"Damn immigrants need to learn proper english!"

[tankgirl]

I refer to driving on the 'wrong side' when taking my own car to a country that drives on the opposite side of the road to us. It feels very wrong, but somehow I feel safer than driving a hire car which would have the steering wheel on the culturally appropriate side of the car. :mrgreen:

I am a bit weirded out to see how it all goes, my car is being imported and I have never driven on the left side, it will be a learning curve at least I love my car.

[Conuly]

Texas keep your damn corn out of most all of my Mexican food!

Well, nobody seriously claims that Tex-Mex is the same as Mexican food, do they? It's a different cuisine entirely.

On that note, corn of course came TO what is now the United States FROM Mexico. Corn and beans, the classic staples crops all over what's now the US, were actually a relatively recent crop. Prior to that people grew sunflowers and an assortment of pseudograins like lambsquarters.

[tankgirl]

Well, nobody seriously claims that Tex-Mex is the same as Mexican food, do they? It's a different cuisine entirely.

On that note, corn of course came TO what is now the United States FROM Mexico. Corn and beans, the classic staples crops all over what's now the US, were actually a relatively recent crop. Prior to that people grew sunflowers and an assortment of pseudograins like lambsquarters.

Some people really do swear Tex-Mex is the real thing, they of course are delusional ;) Corn has it's place like yummy tortillas, but mixed in certain foods like Chili (not exactly Mexican, but ruined by corn, by Texans), is just plain wrong.

BTW most Californian Mexican has non-Mexican ties too, like ditching the Lard, for veggie oil, but I don't care, beccause it's GOOD! :lol:

Damn, now I want Chile Rellenos.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

There's something to be said for "third country food" (if maybe that can be the name for it?). You know, it's food from country A, bastardized/edited to meet the tastes and economy of country B. Tex-Mex is one example, Japanese style Chinese food (and American style Chinese food) are others. Japanese French bakeries.

Usually you can only find it IN country B - if you move to country C, you can either get "authentic country A food" (maybe) or "country A food filtered for country C." MAYBE, if you find a country B ethnic neighborhood in country C, you can get lucky and find it. If you do, it's precious!

Quite awesome foods in their own right, absolutely!

[Conuly]

Some people really do swear Tex-Mex is the real thing, they of course are delusional

Well, of course it's the real thing. It's real, genuine Tex-Mex. Why they'd want to conflate that with Mexican, I don't understand.

[RR88]

I like "the real thing" *and* Tex-Mex. The only problem is that I possess a genetic aversion to cilantro, which is so often piled onto these sorts of foods. Makes some of the stuff taste like shampoo and thus inedible. Blegh!

[Conuly]

I like "the real thing" *and* Tex-Mex. The only problem is that I possess a genetic aversion to cilantro, which is so often piled onto these sorts of foods. Makes some of the stuff taste like shampoo and thus inedible. Blegh!

Oh, I've heard of that, the cilantro-tastes-like-soap gene.

[RR88]

Oh, I've heard of that, the cilantro-tastes-like-soap gene.

Yup! I'm told that people who enjoy cilantro say it tastes citrus-y. If only that were the case for me!

[emmiedahl]

I love cilantro, I mix it into salads and soups and just about everything. You can get it 3 bundles for a dollar at our local Mexican supermarket, so it is probably my major source of raw greens.

Papaya tastes like shampoo to me though. Even kinda slimy and soapy in texture. It's funny how our taste buds work.

(please don't tell me I am eating the wrong preparation. With a Mexican stepmother, and now living in a predominantly Latin@ town, believe I have tried every incarnation of it)

[tankgirl]

There's something to be said for "third country food" (if maybe that can be the name for it?). You know, it's food from country A, bastardized/edited to meet the tastes and economy of country B. Tex-Mex is one example, Japanese style Chinese food (and American style Chinese food) are others. Japanese French bakeries.

Usually you can only find it IN country B - if you move to country C, you can either get "authentic country A food" (maybe) or "country A food filtered for country C." MAYBE, if you find a country B ethnic neighborhood in country C, you can get lucky and find it. If you do, it's precious!

Quite awesome foods in their own right, absolutely!

I so agree, sometimes the bastardise version, becomes your norm, and it really stinks to move and not have it available. I miss Chinese too, but mostly not real Chinese, since it is rarely Vegetarian, but some Dim Sum is nummy, the rest I miss American Style Chinese.

Quote:

Some people really do swear Tex-Mex is the real thing, they of course are delusional

Well, of course it's the real thing. It's real, genuine Tex-Mex. Why they'd want to conflate that with Mexican, I don't understand.

Sorry, it was mostly a joke, though I do know a few Texans, who swear it's just what they eat in Mexico :lol: .Honestly in many areas of California you can find far more authentic Mexican Food then in most parts of Texas (though I know there are some areas that you can find the real thing), but comparing the California version to Mexicos, it probably is more authentic then Tex-Mex, but neither are the same as the real thing. I love me some Cilantro, but I have a strange hate for corn cooked in many dishes, so of course Tex-Mex is evil in my book, just like RR88 would gag on my cilantro stuff salsas and most other dishes. Mostly it was tongue in cheek, though I stand by Ranch Dressing mixed with Mexican food being evil, and I still hate corn in foods it does not belong in :lol:

[urban teacher]

I am so glad someone else thinks cilantro tastes like soap. I am a Mexican fanatic and it drives me crazy to go to Mexican places here in California.

[RR88]

I am so glad someone else thinks cilantro tastes like soap. I am a Mexican fanatic and it drives me crazy to go to Mexican places here in California.

The worst is being told that I'm making it up…and then being served food that has been liberally spiced with cilantro just to "prove" that my aversion to it is imaginary.

[B5SnowDog]

Corn has it's place like yummy tortillas, but mixed in certain foods like Chili (not exactly Mexican, but ruined by corn, by Texans), is just plain wrong.

I'm Texan and I've never seen corn in chili.

[emmiedahl]

There is a long Hispanic heritage in Texas, so I can totally see it being called an 'authentic' cuisine. That is, it is an authentic regional variation of Latino food. But it's not what they eat in, say, Guadalajara.

Just googling Texas chili recipes, a lot or even most of them seem to have corn. Chili itself is not Mexican food, as in it is not traditionally prepared or eaten in Mexico.

[B5SnowDog]

Just googling Texas chili recipes, a lot or even most of them seem to have corn.

Odd... I've never seen anyone here use corn. Just meat, spices, and tomatoes.

[Conuly]

The worst is being told that I'm making it up…and then being served food that has been liberally spiced with cilantro just to "prove" that my aversion to it is imaginary.

What the fuck? If somebody says they don't like a food, they don't like it. How can they be making up a distaste for a certain food? What the everlasting FUCK is that shit?

[B5SnowDog]

One of my vegetarian friends had a relative who would regularly try to sneak meat into her food. I don't get people like that.

[ladypuglover]

What the fuck? If somebody says they don't like a food, they don't like it. How can they be making up a distaste for a certain food? What the everlasting FUCK is that shit?

I have always hated foods cooked in alcohol, not because I'm anti drinking which I'm not but the taste. The only reason anyone cooks with alcohol such as wine or beer is to impart a flavor not to get drunk. Well that flavor is vile to me and tastes like rotted meat. I just can't eat it and believe me I have tried as so not to offend my hosts. I just can't and it always makes me throw up if I push myself to eat it. Everyone I know knows this about me and most go out of their way to make sure I have a small portion plain but there are a few who think they can sneak it past me without me ever knowing. No one ever has as I can taste it the second it is in my mouth. My FIL is the very worst and he is the one who makes a huge deal out of it and even gets into a rage that I won't eat food prepared in alcohol. So when he gets that way I just refuse to eat or my husband gets in a huff and makes us leave so that we can find food that we as a family can all enjoy.

I would never serve knowingly or force someone to eat something they can't stand or were allergic to. If you say that you can't stand even the sight of corn then I wouldn't serve you corn or invite you to a corn fest. Why hurt or upset others that you profess to care about?

[Triplet3]

Is cilantro the same thing we call coriander in the UK? Because I definitely think that it tastes soapy, particularly when raw. I've really started to go off it (the soapiness has only become more noticeable in recent years).

[holierthanyou]

Am I the only one who saw this thread subject up in the top pages again and got a sinking feeling in my stomach that shewhoshallnotbenamed came back to FJ to rehash this mess??

[Sola]

Is cilantro the same thing we call coriander in the UK? Because I definitely think that it tastes soapy, particularly when raw. I've really started to go off it (the soapiness has only become more noticeable in recent years).

Yes. To me it tastes citrusy.

[RR88]

Yes. To me it tastes citrusy.

I truly wish I could enjoy it! Instead, people tell me I'm "crazy" for thinking it tastes like shampoo. Oh, well.

[Conuly]

Is cilantro the same thing we call coriander in the UK? Because I definitely think that it tastes soapy, particularly when raw. I've really started to go off it (the soapiness has only become more noticeable in recent years).

Yes. In the US the term "coriander" is reserved for the seeds of the plant.

Now, there are different varieties of cilantro, and they taste slightly different from each other. In my neighborhood alone I can get the familiar "parsley leaf" variety, one that's more feathery or grass shaped, and a flat leaf variety that's properly termed "culantro". I don't know if they taste any better to people who have the genetic quirk, though. *I* think they're all delicious. Still, how hard is it not to include it in a dish prepared for somebody else? Due to its nature, it's something you add at the end of cooking, so it's not that difficult to separate out a portion for your friend first!

[RR88]

The people who have done this can't understand why I think cilantro tastes like shampoo, and that is why they have put it in my food. It's simple rudeness and has nothing to do with ease of preparation.

[Conuly]

The people who have done this can't understand why I think cilantro tastes like shampoo, and that is why they have put it in my food. It's simple rudeness and has nothing to do with ease of preparation.

Indeed. It's an absolutely inexcusable way to treat a guest - or anybody!