Food ratings by country

[CuppaJoe]

OP, food in Italy is out of this world.

I'm surprised how many here mention Vietnamese; my list:

1. Vietnamese from the uncrowded place down the street.

2. Thai where I actually eat often because they are open for lunch.

153. Vietnamese from the place with a six month wait for reservations--their to-go food is similar to #1 but the atmosphere is too high tech stainless steel.

3,678. Vietnamese in Vancouver, B.C. Pretty bad.

Absolutely last on my list: Vietnamese in Quebec City where they don't know the meaning of "spicy."

 

[unclemick]

She used to drag me shopping for spices and sauces - 'Vietnamese Villiage' eastern New Orleans - the home district of the one and only Vietnamese American elected to Congress(he beat money in the freezer Jefferson).

Combined with classic New Orleans/north Georgia/her DIL's New Orleans style Italian - I went 30 lbs overweight on dishes with 'no name'.

Only in America.

heh heh heh - diplomacy says it's because I quit smoking three years ago.

 

[tuixiu]

One that's mentioned often that didn't do it for me is India, although I've only spent time in the North. I quickly grew tired of the excessive bread type stuff and the any type of meat in sauce curry/masala just didn't compare to Thai. I did have some good food there, it just didn't overwhelm me like when in Thailand or Vietnam where everytime I'm like "cool I'm hungry!' kinda deal.

Hell I was in heaven enjoying the serene environment of Pushkar until the no beer no meat started getting to me. Weird asking around for boiled eggs and a nice tall Kingfisher lager on the down low.


Regional BBQ variations would be an interesting thread on it's own. Some people are amazingly passionate about KC vs. Carolina vs. Texas vs. St Louis etc. styles, scoffing at whatever ketchupy or too dry or mustardy or vinerarish tilt isn't in their favorite.

 

[tuixiu]

She used to drag me shopping for spices and sauces - 'Vietnamese Villiage' eastern New Orleans - the home district of the one and only Vietnamese American elected to Congress(he beat money in the freezer Jefferson).

Heh the Cajun restaurant I frequent here in Arizona is run by a Vietnamese family.

 

[W2R]

Heh the Cajun restaurant I frequent here in Arizona is run by a Vietnamese family.

Most Cajun food outside of Louisiana isn't really Cajun, though. I don't know why but I haven't ever had decent Cajun food outside the state. Perhaps Louisiana should export chefs to other states as a charitable action.

A few years ago I had a bowl of gumbo in another Gulf Coast state that literally, honestly, tasted like fish soup made with dishwater (ugh).

 

[REWahoo]

Heh the Cajun restaurant I frequent here in Arizona is run by a Vietnamese family.

Yep, the Chinese/Thai restaurant we frequent is run by a Vietnamese family. And one of the best Italian restaurants around is run by two brothers exiled from Iran when the Shah fell.

 

[REWahoo]

Most Cajun food outside of Louisiana isn't really Cajun, though. I don't know why but I haven't ever had decent Cajun food outside the state.

What will you eat in MO?

 

[Orchidflower]

tiuxiu, there are entire books on the regional difference in BBQ out there. Now cooking BBQ is really a competitive sport, which you will see if you watch some of the cooking shows.

Could someone please explain what is good about Japanese foods? My son loves it, and worked for 6 months as a cook in a Japanese restaurant; but I just don't get the raw fish thing at all. I don't seem to even like their bean ice cream (ice cream, for gosh sakes!) and wasabi. Only their fried fresh veggies seem ok to me, but too fried and unhealthy to me. The only thing I really like is Japanese beer it seems.

Now I understand French food is supposedly the gold standard, but I still am trying to figure out why? The flavors are subtle..maybe too subtle at times. I just don't get all the big whoopla over French food. Call me stupid?

Can some foodie on this board explain the love of those two types of food?

 

[W2R]

What will you eat in MO?

Not Cajun food in restaurants! LOL There are several such restaurants in Springfield but no thanks. I will probably occasionally do some cooking, but since I don't like to cook probably I will have to make do with American chain restaurant food like Macaroni Grill or TGIFridays.

The difference in foods has been a huge concern for Frank and me, believe it or not. We plan to wean ourselves off of New Orleans food and meanwhile maybe his sister can send us some care packages.

New Orleans style Sicilian/Creole is what we will miss most. There is one Sicilian restaurant in Springfield, but after visiting twice we will probably never go there again. The dishes have the same names, but they just don't GET it. I have the URL of a decent New Orleans Italian(Sicilian)/Creole restaurant down here that ships their red sauce in jars and it is better than my homemade sauce. So, that's a start, even though jarred red sauce is nearly a prosecutable offense down here.

Actually, worse food could help in my continual weight loss efforts.

Edited to add: When I moved from Hawaii to Meridian, Mississippi in 1975 to marry my ex, I had the same problem. Eventually you get used to the local food and forget what once was daily fare. It's an adjustment, though.

 

[FIREd]

tiuxiu, there are entire books on the regional difference in BBQ out there. Now cooking BBQ is really a competitive sport, which you will see if you watch some of the cooking shows.

Could someone please explain what is good about Japanese foods? My son loves it, and worked for 6 months as a cook in a Japanese restaurant; but I just don't get the raw fish thing at all. I don't seem to even like their bean ice cream (ice cream, for gosh sakes!) and wasabi. Only their fried fresh veggies seem ok to me, but too fried and unhealthy to me. The only thing I really like is Japanese beer it seems.

Now I understand French food is supposedly the gold standard, but I still am trying to figure out why? The flavors are subtle..maybe too subtle at times. I just don't get all the big whoopla over French food. Call me stupid?

Can some foodie on this board explain the love of those two types of food?

There is really nothing to explain and nothing to understand. As people, we each have a set of unique likes and dislikes. There is really no point in justifying them. Have you ever tried melon-flavored Mongolian cheese? I cannot understand how someone could love that stuff, yet many people do. They could try to explain to me what it is they like about it, but the chances that it will make me change my mind about melon-flavored Mongolian cheese are at best extremely low.

 

[unclemick]

What will you eat in MO?

Zatarain's outta da box man - plus a little experimentation.



heh heh heh - alternated with BBQ of course. I smoked turkey breast last Thanksgiving - barrel Cajun II smoker using apple chips/apple juice in the water pan. Not competition quality yet - but I'm getting there.

 

[unclemick]

There is really nothing to explain and nothing to understand. As people, we each have a set of unique likes and dislikes. There is really no point in justifying them. Have you ever tried melon-flavored Mongolian cheese? I cannot understand how someone could love that stuff, yet many people do. They could try to explain to me what it is they like about it, but the chances that it will make me change my mind about melon-flavored Mongolian cheese are at best extremely low.

Scrapple and Lebanon baloney - I had an SO (from Philly) who used to get care packages in New Orleans. Yech!

I persuaded my parents that I could live(after leaving Washington State) without smoked salmon, smoked smelt and Applets and Cotlets candy at Christmas -although it took years.

heh heh heh - still like the candy.

 

[CuppaJoe]

Could someone please explain what is good about Japanese foods?....I just don't get the raw fish thing at all. I don't seem to even like their bean ice cream (ice cream, for gosh sakes!) and wasabi. Only their fried fresh veggies seem ok to me, but too fried and unhealthy to me. The only thing I really like is Japanese beer it seems....

Liking the beer is a start. I'd stick to tuna or salmon sashimi for the raw fish to see if you can stomach it and go slow on the wasabi, it is an acquired taste. You could always order something like teriyaki chicken or salmon with rice and salad and skip the raw fish, wasabi, and ice cream. I love the cold noodles but go easy on the dipping sauces which tend to be very salty.

 

[Orchidflower]

You should see my son just stuff that raw fish and sushi in and gobble down the wasabi, which he thinks is the best thing ever...barf. The cooked stuff is okay, but to me the raw....no way. He acts like I'm a peasant for not liking this stuff, but he can have it all as far as I'm concerned.

 

[W2R]

Zatarain's outta da box man - plus a little experimentation.



heh heh heh - alternated with BBQ of course. I smoked turkey breast last Thanksgiving - barrel Cajun II smoker using apple chips/apple juice in the water pan. Not competition quality yet - but I'm getting there.

Hey, you know Zatarain's has frozen microwaveable stuff, too. Haven't tried it but lots of different meals. I will be looking for those up north, and maybe there will be some frozen gumbos of various brands up there that are passable.

For some reason, I am not crazy about BBQ. It's OK - - I'll eat it - - but I wouldn't cross the street to get the best BBQ in the world.

 

[WanderALot]

tiuxiu,
Could someone please explain what is good about Japanese foods? My son loves it, and worked for 6 months as a cook in a Japanese restaurant; but I just don't get the raw fish thing at all. I don't seem to even like their bean ice cream (ice cream, for gosh sakes!) and wasabi. Only their fried fresh veggies seem ok to me, but too fried and unhealthy to me. The only thing I really like is Japanese beer it seems.

DW and I love Japanese food. We just got back from 11 days in Japan this past Thanksgiving and the food was some of the best food of any type we've had.

Our love for Japanese food is hard to describe. Some of it has very subtle flavors; definitely not in your face like Indian or Thai. After all our meals in Japan, we came to conclusion that a lot of Japanese dishes are extremely well presented, tasty, good texture. It definitely seems to hit all the senses. I absolutely love Indian food, especially South Indian food, but I can understand why others don't since it can be so overpowering. There is rarely any subtlety with Indian food and presentation often times in secondary.

There's some about a nice bowl of ramen (which is actually Chinese) or soba. It smells and tastes wonderful! We had some Hida beef (like Kobe beef, but a different region of Japan) which was cooked over a hibachi on a magnolia leaf with a miso paste composed of grilled onions and other spices. SO good! Also, Sashimi is to die for. I can have it for breakfast.

I will agree that Japanese and many Asian desserts leave me wanting. They are either too sweet or have an unfavorable texture (too soft or too grainy). I like red bean ice cream, but it's not my absolute favorite. My favorite desserts are definitely European. Ohh the French and the Austrians can make some incredible desserts!

I like foods of all types, and find it hard to choose one over the other. If I had to pick five, in no order of preference:

- Mexican
- Indian (especially South Indian)
- Japanese
- Italian
- Thai

Countries where I didn't really like the food:

- Germany
- Peru
- Costa Rica
- Egypt
- Any Scandinavian country! (Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland)

 

[Orchidflower]

This calls for me to go to Japan and try some of their foods there. Good excuse to go, eh?
I agree that nobody presents their food so beautifully as the Japanese, tho. And their food is incredibly fat free, which I'd love now that I'm trying to avoid fat; but, in all honesty, normally I'd say nothing tastes good if it doesn't have fat in it..ha!

 

[WanderALot]

This calls for me to go to Japan and try some of their foods there. Good excuse to go, eh?

That and the incredibly cheap tickets to Japan right now, at least from the west coast, are a very worthwhile reason to go. It's an expensive destination so any break you get is worth it.

I agree that nobody presents their food so beautifully as the Japanese, tho. And their food is incredibly fat free, which I'd love now that I'm trying to avoid fat; but, in all honesty, normally I'd say nothing tastes good if it doesn't have fat in it..ha!

I'll see if I can drag up some pics and post them here. Some of their stuff is pretty fatty, but since everything is small portions, it's OK. A set dinner can have many multiple courses; it's like a buffer with portion control!

 

[tmm99]

2) japan for small ma and pa stands/cafe like places that specialize on some specific dish (like yakatori, noodles, octopus balls)

I know what you meant by octopus balls, but I bet some people thought... what??!!!

 

[Kronk]

Sushi is a taste I eventually acquired. DW loves Japanese food (primarily sushi). So I'd end up taking her there for her birthdays and such. I'd get tempura, pork katsu, or teryaki. It was okay, but not something I looked forward to. Didn't like wasabi.

In the last year (after 15 years of periodic Japanese food), I've really come to like sushi (and wasabi). I started with veggie rolls, and eventually moved to salmon and tuna. Good sushi kind of just melts in your mouth.

Still haven't come around to miso soup. Salad with ginger dressing is good, though.

There's a really good Japanese place called YamaFuji in Front Royal, VA where we go to on most of our holidays. They've got weekly specials, and somtimes on the weekends they have "Tuna Festival" or "Salmon Festival". All-you-can-eat sushi/sashmi -- each time there are around 10-12 different rolls in addition to sashimi and nigiri. It's just an awesome thing eating that pile of sushi.

 

[DangerMouse]

Must say that I am a sushi fan. For me, if it's good sushi it's about the texture as the raw fish dissolves in your mouth. I love that after eating sushi I feel so clean, I don't feel weighted down by any fatty residue.

Miso soup, it's a dish I love, but varies so much from restaurant to restaurant. A good miso is out of this world, subtle, but thinking about it makes my mouth water.

 

[WanderALot]

Here is the kaiseki meal we had. The first pic shows some of the sashimi. The second pic shows almost all of the courses of the meal and the third is the beef and veggies we grilled on the hibachi.

 

[megacorp-firee]

I know what you meant by octopus balls, but I bet some people thought... what??!!!

I've also had chicken (well ... actually rooster) balls. Not something I would drive far for ...

 

[heyduke]

you call it sushi - I call it bait...

 

[BunsGettingFirm]

Must say that I am a sushi fan. For me, if it's good sushi it's about the texture as the raw fish dissolves in your mouth. I love that after eating sushi I feel so clean, I don't feel weighted down by any fatty residue.

Miso soup, it's a dish I love, but varies so much from restaurant to restaurant. A good miso is out of this world, subtle, but thinking about it makes my mouth water.

I'm a fan of all the typical Japanese food from sashimi to octopus salad. Hey, it's just really good and fresh sea food. My new favorite is agadeshi tofu. It's actually not hard to make, but I have seen some restaurants totally botch it. Thank goodness my neighborhood restaurant 2 blocks away makes really good agadeshi tofu.

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Korean food. I don't know how close Korean barbecue represents real Korean food, but I always come out completely full and satisfied. Just the little appetizers if eaten with rice is enough for a full meal. Add on top the barbecue wrapped in fresh lettuce. Ah...I'm drooling.