# Multi-ethnic foods **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 19, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-ethnic-foods/533007 "2010-03-19T14:01:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-ethnic-foods/533007/41 "2010-03-23T03:00:32Z")
In many restaurants in Thailand can be found a dish called “American fried rice,” which is rice fried with ketchup, raisins, peas, sides of ham and deep-fried hot dogs, or a combination thereoff, and topped with a fried egg. It was popularized during the Vietnam War era, when thousands of American troops were stationed in the Northeast. A local chef decided to mix the ubiquitous “American breakfast” together with rice. Today, no one remembers the origin, and many Thais think this is a standard American dish. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-ethnic-foods/533007/42 "2010-03-23T03:25:05Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > In many restaurants in Thailand can be found a dish called “American fried rice,” which is rice fried with ketchup, raisins, peas, sides of ham and deep-fried hot dogs, or a combination thereoff, and topped with a fried egg. It was popularized during the Vietnam War era, when thousands of American troops were stationed in the Northeast. A local chef decided to mix the ubiquitous “American breakfast” together with rice. Today, no one remembers the origin, and many Thais think this is a standard American dish. Even though I’m horking over here, I think my sweetie would…probably like it. He puts ketchup on everything! ---
**Author:** ![TheTerribleTako](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@TheTerribleTako](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheTerribleTako)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-ethnic-foods/533007/43 "2010-03-23T05:36:16Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > In many restaurants in Thailand can be found a dish called “American fried rice,” which is rice fried with ketchup, raisins, peas, sides of ham and deep-fried hot dogs, or a combination thereoff, and topped with a fried egg. It was popularized during the Vietnam War era, when thousands of American troops were stationed in the Northeast. A local chef decided to mix the ubiquitous “American breakfast” together with rice. Today, no one remembers the origin, and many Thais think this is a standard American dish. This sounds like [Japanese Omelet Rice](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omurice)! The best part is that squirt of ketchup on top of the egg. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-ethnic-foods/533007/44 "2010-03-23T05:44:48Z")
> [@TheTerribleTako](#): > > This sounds like [Japanese Omelet Rice](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omurice)! The best part is that squirt of ketchup on top of the egg. No, that’s not it at all. “American fried rice” is never an omelette, and there’s never ketchup on top of it, but rather stir fried into the rice when it is used. There’s usually a fried egg on top of it, but that’s it as far as eggs go. Usually, too, you have all of the components separate, surrounding the rice. Ah, I just found it has a Wikipedia entry. Here it is: [American fried rice](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_fried_rice). That’s exactly what it always looks like. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-ethnic-foods/533007/45 "2010-03-23T06:38:56Z")
[Spam Musubi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_musubi) seems to apply pretty well. It’s not bad. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-ethnic-foods/533007/46 "2010-03-23T13:06:51Z")
Corned Beef is a British staple but I only ever have seen it used in sandwiches not in actual meals. ---
**Author:** ![storyguide3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@storyguide3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyguide3)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-ethnic-foods/533007/47 "2010-03-23T13:25:17Z")
> [@foolscap](#): > > You might know it as “New England Boiled Dinner”:smack: a.k.a. Jiggs Dinner in Newfoundland. ---
**Author:** ![storyguide3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@storyguide3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyguide3)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-ethnic-foods/533007/48 "2010-03-23T13:33:22Z")
Missed edit window to add: Does New England, or indeed anywhere else outside of Atlantic Canada, also have an equivalent of Fish & Brewis, a meal of salt fish (usually cod) and cooked hard bread? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-ethnic-foods/533007/49 "2010-03-23T15:17:22Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > If it happens, the same food may have different names because it’s coming from different linguistic groups, e.g.: > > - [Döner kebab](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%B6ner_kebab) – from the Turkic language Turkish > - [Gyros](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyros) – from the Indo-European language Greek > - [Shawarma](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawarma) – from the Semitic language Arabic > > (They may have diverse languages and cultures in that region, but they share a lot of cuisine). And there’s also the Mexican version of it (via the Lebanese immigrants there) called [tacos al pastor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_pastor). ---
**Author:** ![TheTerribleTako](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@TheTerribleTako](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheTerribleTako)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-ethnic-foods/533007/50 "2010-03-23T18:47:11Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > No, that’s not it at all. “American fried rice” is never an omelette, and there’s never ketchup on top of it, but rather stir fried into the rice when it is used. There’s usually a fried egg on top of it, but that’s it as far as eggs go. Usually, too, you have all of the components separate, surrounding the rice. > > Ah, I just found it has a Wikipedia entry. Here it is: [American fried rice](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_fried_rice). That’s exactly what it always looks like. Thanks for the correction. For some reason, none of the other ingredients, even the raisin, seem too weird, but I’m fixated by that piece of bacon/ham on the side. I’d love to try this sometime. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-ethnic-foods/533007/51 "2010-03-24T01:19:14Z")
> [@TheTerribleTako](#): > > Thanks for the correction. For some reason, none of the other ingredients, even the raisin, seem too weird, but I’m fixated by that piece of bacon/ham on the side. I’d love to try this sometime. It’s actually not all that bad. But it can get annoying after a while when people start acting like you’re retarded or pulling their leg because you deny this is a common dish in the US. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-ethnic-foods/533007.md?page=2)