What country would you starve in?

As the flip side of this thread.

What country’s cuisine is so repellent to you that if you were dropped into the middle of the country and couldn’t eat fast food, you’d likely starve, or at least drop 50 pounds in a year?

For me it would be Japan. There isn’t a single thing I’ve ever found Japanese that I would eat unless there was a gun to my head. I loathe sushi and I think Kobe beef is vastly over-rated. If I ever need to crash-diet, a trip to Tokyo would be in order.

Most countries that border the Sahara. While the westernized versions of the food is quite good, the local versions are usually pretty poor fare.

Japanese food is more than sushi bar fare. You really couldn’t get by on udon or donburi or something? Or McDonald’s, I hear Japan has modern things now.

For me, probably certain parts of Mexico or Central America would be the worst although I probably wouldn’t starve. I would just have to deal with frequent bouts of diarrhea and hopefully my stomach will get used to it. Maybe parts of Greenland or Nunavut where seal blubber predominates as well.

No fast food of any sort. No McDonald’s. No ramen.

Ethiopian food is pretty yucky to me.

But the 4 days I spent in Germany years ago still stick with me. Ugh, so much meat and so few vegetables and no discernible spice to anything…

Probably India. All of the Indian food I’ve tried has been way too strong for my palate or has had spices I can’t abide (like cumin).

Anywhere in southeast Asia, methinks.

Antarctica. I hate snow, and am none too fond of rotisserie penguin stuffed with krill.

I’d come the closest to starving in Italy, but not because the food isn’t tasty. The bulk of the foods that contain my worse allergen come from there, and after one instance of itchy mouth and throat as well as getting hives externally as usual, I’m wary of eating anything pasta or sauce-based that I haven’t personally seen the list of ingredients for…which would be hard to cope with since I can only read a little Italian.

Namibia

Anthony Bourdain was served Namibian Warthog Anus. It hadn’t even been washed before cooking.

Nuff said. I’m not living in Namibia.

I can’t think of anyplace that has food that I can’t or won’t eat.

And I especially love Japanese food, silenus. :stuck_out_tongue:

There might be some countries where I’d have to start eating meat if I were there long-term.

But even being coeliac, somewhat lactose intolerant and vegetarian I’ve managed to find food in lots of different cuisines. Italy was, surprisingly, really easy for me, even when it came to street vendors.

It’d be a bit odd to exclude noodles from Japanese cuisine.

In the spirit of the other thread, while I’m sure I would eventually find something that I’ll eat, I would metaphorically starve in India. I’ve yet to meet an Indian dish that I enjoyed the smell of, much less the taste.

Maybe it’s just bad luck but I’ve never had a Thai or Vietnamese meal I’ve enjoyed. I suppose I need to keep trying until I find a place I like.

There are plenty of Italian restaurants in Tokyo. Also McDonald’s. Just saying.

Indonesia.

I will eat anything (and have – including insects and offal), but I am a spice wimp and by all accounts, most Indonesian food kills people with spice.

Like, burn your mouth and innards spicy…

I love Indian food but it doesn’t love me, the oils, the yogurt, the spices…I spent one month there and almost lost 20 pounds.

No there aren’t. I’m willing to bet that any Italian place in Japan doesn’t even remotely resemble real Italian food. And fast food is verboten.

Besides, the exercise is more along the lines of “What country has cuisine you loathe?” rather than “Figure out a way to eat In Japan.” :smiley:

Any food that can be called a cuisine beats the hell out of fast food.

No shit. KFC in China isn’t fried, it isn’t chicken, and it sure as hell didn’t come from Kentucky.