Having been out of the country for a couple of weeks kept me away from the Watercooler. However, one of the benefits of being out of the country is getting to eat the cuisine of another country... also, one of the disappointments of being out of the country is having to eat the cuisine of another country.
My favorite cuisine is Italian; northern Italian... more specifically,Tuscan. The foods are rich in flavor and texture and are comprised of more fresh ingredients that come from the earth, land and sea. Typical are olive oil and aged or "slow" meats reflecting the cultural differences of the region over other parts of Italy.
When in France we were amazed at the amount of Italian influence on the local Nicoise cuisine but soon discovered that until the mid 1800's Nice was a part of Italy and is why the food remains today heavily influenced in Italian flare and style.
On the other hand, my least favorite cuisine is anything Baltic. Sorry, if your Finnish or Russian and in my opinion the Germans would have to nearly fit into this category too but any food that can primarily be canned and reconstituted years later is not going to appeal to this California boy. I understand fresh is something of a foreign word to these parts of the world and may explain why Minnesota has the largest concentration of immigrants from these regions but in todays day and age of travel and choice the sun is easier to find and importing more common than ever. Do away with lutefisk! The world doesn't care and you won't miss it!
This post is part of today's Watercooler Wednesday; an online version of an intellectual lovefest of art and culture at Randy Elrod's blog ETHOS. Join us by clicking the link on Watercooler Wednesday and see how you can add your own thoughts on a subject you'd like to discuss. Also, let me know in the comments below what you're favorite foods and or disliked foods are and by doing so you just might get an invitation to dinner... but trust me; there will be no lutefisk.
Sorry Wayne.
