Thursday, June 11, 2009

a round of applause for the white people

i was invited by the farrar family for dinner on sunday for a curry festival. everyone brought a curry dish of some sort (and mine is the one in the bottom-most picture with the basil swimming around on top.) i was pretty durn amazed at what everyone came up with. there was some good food!




as we were contemplating the success of different dishes, and i proposed "a round of applause for the white people," someone pointed out that unlike some countries that really stick to their own dishes and diets, americans -without a cuisine they can call their own- have gotten pretty good at borrowing (or if you want to get cynical: stealing) recipes from the rest of the world. to this someone else added, "yeah, its not like you see people in other countries making tuna casserole." but as mom farrar put it: "who would want to eat tuna casserole? even i don't want to eat tuna casserole."

7 comments:

stephanie said...

Very nice review of curry night. I guess we could have taken the discussion even further to talk about who there has tried to make "American Cuisine" while in another country. I tried often while in Russia, and it was usually a failure. I guess I should have been content eating Russian food, but what one of the first things I learned was that, because they actually do stick to their own cuisine, you can get bored pretty quick. I think I ate 90% of the food I would eat during the four months there just during the first 2 weeks. After that, it was a repeat of cabbage soup, pelmeni, and mayo on cucumbers :) If that's how it is in a lot of cultures with their own cuisine, then bring on American food - Cheese Factory-style curry and all!

jrm said...

wow. that does sound kinda hard. and the nice thing about american food is that its so influenced by other cultures, we do eat a lot of different foods here.

Lauren said...

I happen to like tuna casserole!

jrm said...

lauren, that you "happen" to like tuna casserole proves that some accidents are unavoidable. that is why we have gieco.

congrats on all the cool stuff going on in your life!

NOTSONUTSO said...

I ate a Tuna Casserole Lean Cuisine today. What can I say? I don't know how to cook.

Anonymous said...

Yes we stick to our own cuisine, I can't stand to eat another Big Mac.

That's is kind of like sterotyping.
I would guess all American like fried chicken, pot pie, hotdog, and cheeseburger.

I'm sorry, but I don't think all culture have a choice of eating italian today, chinese tomorrow, and the infinite choice that is available in America.

And of course the family economy, comes in to play.

Even with all the choices I still prefer my own culture cuisine.
Because that what my parent been making since my childhood to adult.

btw, I'm not complaining, just my view on it.

jrm said...

thanks for your comments anonymous! and to that i add: i also don't want to eat another big mac... (but unfortunately, i am addicted to the fries and the diet soda at the tap. and i think that comes from being denied it as a child.) but i would take some good bping kai over french fries any day.