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Firstly, I apologize if this topic has been covered previously. I did a search and didn't see any findings.
Moving along, I'm a big fan of the different forums here on CD, especially the World Forum. I respect everyone's posts but lately it seems like the same 5 topics are discussed over and over. Too many race obsessed threads, which country is better than the other in whatever category, etc. I say if we're going to compare endlessly, let's compare what really matters...the food! (maybe beer would be more appropiate?)
I've been fortunate to live abroad the past few years and one thing friends and family all notice in pics is the noticeable weight I've put on. Not fat just a bit plumper than when I left the good ol' US.
Living abroad has it's culinary advantages. Despite all of our differences, the one thing every human on Earth has in common is a need to eat and different ways to prepare their dishes. I'm curious what are some of your favorite cuisine's from around the world? What dishes in particular?
The only thing I regret is that I hate seafood which makes a large portion of the world's cuisine unappealing to me. I might have to get over this someday because I truly feel like I'm missing out. Especially living in a coastal town. Just feels wrong ordering a steak at a restaurant on the beach.
Top 5 Favorite
1. Mexican
My absolute favorite cuisine in the world. I'm originally from Colorado, USA which has a plethorea of Mexican restaurants to choose from. Recently I was clued in that most Mexican-Americans are from the northern states which has it's own style of cooking. Much different than that of the southern states in and around the capital city. I was fortunate to try a few restaurants in Europe ran by Mexicans from the south and there's a slight difference, stronger tastes, much more variety, but overall I love them both the same and could seriously eat a different Mexican dish everyday for the remainder of my time on Earth and not complain. Strangely my favorite Mexican restaurant is in Barcelona, Spain of all places. I have yet to actually travel to Mexico but when I do, I may not leave.
2. Italian
Living in Italy kind of turned me into a food snob of sorts. It's so bad that I haven't enjoyed an Italian meal outside of Italy since. It's just not the same and rather than complaining, I just hold off until I can fly down for a weekend to indulge. I recall being very upset at my first actual Italian meal upon moving to Central Italy a few years ago. It was nothing like Olive Garden! Where were the breadsticks? Why did the waiter look so confused when I asked for Fettucini or "Pollo Alfredo"? Why is my pizza so thin and runny? It was nothing like I expected or like the old movies led me to believe it would be like. Everything was so fresh that it actually tasted funny to me for a few weeks. The turning point was my first trip to the Campania region for business and stopping for lunch. There, in a small city along the cost (Mondragnone) I experienced mozzarella di bufula for the first time. As my knife sliced it, milk spilled onto my plate of proscuito and rucola. I looked up at the waiter like , who encouraged me to just try it. Upon tasting it I experienced a range of emotions..... ........... It was SO good. Amazingly good. So good it inspired me to give the food another try. I fell in love and it completely turned my world upside down. I've never had an authentic Italian-American dinner to compare but it would have to be godly to compare at this point in time. My ideal meal would be mozzarela for appertivo of course, Bucatini Amatriciana for the pasta, Tagliata Primavera for the main course. Cocco gelato for dessert, and a whole lot of running the next day to make sure i don't blow up lol.
3. Brazilian
I also experienced my first Brazilian Churrascao in Italy. There's a delicious place in Rome not far from the Coliseum. The actual buffet items before the meat were delicious. Unfortunately I do not know the names or even where to begin describing them. My favorite buffet item was this potato salad like dish, but with I believe a bit of tuna, some type of crushed cracker and raisins. So simple but it was like a flavor explosion in my mouth from all of the different food combinations in one dish. I had no idea all of the meat came with this so by the time it came I was nearly full. The meat was exquisite. Unfortunately due to language barriers, all I know is that my favorite selection is "manzo (beef)". I would love to know what cut, how they prepared it, etc. It's amazing. Wash it all down with a caipirinha, and then onto the delicious roasted pineapple with cinnamon and sugar...Mmm, amazing, albeit a bit pricey outside of Brazil.
4. Peruvian
Two words: Lomo Saltado. A Peruvian friend of mine suggested I go with him to a restaurant with food from his country. Always ready for an adventure, I agreed. At the time I couldn't directly point out Peru on a map, just knew it was in South America. Figured it would taste like Mexican. Nope. Amazing food and I love the Latino meets Asian fusion they have going on. I'm currently in the process of finding a nice place here in NRW, Germany. If you know of any, please let me know!
5. Turkish
Doners, Kebabs, Turkish pizza, the salads...everything is flavorful and very filling. Hoping to travel to Turkey soon to taste the 100% authentic stuff. Until then, I'll settle for the ample choices here in Germany.
Least 5 Favorite
1. Korean
I despise Kimchi, but it ended up in all of my food while living in Korea. Everything. Soup, hamburgers, cups of noodles, Korean bbq... I just couldn't get away from the stuff. Bulgogi is ok but overall I just wasnt that impressed. And soju is scary. And the street food will have you home for a few days if you choose the wrong stand.
2. Chinese (in China)
After eating Chinese around the world I can say with no reservations that America has the best Chinese food in the world. Granted, I was in an airport in Beijing which might not be the most culinary inclined place to base your decision on a whole country. I ordered the sweet and sour chicken and could barely finish the first bite, it was pretty bad. Nothing like the stuff back home. Maybe it required time to switch my tongue's pallets like Italy required.
3. French
I love their wine. Their cheese is maybe my favorite in the world. Their bread is to die for but I'm primarily a meat eater and I just can't figure out why the French don't like to cook their meat. Granted not every dish is served undercooked, you can request it to be cooked how you like just like anywhere else. Just don't order anything "tartar". I did on a recent trip to Paris and was served a pound of raw ground beef with french fries. I respect everyone's culture and traditions, but this was extremely gross to me. I should've read more into what tartar entailed I guess.
4. Spanish
I read the menu and get excited, but I'm usually disappointed. Spanish dishes seem to have been the base for Latino food, but they were perfected in Latin America with all of the different contributions from the different cultures. Everything tastes so bland like it's missing something. Also, being served cold paella is just wrong.
5. Most of Northern Europe
Excluding France, I can't think of anything the Benelux area is famous for food wise. Any info on dishes to look out for would be greatly appreciated. So far I've been very disappointed. Although Germany gets points for their delicious potato salad and ample selection of sausages.
I hope I didn't offend anyone with my post. These are just my opinions. Look forward to reading others as well and broadening my food horizons. Thanks for reading and happy eating!
Regional French ( and I do love Steak Tartare and always have my beef served "Blue", I cannot fathom why anyone would eat their red meat overcooked, it loses its flavour and becomes tough and chewy IMO - I too am pretty much Carnovore first, Omnivore second ), so much variety and so many different flavours, lots of different meats, fish, seafood, wonderful breads and cheeses, a huge larder of goodness. From the wonderful Seafood of Brittany to the Sun Drenched cuisine of the South, with anything in between like Quiches, Coq au Vin, Fondue, Stews of all kinds, crepes there is so much to chose from . Basque to Breton, Provencal to Perigourdin, Burgundian to Alpine, Auvergnat to Gascon, Catalan to Northern it is hard to be bored by French food IMO.
Italian - Same as Above - A lot more than Pizza and Pasta
Japanese ( Heaven to me - I am told the very top restaurants in Japan are a fusion of French and Japanese which sounds like Nirvana...)
Mexican but the real Authentic stuff you get in Mexico not the "Tex Mex" rubbish which tries to pass itself off as Mexican. A lot more than Tacos and Enchiladas... Great game, fabulous seafood and fish, it is all there....
I pretty much love most cuisines though apart from Chinese which I still cannot find in my heart to like despite trying hard to. I have had it in China, HK, Singapore, Malaysia etc... and still cannot love it. I love Cambodian, Vietnamese, Thai, Laotian etc... but Chinese just does not do it for me.
Hmmmm...this is a good thread for those of us who have been fortunate to eat the food in the country of origin.
1. Indian food
Used to go every year to visit relatives. Frankly, the variety of different flavors that never seems to get boring...I love that and the fact that so much of it is healthy on top of that! It's like guiltless gourmet, but for everyday food. The junk food is also good!
2. French food
I'm a sauce-aholic. This is, of course, much less healthy, but there was not one day I was there that I didn't swoon over the food. We even ate cafeteria food from a local university, and my taste buds were singing! Crepes on the street! Just a plain piece of bread and cheese. Fantastic. The only trip in my life I actually gained weight (was there about a month - Normandy and Paris).
Honestly...these two are heads and tails above everything else.
American, Thai, Greek, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, Indonesian, various south american street foods...those are have delicious dishes, and I enjoy them.
One thing that really gets me going - FUSION. I love fusion restaurants that are well done.
Stuff I really don't care for
1. Mexican food
I have access to the best tex-mex and I lived in Mexico for a summer (in the villages and Oaxaca city)...with the exception of an OUTSTANDING mole dish I had, the food is always incredibly one-note, too much of it is fatty for no reason, and it just bores me.
2. Italian
Boring, boring, boring, boring...and in Italy, nasty and boring.
The one redeeming thing I can say about Italian food (in Italy) is that you do get very fresh veggies thrown into a lot of stuff...too bad it tastes like ass. And they can do things to seafood that would terrify you.
3. Russian
Seriously. Had to choke down what I could so's not to insult my host family or the dignitaries that took us out to eat at 'fine restaurants.' Lost mucho weight that summer. That being said, I do like borscht.
4. German
Schnitzel...well, who doesn't like that? Otherwise, bland, fatty, and uninteresting. I spent most of that summer eating off the Turkish doma carts.
5. Swedish
Seriously?
6. English
Good thing they have a lot of immigrants.
Yes, it's so subjective...... The best food is the food that your mother prepared when you were a growing boy...the food you ate when you met your sweetheart...
The best food is always the local food wherever you are, local produce, local food people have been eating during centuries...
The worst food......There's no worst food, Belgians eat French fries with mussels and they love it, most people find it revolting...Koreans eat fermented cabbage, they love it...
I knew a guy in the US that thinks that the best food in the world are "Spaghetti with meatballs" extracted from a Chef Boyardee's can....quite respectable.
There are people that only eat at industrialised franchises of "exotic" food, where they eat mostly chemical surrogates of franchise food....but they love it, quite respectable.
By the way, only a very drunk tourist would eat a cold paella with sangria.
Excluding France, I can't think of anything the Benelux area is famous for food wise. Any info on dishes to look out for would be greatly appreciated.
The Netherlands: pancakes, poffertjes (small pancakes, sort of), lots of different 'stamppot' (andijvie, boerenkool, hutspot, etc. it's basically boiled potatoes mashed with a vegetable), rookworst (sausage often served with stamppot), mayonaise, kroketten/fricandellen/bitterballen (fried meat), pea soup, etc. Dutch cuisine is generally very healthy.
Belgium: chocolate, fries, beer, chicory, etc.
Luxembourg: no idea.
You're right, it's pretty pathetic Fortunately we have a lot of foreign dishes here as well.
My favourite cuisines (in random order):
- Italian
- Indo-Chinese
- American
- Greek
- Turkish
1 - Tex Mex
2 - Japanese
3 - Italian
4 - Chinese
5 - Swedish
Bottom:
don't really have a bottom... depends on the food. Anything with a lot of vegetables goes down here.
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, who encouraged me to just try it. Upon tasting it I experienced a range of emotions..... 
...
...
....
. It was SO good. Amazingly good. So good it inspired me to give the food another try. I fell in love and it completely turned my world upside down. I've never had an authentic Italian-American dinner to compare but it would have to be godly to compare at this point in time. My ideal meal would be mozzarela for appertivo of course, Bucatini Amatriciana for the pasta, Tagliata Primavera for the main course. Cocco gelato for dessert, and a whole lot of running the next day to make sure i don't blow up lol. 
Fortunately we have a lot of foreign dishes here as well. 
