes sense to presume their recent roots are from the Western Hemisphere.     

Likewise, if I hear someone speaking French in Toronto I presume they are French Canadian unless told otherwise.

If I'm in Europe and hear someone speaking Spanish I presume they're from Spain.  If they're speaking French I presume they're from France.

It's that whole thing of when you hear hoofbeats you're most often correct to think of horses before zebras, unless you happen to be in Southeast Africa, in which case zebras are more likely than horses.


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## RadishRose (Jul 4, 2021)

I'll take "zebras" for 500, Alex.


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## Remy (Jul 4, 2021)

@hollydolly The chili over rice.


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## hollydolly (Jul 4, 2021)

Remy said:


> @hollydolly The chili over rice.


oh yes I'm sure you would enjoy it Remy....


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## StarSong (Jul 4, 2021)

RadishRose said:


> I'll take "zebras" for 500, Alex.


What did the blonde name her zebra?


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## hollydolly (Jul 4, 2021)

StarSong said:


> What did the blonde name her zebra?


Spot!!...and it's not true I didn't...


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## win231 (Jul 4, 2021)

In 8th grade, my French teacher brought Escargots for us to try (for those who wanted to).  I ate a couple of them.  They tasted & chewed just like shrimp.
My piano teacher's husband was Romanian & he considered himself a chef.  He'd always have me taste whatever he was cooking.
Once, he wanted me to try "Sweet Bread."  I said, _"Great; I love bread." _   He just chuckled.
When he opened the oven, I said, "What the hell kind of bread is that?  It doesn't look like bread & it doesn't smell like bread."
He told me what it was & I said, "I ain't goin' near that."  He got mad & cursed me in Romanian.


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## RadishRose (Jul 4, 2021)

StarSong said:


> What did the blonde name her zebra?


I was too slow.


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## Gary O' (Jul 4, 2021)

What International Foods Have You Tried ?​
An Iranian friend of mine took me to his favorite (authentic) Persian restaurant

The food was bland, at best

Did enjoy the belly dancer, however


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## win231 (Jul 4, 2021)

Well, I haven't tried it, but it's popular in France.....
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...horsemeat-french-eaters-idUSBRE91B0RX20130212


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## hollydolly (Jul 4, 2021)

win231 said:


> Well, I haven't tried it, but it's popular in France.....
> https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...horsemeat-french-eaters-idUSBRE91B0RX20130212


WE had horse meat in Italy... we unintentionally had it, stupidly stopping off at a roadside burger joint... WE knew straight away this tasted like no other meat we'd had, ( and I've eaten croc, ostrich, kangaroo etc so no stranger to different types of meat)... and had been warned about horse-meat being sold.. ..my companion got sick as a dog from it for 2 days  ( I didn't eat mine)...


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## Buckeye (Jul 4, 2021)

Lots
French Fries
English Muffins
Canadian Bacon
Spanish Rice
German Chocolate Cake
Swiss Cheese

I know it isn't food, but I've also played Chinese Checkers


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## dobielvr (Jul 4, 2021)

win231 said:


> Well, I haven't tried it, but it's popular in France.....
> https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...horsemeat-french-eaters-idUSBRE91B0RX20130212


I've had horse meat in Paris.  The lady we were staying with made it one night.  It was cut in to maybe 1" cubes and we dipped in hot oil or something to cook it...then a dipping sauce.  It was good.  Just tasted like beef to me.

It was when she served us goose, that I freaked!!


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## Chris21E (Jul 4, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> WE had horse meat in Italy... we unintentionally had it, stupidly stopping off at a roadside burger joint... We knew straight away this tasted like no other meat we'd had, ( and I've eaten croc, ostrich, kangaroo, etc so no stranger to different types of meat)... and had been warned about horse-meat being sold.. ..my companion got sick as a dog from it for 2 days  ( I didn't eat mine)...


Wow...if I ever had that happen it would be awful, to say the least. I can not even handle the basic fare as far as meat goes.
 As a kid had a hard time eating meat.


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## hollydolly (Jul 5, 2021)

dobielvr said:


> I've had horse meat in Paris.  The lady we were staying with made it one night.  It was cut in to maybe 1" cubes and we dipped in hot oil or something to cook it...then a dipping sauce.  It was good.  Just tasted like beef to me.
> 
> It was when she served us goose, that I freaked!!


 Goose is routinely cooked here at Christmas...as is duck.


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## StarSong (Jul 5, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> Goose is routinely cooked here at Christmas...as is duck.


When I lived in NY I loved going to Chinatown for Peking Duck.  Haven't had it in many decades.  Only had goose once and it was extremely greasy, but that could have been due to the chef's skill level.


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## Lewkat (Jul 5, 2021)

I have eaten most European and East European foods which includes the UK and liked the majority.  As for South of the Border of the U.S., I do like Mexican and some South American food.  Only authentic Chinese food is appealing to me. I do not like Indian food at all and loathe rice.  I cannot stand the feel of it in my mouth.


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## OneEyedDiva (Jul 5, 2021)

One of the most interesting meals I ever had was at an Indian restaurant in New York City. I went there with a good friend. I can't even remember what I had.  My husband and I used to go to a nice Indian restaurant in Montclair N.J. so I do like Indian food.  I like Chinese food. My ex nephew-in-law is Chinese. He remains close with my sister's family so has clued them in that Chinese food we have here isn't authentic. I prefer using halal Chinese restaurants so I don't have to worry about pork products being used in or near the food.

I've had Jamaican food. In fact, my late husband used to own a take out "joint" and had hired a Jamaican cook. His curry chicken and curry goat were *so* good. And he did the cabbage almost as good as my mother used to make it and that's saying something! I've had Spanish food from an alleged authentic Spanish restaurant. I like Mexican food as well. The worst so called Mexican food ever was from Chipoltle. Taco Bell may not be authentic but I love their bean Chalupas.


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## Chris21E (Jul 5, 2021)

How does everyone feel about Fish Sushi, I would be concern about getting sick, it needs to be refresh, even then...


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## Chris21E (Jul 5, 2021)

Lewkat said:


> I have eaten most European and East European foods which includes the UK and liked the majority.  As for South of the Border of the U.S., I do like Mexican and some South American food.  Only authentic Chinese food is appealing to me. I do not like Indian food at all and loathe rice.  I cannot stand the feel of it in my mouth.


That was my feeling eating it, I'm used to fluffy rice, then add intense flavoring...


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## dobielvr (Jul 5, 2021)

Chris21E said:


> How does everyone feel about Fish Sushi, I would be concern about getting sick, it needs to be refresh, even then...


I've eaten it in the past.  Raw tuna is very good w/soy sauce and wassabi...that 's the way I like to eat it.  Sushi was quite popular around here back in the 90's.  Still are a lot of Japanese restaurants around that serve it.

But, I've kinda moved on from the fad....and only eat the cooked food now.  Tempura...rice, although I will have an occassional California roll.


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## Chris21E (Jul 5, 2021)

Family mixed up, Mother, Spanish, interested in Japanese culture and food. Father British with Cuban parents...


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## Pecos (Jul 5, 2021)

Chris21E said:


> How does everyone feel about Fish Sushi, I would be concern about getting sick, it needs to be refresh, even then...


I felt pretty safe eating it in Japan or Okinawa. Octopus, shrimp, and fish are fine with me, but no snail thank you. Some Saki and several beers always helped.


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## Chris21E (Jul 5, 2021)

Pecos said:


> I felt pretty safe eating it in Japan or Okinawa. Octopus, shrimp, and fish are fine with me, but no snail thank you. Some Saki and several beers always helped.


Saki would help indeed...


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## StarSong (Jul 5, 2021)

I've eaten and enjoyed sushi and sashimi dozens of times, but stopped indulging after adopting a whole food plant based diet.


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## OneEyedDiva (Jul 5, 2021)

Chris21E said:


> How does everyone feel about Fish Sushi, I would be concern about getting sick, it needs to be refresh, even then...


Chris, sushi is something I never thought I'd eat but I've had it twice. When I flew down to Washington DC to visit my friend in her new apartment (same one I went to the Indian restaurant with), she suggested we get something from a sushi place she liked. I agreed because I'd heard so much about sushi and was curious. A couple of decades later, my sister and I went to a restaurant that among other things had a sushi bar. They make it look so pretty that I decided to try a couple of things. Neither experience was a bad one but these days, so much is being said about how polluted our waters have become, I decided not to eat sushi again.


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## Lethe200 (Jul 6, 2021)

Jules said:


> There’s nothing really distinctive about Canadian cuisine.  Mostly meat and potatoes as the base.  Now with many nationalities moving to Canada, we have lots of variety for ethnic food.  This is a _huge generalization_ re most mom & pop restaurants, they’re often owned by oriental folks.  We’re lucky they brought these skills.
> 
> Some of us would call Poutine Canadian cuisine.  Not me.  Yuck.


Oh, thank you - some of the restaurants here make a big thing of poutine, and it is one of those dishes whose appeal has always escaped me. 

I mean, it's a fair amount of trouble to make really GREAT, crispy, perfect French fries......so why would you want to turn them soggy and make them taste greasy? I love _frites, _and I love braised meats of any cuisine, but I just don't want to smash them all together.

The Peruvians do a similar dish to poutine - _lomo saltado, _served with rice on the side. Can't do that one, either.


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## Marie5656 (Jul 6, 2021)

*While in Disney World (of all places) I was at EPCOT, in the China land. I ate at a very traditional Chinese restaurant, meaning not the Americanized Chinese dishes we are used to. Took me a while to decide what I wanted, at it was different than what I used to. Forget what I chose (this was over 25 years ago) but I liked it.  Have also eaten non Taco Bell Mexican in Mexico.
It is amazing how different "real" international food is, from what we may be used to.*


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## Gary O' (Jul 6, 2021)

What International Foods Have You Tried ?​
I've mentioned loving Mexican food;

I could eat several plates of their authentic rice and beans in one sitting

Heh, I have


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## StarSong (Jul 7, 2021)

Lethe200 said:


> Oh, thank you - some of the restaurants here make a big thing of poutine, and it is one of those dishes whose appeal has always escaped me.
> 
> I mean, it's a fair amount of trouble to make really GREAT, crispy, perfect French fries......so why would you want to turn them soggy and make them taste greasy? I love _frites, _and I love braised meats of any cuisine, but I just don't want to smash them all together.
> 
> The Peruvians do a similar dish to poutine - _lomo saltado, _served with rice on the side. Can't do that one, either.


I had to look up poutine (thanks for the assistance, duckduckgo.com).  Wouldn't be my cup of tea either.


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## Cameron (Jul 7, 2021)

Up until i was about 30 I pretty much ate north american.   With the off local chinese place, italian etc but nothing out of the normal and most of that food was catering to north american tastes.  I then , having the travel bug, backpacked through south america and had to get used to the food in ecuador, peru, boliva , chile, argentina and brazil.  Always remember the rich flavours.  Hot spices to the point i was melting. A roasted guiena pig, in ecuador, meat pastries in peru.  Loved the all meat places in argentina and brazil, waiters constantly bringing different cuts of meat to you.  A few yrs later backpacking in asia I tried most foods stalls at train stations.  Loved the noodle dishes.   Lots of interesting things I had no idea what i was eating though !  after a walk in a local market where there were caged kittens, dogs, monkey etc to buy for food...kind leaned vegetarian for a while.  Although will  never forget asking for a chicken dish in a small village and shortly saw the chef chasing a chicken with a meat cleaver.   Love indian food.  My ex was from Hungary and her mom taught me a few recipes and am addicted to cabbage rolls ever since


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## StarSong (Jul 7, 2021)

Marie5656 said:


> It is amazing how different "real" international food is, from what we may be used to.


So true.  I had an Indian neighbor for couple of years. He invited my husband and I over for a feast of a meal (though for them it was a typical Sunday dinner) with his extended family. The food was beyond divine.  So much better than any Indian food I'd ever been served in a restaurant.   
My daughter-in-law's parents were both born in Korea.  The traditional foods my DIL serves and teaches me to make are so delicious - every ingredient at its peak of freshness and appetizing to the eye as well as the palate.

The timing of immigration waves also factors in. For instance, the great immigration wave from Italy > US occurred 1880-1920. Most modern American versions of Italian food are still pretty close replicas of that era and the next couple of decades (Depression cooking) despite Italy's cuisine evolving considerably during the intervening 140 years. Italian food in Italy has noticeably less meat and cheese, is more lightly spiced and carries less sauce than Italian-American foods.


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## asp3 (Jul 7, 2021)

When my wife and I have traveled more recently (last 5 to 8 years) we like to take food tours to taste some of the local foods that are chosen to be highlighted.  My favorite tours were in Phnom Penh and Amsterdam.  The one in Phnom Penh was the most interesting and different and included some insect dishes as well more familiar dishes.  Another good and interesting tour was in Casablanca.

Unlike @hollydolly I've had authentic Indian food in India that was hot.  We used to have what they call "home cooking" meals brought into the office I was working in Bangalore, India.  I was the lone non Indian in the office while I was there and their lunch providers prepared the food the way they normally would.  I loved those meals and have found a few places here in the Silicon Valley area that have similar food.

My favorite regional foods are Ethiopian and southern Indian dishes.  I also love Japanese, Thai and Korean dishes.  I love spicy dishes but also enjoy more elegant and refined dishes as well.  I generally don't enjoy lesser used animal parts (brains, glands, chicken feet, etc...) but have tried some I like.


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