# What country would you starve in? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 31, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075 "2010-08-31T01:19:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [August 31, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/1 "2010-08-31T01:19:45Z")
As the flip side of [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=576383). 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. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/2 "2010-08-31T01:28:25Z")
Most countries that border the Sahara. While the westernized versions of the food is quite good, the local versions are usually pretty poor fare. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/3 "2010-08-31T01:32:46Z")
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. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2010, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/4 "2010-08-31T01:34:01Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > 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. No fast food of any sort. No McDonald’s. No ramen. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/5 "2010-08-31T01:36:11Z")
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… ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/6 "2010-08-31T01:36:39Z")
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). ---
**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:** [August 31, 2010, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/7 "2010-08-31T01:42:06Z")
Anywhere in southeast Asia, methinks. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/8 "2010-08-31T01:51:34Z")
Antarctica. I hate snow, and am none too fond of rotisserie penguin stuffed with krill. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/9 "2010-08-31T02:02:50Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/10 "2010-08-31T02:05:41Z")
Namibia Anthony Bourdain was served Namibian Warthog Anus. It hadn’t even been washed before cooking. Nuff said. I’m not living in Namibia. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/11 "2010-08-31T02:07:26Z")
I can’t think of anyplace that has food that I can’t or won’t eat. And I especially love Japanese food, **silenus**. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/12 "2010-08-31T02:31:43Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/13 "2010-08-31T02:45:53Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/14 "2010-08-31T02:47:29Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/15 "2010-08-31T02:48:23Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > As the flip side of [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=576383). > > 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. There are plenty of Italian restaurants in Tokyo. Also McDonald’s. Just saying. ---
**Author:** ![Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fried_Dough_Ho)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/16 "2010-08-31T02:49:14Z")
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… ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/17 "2010-08-31T02:53:32Z")
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. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/18 "2010-08-31T02:59:21Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > There are plenty of Italian restaurants in Tokyo. Also McDonald’s. Just saying. 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.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/19 "2010-08-31T03:00:44Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > 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? Any food that can be called a _cuisine_ beats the hell out of fast food. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075/20 "2010-08-31T03:01:38Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > > [@suranyi](#): > > > > There are plenty of Italian restaurants in Tokyo. Also McDonald’s. Just saying. > > 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. 😃 No shit. KFC in China isn’t fried, it isn’t chicken, and it sure as hell didn’t come from Kentucky. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-would-you-starve-in/552075.md?page=2)