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As be and i ate quesadillas at The Enchilada near Union Square, we discussed our favorite cuisines of all time. I like lists, here's mine:

Chinese, Indian, Southern

and be's:

Japanese, Italian, Chinese

Obviously i love Chinese food - real Chinese food - since that's what i grew up eating. Not that weird stuff at your local corner place, weirder stuff like fermented tofu, black beans and preserved eggs. Filling stuff like rice porridge, sticky rice steamed in lotus leaves and winter melon soup. And tasty morsels like dim sum, sweets and all that crazy fried stuff. You just can't deny your body what it grew up on.

Next i love Indian food. I first had it back in high school at a now-defunct 2nd floor vegetarian restaurant called Madurai in Georgetown, DC. That is where i had first tried samosas, paneer, pickled mango and biryani rice and i've been hooked ever since. I love the various flavors of cumin, cilantro, cardamom, chiles and many other C spices (plus others!). Textures range from soupy to crisp but everything's flavored so well.

I just recently realized how much i truly love Southern/Soul food, too. The vegetarian main dish options aren't numerous, but the sides are just incredible. I love crusty cornbread, greens, flaky biscuits, fried okra, mac n cheese, sweet potato pie and buttery grits. Of all the different regional U.S. cuisines, i think Southern is the most developed and steeped in food lore, just like us Chinese people where food has deep meaning.

Indian and Chinese cuisines have both been affected by a long history of vegetarianism, so vegetarian dishes abound and you really never miss the meat. I'm lucky here in New York; i can think of 10 meatless Indian and Chinese restaurants alone! As for Southern, some places here make the sides vegetarian like Mama's in the East Village, but generally the main stars are meat dishes. Some people think i love Southern food because i'm from Virginia (the South) but 1) my family never ate out, 2) my mom cooked Chinese food mixed with mainstream American fare like hot dogs and 3) Northern VA doesn't quite seem like "the South" when i visit places like Georgia and North Carolina!

Interesting note: all 3 cuisines liberally use chiles, hot sauces, and hot oils! Can i just also reiterate my love for Tabasco sauce? We always had a bottle of it growing up, which i'd use on my mom's egg rolls at the tender age of 9. I'd take a bite of egg roll, sprinkle on Tabasco, take another bite and repeat. I go through phases of using it, sometimes abandoning if for other, hotter brands but my heart always belongs to Tabasco.

posted by beXn @ 12:38 AM