What Is International Food?

[sbk]

What constitutes non-Western food to you? How far East do you have to go before its not western?

Greek? Russian?

We obviously all consider African, Middle-Eastern, Indian and Asian cuisines non-western. But what about Turkish? Greek? South and Central American?

[StreetCowboy]

To be honest, I consider Indian food western, and I'll eat it in preference to risking anything strange or foreign, if I'm outside my comfort zone. Though I do proceed with some trepidation, even then, when I get to the more quaint, parochial establishments, and I doubt I would dare going aboriginal if I ever went to India or Pakistan.

SC

[pitanu]

thai food is international, is it not?

[richard_smith237]

I always figured 'International' is used to describe a restaurant that is not specifically one style or another...

A restaurant which serves a little bit of anything and everything might prefer to label itself as an 'International Restaurant'...

However, I'm not sure what international food is - IMO most foods can always be associated with one country or region.

[sbk]

I posted to try and figure out what should be in International food forum, hence the non-western question. boy some of you guys are really literal.

[richard_smith237]

Non Western food - Anything which in general wouldn't be served with Potato (of any sort) or Pasta such as Any dish served Rice or Noodles ?

Although I'm sure there are many exceptions such as Paella, chili con-carne etc....

[jerrylee]

Curried Spaghetti Japanese Style,

Fried Beef with Blackbean Sauce on Spaghetti Hongkong Style.

[tutsiwarrior]

lets consider shwarma, invented by a turk in Bursa named Iskender and popularised by the lebanese...the greeks, indicating their nice souvlaki and not being nice to turks would claim the item as their own...

I don't give a shit, really...I've only had souvlaki from street vendors in West LA and the best shwarma is served by south asian specialty cooks on the streets of cities in the Gulf...

sbk, darling, I'm not tryin' t'be a wise arse but if it tastes good who cares?

howzabouta nice Bosphorous mussel sandwich with yogurt sauce and fresh bread served from a stall by a maniac near Taksim Square in Istanbul at about 3am after a night of drinkin'?...that bizniz ain't got no definition...

[sceadugenga]

I believe the template for the sub forum was based on a Jingthing post (surprise surprise).

It inspired a little debate at the time I recall. (surprise surprise).

Here's the specs....

Chinese

Persian

Indian

Mexican

Malaysian

Korean

Japanese

Vietnamese

Burmese

Russian

etc., etc. ...

[tutsiwarrior]

a more 'existential' deliberation is required in this case...I believe...one must personalise 'international cuisine'...

(with The 'Eroica' symphony on the box, cheap red wine and delightful, unfiltered Camel cigarettes...alone, inna hotel room in Hanoi...gotta go to work tomorrow but don't give a shit...)

[Jingthing]

I believe the template for the sub forum was based on a Jingthing post (surprise surprise).

It inspired a little debate at the time I recall. (surprise surprise).

Here's the specs....

Chinese

Persian

Indian

Mexican

Malaysian

Korean

Japanese

Vietnamese

Burmese

Russian

etc., etc. ...

Yeah. Thanks for noticing. And I STILL think Mexican belongs in International and NOT Western, but I lost that one.

[xen]

I , personally, understand "International" food is "Fusion" - the blend of different elements from different crusines and creativly using those elements in aother crusine. . There are very few crusines that are pure now that haven't "stolen/borrowered " influences from other regions. Is there a great difference between Southern Thai and Malaysian dishes or is there a blending?

As for Western and non Western foods - Wouldn't that be confined to a couple of continents - Europe , North America and Australasia.