It’s telling that the presented argument for our best food is barbecue, food that lacks vegetables. Us Americans do not know how to properly cook vegetables. Personally, I’ll take Greek and Italian cooking over French, but anything is better than the US. When I look at what my American grandparents ate vs my Greek grandparents, the difference is shocking.
My American grandparents and friends cook meals like steak, potatoes, and asparagus, which I find remarkably bland. When they go out to eat, they go to restaurants where there are no vegetarian dishes, everything is cooked in butter, and often has sugar added. The food is so over-engineered to stimulate the taste buds. They are going primarily for the atmosphere.
When I cook at home, I mostly make Greek recipes:
- Yemista: stuffed tomatoes and peppers with rice, pine nuts, and herbs
- Dolamdes: Grape leaves stuffed with rice
- Spanakopita: Phyllo stuffed with spinach and feta
- Potatoes roasted in olive oil drizzled with lemon juice
Not everything is stuffed, but that’s what the Greeks are great at! The food is so much simpler and more flavorful than steak and potatoes. When I’m in Greece, my family hardly eats any meat because the vegetables dishes are so great. Country salad with fresh tomatoes, onions and lettuce. Xorta: freshly boiled greens. Multiple dishes with eggplant and tomatoes cooked in olive oil. Kalamata olives and spread. Etc.
In Greece, love is expressed through food, so people spend a lot of time cooking food at home. But the quality of food at restaurants is so wonderful as well. It’s delicious, made with simpler ingredients, and vastly more healthy than what is served in most restaurants around me, which are unfortunately Texmex (flavorful but extremely unhealthy).
I have had wonderful vegetable dishes in Asian, Ethiopian, and Indian cuisine as well, but since I’m Greek, I recommend people tryout Greek cooking some time. It’s wonderful food and much vegetable focused than the stereotypical gyro. A good cookbook to get started is Ikaria by Diane Kochilas.
My American grandparents and friends cook meals like steak, potatoes, and asparagus, which I find remarkably bland. When they go out to eat, they go to restaurants where there are no vegetarian dishes, everything is cooked in butter, and often has sugar added. The food is so over-engineered to stimulate the taste buds. They are going primarily for the atmosphere.
When I cook at home, I mostly make Greek recipes:
- Yemista: stuffed tomatoes and peppers with rice, pine nuts, and herbs
- Dolamdes: Grape leaves stuffed with rice
- Spanakopita: Phyllo stuffed with spinach and feta
- Potatoes roasted in olive oil drizzled with lemon juice
Not everything is stuffed, but that’s what the Greeks are great at! The food is so much simpler and more flavorful than steak and potatoes. When I’m in Greece, my family hardly eats any meat because the vegetables dishes are so great. Country salad with fresh tomatoes, onions and lettuce. Xorta: freshly boiled greens. Multiple dishes with eggplant and tomatoes cooked in olive oil. Kalamata olives and spread. Etc.
In Greece, love is expressed through food, so people spend a lot of time cooking food at home. But the quality of food at restaurants is so wonderful as well. It’s delicious, made with simpler ingredients, and vastly more healthy than what is served in most restaurants around me, which are unfortunately Texmex (flavorful but extremely unhealthy).
I have had wonderful vegetable dishes in Asian, Ethiopian, and Indian cuisine as well, but since I’m Greek, I recommend people tryout Greek cooking some time. It’s wonderful food and much vegetable focused than the stereotypical gyro. A good cookbook to get started is Ikaria by Diane Kochilas.