# American food in an ethnic restaurant **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 22, 2019, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639 "2019-09-22T03:35:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639/23 "2019-09-23T01:01:22Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’ve read that the chicken of today tastes little like the bird my parents ate. (For that matter, so does the turkey.) If you can find a Chinese butcher who stocks Buddhist-raised chickens (Bobo Farms raises them in the Northeast US) buy one. They are strictly pastured and allowed to grub about for insects and things rather than eating factory food. They must be sold with the head and feet attached, according to Buddhist law. Cut off the head and feet, along with the wing tips and giblets, to make stock. These birds are too lean to roast well; do some sort of braise. The breast is lean and narrow because they’re not overfed. These kinds of chickens are not only prized by Asians but by the French and Italians. Overstuffed American chickens with bloated flavorless breasts don’t make the grade. ---
**Author:** ![fedman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/278dde/32.png) [@fedman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639/24 "2019-09-23T22:04:55Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I agree, it’s likely primarily there for kids, and probably for the occasional super-fussy adult patron who got dragged to an ethnic restaurant by their family or friends. here in Cleveland, diners are scared of “other” ethnic food; food critic noted that diner asked for Corned Beef sandwich at Lebanese restaurant (why ask for that dish from someone who doesn’t normally make dish?) Also, why someone eat at Taco Bell in Tijuana Mexico, which you get in US? ---
**Author:** ![bmasters1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@bmasters1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmasters1)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639/25 "2019-09-23T22:23:44Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I agree, it’s likely primarily there for kids, and probably for the occasional super-fussy adult patron who got dragged to an ethnic restaurant by their family or friends. Guilty-- I’ve been taken to many a Chinese place, and I’m glad they had the American fare alongside; I’ve never really cared for Chinese food, I hate to admit. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639/26 "2019-09-23T22:33:18Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I agree, it’s likely primarily there for kids, and probably for the occasional super-fussy adult patron who got dragged to an ethnic restaurant by their family or friends. Now that I think of it, I used to be very glad that Red Lobster had chicken dishes. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639/27 "2019-09-23T22:34:46Z")
In the Sacramento area there’s a large international supermarket with a food court attached. The menu at the food court is basically categorized by country – there’s a Japanese section, a Korean section, a Mexican section, etc. And there’s an American section with stuff like burgers, and hot dogs, and… borscht. They included borscht in the American section. They probably just stuck it there because it’s the only Russian item on the menu so it didn’t require it’s own section, but a part of me likes to wonder if maybe it’s a political statement. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639/28 "2019-09-23T22:53:38Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I see the same thing on menus in seafood restaurants; there’s almost always a section for “land lubbers”. I’m that person. I don’t like seafood. (I live in an area where it’s ubiquitous. I have tried multiple types of seafood cooked in multiple styles. I don’t like it. I will still try it from time to time to see if my tastes have changed. They have not.) With that section, I can get something to eat at the restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639/29 "2019-09-23T22:55:11Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’ve read that the chicken of today tastes little like the bird my parents ate. (For that matter, so does the turkey.) It boggles the mind! :eek: > > I seem to recall reading that the “Harvey sandwich” touted in the Judy Garland movie _ **The Harvey Girls** _ was made with chicken, which was an expensive ingredient back in the day. I’ve also read that things like tuna and chicken salad sandwiches became popular in the early 20th century partly from a desire to stretch leftovers. That was a Chillicothe sandwich! I used to love that movie when I was a kid and watched it every time it was aired on TV. Just saw it again a few months ago, and, well, it was not as great as I remembered. Although Angela Lansbury was still wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639/30 "2019-09-24T01:25:43Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’ve read that the chicken of today tastes little like the bird my parents ate. (For that matter, so does the turkey.) It boggles the mind! :eek: > > I’ve also read that things like tuna and chicken salad sandwiches became popular in the early 20th century partly from a desire to stretch leftovers. We raised sheep, chicken, duck, turkey and goose at various times here at the neato ranchito [mrAru’s joke of a name for the place] and yes the critters do taste very different, and they have a texture difference as well. We made sure to use unmedicated feeds, and they were free ranged. The muscles were exercised so the meat was tougher, the eggs from the birds were fresh that day so the yolks were well rounded and the whites less runny and overall had a richer taste, same with the meat - chickens very particularly are omnivores and will eat whatever they can catch like insects, small lizards and mice :eek: And did you know that if you let a turkey live over the normal 6 to 10 months you can get a turkeyzilla of 44 pound dressed weight:eek: ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639/31 "2019-09-24T02:17:55Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > In the Sacramento area there’s a large international supermarket with a food court attached. The menu at the food court is basically categorized by country – there’s a Japanese section, a Korean section, a Mexican section, etc. And there’s an American section with stuff like burgers, and hot dogs, and… borscht. They included borscht in the American section. They probably just stuck it there because it’s the only Russian item on the menu so it didn’t require it’s own section, but a part of me likes to wonder if maybe it’s a political statement. Was it cold with lots of cabbage, and served with a dollop of sour cream? This is the kind of borscht I’ve had in Jewish delis. Very different from your “standard” Russian or Ukrainian borscht, which (SFAIK) is always served hot. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639/32 "2019-09-24T02:48:55Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Was it cold with lots of cabbage, and served with a dollop of sour cream? This is the kind of borscht I’ve had in Jewish delis. Very different from your “standard” Russian or Ukrainian borscht, which (SFAIK) is always served hot. I don’t know; I didn’t actually try it. Although on their [online menu](https://sac.kpinternationalmarket.com/international-food-court/) it does appear to contain cabbage and sour cream, if the picture is representative of how they serve it. But it also state there’s a 5 minute cook time, which seems to imply they heat it up, and I seem to remember in the store it was advertised as hot. Maybe it’s kind of in between the American Jewish and Russian/Ukrainian styles. There is a fairly substantial Russian population in the area, which is why I always assumed they put it on the menu. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639/33 "2019-09-24T03:51:38Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I don’t know; I didn’t actually try it. Although on their [online menu](https://sac.kpinternationalmarket.com/international-food-court/) it does appear to contain cabbage and sour cream, if the picture is representative of how they serve it. But it also state there’s a 5 minute cook time, which seems to imply they heat it up, and I seem to remember in the store it was advertised as hot. Maybe it’s kind of in between the American Jewish and Russian/Ukrainian styles. There is a fairly substantial Russian population in the area, which is why I always assumed they put it on the menu. Just had a gander, and it looks like ordinary Russian borscht, which is also served with sour cream. Damned if it doesn’t look really good though, especially since I’ve been fasting all day. I had way too much lamb curry over the weekend. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639/34 "2019-09-24T16:55:40Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’ve read that the chicken of today tastes little like the bird my parents ate. (For that matter, so does the turkey.) And pork tastes little like the pig your grandparents ate. Some enterprising people, dissatisfied with the quality of modern meats, have started up small farms for [heritage breeds](https://heritagefoods.com/pages/our-breeds). ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639/35 "2019-09-24T18:02:26Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > If it weren’t for Mexican restaurants in San Diego putting burgers and fries on the menu, we’d never have discovered the culinary masterpiece that is carne asada fries. I haven’t tried any of their American food yet, but there’s a Japanese place up the road that has a delicious steak egg roll. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639/36 "2019-09-24T20:53:35Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I agree, it’s likely primarily there for kids, and probably for the occasional super-fussy adult patron who got dragged to an ethnic restaurant by their family or friends. My BIL will often get a hamburger at Tex-Mex places because he’s from Iowa originally, and doesn’t really dig Tex-Mex or Mexican food, while the rest of the family is all Texans, and we do. Or my father would occasionally get a steak at a seafood place because he’s not wild about seafood, while the rest of us are. They’re why the American section is there- for people who get roped into it as part of larger groups. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2019, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639/37 "2019-09-25T12:54:19Z")
They don’t always put them on the menu but just about any restaurant will make your kid chicken tenders and fries, a grilled cheese sandwich, or similar boring kid food if you ask. In more than one restaurant the server has asked us if our son wanted chicken tenders when it became clear that he wasn’t going to choose anything from the menu. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639/38 "2019-09-26T14:01:30Z")
> [@Gus\_Gusterson](#): > > They don’t always put them on the menu but just about any restaurant will make your kid chicken tenders and fries, a grilled cheese sandwich, or similar boring kid food if you ask. In more than one restaurant the server has asked us if our son wanted chicken tenders when it became clear that he wasn’t going to choose anything from the menu. Plus, sometimes that stuff back in the kitchen is also sometimes used for employee lunches. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639/39 "2019-09-26T20:32:28Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Plus, sometimes that stuff back in the kitchen is also sometimes used for employee lunches. My introduction to red bean paste [mizu yokan](https://www.thespruceeats.com/mizu-yokan-2031140) came when I was 5 years old, in a tiny Japanese restaurant in NY [[Saito East](https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/16/obituaries/moto-saito-82-a-japanese-restaurateur.html)] where we were having dinner - I had charmed the staff, they had never seen a 5 year old round eye using chopsticks with any degree of skill before. [Grandmother had roomed with a pair of Chinese women back in college, and I grew up with Chinese ‘aunties’ and really do not remember learning to use them, so I probably learned about the same time I was learning to use fork and spoon] I had asked for dessert, and was highly disappointed that there wasn’t anything near an American/European style dessert menu. These little gems [they were molded into flower and leaf shapes] that they kept on hand for tea ceremonies were the closest thing to dessert they had. Turns out I actually loved them, and my grandmother’s Chinese friend had to get in touch with a Japanese restaurant to learn to make them so she could teach my Grandmother’s cook how to make them so I could have them. I actually am decent at making those, and red bean paste [daifuku mochi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daifuku)and [taiyaki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiyaki). I will say between my father being military and traveling a lot, and my Grandparents traveling a lot, I was exposed to a lot of foods that the average kid growing up in late 60s tiny town western NY state probably never heard about or was exposed to. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639/40 "2019-09-27T02:59:15Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > I haven’t tried any of their American food yet, but there’s a Japanese place up the road that has a delicious steak egg roll. New York sushi joints offer the **Philadelphia Roll,** which is smoked salmon, cucumber, and cream cheese (and sometimes scallion and avocado) wrapped with rice and nori. Purists despise it — it’s high in fat content, antithetical to the sushi ideal — but it’s very popular. Similar to your Sunday morning bagel. I like it a lot, myself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-food-in-an-ethnic-restaurant/840639.md?page=1)