white guy eats foreign foods

Send me food!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 11:34:00 -0700

A viewer of White Guy Eats Foreign Foods, Tara, sent in a wonderful idea. My challenge is that my small town doesn't have much culinary diversity. Most of the cool sounding things that you've all suggested are not available around here.

So Tara has suggested that if you've got a suggestion for a food for me to try, send it to me :)

I am not too sure how this might work out for transporting through mail, etc...but If someone is game to give it a try, I'll try it. And I'll mention your name, website on the video.

If you are a foreign food company that would like to see your product on a White Guy Eats Foreign Foods video, send me what you've got and I'll give you my opinion of it...but be aware that I may not like it (I like almost everything) and will say so.

Follow the blogger profile link to the right to get my email address and drop me a note. I can give you the info you'll need to send me stuff.

Bribes won't sway my opinion but they are appreciated all the same and will be accepted anyway.

White Guy Eats Foreign Foods - Pho Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 9 Jul 2006 20:11:00 -0700

Run time: 00:05:36.00
QuickTime (25.9 MB)
click here to watch if there's no pic

On the way home from Vloggercon last month we stopped in Langley, BC for the night. We finally found some pho soup:

Pho soup is a traditional Vietnamese noodle dish. It is served as a bowl of white rice noodles in clear beef broth with thin cuts of beef (steak, fatty flank, lean flank, brisket), tendon, tripe, meatballs, chicken leg, chicken breast, other chicken organs (heart, liver, etc.), and other ingredients such as green onions, white onions, coriander leaves, ngo gai ("saw leaf herb"), mint, basil, lemon or lime, bean sprouts, and chile peppers. The last four items are usually provided on a separate plate, which allows customers to adjust the soup's flavor as they like. Some sauces such as hoisin sauce, fish sauce, and the popular Thai hot sauce, Sriracha, are popular additions as well. Phở can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

The broth is generally made by boiling beef (and sometimes also chicken) bones, oxtails, flank steak, and spices, and takes several hours to prepare. Spices include Saigon cinnamon, star anise, and ginger. The noodles, called bánh phở in Vietnamese, are traditionally cut from wide sheets of fresh rice noodles similar to Chinese shahe fen, although dried noodles (also called "rice sticks") may also be used.

Pho originated in northern Vietnam and spread to southern Vietnam in the mid-1950s, after the defeat of the French and the eventual partitioning of the country. The communist government of North Vietnam forcibly closed many private phở businesses in the 1950s, opening government-run eateries in their place, which tended to offer phở of rather inferior quality. Northern Vietnamese fleeing communist rule for South Vietnam introduced phở to their southern counterparts. Unlike in Hanoi in North Vietnam, the phở business flourished in South Vietnam, especially Saigon.

With the arrival of anti-communist Vietnamese exiles and refugees (that is, hailing from South Vietnam) in the post-Vietnam War period, phở was also gradually introduced to Western countries, especially to France and the United States, both of whom were major actors in Vietnam's colonial and post-colonial history. There are also many phở restaurants in Australia and Canada, as these countries also received many Vietnamese refugees and immigrants. Non-refugee Vietnamese immigrants also brought phở noodles to the former Soviet bloc countries, including Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic.

There are several regional variants of phở in Vietnam, particularly divided between northern (Hanoi, called phở bắc or northern phở; or phở Hà Nội), central (Huế), and southern (Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City). One regional phở may be sweeter, and another variation may emphasize a bolder and spicier flavor. "Northern phở" tends to use somewhat wider noodles and green onions. On the other hand, southern Vietnamese generally use thinner noodles (approximately the width of pad Thai or linguine noodles), and add bean sprouts and a greater variety of fresh herbs to their phở instead.

Cultural practices:
Vietnamese phở restaurants usually retain the cultural practice of not delivering the bill to a customer's tables, since it is considered rude—in Vietnamese culture, it is seen as a way of trying to rush the customer out the door. Most tables usually have a numbering system and have chopsticks, spoons and condiment dispensers.

The use of condiments such as chile sauce, hoisin sauce or basil leaves could be considered unorthodox among some consumers.

Styles of phở
Some Vietnamese restaurants have begun catering to non-Vietnamese customers by opening in other areas. Adapting to local tastes and diets, some Vietnamese restaurants in the United States have also started making chicken-based phở (phở gà) or even vegetarian phở, in addition to the traditional beef noodle soup. Seafood-based phở has also been known to exist, although it is not considered real phở. Another variation of phở involves using egg noodles instead of rice noodles. There are also Korean and Thai variants of phở available.

Phở tái lăn:
Another style of phở which is rare even among Vietnamese is phở tái lăn, served with beef only; the herbs added may vary. Thin slices of beef are char-fried in a wok; the chef puts some oil into the wok and tilts it so that the oil will catch fire and the beef will be fried inside-out (normally when stir-fried, the meat doesn't have direct contact with fire but with the wok instead). In some aspects, this style of phở is better even for Vietnamese and more suitable for the taste of foreigners who are not accustomed to eating raw beef.

Technorati Tag(s):
  devlonduthie  |  whiteguyeatsforeignfoods
  annewalk  |  soup
  vietnamesefood  |  pho

White Guy Eats Foreign food on the road - Burritos

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 15:31:00 -0700

Run time: 00:02:33.00
QuickTime (11.9 MB)
click here to watch if there's no pic

The restaurant down the block and around the corner from Vloggercon (Swedish American Hall) looked a bit rough in the serving area, but once you got your food and settled way back at the end of the place it was (I can only imagine) like a bit of mexico. The tiles and pictures of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera we great. There were Diego's paintings on the walls.

I also enjoyed a bottle of Jarritos
The word jarrito means "little jug" in English and refers to the Mexican tradition of drinking water and other drinks in clay pottery jugs.

burrito A burrito usually consists of a meat such as beef, chicken, or pork as well as other ingredients such as rice, beans, and salsa. The ingredients are then wrapped in a large flour tortilla that has been lightly grilled (or sometimes steamed) to soften the tortilla and make it more pliable.

Burritos are the traditional food of Ciudad Juarez, a city in Northern Mexico, where you can buy them at restaurants and thousands of corner stands. In this border town there are eateries that have established their reputation after decades serving burritos. They are eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Usual ingredients include barbacoa, mole, winies (hot-dogs cooked in a tomato and chillies sauce), refried beans and cheese, deshebrada (shreded slow-cooked flank steak) and chile relleno. The deshebrada burrito also has a variation in chile colorado (mild to moderately hot) and salsa verde (very hot).

Burritos are commonly called tacos de harina (flour tacos) in Eastern Mexico and burritas (feminine, with 'a') in northern-style restaurants outside of Northern Mexico proper. A long and thin fried burrito similar to a chimichanga is prepared in Sonora, Mexico and vicinity and is called a chivichanga.

Technorati Tag(s):
vloggercon | devlonduthie | annewalk
whiteguyeatsforeignfoods

Long time no taste

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 16:36:00 -0700

It's been a long time since I posted here.

We had difficulties with our camera, with encoding, and with ideas for new foods to try out. We live in a small town in BC, Canada and while the foreign cuisine is not bad here there isn't a lot to choose from.

We've recently acquired a new camcorder that really makes it easy to capture video and a recent purchase of QuickTime Pro for windows takes care of the encoding issues. Now it's ideas that we need.

Feel free to leave a comment, email me or whatever. If you've got a foreign food that you'd like more people to know about, let me know and I'll see what I can do about giving it a try!

In June we'll be traveling to San Francisco for Vloggercon 2006. Hopefully this will give us some opportunities to try some new foods.

Falafels

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 06:41:00 -0700

Run time: 00:06:38.00
QuickTime (30.8 MB)
click here to watch if there's no pic

Falafel (Arabic: فلافل or طعمية; Hebrew: פלאפל) is a fried ball or patty of spiced field beans or chickpeas, dating back to Biblical times and originating somewhere on the Indian subcontinent. Falafel is today eaten in India as well as in Pakistan and the Middle East. It is traditionally served with a yoghurt sauce, as a sandwich in pita bread, or as an appetizer.

Though its origin is uncertain, it is believed by some that it originally came from India, where it was made with spiced soured bread. The word "falafel" comes from the Arabic word فلفل (filfil), meaning pepper, and probably ultimately from Sanskrit pippalī. Falafel (at least the Middle Eastern style) is made from field beans, chick peas or any combination of the two. The Egyptian variation exclusively uses field beans, while other variations may exclusively use chick peas. What makes falafel different from many other bean patties is the beans are not cooked prior to use. Instead they are soaked, possibly skinned, then ground with other ingredients and deep fried.

Recent culinary trends have seen the triumph of the chickpea falafel over the field bean falafel. Chickpea falafels are served across the Middle East, and popularized by expatriates of those countries living abroad.

In Israel, falafel (along with the hummus) is sometimes referred to as "Israel's National Snack" (though some people claim it does not actually originate in Israel).

He really likes it

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 1 Sep 2005 06:43:00 -0700

Matthew from Esoteric Rabbit Films has captured his love for vegemite here in response to my post.

He really seems to dig the stuff....maybe I need to try it again.

Thanks to Steve Garfield for making some Vlog Soup with vegemite. Now, to get him to try it....hm?

Trying something new.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 21:16:00 -0700

Going a bit 'off format' here, but...
Give me your vegemite videos. Try it, you might like it.

Run time: 00:00:41.00
QuickTime (2.7 MB)

click here to watch if there's no pic above

Best of the Web: @Home - Video

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 10:56:00 -0700

Mefeedia is listed in a poll on Business week of favorite site or service relating to video at home.

Go Vote!!

Email request: Vegemite

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 00:29:00 -0700

Joan emailed me suggesting that I try vegemite, here's the clip:

Run time: 3 min. 7 sec.
QuickTime (~13 MB)

Vegemite (pronounced "VEH-gee-mite", IPA: ['vɛdʒɪˌmaɪt]) is the registered brand name for a dark brown, salty food paste mainly used as a spread on sandwiches and toast, though occasionally used in cooking. Popular in Australia and New Zealand Vegemite is semi-jokingly called one of Australia's national foods—it is seldom found elsewhere. Food technologist Dr. Cyril P. Callister invented Vegemite in 1923 when his employer, the Australian Fred Walker Company, had him develop a spread from Brewer's Yeast after war had disrupted the supply of imported yeast spreads.

While highly popular in Australia and New Zealand, it has never been successfully marketed elsewhere. It is notorious for the dislike it generates amongst some foreigners, particularly Americans. Note that Vegemite is not liked by all Australians - many find it far too salty to be palatable - but it remains an iconic symbol of Australia.

Vegemite is often spread with liberal amounts of butter to help to soften the strong taste, or with sliced or melted cheese. It is also a key ingredient in the popular "Cheesymite Scroll" or "Cheddarmite Scroll" produced by bakeries in Australia, a savoury spiral pastry which includes cheese spread and vegemite.

click here to watch if there's no pic above

Clark ov Saturn eats White Guy Eats Foreign Foods

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 14:32:00 -0700

Clark ov Saturn covers food related vlogs on We Are the Media and his VlogDigest site.

I was tickled pink to see him cover this site.

Thanks a ton Clarke for the great coverage of these vlogs.

Bubble Tea

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 9 Aug 2005 22:45:00 -0700

Bubble tea, pearl milk tea:
Bubble tea consists of a mixture of sweetened iced tea and milk and possibly other flavorings. Black gummy balls made of tapioca, called "pearls" or "bubbles", sit at the bottom of the cup. The pearls are much larger than those found in tapioca pudding, with a diameter of at least 7 millimeters (smaller balls are occasionally used). They are sucked through a wide straw along with the drink, providing something to chew on between sips.

When ordering, customers are often asked whether they want "boba" or "pearls" in their beverages. Both terms refer to the tapioca balls.

The recipes for bubble tea vary, but usually flavoring is added to hot black or green tea which is then shaken in a cocktail shaker or blender with ice until chilled. The mixture is then usually combined with milk and softened tapioca pearls. Most cafes that serve bubble tea also add a plastic seal by a machine to the top of the cup to be pierced by a straw by the drinker.

The flavorings added to bubble tea are usually fruity, and can be either powders, fruit juice/pulp, or syrups. Drinks made with fruit pulp and juice only with boba added are sometimes refered to as bubble tea, and are therefore distinguished by the seller as seperate from green, black, or brown (milk) tea.

Tapioca pearls are primarily made from tapioca starch from the cassava plant. The pearls are then heated with caramel into a thick paste. The paste is then passed through a wet sieve to create different pearl sizes.

Another alternative to traditional bubble tea is to substitute tapioca pearls with coconut jelly, a lighter option. Coconut jelly is served in small Lego-like pieces and has a sweet, crunchy consistency. They add a new dimension to bubble tea and are often ordered "half and half," meaning half pearls and half coconut jelly.

click here to watch if there's no pic above

An Email Request: Radna

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 1 Aug 2005 13:40:00 -0700

An email request from Carl Weaver of www.carlweaver.com.
Thanks Carl!

Run time: 2 min. 18 sec.
QuickTime (~11 MB)

click here to watch if there's no pic above

Suggestions from Germany?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 15:43:00 -0700

I've been noticing a ton of hits from Germany lately (like 20 today alone!).

Hallo Deutschland!!

Would any of you like to suggest some food dishes from there that I should try? If you had a recipe that would help.

You can post a comment and put the food information/recipe there :)

Butter chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 00:52:00 -0700

Run time: 00:03:03.02
QuickTime (10.0 MB)

Butter chicken or murgh makhani is an Indian dish popular in Britain, Australia and many other countries that have a tradition of Indian restaurants.

It is a dish made by marinading a chicken overnight in a yoghurt and spice mixture usually including ginger, lemon or lime, pepper, coriander, cumin, chilli, methi, cumin and garlic.

The chicken is then roasted or baked.

A sauce is made from butter, tomatoes, almonds and various spices, often including cumin, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, pepper, fenugreek and sometimes cream. Once the sauce is prepared the marinaded and roasted chicken is chopped and added to it.

...but I didn't do any of that. I bought a package that had a paste for the spices, added chicken, water, milk and butter as per the package in the clip.

click here to watch if there's no pic above

Sushi...of course

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 07:51:00 -0700

Run time: 00:05:15.00
QuickTime (15.8 MB)

In Japanese cuisine, sushi is a food made of vinegared rice combined with a topping or filling of fish, seafood, vegetables, or egg. The topping may be raw, cooked, or marinated; and may be served scattered in a bowl of rice, rolled in a strip of seaweed (Nori), laid onto hand-formed clumps of rice, or stuffed in a small tofu pouch.

click here to watch if there's no pic above

Couscous and Tofu

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 Jul 2005 07:19:00 -0700

Run time: 00:01:09.18
QuickTime (5.7 MB)

Tofu, sometimes bean curd, is a food made by coagulating soy milk with calcium sulfate (gypsum), nigari (a sea-salt derived compound rich in magnesium chloride), or other agents, and then pressing into blocks, similar to the way cheese is made from milk.

Sounds appetizing doesn't it?

In Asian cuisine, tofu can be prepared either in savory or sweet dishes, and is known for absorbing the flavors of the other ingredients used. In the Americas and Europe, tofu is frequently associated with vegetarianism, veganism and imitation meats as it is a good source of protein; however, its uses extend far beyond that. It usually comes packed in water, and comes in two main varieties: Hard/firm and Soft/silken tofu.

Tofu is very high in protein and has very little flavor of its own. This is what makes it versatile; it takes its flavor from whatever is added to it — marinating is a popular way of flavoring tofu. Tofu can be made to taste like cheese, pudding, eggs, bacon, etc

I added some to my couscous from the previous video.

click here to watch if there's no pic above

Couscous

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 Jul 2005 11:12:00 -0700

Run time: 00:01:29.03
QuickTime (5.8 MB)

Couscous (from Maghreb Arabic kuskusu, which is from Tamazight seksu) is a food which consists of grains made from semolina which are about 1mm or 1/16th inch in diameter (after cooking).

Couscous is traditionally served under a meat or vegetable stew. The dish is the primary staple food throughout the Maghreb; in much of Algeria, eastern Morocco, Tunisia , and Libya it is simply known as ta`aam طعام, "food". It is popular in the Maghreb the West African Sahel, in France, and parts of the Middle East, it's also very popular among Jews of North African descent. But this speciality is from a Berber origin. In the United States, the food is often a source of humour, as many consider its reduplicative name to be inherently funny.

I love saying 'couscous' :)

When cooked couscous has a texture somewhere between American grits and Italian risotto.

click here to watch if there's no pic above

Nan bread and hummus

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 Jul 2005 22:08:00 -0700

Run time: 00:01:36.19
QuickTime (6.7 MB)

Hummus (houmous, hommus, or humus) is a dip made of chickpea paste with various additions, such as olive oil, fresh garlic, lemon juice, paprika, and tahini (sesame seed paste). It is popular all over the Middle East including Syria, Lebanon, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, though the hummus eaten in Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus is quite different from the hummus eaten in the Arab world and in Israel. It is traditionally scooped up with flatbread (pieces of pita) to be eaten.

In this case, I am using Nan (or Naan) bread, a yeast free bread from India to do the scooping.

click here to watch if there's no pic above

First post

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 23:59:00 -0700

Video to come soon...