One thing I do like about the US is how cheaply you can buy Indian and other takeouts. Lamb Rogan Josh all over my keyboard... Yum! Posted by CStroman (Member # 6872) on :
I'm embarrassed to say...I've never had Indian Food.
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but is the highest concentration of "Indian" immigrants on the Eastern seaboard?
Go west my friends!
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Really Chad? How have you managed that? Do you live in a really rural part of the country, or are you fairly young? There have been Indian restaurants in most decent sized cities I've visited.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Have you had Thai food? Vietnamese? If not, you're in for a treat! I would love to discover some delicious, distinctive cuisine that I'd never tried! That would be so much fun!
Posted by CStroman (Member # 6872) on :
SLC doesn't have a large influx of "Eastern" migration. Most of ours comes from South of the border or West of Hawaii.
Let's put it this way...most of our very few cab drivers are hispanics.
That may sound horrible, and I don't mean it as such, but it's a profession that is extremely popular in India to anyone who owns a car and tends to draw many who have migrated as well.
The few I have met have all been involved in the computer/technology fields.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Wow, Chad, you should really try Indian food! I have to say that I'm not a fan of super-searingly hot food but I love Indian food.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:That may sound horrible, and I don't mean it as such, but it's a profession that is extremely popular in India to anyone who owns a car and tends to draw many who have migrated as well.
Really? Huh. The vast majority of first generation Indians I've met have been doctors, pharmacists, IT professionals, physicists, and the like. My understanding was that "braindrain" brought many of India's best and brightest to the US. In other countries, such as South Africa, which had large migrations of Indian Laborers (to build their railroads and such) it's more common for Indian immigrants to have been blue collar workers. My understanding is that in England, the majority of Pakistani immigrants occupy the lower rungs of the socio-economic ladder, which is probably why there is more racism directed against them in Britian than in other countries (that I'm aware of, anyway--people who know more about the situation feel free to correct me).
In any case, in the Midwest there are generally a fair number of Indian restaurants in towns of any size (say, 80K people or more), in my experience. Interesting that they don't exist in SLC. Have our other Hatrackers located in Utah not tried Indian food either?
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
I have to agree with Noemon... Vietnamese food is great, if a little intimidating to order the first time. Thai is good too, but I prefer Vietnamese.
Posted by Tammy (Member # 4119) on :
Yum! Yum!
Posted by CStroman (Member # 6872) on :
Thanks speed, I'll have to try it!
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Punjabi food is really good. India is such a big place that it actually has a number of fairly distinct cuisines.
Posted by Ben (Member # 6117) on :
Indian food rocks my face off. i had never tried it until Lindsay suggested it. i dug it, alot. it will knock your socks off chad. it's great!
[ October 13, 2004, 08:16 PM: Message edited by: Ben ]
Posted by signal (Member # 6828) on :
Oddly enough, guess what I just had for dinner. Indian food! Good stuff. I love spicy food. Kinda funny, when I was still in school, my (indian) roommate and I (vietnamese) lived across the street from one of the best thai restaurants this side of the mississippi. Needless to say, we had a lot of all three. Posted by Zeugma (Member # 6636) on :
MATTAR PANEER!!!
*drool*
Indian food is so cool, cause all the dishes are just named after the ingredients! Aloo = potatoes, Mattar = Peas, Dal = Lentils, Palak = Spinach, Paneer = Cheese..... all you have to do is just combine two of them, and you have an Indian dish!
Oh man. I could go for some mattar paneer.... mmmmmmm.
Posted by Allegra (Member # 6773) on :
Tibetan food is something everyone must try. It is hard to find but is definatly worth the trouble. tibetan places Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
I've eaten at the Bombay house twice. Living in SLC is no excuse. There is even an Indian restaurant in Provo, for Pete's sake.
Okay, I checked the Yellow pages and SLC has no less than 13 Indian restaurants, including "Curry in a Hurry". (And this whole time I thought it was a condensed version of the Rocky Horror Picture Show). Ugh. Must block unpleasant image of SLC's mayor dressed as a sweet transvestite.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Salt Lake has fabulous ethnic restaurants. It being my nearest major city, I really look forward to trips there and an excuse to eat at the Cedars of Lebanon. They also have a goof Afghan restaurant downton, and that Peruvian place on main. Good Chinese, good Indian, good Mexican (ay caramba!) and good Brazilian. How can the place not be Zion?
(that was flippant, btw)
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
*small voice*
I haven't had Indian food either.
*runs*
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
when I saw the thing about tibetan food, I was going to say "my town has two" but then I realized who posted it, and I assumed that she already knew that (since I'm almost positive she's been to both) I've only been to snowlion.
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
Does any of those cuisines have good non-meat dishes? Grrr this is making me hungry.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Where I live (Sri Lanka) it's not take out, but take away. Yep, we get take away. And usually, when we get take away, it tends to be Sri Lankan rice & curry take away. It has similarities to Indian rice & curries, but has its own distinct personality.
Having said that, I LOVE Indian food. And Thai. And Vietnamese. And . . . Where I lived in Canada (Vancouver), we had a huge Asian population, so no problem finding restaurants from (name your ethnic group here).
Here in Sri Lanka, I'm doubly blessed. Lots of Indian/Japanese/other Asian restaurants here, PLUS I write for a local travel magazine and my regular column with them is the restaurant review section. The Mango Tree restaurant was fabulous - Northern Indian, which means spice wussy whereas I like hot hot hot, but still soooo flavorful. Yum! I drool just thinking about them. And a new Indian restaurant opened down the road from us, Tamatje, I think it's called, also Indian, but they have a wide variety, not just Punjab or Madras. Oh, my, that was good, too.
Mmmmmm. Love Indian food. Mmmmmm. . . .
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
I think that at least indian should. I know that my friend from India is vegetarian (and I think most if not all hindu's are).
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Jaime,
Yes, it's easy to find vegetarian dishes on the menus and in India itself. Hindus are supposed to be vegetarian, and most Indians are Hindu. But practically, they're heading away from vegetarianism to carnivore.
[ October 13, 2004, 10:18 PM: Message edited by: quidscribis ]
Posted by Zeugma (Member # 6636) on :
Indian food is hugely vegetarian. Of the 8 or 9 Indian restaurants I've visited, none of them have been more than 40% meat, many more like 20% meat. Lots of good veggie options. Posted by Coccinelle (Member # 5832) on :
I've been wanting to try an Indian restaurant down the street from me. Any suggestions from Indian food lovers? What are your favorites?
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
Sounds good, thanks, now comes the tricky part where I convince my parents it's about time they enjoyed themselves for once. (Note: I'm not a vegetarian, I just asked the previous qustion because my dad won't eat unkosher meat).
Posted by Zeugma (Member # 6636) on :
Hmm... I really like vegetable korma, sort of a stir-fry type dish, and dal makhani. Mattar paneer is my favorite so far, but newbies might be a little squicked by the blocks of cheese.
Nan is an excellent flatbread that is a must-have appetizer, and samosas and pakoras are delicious balls of fried veggies that are hard to refuse. And I've found that it's best to just order one dish, not the sampler platter, if there is one. Though that could just be specific to the restaurants I've visited.
Posted by Zeugma (Member # 6636) on :
Oh, and I love potatoes, so if I'm in the mood for something safe, I just look for dishes with "aloo" or "alu" in the title. Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
What are the little pastry tents filled with peas, potatoes, and curry? Also, if there is variable heat, I'd recommend a default of "mild" rather than "medium". My husband and I had the same dish and he ordered his medium and won't go back now.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
I've only eaten in an Indian restaurant once. My only memories of it are the bread, which was absolutely yummy (is "nan" the soft bread that almost seems deep fried?), and being followed out to my car by the owner, who wanted to curse me out for not leaving a bigger tip to the waiter who gave us crummy service. The shouting match in the parking lot was more memorable than the food I had.
Posted by Coccinelle (Member # 5832) on :
I know I've tried the bread before. yum! Thanks for the suggestions- I think I'll try it this weekend...
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
I just LOVE Indian food. I admit to not having been to a restaurant, just stuff I have cooked myself or picked up at Trader Joe's.I really wish I had the $$ to go out for the authentic stuff.
Posted by DarkWizard (Member # 6186) on :
The things with peas are called uhm oh no apparently i have forgotten
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Also *quietly* I haven't eaten any of the above
Posted by Allegra (Member # 6773) on :
They could also be samosas
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
When I visited friends at Penn State over the summer, I was taken to a really good Indian restaurant and had a phenomenal meal. I can't for the life of me remember what it was, but it was really flippin' good.
An hour later, of course, my friend (male) and I were playing Battles#!&s in a bathroom in a guys' dorm... (for the reference, see Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle)
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
romany, if you have the $$ to shop at Trader Joe's, you can probably afford a cheaper, but authentic, family-run Indian restaurant. In my experience, they're not all that expensive. Go with 2 or 3 friends and each get one dish (they're usually served "family-style", meaning they come in dishes everyone can serve some onto their plates from) and some naan to share. The total cost per person is usually less than $10, and it's an experience unlike any other. Another option is a lunch buffet; most of these same restaurants have all-you-can eat lunch buffet, including naan, rice, main dishes of several types, several vegetable dishes, and sometimes a pudding for dessert, for quite a reasonable price. What cities are you near? I have friends in several WA cities; if you'd like, I can see if they have recommendations.
[ October 14, 2004, 01:46 PM: Message edited by: ketchupqueen ]
Posted by Tammy (Member # 4119) on :
There's a cool Fresh Market in Winston. I wish we had a Trader Joe's.
That's one thing about the south that dissappoints me. You have to search high and low just to find good ethnic food and markets!
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote: Punjabi food is really good. India is such a big place that it actually has a number of fairly distinct cuisines.
One interesting thing about Hatrack that I don't come across in everyday real life is the fact that many people such as Noemon's comment above, are very knowledgable about ethnic food.
Like I could say I liked Indian Food but as Noemon pointed out, "there are a number of fairly distinct cuisines" in India.
The same goes for Chinese food. I remember feeling insignificant when the food gurus of Hatrack came along and started talking about how chinese food from restaurants was nothing like real chinese food.
Anyway, my point is that either the conversation about food like this never comes up in real life or I'm just not talking to the right people because it's quite a phenomenon here.
Anyway, carry on discussing Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
Oh man, adam is so right - Ethiopian food is wonderful!!!
Posted by UofUlawguy (Member # 5492) on :
quote: Ugh. Must block unpleasant image of SLC's mayor dressed as a sweet transvestite.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Thanks Teshi! I didn't know if that comment had actually been read by anybody.
The best Indian food I've ever had was in a restaurant in Vientienne in 1997. The nan, while fantastic, was on par with nans I've had since, but the dal was simply...amazing. At some point I'm going to have to go back to Laos just to have another serving of the stuff.
If anybody is interested in trying out their Bengali cooking skills, I highly recommend The Healthy Cuisine of India: Recipes from the Bengal Region. Fantastic cookbook. I've never seen most of the food in this on in a restaurant, so you'll probably get to try something new if you work out of it.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Madison's actually pretty blessed with ethnic restaurants. I believe, in fact, that we have more restaurants per capita than any other city in the country -- and if it's not true, it's certainly a factoid repeated often by people who should know better. Posted by Mike (Member # 55) on :
You guys are making me hungry.
quote:The same goes for Chinese food. I remember feeling insignificant when the food gurus of Hatrack came along and started talking about how chinese food from restaurants was nothing like real chinese food.
There's always dim sum. And there's a place called Red Ginger not far from where I live that has two menus: one for customers who look asian and one for everyone else. If you get the right menu, that place is gooood. *drools*
Posted by Tammy (Member # 4119) on :
quote: one for customers who look asian and one for everyone else
That is soooo not right. Maybe when I smile really big and squint my eyes I look a little Asian. Most of the time I do not get away with it.
I would like the menu they give the Asians!
Posted by Zeugma (Member # 6636) on :
Tom... I've heard over and over that Ithaca, NY has the highest restaurant-per-capita ratio in the US, and I just assumed it was true!
According to yellowpages.com, Ithaca has 533 restaurants per 100,000 people (though we only have 30,000). Madison, WI has 293 restaurants per 100,000, I believe, and according to Donny Cheung, Addison, TX has 1213 restaurants per 100,000.
Fascinating stuff! Posted by RRR (Member # 6601) on :
Now I really really want curry, naan bread, and sticky rice.
Posted by Tammy (Member # 4119) on :
In my area I believe we have a barbeque joint every 1.5 miles, with a Baptist Church between each restaurant.
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
I STILL have a craving for Chinese food that has yet to be sated.
Posted by Mike (Member # 55) on :
quote:That is soooo not right. Maybe when I smile really big and squint my eyes I look a little Asian. Most of the time I do not get away with it.
I would like the menu they give the Asians!
Well, they'll give it to you if you ask. Or if you're a regular. It has stuff like ox knuckles ( ) and salted fish & chicken fried rice. Awww, now I want to go to Red Ginger and stuff myself on scallion pancakes and beef chow fun.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
quote:According to yellowpages.com, Ithaca has 533 restaurants per 100,000 people (though we only have 30,000). Madison, WI has 293 restaurants per 100,000, I believe, and according to Donny Cheung, Addison, TX has 1213 restaurants per 100,000.
Well, now I don't feel so bad! Radcliffe has 250 restaurants per 100,000 people. We're almost as well restauranted as Madison!
[ October 14, 2004, 04:19 PM: Message edited by: dkw ]
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
ketchupqueen I live in Federal Way, which is very close to Tacoma. The only place close by that comes to mind is Taste of India. (When our friends ask us how we can afford to shop at Trader Joe's every week- we buy the bulk of our groceries there...I always say "because we never eat out!" For the items we buy, they are actually cheaper than the average grocery store)
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
quote: quote: one for customers who look asian and one for everyone else
That is soooo not right. Maybe when I smile really big and squint my eyes I look a little Asian. Most of the time I do not get away with it. [Smile]
I would like the menu they give the Asians!
I live in south Asia - Sri Lanka - and twice now - yep, TWICE - I've been mistaken for a Japanese. I'm pink. Pale pasty white with pink undertones. Very definitely of obviously European descent. And they think I'm Japanese?????
What kind of a menu do ya figure they'd give me? Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
When I want REAL Indian food, I go to my best friend's house. Her mom = yummy food.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I have a friend who is Lao, and I love going over to her house when she's been cooking. Even better is going to her parents' place when there is some reason for the community to have pooled its cooking talents (wedding, holidays, and the like. I can do without the funerals, cathartic as several days of hanging out in a huge group, eating mind blowingly delicious food, playing cards, until you crash from exhaustion and then sleeping in a pile of people, then getting up and doing it all again can be, it only covers the pain that everyone is feeling).
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
To order (in an informed way, at least) off the Chinese menu at my favorite Chinese place involves being able to read Chinese, unfortunately. I've had pretty good luck with randomly picking things off of it and pointing to them when the server askes what I'd like though. If she says "really?", though, it's generally a good idea to ask what the dish is before insisting that yes, you really do want that.
One thing I hate, which I've only experienced in one Vietnamese restaurant in Wichita, is the server refusing to serve you something or other if you don't look SE Asian. Yes, I know that that spring roll has pork skin in it. No, I don't want the more "American friendly"* version. I will know, when you bring me the "American friendly" version anyway, what you've done.
And yes, the server did refer to the kind with regular pork in it as "American friendly". As though people of SE Asian origin can't be Americans.
[ October 15, 2004, 01:38 AM: Message edited by: Noemon ]
Posted by RRR (Member # 6601) on :
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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![[Angst]](graemlins/angst.gif)
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) and salted fish & chicken fried rice. Awww, now I want to go to Red Ginger and stuff myself on scallion pancakes and beef chow fun.
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