# Ethnic Diets?



## CookLikeJulia (Feb 23, 2010)

The Hay diet encourages you to separate protein from carbohydrate,

while the Chinese "Ying & Yang" diet encourages balanced eating.

Can you describe any special diets which are followed in your country?


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## Andy M. (Feb 23, 2010)

I wouldn't say special. My parents emigrated from the Near East.  I grew up eating a diet that included proteins, vegetables, starches, fruits and grains.


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## kadesma (Feb 23, 2010)

My  great grand parents were from France, came here and chose to live in the hills. Everything they had to eat the raised or grew...Meat,fruit,veggies and made their own bread by trading with neighbors at Sunday meetings once a month.They worked hard so there was no such thing as "diets" just normal foods to feed the body and soul.
kadesma


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## Alix (Feb 23, 2010)

Canada = lots of back bacon and maple syrup.


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## Andy M. (Feb 23, 2010)

Alix said:


> Canada = lots of back bacon and maple syrup.



Together?


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## Alix (Feb 23, 2010)

You never had maple flavored bacon? Or syrup on bacon? Its delish.


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## Andy M. (Feb 23, 2010)

Had it, don't care for it.  But you're not talking about "REAL" bacon but that Canadian stuff.


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## froggythefrog (Feb 23, 2010)

According to a book I am reading, the Chinese always had a line of thinking that involved "balance":  The majority of your meal is to be a starch and the starch is then flavored with a small amount of vegetables and meat.  

I think most ethnic diets are based on what resources were/are available to that culture, since the current abundance and variety that most of the First World has is a recent phenomenon.  I think you will find that many ethnicities actually have more of a variety of nutrients in their food than it may appear at first.  
In particular, it is common to associate protein with meat, calcium with milk, and omega-3's with fish:  Most foods are a complex mixture of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.  Whole grains, for example, provide proteins as well as carbohydrates.  Leaves such as kale, spinach, and chard are valuable sources of calcium, and omega-3's can be found in walnuts, purslane, and flaxseed.  
I don't know where you're located, but I think many Americans eating at restaurants get a rather incomplete view of what people from other places eat, because we end up with only a subset of the dishes that a culture eats and most dishes are modified for the local palette and availability of affordable ingredients.


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## FrankZ (Feb 23, 2010)

Alix said:


> You never had maple flavored bacon? Or syrup on bacon? Its delish.




And don't forget the gravy on fries.


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## Alix (Feb 23, 2010)

FrankZ said:


> And don't forget the gravy on fries.


Are referring to poutine? MMMMMMMM!! Not just gravy, but ambrosial melted cheese curds and LOTS of gravy. I can feel my arteries hardening just thinking about it!
(Andy, I don't actually like maple syrup on bacon, I was just being goofy. I DO however prefer back bacon to the regular stuff)


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## Andy M. (Feb 23, 2010)

Alix said:


> Are referring to poutine? MMMMMMMM!! Not just gravy, but ambrosial melted cheese curds and LOTS of gravy. I can feel my arteries hardening just thinking about it!
> (Andy, I don't actually like maple syrup on bacon, I was just being goofy. I DO however prefer back bacon to the regular stuff)



Alix, the next time I visit Canada, I'm going to order poutine.  Something I have to try before I die.

Also would like to try an authentic tourtiere.


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## FrankZ (Feb 23, 2010)

Every time I have been out to eat up in Canada and order fries they have offered gravy.  No one has specified what type, what's in it or anything else about it.

I usually almost always say no, but I don't mind eating local.

I was up in Toronto on business for Y2K.  The company was nice enough to send Kathleen along with me  She insisted I speak with my coworker to make sure we had something Canadian while we were there.

When I asked him what would be a good Canadian meal he responded "bacon".  I asked if there was anything else and he said "no, just bacon".


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## Andy M. (Feb 23, 2010)

FrankZ said:


> ...When I asked him what would be a good Canadian meal he responded "bacon".  I asked if there was anything else and he said "no, just bacon".



Sounds like your co-worker needs to expand his culinary horizons.


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## froggythefrog (Feb 23, 2010)

I just want to know what the right way to pronounce "poutine" is.  Is it "poo-teen"?


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## Alix (Feb 23, 2010)

Are you telling me you don't eat fries with gravy down south? I personally found it a bit weird to see folks eating fries with mayo, but hey, who am I to argue?

Poutine is VERY tasty, but it might just be your last meal if you have a cholesterol problem to start with!


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## FrankZ (Feb 23, 2010)

Usually ketchup on the fries.  My father likes mayo on them. I can't do mayo.


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## Alix (Feb 23, 2010)

Seriously? Gravy on fries is Canadian? I could swear I've had it when I've been in the US.


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## froggythefrog (Feb 23, 2010)

I've had fries with gravy and fries with mayo -- I enjoyed both!


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## mexican mama (Feb 24, 2010)

Mexican diet
tortillas and chilies all day 
Filipino diet
rice all the way


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 24, 2010)

My diet (eating habits) have changed so much over the years, it's difficult to pinpoint.  I've gone from eating starches with little meat and veg in my early years to eating veg with a little meat and starch today.  Along the way I had my carnivorous years, which I still revert to on occasion.  I think I'm a born carnivore.  That said, I still eat the favorites from my youth and new ideas from today with the emphasis on more veg, less meat and starch.  I buy organic and local as much as possible.  I don't allow any artificial sweeteners, etc.  

Next week, I will be making my own catsup and chili sauce, to rid my cupboards of another couple of canned items.  Next is homemade corned beef.  My goal is to completely do without can and jar openers.


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## Andy M. (Feb 24, 2010)

Alix said:


> Seriously? Gravy on fries is Canadian? I could swear I've had it when I've been in the US.



I don't know if gravy on fries is Canadian but I think the addition of cheese curds is.


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## GB (Feb 24, 2010)

I see gravy on fries in the US every once in a while. There is a place in Burlington, VT called Nectars that is famous for their gravy and fries. Of course Burlington is basically Canada anyway.


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## Alix (Feb 24, 2010)

Andy, I KNOW that poutine is uniquely French Canadian in origin. (Lord I love poutine!) I didn't think that the gravy bit was though. Thanks GB, I was pretty sure I'd eaten fries with gravy in the US before.


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## GB (Feb 24, 2010)

I have no doubt you have. I do every chance I get.
I have yet to try poutine, but can't wait for the opportunity. Sounds like a perfect food!


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## radhuni (Feb 26, 2010)

In a typical and traditional Indian meal all tastes are included and balanced for good digestion. Although nowadays it is not possible for us to follow the course due the shortage of time.

I am giving example of a full course Bengali meal.

1.Rice with ghee (ghee aggravate 'pitta' thus helps in digestion)
2.Sour dish like bitter gourd fry. Bitter cleanses our taste bud so we can enjoy the various tastes.
3.Dal with some salty fries and vegetable curries.
4.Pungent dish like fish prepared with mustard paste.
5.Spicy and savory dishes of fish or meat.
6.Chutney, generally sour.
7.Curd and sweets.

It is also considered that in a meal food must be of four kinds according to the consistency. The four types are 'chorbo' means chewables, 'chosya' means suckable, 'lehya' lickable and 'peya' means drinkable.


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## tagout77 (Feb 26, 2010)

This may be off topic but do you have advice/recipes/suggestions to someone who wants to experiment with more Indian cuisine?  I'm a vegetarian so many Indian dishes are great!


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## radhuni (Feb 26, 2010)

Many Indians are vegetarian so there are lots of veg dishes in Indian cuisine and they are no less tasty that non-vegs. 

I just want to give you one suggestion that don't start with a vegetable that has extreme taste like bitter gourd or carambola or Neem etc.


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## froggythefrog (Feb 26, 2010)

Radhuni:   I find the Indian system of combining tastes quite fascinating.   (I am kapha-vatta, with the kapha part seeming to be a no-brainer when observing me for people familiar with the system.)


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## velochic (Feb 26, 2010)

Dh is from Istanbul, Turkey.  It is really heavy on the vegetables and seafood.  The vegetables are often served cold in olive oil in various states of being cooked, for what they call mezes (appetizers).  They eat a lot of fish (fresh - usually still alive when you buy it) white cheese (feta) and other cheeses, olives, and pickled foods.  After every meal they eat fruit as their "dessert".  Obviously the Mediterranean diet is known to be one of the healthiest in the world.


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## velochic (Feb 26, 2010)

Oh, about the gravy on fries... I've actually only seen it in Canada and Belgium.  I've never seen it here in the US, although when we travel it's never within the US, so I haven't been all over the country like some here have.  What regions of the US do this?


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 26, 2010)

velochic said:


> Oh, about the gravy on fries... I've actually only seen it in Canada and Belgium. I've never seen it here in the US, although when we travel it's never within the US, so I haven't been all over the country like some here have. What regions of the US do this?


 
Most places I've been in Montana, Wyoming and Colorado...all you have to do is request it and nobody thinks you are crazy.


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## Tuscan Chef (Feb 26, 2010)

The diet of separating proteines to carb is a diet to reduce wheight without a hard limit in eating. The principle is that yto built back fat you need to get equal amount of carb and proteins but if you get them separated you will have too much of one and non of the other. So for reducing wheight is good, but is terrible for you because you load your liver and kidney of work. The chinese (but also Italian or any ethnic food) is based on best assumption of food as no one had the wheight calories problem before, so best diet was to balance food in order to use it most and efficiently. 
The separated (dissociated) diet is something that one day expert would laugh about it and say how stupid we were at our time.


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## FrankZ (Feb 26, 2010)

velochic said:


> Oh, about the gravy on fries... I've actually only seen it in Canada and Belgium.  I've never seen it here in the US, although when we travel it's never within the US, so I haven't been all over the country like some here have.  What regions of the US do this?




I have seen gravy on fries offered (on the menu) pretty much anywhere in the US I have been.  I asked if I was gravy on my fries most of the time in Canada, though to be fair I have only been to Toronto and environs.


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## ChefJune (Feb 26, 2010)

Alix said:


> Canada = lots of back bacon and maple syrup.


...and Poutine?


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## velochic (Feb 26, 2010)

FrankZ said:


> I have seen gravy on fries offered (on the menu) pretty much anywhere in the US I have been.  I asked if I was gravy on my fries most of the time in Canada, though to be fair I have only been to Toronto and environs.



 I've lived and traveled all over Europe and the Middle East, but lack a lot of travel experience in my own country, sadly.  I've never seen it in the midwest, where I live and mostly travel, or in the cities I've traveled to on the coasts.  I may have just not been noting it, though.  I will now!  And might try it!


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## Alix (Feb 26, 2010)

I've been through most of the states that border Canada, and down to FLA, CA, and Hawaii, those places (as I recall) had fries with gravy. 

So, a "Canadian" meal would be what? Poutine, back bacon, beef, and for dessert...Nanaimo bars?


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## catalina (Feb 26, 2010)

It seems that in most diners you can order a chicken strip dinner with fries and the toast and gravy come automatically (personally do not like gravy and just use BBQ sauce for everything except the toast).  
As for the regional diets, being from the midwest, a lot is fried or at least not prepared in the healthiest ways.  However I am around a lot of Central and South Americans and while they enjoy their fried food and whatever desserts I prepare, rice, beans, tortilla and sometimes meat (typically chicken breast) is staple when they eat their own cuisine.  Maybe not the most varied and vitamin rich diet, but it suits budgetary needs and is filling.


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