Your Picks For Best/worst Food In The World

[Ulysses G.]

Why is no one mentioning middle eastern or greek food?

Nothing is better than pita and hummus with some shishlik!

Kilgore Trout, I LOVE your nick!

[onzestan]

I have to go for belgian food as being the best. It's also the country with the best beer and chocolate.

cheers

onzestan

[farang prince]

What are your picks for best/worst food

Here’s my list…try not to get too nationalisitc....let yer taste buds do the talking.....

Best Food countries

Thai

Japanese

Italian

French

Chinese

Mexican

Vietnamese

Korean

Taiwanese

Isaan/Lao

worst food countries

Philippines

British Isles

German

Most Central American(‘cept Mexico)

Most South American(‘cept Brasil)

Cambodian

Russian

American(fast food)

Obviously a very subjective list. Are we talking about traditional native food served at home or the food served in five-star restaurants? Here are my perceptions after living, working or visiting various countries:

Best

1. Thai (A wonderful blend of natural herbs and spices.)

2. Chinese (Tremendous variety.)

3. Mexican (Coastal Mexican food.)

4. French (My best eating experiences were in Reims, with incredible five course meals and the best champagn imaginable.)

5. American (Not fast food. But the variety of traditional American food is incredible. From Cajun food to Soul Food, to barbeque to Southwest American Mexican food, there is something for everyone, except all you idiot Yankee bashers who post everyday on TV.)

6. Italian (Northern Italian. Consistent quality at the small roadside inns.)

7. Japanese (Good sushi is the next best thing to sex.)

8. Australian (I'm a meat and beer man. Anyone that serves good cold beer in an oil can is alright by me. But never eat at so-called Aussie restaurants in Bangkok. It ain't the same thing, mate.)

9. Russian (Russian chefs are world famous for their intricate sauces. For home cooking, pelmini and chaslich (sp?) are great. Add Stoly and Russian beer, and I'm fat, dumb and happy. People who put down Russian food, really don't know what they are talking about.)

10 German (Hearty food and great white wine and beer. You want variety? Walk along the Ku'Damme in Berlin. And the bratwurst and brochen vendors made my life so much enjoyable in the cool autumns and wet springs.)

Worst

1. Somalian (I'm not joking. If you like rotten food, this is your dream country.)

2. American Fast Food (Guaranteed to block every artery you have. McDonald's should be put on trial for mass genocide for how many people they have killed with their Big Mac's.)

3. C-Rats (Somehow I survived for two years in South Vietnam on C-Rats back in the 60's. Lima beans and ham...if the NVA and Charlie didn't kill you, this God awful concoction would.

4. Filipino (Guess the meat? Better yet, don't.)

5. Indian (My taste buds get killed with my first meal there and don't recover until a month after I've left.)

6. Bulgarian (The grease they use to cook their meals is thick enough to lubricate tank treads.)

7. Arabian (You need copious quantities of booze to wash down what they call food. What? No booze? Get me out of this place. You can substitute most Middle East countries for the above. The goat meat served hot off the deep pit barbeque would have been good, if I didn't have to look at the poor bastard's eyes.)

8. All Celtic Countries (My mom is Irish. I always thought it was just her that could boil all the goodness out of vegetables and cook a $20 roast until it had the consistency of shoe leather....then I went to Dublin!!! The only saving grace for the Scots is that their scotch will cure all of the world's ills.)

9. Hawaiian Food (I love luau's at the expensive hotels, just for the beautiful girls dancing in grass skirts. But when they roll out the food, I disappear. If you haven't tasted poi, then just get some wallpaper paste.)

10. Las Vegas Buffets (A thousand calories of crap. And all for less than $5.00. What a deal!!!!)

[Aiba]

Many thai people don't eat beef , cow is big animal

[popshirt]

Thai, Lao and Cambodian food are TOTALLY different! You must not have travelled much. Although "Issan" food is similar to Laotian food it is still quite a bit different both in the ingredients as well as the names for it. Cambodian food on the other hand is completely different from Thai Issan or Lao, Cambodians do not eat spicy food. In my opinion Thai is the winner, in my country there are more Thai restaurants than you can shake an umbrella at but I have yet to ever see a laotian or Cambodian restaurant in the US or any other western country.

I know of at least two "thai" restaurants in the US that are owned and operated by Laotians. "Thai" has brand recognition, "Lao" does not.

I agree with the poster here about the differences mentioned.

My favourite SE Asian cuisine is Vietnamese. The crisp vegetables and the lack of strong fish sauce get my vote.

I am handicapped in Thailand by my dislike of the fish sauce, especially as used in papaya salad. I can taste rotten fish. I have tried to acquire a liking or just a toleration of the taste but simply cannot.

Really I prefer Thai food as cooked and presented in the US just as I prefer Mexican food in Southern California or Texas to that in Mexico.

The ingredients are usually of better quality and in the case of Thai food, the fish sauce is undoubtedly used but in a subtle way.

As one of the other posters has said, I am not really here for the food. But I love living here anyway!

[ilyushin]

With that said... Does anyone know of a good Mexican Restaurant in Chiang Mai. I tried a couple and they stink compared to back home in California.

Have you tried Miquel's California Cafe?

IMHO, the best - most authentic - California style Mexican food to be found anywhere in Asia, especially during avocado season!

You know why you can't get decent Mexican here? No Manteca. It's what makes Mexican food delicious, though fattening/unhealthy.

http://www.texmex.net/products/lard.htm

Miquel's uses lard.

You can use bacon grease, I do and my Mexican food turns out really good. Made all from scratch.

[jellymeister]

Some excellent responses so far…curious how some foods topped certain people’s “best” list but were at the top of the “worst” for others

BUT it looks like there is close to consensus on the worst with the philipinnes and brits winning hands down….the WOODEN SPOON award…

On the good side seems to be thai and Italian scoring pretty high with most…CONGRATS

Would be interesting to hear from some Philippines natives on what they think the problem is and how it could be fixed…it is a shame because they are such nice people!

maybe we can export some thais and Italians there to fix the culinary mess up……….somchai/luigi pack yer bags we have a mission for you!

[Pakboong]

The worst hands down is Hungarian.

The best is French when prepared outside of France.

[dantilley]

Best 5:

Thai (especially Isaan)

Indian (when made very spicy)

Lebanese

British

Italian

Worst 5:

Nepal far outstrips any other country for blandness and lack of variety. Nepalese cuisine basically consists of one dish - Dahl (lentil curry) and rice. They eat this twice a day, 365 days a year. Gets tedious very, very quickly. Fortunately Kathmandu has some great international food available.

Sri Lanka is probably next on the list - tasty food but a real lack of variety.

Cambodia didn't exactly bowl me over with the quality of its food either.

Laos similarly, Isaan food is much a better alternative in my opinion.

The Czech Republic has some pretty grim food too.

[wolf359]

Many thai people don't eat beef , cow is big animal

Thats true, I could not eat a whole one either !!

[The Dan Sai Kid]

I just want to add this:

worst: anything with Pla Ra added!!

EDIT: I am Scottish, as some might know, and although I agree that the way many dishes are prepared is not good - it doesn't take away from the fact that our beef is fantastic! You just need to find someone who can do it justice in the kitchen!

Edited April 22, 2007 by The Dan Sai Kid

[suiging]

Eat fried Mars bars and die a horrible death in later life surrounded with women with no teeth!!

[The Dan Sai Kid]

I'm pretty sure the deep-fried Mars Bar is a gimmick. Sure, you can get them in a few places, but I wouldn't say they are a staple.

I've never seen one for sale, coming to think of it!

[ercorn]

The worst food is Chinese food in China,Chinese restaurants in countries other than China are great but traditional Chinese food(in China)is the worst food thats ever looked at me

Anyone that spent any time there will agree I have no doubt about that.

[issanpaul]

Nothing wrong with real British food, you can't beat a good vindaloo.

[Skyline]

My faves are:

Thai

English

Italian

Indian

The worst:

Chinese

Chinese

Chinese

[lapamita]

best

singapore

thailand

swiss

malaysian

german

belgium

tuerkey

italy

china

worse

korea

cambodia

philippine

U.k.and ireland

many south/central american ( ex panama,brazil,mexico)

ex sowjet union

and sure many countries where i not go before like africa,afghani,nepal,......

Edited April 22, 2007 by lapamita

[Beavis and Butthead]

Best food in the world, greatest variety can be found in the good old U S of A

worst food: Thai

take that

[Ulysses G.]

I've missed your brutal honesty Beavis and Butthead.

[Glauka]

Best Food:

Spanish/Mediterranean not only for the huge variety but also it is very healthy!! OLIVE OIL FOR EVER

(BTW it´s a pity some of you only know tapas and paella as our typical dishes, there some many so good )

Chinese/Japanese

Thai

Worst Food:

Bristish/Scottish I have to agree that you got good stuff particularly if you have a meal in the highlands but sorry guys i can recomend your country for your good cuisine

Egyptian

East European

German

[casmeri]

Must admit I like most foods and can find favorites in all cuisines. US does have an incredible variety of international options; just about everywhere. When I think of "American Food"; I tend to think about breakfast. My favorite meal:

Rib steak & eggs with hasbrown potatoes and toast at the local truck stop. Then there is Smitty's Pancake House: short stack with eggs, bacon and sausage links on the side and real maple syrup. Hard to beat!

[BAF]

Having visited/lived in many countries from different parts of the world and having tried very many local cuisines I find it difficult to point a single one out as the absolute worst but, for my personal tastes, it's very easy to say that the overall best is the cucina Italiana

By far.

[noungning]

well when i'm reading this i'm thinking i like the way my mom cooks her thai food. but i don't like it when i ate it in thailand. i discovered thai food to be very sweet (central - bkk). i was in the northern region and the food was okay and almost similar but they were issarn food, most of that i've consumed in the northern region wasn't central thai food that they call "aharn thai" for instance, som thum thai is VERY sweet! i felt i was eating a bag of sugar. but som thum lao is very good, and of course i had that in nong khai, the one in bkk was not so good.

when mom cooks, i vote lao and thai food #1

but when i'm outside and not eating mom's cooking, here's my vote [but i might not qualify because this is based from USA restaurants]:

italian

vietnamese

american

chinese

thai

lao

but i love eating so this thread will allow me to explore some more foods. i've definitely tried some filipino food and i'm not a fan either. they LOVE to put vinegar in everything they make. they love that sour flavor on everything which is very strange. my friend came back from philippines and he cooked some chicken and i had a bite and almost couldn't swallow it, i felt bad so i had to eat it

[Furbie]

My Top 5

Mexican

Italian

Chinese

Indian

Japanese

Honorable mention whould have to be Thai... It's slowly growing on me as my wife is introducing me to new and interesting dishes. As for American Food. Not sure what that really means anymore. Is it Burgers & Fries? Steak and Potatoes? Apple Pie? I mean America is an immigrant country and most families brought their cooking traditions with them. Growing up in California, sure we had our fair share of steak and potatoes, but my mom also was very diverse in her cooking and cooked her fair share of Mexican (enchiladas and tamales), Chinese (schezwan beef, Fried Rice and stir fry), Italian (Pastas and Lasagna), etc., as well as her mother's traditional Scandinavian dishes.

Anyway, that's one of the biggest things I miss about home is the diversty in food. I mean I can walk down the main street at home and find a good restaurant from any imaginable country. Whereas in Thailand, it's hard to find quality restaurants that aren't Thai.

With that said... Does anyone know of a good Mexican Restaurant in Chiang Mai. I tried a couple and they stink compared to back home in California.

I agree with you completely, the greatest thing about food in the US is the incredible diversity – in NY you have food from the entire planet – and most major cities are excellent as well. Even living in BK I still miss the diversity of food in NY. For food that is considered more US based, I have to say US high quality beef is still my favorite – and if you have ever gone to a true NY deli, you would know how good a sandwich or a bagel can be. Sure, there is a percentage of the population that does not understand good cooking and thinks ketchup on spaghetti is normal, but you find that in any country. Stop thinking burgers and fries (which can be great) – think ribs, shrimp or chicken gumbo, smoked salmon, Maine lobster, Alaskan King Crab, crab at a Maryland crab shack, fresh venison stew – if you have not tried these, you have not tried American food.

The problem I have with rating favorites is, how do you rate food from a country? For example, unless you go to Chinatown in LA or NY, Chinese food in the US is not anything like Chinese food in PRC or Taiwan. I loved the westernized Chinese food I used to eat, but I nearly gagged the first time I ate Chinese food in Taiwan. Mexican food is another example – the food you are getting at international Mexican restaurants is not real Mexican food, it is more Tex Mex. Most food in Mexico is pretty bad. Compare that to Thai food, I thought I did not like Thai food growing up, but in Thailand I eat it all the time – it is fantastic – though in the last couple of years, I have had better Thai food when traveling back to the US.

Oddly, one I did not see on the list is Cuban food – which is especially good if you like pork dishes (though I have only had it in Miami). Lebanese food is also well worth a try for something a little more exotic (though I have only tried it in BKK).

Sorry to the UK, but even while in London, I found traditional British food far too bland – but the Indian and Italian restaurants in London were great. Someone mentioned Moroccan food, I have never had Moroccan food outside of Morocco, and that is because the food there was such garbage I would not dare to eat it again.

[Sunderland]

Rather than best or worst, I would say that my favourites are Thai/Laotian, Malaysian, Italian, Indian, Vietnamese and Korean.

Based on my limited travelling experiences:

When I visited Cambodia, I thought that Khmer/Cambodian food shared some similarities with Thailand and Laos, but was on the whole not as spicy or varied. Not surprising given that the country is only just beginning to recover from 2 decades of war, famine and poverty.

Chinese food can be spectacularly tasty or oily to the point where all all you can taste is oil. So for me it very much depends which region you are talking about and on the skills of the chef.

Egyptian food on the whole was boring, lacked variety and not that appealing to the taste buds. Other areas of the Middle East probably offer better.

Everything from around the whole is available in the UK and Australia, which are both melting pots for foreign cuisines. Portions, prices and presentation are in my opinion better in Australia.

I agree with an earlier comment that the UK's traditional food is pretty bland on the whole. I don't think many Brits live on pies, chips and peas now day after day. Most households have adopted a mixed diet of food from all over the world and it's not uncommon for British housewives to attempt at cooking something 'non traditional' upto 5 times per week, even if it comes out of a jar or a packet!

And yes, the British women are a pretty ugly bunch on the whole - smoke, drink and eat too much! Their lack of natural beauty is obviously connected to their genetic cocktail of French, German, Roman, Danish, Nordic and Irish invaders of many years ago. They weren't picky!

[monsieurhappy]

I really have to come to the rescue of English food on this thread! I would think that most of the posters who have placed it in the worse food part of their post have never tasted “good” English home cooking. ie. Home grown and home cooked.

The EU and the big supermarket chains have gone a long way to kill off good, traditional home cooking in the UK! Most of the rubbish they sell is imported and not always of the best quality. Traditional varieties of vegetables have long since been replaced with cheap tasteless Euro crap that can be packaged to look nice on s/market shelves! The endless varieties of potatoes that were once available have been replaced with “things” that turn to cotton-wool when cooked!

English cooking is not bland! It certainly doesn’t need loads of spice and chillies to kill the taste as does a lot of countries foods. The problem is the lack of good cooks in restaurants unless you are willing to pay dearly for your meal. Staff at cafes and restaurants get paid minimum wage or even less so are not likely to want to go out of their way to do a good job. Ingredients too are likely to be bought in bulk so making quality even less. The photo earlier in the thread of pie & mash in London makes me feel sick just looking at it and the only place for it would be the bin! If posters are using this as a level for English food then you should stick with Mac/sh!ts!

There are good places to eat in the UK but they aren’t usually found in tourist areas. Neither are they the restaurant chains that have been set up by the licensed trade ie. Pub grub! You have to search but they are to be found and then you’ll taste the difference!

I’m going back in July and I can’t wait to taste new potatoes, fresh garden peas, lamb and mint sauce washed down with a couple of pints of Marstons Pedigree!

I am not going to knock other countries food here as there is good and bad in every country. I love a good Indian curry, Italian pasta and Turkish stews, to name a few. What I detest is the stuff that is made from who knows what and made to taste like something it is not! Keep traditional cooking alive and get rid of all this fast food rubbish!

As for English women! Well, although I prefer Thai ladies I don't think the English girls are such bad lookers, it's just that when they open their mouths they sound like they're on the set of "Eastenders" ( a British soap for those who have never heard of it )

[kmart]

And yes, the British women are a pretty ugly bunch on the whole - smoke, drink and eat too much! Their lack of natural beauty is obviously connected to their genetic cocktail of French, German, Roman, Danish, Nordic and Irish invaders of many years ago. They weren't picky!

Could you please confine your breathtakingly original observations to food only please, Brad Pitt? Thanks.

[uptou]

i recon you end up missing the food you were brought up on as a kid.i'm starting to miss simple food now,like proper cheese (on toast).thai food is one of my favourites,& its healthy.indian food is great,but a little to rich to eat 24/7.i heard from one indian guy in england who ate rich creamy indian food all his life & it had damaged his liver.

spanish food is great with the tapas bars,& italian food is a favourite,but at the moment i'm thinking of a bacon sandwhich.

[whopper]

worst....costa rican

[canuckamuck]

I have had great food in many different countries. The only place I have been and haven’t had a really good meal was the Philippines and I have been there three times. However I believe the skill of the cook is more important than the nationality of the food.

Thailand is the best place I have found to get a flavorful healthy meal on nearly every corner. They must have the most food availability in the world. My pet peeve for Thailand is their fascination with there own food, to the point that they never even bother to try something else. In my town they have a food festival every year, and what do they have? The same exact food you can get every other day at the local vendors in town. What’s the point?

The Indian subcontinent is another region I can’t understand. They make some really great food, the first two days you’re in heaven: and then you realize everything tastes the same. After a week you are desperate for anything that doesn’t taste like curry. And when someone from there comes to visit you, they whine and complain about the food because it doesn’t taste like theirs. The most limited taste buds on Earth.

Generally anything mass produced tasted like it is. Homemade is often superior to restaurant fair, but I don’t get a lot of five star opportunities.

Favorites

Italian

Mexican not from a restaurant

Alberta, Canada, Beef (has to be prepared by a real cattleman for full experience)

Thai (when I can skip guts, blood, and little bones)

German (sausages)

Chinese (Schezuan)

My own home made chili.

Not favorite

Indian (after two days)

Filipina (love the people though)

Vietnamese (boring)

Korean (I think they just prefer it when its gross)