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I agree that once you develop a taste for the real versions of the ethnic foods, you aren't really satisfied with the Americanized version. This happened to me after 2 stints of working in China, I just didn't really want to eat the Chinese food available in my area as it just wasn't the same and not good enough for my changed tastes.
If one has never had the real deal, then it is understandable that one might be satisfied with the local version of it.
Not entirely true. One can still like a slice of pepperoni pizza or a burrito from the US, even though they aren't truly ethnic.
Problem with many Americans is that they associate Ethnic food with poorly imitated versions. When someone claimed they've eaten sushi or Shepard's Pie and they didn't think it was all that special. It turns out they had terrible imitations.
I agree that once you develop a taste for the real versions of the ethnic foods, you aren't really satisfied with the Americanized version. This happened to me after 2 stints of working in China, I just didn't really want to eat the Chinese food available in my area as it just wasn't the same and not good enough for my changed tastes.
If one has never had the real deal, then it is understandable that one might be satisfied with the local version of it.
My daughter is the same way. After going to school in China, she wasn't excited about eating Chinese food in the US. There was a place she felt was "authentic" in Jersey City--they had the standard Chinese-American menu, but they also had a Szechuan specialty menu, and since she had been in Chengdu, she was familiar with that food.
Now she's back in China, but in Beijing, and still misses the Szechuan flavors.
When I moved from AZ to NJ, I totally understood authentic Mexican food. You aren't going to find it in NJ. When it hammered home for me was a visit to China. We were in a tour that took us only to Americanized restaurants, except one night, we went out to real chimes restaurant. Boy did I want the american Chinese!!
When I moved from AZ to NJ, I totally understood authentic Mexican food. You aren't going to find it in NJ. When it hammered home for me was a visit to China. We were in a tour that took us only to Americanized restaurants, except one night, we went out to real chimes restaurant. Boy did I want the american Chinese!!
Hahaha, I have lived all my life in NJ, and for the life of me, I have never been able to figure out the fascination with Mexican food, and I posted that on here somewhere. I said that it all seems to be the exact same stuff--some gloppy beef or chicken, mixed with cheese and rice and some spicy stuff and then put into a taco or rolled into tortillas of varying sizes and then given different names. It's all the exact same taste, just comes in different shapes and with different names. I would go with people who would order enchiladas or chimichangas or burritos, mulling over which one to pick, and I wanted to scream, "WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE??? IT ALL TASTES EXACTLY THE SAME!!!!!"
Then a lot of people responded saying that "REAL" Mexican food is different from that and better and varies more widely...so I guess that's really a problem here in NJ.
When I allow the persistent friends to drag me out for Mexican, there is one place I don't mind going because it's got this open-air area in the back that's nice in the good weather, but mostly because they have this decidedly un-Mexican thing on their menu. It is jumbo shrimp in a hot, spicy sauce that burns your mouth, and it comes with spinach and black beans and rice. I love it, but it's probably pretty far from authentic! I don't care. I like it, and it is different from the bulk of the other stuff on the menu.
Hahaha, I have lived all my life in NJ, and for the life of me, I have never been able to figure out the fascination with Mexican food, and I posted that on here somewhere. I said that it all seems to be the exact same stuff--some gloppy beef or chicken, mixed with cheese and rice and some spicy stuff and then put into a taco or rolled into tortillas of varying sizes and then given different names. It's all the exact same taste, just comes in different shapes and with different names. I would go with people who would order enchiladas or chimichangas or burritos, mulling over which one to pick, and I wanted to scream, "WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE??? IT ALL TASTES EXACTLY THE SAME!!!!!"
Then a lot of people responded saying that "REAL" Mexican food is different from that and better and varies more widely...so I guess that's really a problem here in NJ.
When I allow the persistent friends to drag me out for Mexican, there is one place I don't mind going because it's got this open-air area in the back that's nice in the good weather, but mostly because they have this decidedly un-Mexican thing on their menu. It is jumbo shrimp in a hot, spicy sauce that burns your mouth, and it comes with spinach and black beans and rice. I love it, but it's probably pretty far from authentic! I don't care. I like it, and it is different from the bulk of the other stuff on the menu.
Shrimp diablo? Ahhhh.....not sure how authentic their version is....but spicy shrimp dishes over rice and beans is indeed a Mexican dish....why would you think it's 'unMexican'?
Shrimp diablo? Ahhhh.....not sure how authentic their version is....but spicy shrimp dishes over rice and beans is indeed a Mexican dish....why would you think it's 'unMexican'?
Lol...it may be....but how sad that someone would think it's the most 'un' Mexican. I have friend who is from Acapulco.....the dishes she would bring in on pot luck days were to die for......there are several spicy seafood dishes that were too die for. (We used to chip in to help defray the extra cost of her dishes because they were that good.)
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