# Ever been discouraged from buying a food? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 1, 2012, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408 "2012-02-01T10:35:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/41 "2012-02-01T16:38:30Z")
> [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](#): > > I think it happens pretty frequently that Westerners order something like this in a foreign restaurant, and the waitstaff just assumes you don’t know what you ordered, and further assumes that what you ordered will taste disgusting to the typical Western palate and you don’t really want it. I love [kibbeh nayyeh](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kibbeh_nayyeh), whose chief ingredient is raw minced beef or lamb, but whenever I order it in a restaurant, the waiter always asks, “You know what that is, right?” Swedes seem to be incapable of eating spicy food. Don’t get me wrong, I am not brilliant at it either, but I have been warned in Swedish Indian restaurants when ordering things as innocuous as a Balti. In my native UK, I don’t order anything considered spicier than a medium. Over here, though, seems to be the only place I’ve ever seen that would consider [a Korma to be a medium](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2346328/289821_10150398504418000_699347999_10098442_841175285_o.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/42 "2012-02-01T16:55:12Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > The sea urchin eggs I can completely understand. But who in the hell is ordering sushi and is surprised to find raw fish on their plate? Those who are used to supermarket sushi – California rolls, Philadelphia rolls, avocado rolls, shrimp tempura rolls, etc. And sushi does not mean the dish has raw fish – the name refers to the rice, so anything used with sushi rice can be called sushi, and many American dishes use cooked fish, just served cold. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/43 "2012-02-01T17:05:45Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > There are apps you can get that will translate them for you through your camera phone. Not sure if they work with hand-written Chinese, but could be interesting to try. May take the fun out of your game, but it would allow you to test if they’re bringing you what you ordered. I have a notion that a lot of Chinese dishes are given fanciful names that don’t necessarily reflect the contents. I wonder if this might defeat the app? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/44 "2012-02-01T17:11:36Z")
By the way, on at least one occasion I’ve been the one discouraging someone else from eating a particular food. It was a Chinese New Year banquet and I was at a table with some other non-Chinese folks. A woman was serving herself some deep fried battered chicken chunks, and I asked her: “Are you sure you want to eat the head?” Sure enough, once she looked more closely, she could see the eyes, beak, wattle, etc. through the batter. And sure enough, she put that piece back on the serving plate. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/45 "2012-02-01T17:12:01Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I have a notion that a lot of Chinese dishes are given fanciful names that don’t necessarily reflect the contents. I’m fairly certain that’s an American Chinese food convention. The cutesy names are just for Westerners; Chinese names of Chinese dishes are generally pretty much literal descriptions of what it is. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/46 "2012-02-01T17:19:23Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Chinese names of Chinese dishes are generally pretty much literal descriptions of what it is. That’s not particularly true, in my experience. The characters for “mu shu pork” mean “wood whiskers pork”. The characters for “ma po tofu” mean “\ old woman tofu”. The characters for “Peking duck” mean “Beijing duck”. Other than containing pork, tofu and duck, you can’t tell anything about how they’re prepared. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/47 "2012-02-01T17:27:09Z")
My brother and I had dinner at a small local restaurant that served African food. When we ordered, the guy behind the counter kept warning us it was really hot. Tried the food and it was spicy, but not killer hot. I guess enough of the guy’s customers had whined or complained that he wanted to make sure we knew what we were getting. I finally told him that we weren’t as white as we looked and the food was good. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/48 "2012-02-01T18:24:27Z")
I find it incredible that people balk at things like Black Pudding and Haggis and happily eat the likes of a hot dog. As Jessie from breaking bad says: “Pigs lips and assholes”. Or assume their burger meat is only from the purest minced steak and nothing else… ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/49 "2012-02-01T19:09:04Z")
> [@grude](#): > > I don’t blame them, but it does make me wonder what kind of idiots are randomly walking into blatantly ethnic joints where every other customer is an expat and ordering something they are not prepared to try, really?! Did they accidentally walk in and just order thinking it was Taco Bell? I think what happens is that people are used to the Americanized version of a cuisine and are surprised to find that the authentic version is a little different. I go to (Chicago’s) Chinatown with people pretty frequently and I’ve occasionally had a friend expect that it’s going to be like Panda Express, and wonder where the General Tso’s is. Also some people I know love to order something at random off a menu. This has occasionally led to them getting something they don’t like. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/50 "2012-02-01T19:21:25Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Those who are used to supermarket sushi – California rolls, Philadelphia rolls, avocado rolls, shrimp tempura rolls, etc. > > And sushi does not mean the dish has raw fish – the name refers to the rice, so anything used with sushi rice can be called sushi, and many American dishes use cooked fish, just served cold. I know it refers to rice. I’m going to go out on a limb and speculate if you are a person who knows that sushi refers to rice, you are so familiar with the cuisine that you’re also a person who knows that sushi can contain raw fish. However, if you don’t know that sushi refers to rice, you think that sushi refers to raw fish. Either way, there shouldn’t be any shock when raw fish shows up on your plate. Unless you’re an idiot. Or you’ve never ever heard of sushi before and the concept of asking didn’t occur to you. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/51 "2012-02-01T19:23:30Z")
I bet my friend Kevin would have appreciated being discouraged from ordering “sweet bread” when he ordered it on a trip to New Orleans for his 18th birthday. Personally I would not have known what it was when I was 18 either. I would have definitely tried to order it then probably cried when it arrived! ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/52 "2012-02-01T19:23:33Z")
> [@Reno\_Nevada](#): > > I have never been to Long Island, but I used to go to a bagel deli in Skokie IL all the time. That said, I did not know there was a difference between smoked salmon and lox. What is lox, then? [Kaufman’s](http://kaufmansdeli.com/wordpress/)? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/53 "2012-02-01T19:27:57Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I bet my friend Kevin would have appreciated being discouraged from ordering “sweet bread” when he ordered it on a trip to New Orleans for his 18th birthday. > > Personally I would not have known what it was when I was 18 either. I would have definitely tried to order it then probably cried when it arrived! Sweetbreads are delicious. I used to be able to get them at a nearby Greek restaurant, but it was torn down in favor of some chain bar and grill. ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/54 "2012-02-01T19:34:23Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > I find it incredible that people balk at things like Black Pudding and Haggis and happily eat the likes of a hot dog. As Jessie from breaking bad says: “Pigs lips and assholes”. Or assume their burger meat is only from the purest minced steak and nothing else… A few years ago, I was buying some veggie corndogs at an Indian fast food place. The counter person very quickly asked me, “Mam, are you aware our corndogs are made with tofu, not meat?”. I replied “Yep, are you aware of the kind of meat that goes in regular corndogs?” We both had a good laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/55 "2012-02-01T19:43:03Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I was at a Japanese restaurant in New York a few weeks ago and ordered the sushi lunch special. The waitress said, “You know that has raw fish in it?” I nodded (since I do love the raw fish sushi). “And sea urchin eggs.” I nodded. I’ve like sushi with sea urchin eggs in the past. She was satisfied and took my order. > > Turned out, it wasn’t the usual rolled sushi, but a bowl of rice with raw fish on top and sea urchin eggs mixed it. I didn’t mind (it gave me a chance to practice my chopstick skills), but I could certainly see how an American coming in and expecting a California roll might be put off. My wife and I had a similar experience at a Japanese restaurant. There was a dish described as steamed yams over rice–which sounded interesting so we ordered it. The waitress asked if we were sure. Hell–I’ve had natto and that was fine, even if it was weird at least I could handle it. We then heard our waitress talking to the kitchen–it was clearly something like “Are they sure they want this?” “Hey, they said yes.” “Ooookay.” We should have listened to our waitress. It was just cold pureed starch over rice. No flavor and awful snot texture. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/56 "2012-02-01T19:55:17Z")
If you order an unfamiliar dish and your waitress asks you if you’re sure, perhaps you should inquire why she would ask? ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/57 "2012-02-01T20:20:01Z")
Once, a friend and I decided to try a Korean restaurant we’d never been to before. When we came in, a woman met us at the door with a quizzical look and asked what we wanted. I said we’d like to get a table. She shook her head and said, “This is _Korean_ food. Nothing for you.” I explained that I loved Korean food and ate it all time. She repeated that they didn’t have anything we could eat. I asked if they had japchae, or bulgogi, or bibimbap. She said no, they didn’t have any of that, and she wouldn’t let us look at a menu, so we gave up and left. She was so adamant that my friend wondered whether it wasn’t actually a restaurant at all, but a front for something. The place was completely empty except for three guys in a booth. They weren’t eating anything, had no plates or utensils, and watched us suspiciously until we left, so I guess it’s possible. But I think they just never had any non-Korean customers, and figured we’d hate it. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/58 "2012-02-01T20:33:00Z")
> [@grude](#): > > An Ethiopian place with no liquor license I was in was known for serving the honey wine or mead(the name is escaping me) pretty openly. Tej. LOVE the stuff. > [@](#): > > There was a African place in Houston busted for serving Armadillo, they didn’t claim there was anything wrong with the meat it just was not approved for human consumption(the animal):rolleyes:. Neat fact for the day: Armadillos are one of the few other animals (besides humans) to carry leprosy. You can get leprosy from handling or consuming infected armadillo meat. I’ll pass, you can have my share. 😉 > [@DCnDC](#): > > Kitfo. That’s it! (The raw beef Ethiopian dish). Funnily enough, if you order it “rare, really rare”, you don’t get a warning, and it’s still pretty much raw. > [@hogarth](#): > > But the idea that congee with beef (one of the most inoffensive foods imaginable) would be objectionable to western palates is just ridiculous. I know, right? OTOH, it was ordered by a 6 year old. Maybe the waitress was used to pizza-and-chicken-nuggets 6 year olds. > [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > Also some people I know love to order something at random off a menu. This has occasionally led to them getting something they don’t like. I especially love Chinese places for this. We’re generally eating Family Style anyhow, so if our “adventurous” choice turns out to be inedible, we’ve got others to chose from. ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/59 "2012-02-01T23:56:15Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I’ve seen someone get the “that’s for Chinese people, you wouldn’t like it” response at a Chinese restaurant. I think it was some kind of fish stew or something. I went to a dim sum place in San Francisco, and when the waitress only showed me some of the baskets she had I asked what was in the other ones, she told me I wouldn’t like it, i convinced her to let me try some of the fish balls… she was right I didn’t like it but I ate it anyway and told her thank you. They were ground fish something like a large meatball and were very strong fishy tasting, sort of like a bad fish market smells. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/60 "2012-02-02T00:13:36Z")
I get this often in Indian restaurants. I’ve taken to ordering “Tell the chef to make it like he likes it, and don’t tell him I’m white”. I’ve finally found a place that takes me seriously on that. And I thought that Kitfo was a Star Wars character. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408.md?page=4)