TACO Tuesday

. . .. Probably harder to find "real" Chinese food, and personally that's a food culture I'm much less familiar with, but if you live near the Triangle, there is a place called Gourmet Kingdom in Carrboro that serves "real" Chinese food. But don't go without someone who knows what they're doing in ordering, or you could end up with some stuff that will seem excessively strange and/or excessively spicy.
In my first job after college, my boss's boss was from China. About a week before the beginning of Chinese New Year, I asked him if he had any favorite restaurants for Chinese New Year cuisine. He seems genuinely surprised by my question, but replied by explaining that Chinese New Year was kind of a family oriented holiday, so he had never "eaten out" during Chinese New Year.

So my next stop was asking the same question at our favorite Chinese restaurant. The owner was similarly flummoxed by my question. But he quickly recovered and told me that if I could get four other couples to join my wife and I, he would pull together a Chinese New Year dinner. I agreed and rounded up a group. WOW is the only way I can describe the dinner I got. Not only had I never eaten anything on the menu, but about half of the offerings, I didn't even know were edible. It was great!
 
In my first job after college, my boss's boss was from China. About a week before the beginning of Chinese New Year, I asked him if he had any favorite restaurants for Chinese New Year cuisine. He seems genuinely surprised by my question, but replied by explaining that Chinese New Year was kind of a family oriented holiday, so he had never "eaten out" during Chinese New Year.

So my next stop was asking the same question at our favorite Chinese restaurant. The owner was similarly flummoxed by my question. But he quickly recovered and told me that if I could get four other couples to join my wife and I, he would pull together a Chinese New Year dinner. I agreed and rounded up a group. WOW is the only way I can describe the dinner I got. Not only had I never eaten anything on the menu, but about half of the offerings, I didn't even know were edible. It was great!
When I lived in the Bay Area, I managed to get myself invited to a Chinese New Year celebration dinner with no idea what to expect. (All I was told wear a "festive tie", especially a red one, and to bring an appetite.)

I ended up getting to participate in a 12 course dinner plus various Chinese celebratory performances that were quite entertaining. I'd never had about half the things I ate that night before and had to ask my tablemates about what they were...but every dang one of them was incredible.

I managed to get myself invited back every year until I moved from the area.
 
Dang, you sure know your curries.
@Tech loves to curry favor whenever he can. He's like a Trump cabinet member. "Mr. Trump has saved, are you ready for this media, over 160 million American lives this year." - AG Blondi

And good authentic Thai food is easy to find. It seems to be one that has not been Americanized.
 
You know there isn't just one curry, right?

Curry, in its most common culinary context, refers to a diverse range of dishes, primarily from South Asia, that feature a sauce or gravy seasoned with a complex blend of spices. While "curry" can refer to the spice blend itself (curry powder), it more broadly describes a style of cooking with a rich, aromatic sauce, often served with rice or bread.
The notion that there are multiple cuisines called "curry" was something I didn't learn until I was an adult. My mother was born in and grew up in the Philippines. Her father was a member of the (to this day hated) Colonial Constaburly. So growing up, one of the "special" meals my mother would make was curry. And I loved it. So the first time I was in Japan, I asked around for a restaurant that served "curry." When I went in, I was all "what is this?" It was good, but it wasn't what I thought was curry. Eventually I learned that the type curry my mother made is know as rijsttafel, rice table. It was a combination of Dutch and Indonesian cooking styles. And it became very popular in the Phillippines. But, I've only had it once, when it wasn't made my mother or a sibling.
 
What, no Mediterranean food fans here? I love Indian and Mexican also, but if i had to choose one cuisine to eat for the rest of my life, I’m going Mediterranean. Easy.
Definitely have not given Mediterranean food its due here. I actually would probably put it over Mexican too. Greensboro has a lot of really good, affordable Mediterranean restaurants.
 
Pollo asado with radish and arbol salsa

Any carne and aguacate salsa

Carnitas with pickled habaneros and onions and roasted salsa verde

Al pastor with sweet and smoky salsa

Birria with tapatio
 
What, no Mediterranean food fans here? I love Indian and Mexican also, but if i had to choose one cuisine to eat for the rest of my life, I’m going Mediterranean. Easy.
We ate at all Mediterranean place in Greensboro last weekend. It was great.
 

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