# "Exotic" foods from your childhood that are common now **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [October 9, 2020, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539 "2020-10-09T02:33:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Earl\_Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@Earl\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Grey)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/122 "2020-10-14T18:31:30Z")
I’m sometimes awestruck at just how much fruit and veg is available now. Produce I only read about in magazines or over dial-up is now available even at the dumpiest of walmarts. I eat very little meat anymore and feel healthier because of this. Now, to wait for lentils to be as widespread as white long-grain rice… ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/123 "2020-10-14T20:47:30Z")
Lentils? They sell dry lentils in convenient 1 pound bags both in the “dried bean” section of my supermarket and in the “Hispanic food” section. (Different brands.) Those are whole green lentils. I can also find halved red lentils in the “Indian food” section. Or, I can go to my local Indian grocery store and find 1-8 pound bags of lots of types of lentils… There used to also be pre-made lentil soup in the canned soup section, but I haven’t looked for that recently, and all the soups were a little “thinly populated” last I checked. Still, I’m surprised you identify lentils as something hard to find. That’s one of our default “we haven’t done anything about supper yet, what shall we make tonight” meals. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@Earl\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Grey)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/124 "2020-10-14T20:53:38Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Still, I’m surprised you identify lentils as something hard to find. That’s one of our default “we haven’t done anything about supper yet, what shall we make tonight” meals. It’s called “middle of nowhere”. No hispanic section at any supermarket around, and there isn’t an Indian grocery store for hundreds of miles. Even the local bulk foods store doesn’t stock them. Closest “ethnic” store is 60-70 miles away and trades in Russian and Ukrainian goods. One of the many reasons I plan to move to a city within the next few years. I’ve had enough of the country to last more than a lifetime. ---
**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:** [October 14, 2020, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/125 "2020-10-14T20:58:33Z")
Wild guess here: You live in Saskatchewan? 🤔😉 ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@Earl\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Grey)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/126 "2020-10-14T21:01:09Z")
Western Pennsylvania, but it might as well be Saskatchewan. Hell, you get into some of those counties east of Erie, close to the NY-PA border, Saskatchewan starts looking like a better choice. Areas so depressing, I won’t go into them anymore for fear of relapsing into suicidal thoughts. ---
**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:** [October 14, 2020, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/127 "2020-10-14T21:04:22Z")
Does that include the Finger Lakes area? I considered relocating there about fifteen years ago, before I ended up in Toronto. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@Earl\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Grey)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/128 "2020-10-14T21:10:53Z")
Can’t say I’ve been to FInger Lakes region, but these counties I’m talking about are down by Jamestown NY and Warren PA, southwest of that region. These counties I’m talking about are beautiful country to visit if you’re more stable than me, but no place to live. Finger Lakes area has a shitton of colleges though, I think it’d be a nice place to live. Hell, Cornell’s right in there, there has to be some culture, community, and shopping there. I wouldn’t include it based on this small assesment. ---
**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:** [October 14, 2020, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/129 "2020-10-14T21:14:48Z")
The colleges were one reason I considered moving there. I might have had a doctorate by now if I had. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@Earl\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Grey)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/130 "2020-10-14T21:17:14Z")
Probably would’ve, looks like they have colleges for all occasions there. I wouldn’t move there myself, I’m sick and tired of mountains and hills, they give me headaches anymore. I’m gonna be moving to a place that’s so damn flat, you can almost verify it with a spirit level. Right on Lake Erie too! ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/131 "2020-10-15T12:25:56Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I have had mexican food outside the border states, and I was not impressed. I can only imagine it in the UK. You can, these days, get excellent Mexican food in the UK (it has not always been so - I recall TGI Friday’s being the most exotic thing ever. Yes I realise it’s TexMex, but it was the closest we had in the mid 80s). The world has shrunk considerably, and there are some great Mexican places (such as street food chain [Wahaca](https://www.wahaca.co.uk/). ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/132 "2020-10-15T15:18:12Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Heck, I didn’t hear of eggs over easy until I was in college. When I was growing up, options for breakfast eggs were sunnyside up, over hard, scrambled, or soft-boiled. I was astonished one day when my father made poached eggs. My mother never attempted an omelet at home. Croissants were unheard of. When I was eating out with some friends, an instant after the plates were laid down one guy spotted a tiny caterpillar crawling out of the kale garnish. He pushed the plate back with a, “Take it away!” The waitress, who we knew, said, “Gosh!” and whisked the plate away. She came back a couple minutes later and said, “Cook apologizes and says you can have anything you want, on the house.” “I’m not hungry any more.” We all protested, “Aw, come on! Free food!” “Okay, I’ll have an egg – no, _three_ eggs. One sunny side up, one poached and one…” One of the guys had been a line cook suggested, “Basted.” “Yeah, basted.” About ten minutes later a bare plate with three eggs arrived along with the report, “Cook says you got a real mean streak.” ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/133 "2020-10-15T15:36:25Z")
I think I’ve heard of basted eggs, but don’t think I’ve ever had them. Kind of like a cross between sunnyside and poached. We used to use the trick of using a lid to get the top of sunnyside eggs to set without cooking the yolk, but you had to control the flame carefully. Or, since we usually fried eggs in the grease left from frying bacon, we just spooned the hot grease over the top of the eggs. Very very greasy, but delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/134 "2020-10-15T18:21:37Z")
Good Mexican food is not really burritos or chimichangas. More like pit-barbecued suckling pig, carnitas, agua fresca, michelinas, huevos motulenos or modongo. The world is a smaller place but that doesn’t make the best stuff available. Especially since many have not heard of any of these things. I have no use for “huevos tibios” though. Let’s take raw eggs and see what happens if we only cook them for three seconds. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/135 "2020-10-15T21:08:38Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I think I’ve heard of basted eggs, but don’t think I’ve ever had them. Kind of like a cross between sunnyside and poached. > > … > > **Or, since we usually fried eggs in the grease left from frying bacon, we just spooned the hot grease over the top of the eggs.** Very very greasy, but delicious. I’m think that _is_ basted, if you spoon the grease over the top of the eggs as they’re cooking. Unless I misread and you already knew that. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/136 "2020-10-15T21:11:31Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I’m think that _is_ basted, if you spoon the grease over the top of the eggs as they’re cooking. You’re right, but we never called it that. When I googled “basted eggs” the first hits were all about using water. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/137 "2020-10-16T14:00:03Z")
Basted eggs! Yumm-O. I grew up eating eggs basted with bacon grease. We kids called them dirty eggs or dunkin’ eggs. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/138 "2020-10-16T16:04:06Z")
I always do this. Didn’t know they had a special name. What else would you serve with fried bread? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/139 "2020-10-16T16:35:03Z")
A double bypass? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/140 "2020-10-16T16:40:27Z")
“Your breakfast comes with 160mg ASA and a waiver for you to sign.” A college roommate, newly away from (a vegetarian) home, once ate a pound of bacon in one sitting. Came home to see all four burners on the stove full of frying pans. He became a cardiac surgeon. ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539/141 "2020-10-16T16:40:48Z")
I thought basted eggs were the same as sunny side up. I use a lid to steam the eggs top for a bit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-foods-from-your-childhood-that-are-common-now/922539.md?page=8)