<<Or to put it another way, making anything that is supposed to be "hot" out of green Bell peppers is just wrong.>>
Haha...I'm still laughing over that one. I've had some excellent chile rellenos and a few mediocre ones in my lifetime but I can't imagine how sad a chile relleno would be made out of a green bell pepper!
Kirk, do you know whether chiles were even a part of the diets of all indigenous peoples of Latin America? It seems reasonable that they would have been, in the tropical or subtropical zones, except in the high mountains.
<< I can't imagine how sad a chile relleno would be made out of a green bell pepper! >>
The cheese wasn't queso blanco, either, but at least it wasn't pasteurized, processed American cheese.
You Americans are lucky to have the Mexican food on your doorstep. Poor us we have these so call Mexican food in boxes where you microwave them for 2 mins on high LOL. I also think American foods are influenced by Mexico. Well thats I think.
Jack: Still, you Brits have excellent Indian food.
Oh thats true we have a wonderful selection of Indian foods. But some of them are adjusted for the European tastebuds..... I love a good curry.. mmmm I could have some for tea tonight LOL.
<<Kirk, do you know whether chiles were even a part of the diets of all indigenous peoples of Latin America? It seems reasonable that they would have been, in the tropical or subtropical zones, except in the high mountains.>>
That's a great question I wish I knew, altho it does seem reasonable that chiles could frow in most subtropical and tropical zones.
<<The cheese wasn't queso blanco, either, but at least it wasn't pasteurized, processed American cheese.>>
That's horrible!!! Next you'll tell me the salsa was spaghetti sauce.
<<Still, you Brits have excellent Indian food.>>
True, it's pretty common in the UK I hear (probably near the equivalent of Mexican food in the US). Actually, California has a sizable population of Indian-Americans (well, to be fair, what *don't* we have a sizable population of?), especially in certain areas like my hometown--there are some great Indian restaurants but my favorite has been when our Sikh next door neighbors cook for a big gathering and then bring extras over to us :) Who doesn't like good samosas, lentils and naan?
<our Sikh next door neighbors cook for a big gathering and then bring extras over to us :) Who doesn't like good samosas, lentils and naan? >
lol Same here Kirk my Indian neighbours have grand style weddings and give us the extras. MMMM I hope they could quickly married off their next daughter off as I got my plate ready for the next!!!
A wholescale Scottish breakfast is similar to the "Full English" (the best known) but also includes porage (or porridge) as an essential starter....with proper oats Scottish style (not the mass produced packaged stuff you get at the supermarkets). All diets recommend proper porage oats as it's a good way to control weight for those who have that problem. Also oatcakes and bannocks with butter (and marmalade if you like. The best marmalade comes from Dundee!) (plug plug).
Here in the UK hotels and restaurants etc serve the traditional "Full English breakfast - full range of cereals, fresh fruit, bacon, eggs (whichever way you like), sausages, baked beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, fried potato slices (hash browns you may call them) and fried bread. You may also get kidneys and black pudding (not everybody likes BP and it's much more popular in Scotland and the North of England than among the sensitive souls in the South of England...it's really tasty and is a kind of black sausage made from minced pork and pig's blood and spices etc so no good if you're kosher! I think they are also called blood sausages..sounds revolting but really tasty. Then there's toast made from whatever bread you like and marmalade or jams etc. Tea or coffee and fruit juices- I always have coffee for breakfast.
Alternatively the "Continental breakfast": cereals, fresh fruit, cheeses, cold meats, rolls, croissants, toast, preserves...and tea or coffee and fruit juices.
A "Fry-Up" is the Full English breakfast I just described....the whole lot, more or less.
I don't think most American food is influenced by Mexican food. A lot of WEST COAST food is though, as I've come to find out when I moved to California. I think it's regional, like a lot of the food throughout the United States.
Growing up in Miami, a lot of the food there is Cuban. You can even get a Cuban sandwich at McDonald's. We have the traditional hot dog stands, but we also have Arepa (cheese and cornbread) stands. That's something (along with croquettas) that I've missed so much here.
When I went to Maine, a lot of the food is seafood based, so much so, you can get a lobster roll at McDonald's. Lobster is really cheap up there, especially during lobster season.
If there is an "American" food, I think it'd be hot dogs, burgers and barbecue - I find that wherever I go, along with regional specialties.
<<I don't think most American food is influenced by Mexican food. A lot of WEST COAST food is though, as I've come to find out when I moved to California. I think it's regional, like a lot of the food throughout the United States.>>
Sounds about right. I was just basing my idea that most Americans do like Mexican food based off my experience in Argentina where I had American friends from literally everywhere in the US (from the Pacific Northwest, the Far North Great Lakes region, New England, the Deep South, etc,) and the one food almost everyone claimed to miss was Mexican food :)
But you're right that's it's probably more prominent either on the West Coast or in other areas with high Mexican-American populations. I do think it's interesting, however, that now salsa outsells ketchup in the US nationwide, so the influence of Mexican (and, to be fair, other Latin American) cuisine seems to have reached at least that on a nationswide level. Also, in my experience, most small towns no matter where in the US have at least one Mexican (and one Chinese) restaurant.
In fact, speaking of Chinese, I think various East Asian foods and restaurants are a good example of regional differences--here we have tons of Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese (and different styles of Chinese at that...North and South Chinese cuisine can be really different), Japanese, and Korean places to the point that I expect a ton of them in any given California metro area and surrounding suburbs. Of course I've seen some of those restaurants in other places in the US but not to the same extent and variety as in California.
Even tho they're not unique to the US, barbecues are indeed a good example of American food I've seen all over (with regional variations, as you mentioned).
<<I think they are also called blood sausages..sounds revolting but really tasty.>>
In Canada we call it blood pudding. Not many people eat it in Canada, it's actually usually only eaten by the older/est generation. My Grandfather eats blood pudding and head cheese, but I've never tried either. I actually bought some blood pudding just the other day which I plan on trying for breakfast tomorrow, this'll be my first time.
Where are you from in Canada, Kazoo? I have family in BC and the province of Ontario. Both of my grandparents on my mom's side were also born and raised in BC. The term "blood pudding" rings a bell, and I remember them haveing a few different food terms, such as saying things like "wedding cake" for what we call fruitcake here in the US.
"haveing"...typo. "having"
I'm from New Brunswick, that's on he east coast, next to Nova Scotia. We'd call fruitcake, 'fruitcake' though. Head Cheese, if you didn't know, is the meat taken off the cheeks of the pig and made into a kind of paste of pate.