are italian, chinese, mexican considered ethnic food ? (restaurants, cheeseburgers, fast food)

[stanley-88888888]

considering that pizza, chinese, tacos are consumed weekly by alot (most ?) people are they still considered ethnic foods or are they like hot dog and cheeseburgers now (which most people dont consider to be german food) ?

inspired by this response in another thread:
//www.city-data.com/forum/city-...l#post46025624

[clawsondude]

I say yes. These things are incredibly popular in the US and have been Americanized, but they still have their ethnic origins. If you really think about it, it is kind of funny to think of pasta and pizza with red sauce as being Italian. Tomatoes are a New World food and didn't arrive in Italy until after Columbus. The same goes for potatoes in Ireland. This just shows that intermingling of cultures has been going on for a very long time. In my mind every food is "ethnic" in a sense.

[Kaphawoman]

Yes. I eat them often but didn't grow up with these foods, and my attempt to re-create them at home would surely be laughed at by people whose mother's prepared these foods.

[Cliffie]

Sure, they're ethnic. They come from distinct areas inhabited by a distinct ethnic groups, and each has a distinct set of flavors.

[ccm123]

Yes, they are. In bigger cities (New York, Chicago, Dallas, Boston, San Francisco, etc), they are very common and very mainstream though.

[alices00ze]

dim sum as it has a lot of varieties like siew mai, har gao and many more and the chefs are always trying to create new ones.

[hertfordshire]

Depends. Olive Garden is not ethnic. Pizza Hut is not ethnic. Taco Bell is not ethnic. Panda Express is not ethnic.

They might be inspired by ethnic foods and flavors, but they're as ethnic as a Big Mac.

[lieqiang]

Why would Panda Express not be ethnic food, but whatever hole-in-the-wall Chinese place down the street is? They are both based on Chinese food, but neither is serving Chinese food like is found in fast food places in China. The beef and broccoli at the place run by Chinese folks is an Americanized dish too.

Fried rice? Check.
Kung Pao chicken? Check.
Chow mein? Yup.

That is ethnic food, no matter how commercialized the chain is.

[hertfordshire]

Originally Posted by lieqiang

Why would Panda Express not be ethnic food, but whatever hole-in-the-wall Chinese place down the street is?

Where exactly did I say that "whatever hole-in-the-wall Chinese place down the street is"?

[lieqiang]

I apologize, I assumed you implied it by singling out chain ethnic-based chain restaurants as opposed to Mom and Pop type gigs. I believe if Panda Express is called up for not being authentic then so does Golden Gate/Bamboo Palace/Great Wall/Jade Garden/etc. and if Taco Bell is named then we also roll on Amigos/Sombreros/Muchos Tacos/etc. since all of it appeals to the taste of their customer despite being run by Chinese and Mexicans.

I think if it has fried rice, egg drop soup, kung pao chicken, and chow mein it's Chinese food and ethnic, regardless of whether is a chain in a strip mall or sitting in an alley in Chinatown.