25/10/2015

Foreign food?

- I want to taste your food, says my friend, visiting from abroad, coming to Norway for the first time. I giggle: - Ok, ehm, why? - Oh, Elli, you know me! I am always curious about foreign food, she says. And I giggle again: "foreign food?" - does that include my local everyday dig-in? Yes, really?

Well, I guess it does. For her. And it's kind of funny. Foreign food for me is like anything but Norwegian food, but ok, I guess I have to set the table and serve my friend some foreign food... for her, that is..

And then I think back - to when I grew up: for dinner we usually had something with meat or fish with boiled potatoes. Always with boiled potatoes. Occasionally a vegetable soup with bread, and in the weekend something really foreign-food-like: an exotic pizza or - oh wow I can remember going to the first Chinese restaurant that opened in my home town - too exotic! Now, some of friends can't eat boiled potatoes or bread (carb reasons..!) Others have taco every Friday or steaks, burgers, sushi, ... Norwegian? Nahh...

It makes me think: about that "foreign food". In a curious way. And how exotic it was when we went for dinner at a Chinese restaurant for the first time, or went to have a pizza, not to mention tapas. And I remember my friend in Mumbai: when I suggested to go for Indian thali for lunch. - Oh, she said, that's a bit boring, why don't we go for some exotic Italian instead? 

So, is it so? Whatever is not our own food, is that the exotic foreign food we crave for? Whatever we have, we are not really that happy with, we still want that exotic touch? That foreign food, even while we are at home? What do you think? Do we maybe want - what we don't have? Hmm, so let me check: can you guess where these pictures are taken..? :

1. American burgers in...


2. Indian Delicious Dosas in.....

3. Yummy Italian pizzas in .....

Hahaha - how could you guess? It could be anywhere in the world right? How food travel borders, right? Well, did ypou guess that -:
1. American burgers in Norway
2. Indian dosas in Dubai
3. Italian pizza served in India.

So, my point is: food and recipes travel borders, and we can't stop it from happening. And even if we could, would we want to? It's great, isn't it? Whenever you leave your country you meet exiting exotic foreign food, and even when you are in your own country any foreigner can show up and ask for foreign food: foreign for them but not for you:-) Funny world:-)

So, what's your favourite cuisine by the way? And do you enjoy you "own" food? And what foreign food do you like? Please share. 

24 comments:

  1. Funny world, indeed! I love Indian food but not the one served in the UK restaurants. Pizzas are yummy from anywhere in the world. :) And sometimes I crave for Tuna sandwich from Subway. :)

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  2. The New York City taxi with the tropical background is so amusing - to find that in Norway? (New York City and anywhere you find those kind of trees are at least1300 km apart) I grew up in New York City eating a lot of the foods of my parents' heritage (Eastern European) - schav, borscht, herring, lox, potato pancakes, stuffed cabbage, etc. along with "native" New York City food such as "egg creams". Pizza was a part of my childhood, too, even 60 years ago. My favorite cuisine? It's so hard to say - we eat such a combination of cuisines nowadays. Really enjoyed this post.

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    1. Hahaha, thats funny, thanks for sharing, happy to see you here

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  3. I love my Indian food but my foodie dream is to eat Australian, American, French and Italian food. Not forget sushi. Have been tasting bits here and there but nothing like having it at the source.
    Maybe that's the charm of foreign food.
    I love food too ;)

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  4. Well, I think we should simply get rid of words like 'foreign', 'exotic' etc to describe food and just refer to cuisines with their nationality :) Easy, no? But then we also have things like Indian-Chinese food - you must have tried it several times during your time in Mumbai. I call it that because I have heard from Chinese folks that what we think of as "chinese" food in India is nowhere close to what Chinese have in China. Same with Pizza being sold in India, for the most part. I had the same experience with what is generally sold as "Indian" food in most Indian restaurants in the US. That orange colour curry is hardly the thing you see as part of Indian cuisine in India :) So things are all mixed up. Fusion as your blog name suggests :)

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  5. I reckon the term 'foreign' food is just anything that isn't the food from where you're staying :)
    When we were in London, Indian food was still foreign food. Though mashed potatoes and sausages hardly were :D
    But I love good food - foreign or not is sort of secondary, I reckon.

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  6. Dearest Eli,
    Well, being true gypsies, we both like to eat a mixture of Asian, Italian with some Dutch food, the way we were raised with. But food is like a language, constantly changing and by adding the quinoa to our food, we not only have pasta and rice but now a new addition, a healthy one.
    Seafood is our favorite and vegetarian, very healthy and quite a variety too.
    We love fresh veggies and fruits.
    Sending you hugs,
    Mariette

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    1. Thats wonderful dear Mariette. Thanks for sharing. Happy to see you here:-)

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  7. Food! What a great way to connect with people!

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  8. My favourite is Indian but if I'm hungry any cuisine is good.

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  9. Ha ha... right, whatever is not local is foreign. Food does travel and it bridges boundaries too. I love most kinds - our Indian food is great as is Chinese or a Pizza or Burger. You've made me hungry now Eli.

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    1. Hahah- thats great Tulika dear. Hugs :-)

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  10. Good point about food crossing boarders. We have been eating at some of the hot spots in Auckland lately, and they are from all over the world.

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  11. I love foreign food.. Italian, Mexican, Chinese, all of it.. and I am so glad it travels across borders.. not to mention I do admire Indian cuisines as well !

    These pictures are so mouth watering, you have no idea!

    Cheers

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  12. true..you can hardly restrict food to one place these days!

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