# Which (non-native to you) ethnic cuisine do you crave most often? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 28, 2014, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493 "2014-05-28T19:31:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/21 "2014-05-28T23:05:42Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Crave? Thai. Eat the most? Mexican or Italian. Exactly this! ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/22 "2014-05-28T23:06:04Z")
Thai is the most often and the strongest craving - in the sense that if I want Thai, ain’t nothin’ else gonna satisfy. But I certainly get cravings for others, too. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/23 "2014-05-28T23:06:47Z")
Mexican. I actually eat a bit of Americanized Mexican food regularly, but every time I treat myself to\* Javier’s\* carnitas I feel very sorry for people that refuse to eat pork. Food of the gods. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/24 "2014-05-28T23:09:39Z")
I’m into variety, but Japanese (sushi) wins. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/25 "2014-05-28T23:26:52Z")
To be clear, I am a complete adherent to good Mexican food. But I picked Peruvian because it is so worthy of attention. We had a Peruvian place close by that was our go-to until the owner had to close it down for rent reasons. They had an appetizer that was basically Avocado Bruschetta (diced avo’s and tomatoes and such) served on plaintain latke’s (you figure out a better way to describe them! ;)) that was God on a Plate… ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/26 "2014-05-28T23:38:03Z")
SUSHI! So um, Japanese, I guess. Indian is a close second. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/27 "2014-05-28T23:52:56Z")
I love all different types of cuisines but I picked Thai because it is a type of food that isn’t super-common, it is broad and I can’t cook it myself at all. In contrast, Italian food is fine but it is super-common and I can make many excellent dishes myself any time I want to. I never took to Indian food that much. It isn’t bad but it always tastes like someone dumped in every stale spice they had into their cabinet in a not so coherent way to me at least. I love Mexican food but variations on it are about the only thing my mother can make well so I was never deprived of it at all. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/28 "2014-05-28T23:57:58Z")
Ethiopian. I can get everything else often enough that I don’t miss them. Ethiopian is a rare treat. Oh, great - now I want some Doro Wat. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/29 "2014-05-29T00:01:02Z")
I would have voted Mexican in addition to Italian, if more than 1 vote was an option. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/30 "2014-05-29T00:18:22Z")
Yeah, our local Ethiopian place is terrific. Our favourite dish is tibs firfir yebeg, a lamb/onion/berbere/rosemary/peppers stew with torn up pieces of injera bread mixed in. It’s bloody delish. Here in the Bay Area we can get pretty much any cuisine, but if I’m not sure what kind of food would satisfy, just the suggestion of Ethiopian means nothing else will do. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/31 "2014-05-29T00:31:17Z")
Sichuan Chinese. It just doesn’t feel like dinner if I’m not crying and numb. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/32 "2014-05-29T00:36:58Z")
I could eat Italian/Italian-American food every day. Indian runs a close second. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/33 "2014-05-29T00:58:14Z")
Mexican. It’s not even close. ---
**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:** [May 29, 2014, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/34 "2014-05-29T01:07:24Z")
I often find myself sitting around wanting something cheesy with tomatoes and garlic. Maybe some basil. Italian, for real. ---
**Author:** ![Tiktaalik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@Tiktaalik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tiktaalik)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/35 "2014-05-29T01:10:16Z")
I strangely crave Australian fare. I lived there for awhile and loved their hole-in-the-wall fish and chips places (served in newspaper), burgers with beets on them, and the falafel places that were everywhere (I realize that it’s not Australian - but they did it good). ---
**Author:** ![plankter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ba0ec/32.png) [@plankter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plankter)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/36 "2014-05-29T02:19:40Z")
“Craving” neatly sums up my relationship with Indian food. Two weeks ago I drove almost twenty miles for a lunch buffet at a well-reviewed Indian restaurant and yes, it was worth it. There use to be a great place in my home town but it went away; I tell myself that it’s just as well because all that butter and cream will make me fat. That said, there’s just enough Northern Italian in my ancestry to disqualify it for the purpose of this poll, but if I could have only one cuisine for the rest of my life it would be Italian. Sorry ghee, but olive oil rules. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/37 "2014-05-29T02:32:46Z")
Lately the answer is Chinese. This is mostly because Lao Sze Chuan recently opened another restaurant near me. (The original restaurant is in Chinatown, a long hike.) As Homer Simpson would put it, the food there is groin-grabbingly transcendent. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/38 "2014-05-29T03:06:52Z")
I chose British - could’ve gone with Irish as well, but that’s too close to native for me. I know, I know, British cooking, ha ha - but seriously, there’s nothing like being drenched with miserable, freezing cold rain in the winter, then sinking your teeth into a warm, chewy steak and kidney pie. Plus, I’ve always had a strange addiction to those (probably chemical-filled) supermarket sausage in a buns. For some strange reason, apart from pot pies, pastry and meat combinations have never taken off in the US. Christmas cakes are also fantastic - dense, moist cake encased in a kind of marzipan icing. Add in boiled new potatoes with a pat of butter and a touch of mint, and I’m hooked. And don’t even get me started on the fry-ups (black pudding, I love you forever). ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/39 "2014-05-29T03:54:43Z")
I find Thai a bit overrated but that’s only from restaurant eating. It’s like other ASEAN cooking except that it’s spiced up a bit more. I’m Filipino, by the way, and my favorites are Spanish, Chinese, Italian, and Philadelphia (mainly for the home-made cheese cakes and ice creams.) ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493/40 "2014-05-29T04:03:01Z")
Japanese would be the one I eat the most often, but I rarely have a real craving for it (except when watching Japanese movies/anime. Seeing them eat maki, gyoza or gyudon does make my mouth water). However, there have been many, many days (particularly back when I was a uni student) where I could have strangled for a gyro/döner kebab. I have no idea what they put in or do to that meat, in fact where street stands are concerned I strongly suspect I really don’t want to know, but I’m fairly sure cocaine is involved at some point. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-non-native-to-you-ethnic-cuisine-do-you-crave-most-often/689493.md?page=3)