Ethnicity is what I like when I eat out

[teleman1]

When I have Italian, I like to know it is an Italian family making the stuff and responsible for the recipes. Same goes for Chinese food, Thai food, Jewish delicatessens, Mexican food, German food, etc. I want the culture there, I want the family recipes. What I don't want are corporate entities taking over the food industry, emulating these styles. And if you are going to blow your diet, getting a bit bigger or corrupting your health. I'd rather it be at a place like Bob"S coagulating burgers or something like that, instead of jac in the crack, mikey D's Taco fell or any fast food restaurant. Actually I'd love to eat at a MA PA s burger shop that had grass fed burgers.

What you say?

 

[SixStringSlinger]

I generally agree, if only because in my experience that usually correlates with my enjoying the food more. Though there may be some chicken and egg happening there.

I'd modify what you say to the restaurant being owned/run by people of/familiar with the culture the food comes from. I care what they decide to do and how they decide it should be done; less so the personal history of whoever happens to cook or serve it.

 

[rcole_sooner]

I like em all, depending on my need or situation. Them FF joints are great for a quick bite on the road without having to stop. The big chain corporate restaurants, there are several of those I like and most have some form of local fare that is different per area.

Most of our favorite local places are part of a larger restaurant owner group which is probably some form of corporation. Not 1000s or even 100s of stores, but a few dozen around town, with several different store fronts.

Mom and pop shops? Hit and miss, but when they are hit it is a treat. I like to use the parking lot test. If the parking lot is full, it is probably a good place.

Either way it is the management and desire to turn out a quality product that makes a restaurant good or bad.

 

[BigDaddyLH]

It doesn't have to be ethnic, but I like family run places. There are inherently local, so mentioning one won't mean anything to nearly everyone else. Nevertheless, I gotta praise this idea one more time: https://notjustcurries.ca/

Deepa and Rahul wanted to start a restaurant, but they didn't want to invest in the brinks and mortar. Even a takeaway location seemed old-fashioned, so they set up that web site. You order ahead of time, they cook the food at their house and Rahul delivers it on the day. We're ordering one meal a week, Rahul knows our names and tells us most of their customers are Indian. They recently expanded to serving lunch as well.

 

[uriah1]

Chain usually mean cheap and fast with an ethnic name.

You can't stereotype however. The best hot dog places around the Lake Erie and Detroit area
are usually Lebonese or Greek.

 

[dougbgt6]

Sadly even the family gives the market what they think it wants. Chicken Tikka Masala is NOT a genuine Indian sub continent dish, a man in Manchester, ordered and got Chicken Tikka and asked why it had no curry sauce. They took it away and poured over tomato soup. Now you can rarely get straight Chicken Tikka. There is no such thing as Madras Curry in Madras!

It is increasingly rare to find genuine Indian/Pakistani/Bangladesh food in the UK.

Doug

 

[Peegoo]

@teleman1 I'm right there with you, brother.

But I go a step farther.

When I Eat Authentic, I expect ice in my drink made with tainted water resulting in a raging case of shigella that lasts a week.

But I'll usually settle for a 24-hour bout of Montezuma's Revenge.

It's all part of the experience!

 

[teleman1]

It doesn't have to be ethnic, but I like family run places. There are inherently local, so mentioning one won't mean anything to nearly everyone else. Nevertheless, I gotta praise this idea one more time: https://notjustcurries.ca/

Deepa and Rahul wanted to start a restaurant, but they didn't want to invest in the brinks and mortar. Even a takeaway location seemed old-fashioned, so they set up that web site. You order ahead of time, they cook the food at their house and Rahul delivers it on the day. We're ordering one meal a week, Rahul knows our names and tells us most of their customers are Indian. They recently expanded to serving lunch as well.

What kind of license do they have where they can prepare it at home? It is OK with the local Canadian health dept.?

 

[Knows3Chords]

I don't know, Wang's House of Tacos has the best Perogies I've ever had.

 

[Toto'sDad]

Not everything that stinks, comes from a fast-food place. People who are paying their own bills, usually find a way to go ahead and use something once it's been purchased.

 

[1guy]

I do about 50+% of my business in restaurants and bars...low voltage work, and I naively used to think ethnic restaurants were owned and operated by that particular ethnicity...

LOLOLOL

In reality, it's rare, in my experience, to see a restaurant run by the same ethnicity as the type of food.

Also, I think everyone is aware that the overwhelming majority of kitchen employees are Latinos, no matter which type of food is served.

One more thing... regardless of how nice a restaurant is, the kitchen stinks...it's hard to believe such good dishes come out of a smelly, greasy place.

 

[Chester P Squier]

OP reminds me of when I had Chinese food that was not to my liking. It was served by a lovely Caucasian lady.

We eat at a Cuban restaurant twice a week, but we eat regular American stuff. Good food and good service. Mom and pop. Our favorite restaurant.

 

[blowtorch]

there's a place locally that tries to bill itself as cajun cuisine, it's run by an asian family.
and it's all very good but I don't know how authentic it is, it seems to possibly lean more towards trad asian cooking methods
my sister jokingly calls it asian/cajun*fusion

*con

 

[Area51]

When I have Italian, I like to know it is an Italian family making the stuff and responsible for the recipes. Same goes for Chinese food, Thai food, Jewish delicatessens, Mexican food, German food, etc. I want the culture there, I want the family recipes. What I don't want are corporate entities taking over the food industry, emulating these styles. And if you are going to blow your diet, getting a bit bigger or corrupting your health. I'd rather it be at a place like Bob"S coagulating burgers or something like that, instead of jac in the crack, mikey D's Taco fell or any fast food restaurant. Actually I'd love to eat at a MA PA s burger shop that had grass fed burgers.

What you say?

People ask me what I miss most about living in the bay area. I say FOOD! We could decide to eat Ethiopian. Then argue which one to go to. The same was true for every other type of food. Having travelled a lot throughout Europe, Asia, and South America, I can atest the food is authentic (e.g not Americanized!)

 

[Alcohen]

Wait, I thought this was a pro-cannibalism thread.

 

[dkmw]

I agree, authentic is almost always better.

And I’m lucky, within walking distance I’ve got a little Vietnamese takeaway and a high brow Japanese place. Within a mile there’s a New York pizza place owned/staffed by real NY Italians, another sit down Italian joint, a Cuban cafe, and a Moroccan place. If I go two miles there’s a really good Cuban restaurant and a Thai place that always has a line. Pretty good for a little Floriduh beach town.

There’s a “Mexican” place very close also, but it’s not real and it’s terrible. Luckily, Mexican is the ethnic cuisine I’m most capable of preparing myself. As a matter of fact, I made red sauce this morning and have some ground turkey simmering in it right now.

 

[teleman1]

Yet, I don't want Biscotti, I want Mandelbread made by your Bubbie!

 

[BigDaddyLH]

What kind of license do they have where they can prepare it at home? It is OK with the local Canadian health dept.?

I don't know. They may fall under the "catering" category.

 

[Dik Ellis]

I am a white boy from Philadelphia, and I have a pretty good enchilada sauce. Just because your are not a certain ethnicity, doesn't mean you can't make great ethnic food.

 

[Fretting out]

Get with the times….we are all circles now!