Ethnicity is what I like when I eat out

[Knows3Chords]

My friends wife was born and raised in Mexico. She claims that she never saw sour cream on "Mexican" food until she got to the states.

 

[BigDaddyLH]

If I see "butter chicken" on the menu, I'm out of there!

 

[Jared Purdy]

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?

I live in Toronto. One of the food capitals of the world. Within walking distance I have access to Greek, Venezuelan, Ethiopian, Mexican, Indian, Chinese, Viet Nam, Brazilian, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Filipino, French, British, Hungarian and many others. Where I live, you could eat yourself to death! Oh, and I forgt about the numerous smoke houses!! Many in my area.

 

[telemnemonics]

Y'all suck I'm at work and gettin hungry!
That said, I will one up the request for correct ethinicity in the kitchen and add correct ethnicity in the dining room, eating, not serving.

IOW if no Mexicans eat at the Mexican joint, well, not the best but might still suffice.

Depends on the locale of course, not every town has a whole ethnic community to go with an ethnic food place, but foreigners cooking for their own culture is different from them cooking for us crackers.

 

[maxvintage]

I don't care who made it as long as it's made well and tastes good. I like supporting family run or privately owned places over chains

 

[GGardner]

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. View attachment 1061139

I agree. I find myself taking less notice of the staff's ethnicity as I do to the customer base. When I walk into a Chinese restaurant and it's full of customers speaking Chinese, it suggests to me that the food might have an authentic flavor. P.S. Your dish looks awesome. Congrats!

 

[blowtorch]

Follow the blue-hair crowd. They always know where the best places are, through experience. And they really don't have time to waste on a bad dinner

 

[2HBStrat]

I don't care who made it as long as it's made well and tastes good. I like supporting family run or privately owned places over chains

Chain restaurants hire mostly local American staff.

 

[1293]

Chain restaurants hire mostly local American staff.

Fine dining French restaurants hire mostly Mexicans.

 

[getbent]

I just ate pizza from what I would say is the best pizza in California. (not saying much, but I lived in NY and it is as good as NY and CT pizza.) Italians own the restaurant, but the cooks and waitstaff are hispanic. All of their food is fantastic and it is a ma and pa type place (4 locations now, all great.)

my favorite chinese place in San Jose is run by chinese folks, but the kitchen... is all hispanic. It is fantastic quality food and it has been great for years.

So, there are exceptions to all rules. In my 20's I was on a constant BBQ quest and I remember reading a book by Calvin Trillin where he wrote 'While it is entirely possible that a white man can create great bbq, the odds are pretty long against it.'

A few weeks ago, I ordered 'pulled pork eggrolls' the cook was a mexican guy it is a barbecue place in Los Banos, ca and I'm telling you it was among my favorite things I've ever eaten. Just amazing.

eating in other countries... so fun to get out a bit from the cities and eat like the locals do and see how that is... I read a book called Blue Highways a long time ago and in the book, the author, william least heat moon, said, you can judge a local restaurant by how many calendars are on the wall... each local business would come and give one to their favorite restaurant... some places put hats up... but, I have found, externally, that if you are hunting breakfast, the place that has the most pickup trucks parked every which way, is gonna be the winner.

 

[dkmw]

My friends wife was born and raised in Mexico. She claims that she never saw sour cream on "Mexican" food until she got to the states.

That is very true. I never saw sour cream in my Mexican travels. Not that I don’t like some sour cream on a taco every now and then, but that’s a Texas thing.

 

[ficelles]

There is even an argument about the proper way to eat spaghetti. Some say you put they spaghetti on your plate, and then the meat sauce on it. Others says the meat sauce goes into the pot with the spaghetti and gets mixed up. Heck, I think people can even disagree about the origin of bread sticks. I say, who cares? Mangia mangia !!!!

How can people not know that you have to make an external wall of spaghetti then put the sauce in middle so it looks like a volcano full of molten lava? If you have olives or capers they can be tourists who get too close to the edge and fall in. I never really grew up where food is concerned.

 

[teleman1]

But was the dog itself horrifying or just the people operating the stand?

It was a Vienna Hot Dog, pretty good.

 

[teleman1]

I had a burrito when I was in Paris. it was OK but the real satisfaction was the utter shock and dismay my friends seemed to feel about my choice.

I had Pizza in Paris in 1977. It was terrible, like cardboard with Catsup. Heat lamp warm.

 

[Lowerleftcoast]

 

[P Thought]

I like to hunt up a (edit: small) non-chain joint in a strange town, one with cars in the parking lot. Those cars to me mean "regulars", and regulars usually mean it's good food.

Often the ethnicity thing from the OP is at work in such places. I like that too.

 

[BigDaddyLH]

I like to hunt up a non-chain joint in a strange town, one with cars in the parking lot. Those cars to me mean "regulars", and regulars usually mean it's good food.

Often the ethnicity thing from the OP is at work in such places. I like that too.

Choose your time of day! Kelowna has tonnes of seniors and I see them eating their 5:00 evening meal at the Chinese Smorgie. Not a recommendation, in my books

 

[CCK1]

At the risk of invoking wrath for invoking ethnic stereotypes, I agree. If my server or hostess at a Chinese or Mexican restaurant is a bouncy blue eyed blond named Madison or Brianna, it often portends a less than stellar dining experience. Jaded, overly opinionated, ethnically stereotypical, yeah probably, but I just want good tamales, or Lo Mein.

 

[teleman1]

Portillos was a Chicago family chain. THe most popular Hot Dog stand in the Chicago metro area. They expanded to a couple of other states and a corporation took it over. They have done a couple of dum things. First, no more Vienna Polish, they are using a funky substitute. And, a Chicago dog has a casing, otherwise it is skinless and a sad experience. Their Jumbo dog is now skinless. A Chicago guy will not like that.

I predict in another 5 -10 years, small operated businesses will cease to exist. They can't compete and the corporations buy on volume so it cost them even more to compete & operate.

 

[P Thought]

My dad prematurely cashed in his retirement and ran a very small coffee shop next to a freeway offramp for ten years or so. Good food, long hours, sometimes hard work. Mom did the books and kept up supplies.

I have a soft spot for mom and pop shops.