Ethnic Food
I’ve always been extremely curious about almost everything, but it was
In a previous article, I discussed the foods I ate in Japan. Now I’ll talk about some of the other ethnic foods I’ve discovered. Having become familiarized with Japanese food and eating with chopsticks, it was a natural step to try other Oriental cuisines, which have major differences as well as many similarities.
Chinese
We’ve all heard that the “Chinese” food we eat here in America isn’t real Chinese food. Chop-suey, chow-mein, and egg-foo-young are very different in China, and fortune cookies don’t even exist there. It turns out that Chinese dishes are adapted to American tastes and often differ significantly from those found in China. Likewise, there is Mexican-Chinese food, Peruvian-Chinese food, English-Chinese food, French-Chinese food and so forth, all adapted to the palate of the particular region.
When we lived in Salt Lake, Sharon and I were invited by Chinese neighbors to a Chinese New Year dinner at a local Chinese restaurant. Nothing we ate that night was on their regular menu; the staff had cooked genuine Chinese food. Some of the dishes were fine, but others had ingredients and flavors that were definitely out of our comfort zone. One dish was a sweet pudding made with white jelly fungus. Another item we definitely didn’t care for was the shark fin soup. The pieces of shark fin were really tough and gristly, almost like trying to eat pieces of plastic. Although something of a culture shock, the dinner was a very enjoyable just for the experience.
Thai
The first time we went to a Thai restaurant, we told the waiter that we were unfamiliar with their cuisine. He replied that they have 5 levels of spiciness: Coward, Mild, Medium, Hot and Authentic. He was right, and we stayed generally with coward or mild. However, we found that not all Thai food is spicy. Some dishes are normally mild or totally non-spicy; it just depends on the particular dish. Just be careful to ask.
Pad Thai is probably the iconic Thai dish: noodles stir-fried with vegetables and meat such as shrimp or chicken. A favorite of ours is chicken coconut lemon grass soup, a delightful taste combination of lemony coconut milk with chicken, mushrooms and onions. Egg roll soup is quite an unusual item consisting of crispy egg rolls in a broth. It’s supposed to be eaten quickly before the egg rolls get soggy. We are really fond of Thai cuisine and will go at the drop of a hat.
Korean
One thing I really like about Korean meals is the “banchan” which is the many small side dishes of vegetables, pickles and grilled meats that are served in the center of the table. Each guest selects items from the banchan dishes to eat with his or her own bowl of rice. The more formal the dinner, the more banchan dishes are served.I especially like kimchi which is salted and fermented vegetables--usually napa cabbage--and various spices. Kimchi gets a bad rap in America as stinky and unbearably spicy, however it comes in many spice levels and smells no worse than dill pickles. I often have a jar of kimchi in the fridge at home, ready to enhance a nice bowl of rice.
An iconic Korean meat item is bulgogi: thin slices of beef or pork marinated and barbecued. It can be served with or without grilled vegetables. The marinade has a unique flavor and consists of soy sauce, sugar, garlic and other spices. Good stuff.
Another Korean dish I love is their vegetable pancakes. Called “bu-chim-gae,” they are made by mixing seasoned sliced or minced meat and vegetables in a wheat batter and frying in oil. It reminds me of okonomiyaki, my favorite Japanese food.
Every now and again, I crave the “Seoul Food” of Korea (sorry, I couldn’t resist that bad pun). Unfortunately, I don’t get any chance to eat Korean food up here at Bear Lake. Have to get down to Ogden or Salt Lake more often, I guess.
Vietnamese
I’m not that familiar with Vietnamese food, but I’ve liked what little I’ve tried. Banh-bao is a steamed bun dumpling that stuffed with onion, mushrooms, or vegetables. I’ve also tried pho (pronounced “fa”… go figure): a noodle soup consisting of broth, flat rice noodles, meat (usually beef or chicken) and spices. Pho is typically served with lots of greens, herbs, vegetables, and various other accompaniments, such as dipping sauces. It’s good; I need to try it again.
The most memorable item I’ve had was stir-fried frog and vegetables at a Vietnamese restaurant in West Valley City. It tasted like chicken, but the chunks of frog meat were attached to the bones, which really weirded me out. It was really strange to nibble on a tiny frog breast or a leg as if I were eating a chicken breast or drumstick. Although I pride myself on being a “Fearless Foodie,” I do get my squeamish moments.
I’d like to try more Vietnamese food, but I’ll look out for the frog meat.
Tibetan
With only a single visit to the Tibetan restaurant in the Avenues of SLC, I have very little to go on for a decent opinion. We had a meat and vegetable dish that I’d describe as “stir-fried curry.” Since Tibet is located between China and India, that makes sense. We ordered a desert that turned out to be goat cheese with raisin filling, which we thought was very amusing. I could just imagine the thought process of an ancient Tibetan cook: “Let’s see, what would make an ideal desert? I’ve got some cheese here and some raisins. Humm… I’ve got it! A cheese and raisin dumpling--perfect!”
The Tibetan décor was very interesting, with a portrait of the Dalai Lama and some of his wise teachings. I need to go back.
There are many great possibilities with Asian cuisine, and I’ve really only scratched the surface. But Asian is only one main class of foods to try and enjoy. So many choices, so little time…what a quandary for a Fearless Foodie! Such is life.
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