I’ll keep my fingers crossed for both of you, health-wise and in regards to postponed/upcoming travel
Immigrant food in Paris, in general, is quite a bit different than what you’d find in the US. It is made for Parisian tastes. And it is interesting to note the difference.
I also think that Haitian food in Montreal is different than the places where I live.
Exactly my point. Instead of avoiding foods that one can get at home or in their longstanding countries/localities, it’s worthwhile to check out these dishes when traveling, as they are (as you said) different due to local tastes. And, I might add, due to the availability of ingredients and the training/tastes of local chefs.
On a student road trek to Abergavenny, Wales, in1970 , for some reason we decided to stop at a Chinese restaurant. The tableware was recognizable Chinese-restaurant transferware. The food was unrecognizable . To this day, I don’t know if it was “authentic” Chinese or “authentic” Chinese-Welsh. We only knew Chinese-American dishes at this time. The greater mystery obviously should have been - how did the restaurant come to be?
One of my most beloved dishes growing up was from a Cantonese place down the road from us. Most Chinese restaurants in Germany at the time were Cantonese, but I doubt this “special Chinese noodle soup” exists anywhere in this form in China: a large, main dish soup with noodles, prawns, duck, chicken, pork, beef (really ALLLLL the proteins), vegetables, shiitake, and a heavy load of MSG.
I would get that magical soup at least every other week. The place no longer exists, so I will never have this soup again.
Another thing that is standard at Chinese (and Viet) restos in Germany is kroepoek, which isn’t Chinese either (Indonesian AFAIK). Puffed crab chips that I’ll take over stupid crunchy noodles any day.
I’ve lamented the lack of crab chips at Chinese restos in the US on CH and elsewhere.
You’ll be surprised to learn that one of the posters on this site grew up in Wales, and I think his dad might have run a Chinese restaurant.
The Chinese Western Cafés of the Prairies are a big part of Canadian culinaria.
I haven’t had Chinese food in Wales, but I have enjoyed Chinese food in Killarney, Ireland. Better than your average Chinese restaurant in Ontario outside the Greater Toronto Area, with some Chinese Irish dishes that were distinct from Chinese Canadian or Chinese American westernized dishes. (We have some Hakka discussions elsewhere- the Chinese diaspora cuisine is especially interesting imo)
Yes, given the time. I worked for the French Government for 15 years so have had a lot of time to visit Paris. Still, I have very fond memories of the crab beignets served at the Creole restaurant (long gone) within Le Marche des Enfants Rouges. But I have never seen these served elsewhere.
I very much would like to go to a restaurant Mauricienne in Paris.
So I have had pho, couscous, felafel, baba ganouj, and creole in Paris. Also Thai. And Chinese (not vietnamese) in Vichy. Only the creole was remarkable. I also enjoyed going to Sacha Finkelstajn’s near l’As du Felafel.
I suspect most visitors will still stick to French cuisine, both traditional and nouvelle (which is not traditional but can be authentically French!).
I have a vivid memory of a falafel I had in Berlin in 1989 (I went to get a piece of wall), which had the shocking (to me, at the time) addition of red cabbage.
Falafel is great with a tahini/lime cole slaw, with pickled peppers.
Not totally the same I’m sure (never is), but I grew up going to Cantonese & Hong Kong places in Manhattan’s Chinatown & one of the things my friends and I always shared was a big bowl of what was called “War Suey Kow”. Depending on the place, the Suey Kow (basically small wontons) & noodles were joined in the flavored broth by an assortment of meats, chicken, duck, shrimp, sprouts & greens. I believe that a number of places still have this on the menu & I can probably track down & let you know which might be closest to your beloved memory if/when you come to NYC. Unless, of course, Dave Cook already has this info. at his fingertips (as he so often does).
eta: there are various YouTube videos on the making of noodle/wonton/suey kow soups, several of which add shrimp or duck or chicken to the mix. Not a big leap from these to the potpourri you’re remembering.
Always a stop for us when in Paris. This past October we both took out containers of salads for use in our apt. and ate pastries there.
Oh, interesting. Pickled anything, in my opinion. Dunno if you had any Maoz (Australian falafel chain that I think went bankrupt), but they had a whole little toppings bar where you could dress your own. Pickled cauliflower, pickled turnips, pickled cucumbers…
Have I mentioned I take two blood pressure meds?
There’s a dish called Wor Won Ton, which is fairly common in California, Alberta and Saskatchewan (and probably in the provinces and states in between Saskatchewan and California) and beyond, which is won ton soup with chicken, veg, bbq pork, shrimp, mushrooms, etc. It sounds similar to what you’re describing, minus the noodles . Wor Won Ton is difficult to find in Toronto and other parts of Ontario, but some restaurants have made this as a special order for us.
From the Woks of Life:
“subgum wonton soup” or 什锦馄饨汤 in Chinese (shíjǐn húntún tāng in Mandarin)
No wontons in this soup (amazing, right, since everything under the sun seems to be in there), but I’d love your recommendation for my next NY trip
LOL… luv the idea of a falafel bar. The only places I ordered falafel were Mi & Mi in Hollywood (they were the best), and a local shack when I lived in Santa Monica (everything great but their pita kinda sucked)… then when I moved to Carlsbad and finally up here, great falafel was nowhere to be found.
So I learned to make it myself, along with tahini from scratch (using white hulled sesame seeds). I have made pretty decent pita (as the supermarket stuff sucks), but actually prefer it rolled up like a taco in garlic naan bread.
I make my own as well, and pita. But not tahini - I use Soom, which I don’t think I could improve upon.
Many years ago there was a little Israeli falafel place on 1st Ave & E. 15th St. in Manhattan that made the best falafel I’ve ever had. The pita was very spongy, the falafel were always exactly the right amount of not-dry, and the hot sauce - my word. I used to work a few blocks away, and I ate there at least a couple of times a week.
This has been a staple in our (vanishing) Cantonese restaurants since I was a little girl nd my dad would bring some home for me when I was sick … loved it.
Yeah, you’ll often find kraut or red cabbage slaw in falafel pitas and döner kebabs. Must be a German twist (?).
I thought it was Turkish, but it was my first time in Germany and I’ve never been to Turkey, so .
I prefer lavash, and some places near me offer the choice of lavash or naan.