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    #51
    "Boring" countries that aren't boring

    One you share with the West Indies, to be fair; their version of slow barbecue's also superb, and there's some evidence you got it off them.
    Yes. I'm not a food expert or an anthropologist, but I imagine the slave trade may have something to do with that.*

    Also, the term buccaneer derives a native word for the wooden frame natives on Hispinola used for smoking meat, including meat of manatees.

    We have a lot of native varieties. It's an entire subculture, really, especially in the south. It's something that people like to argue about - who has the best, what sort of wood is best, sauce/no-sauce, rub/no-rub, what kind of rub or sauce. I've also heard that "barbecue beef" is considered redundant in Texas and an oxymoron in the rest of the South.

    *I can't think of much food that is 100% Native American. Of course, there are lots of ingredients that the Indians used that were not previously available in Europe. The afforementioned corn on the cob is probably one of those. Obviously, various types of fish and game. Potatoes and tomatoes are from the Western Hemisphere too, but originally from Central America, I think.

    One truly native thing I know of is wild rice. In Minnesota, it's easy to find wild race, available dry in a bag or in soup in a restaurant. It's not strictly a variety of rice, but it is a water plant that the Indian bands up north still harvest in canoes with the traditional method.

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      #52
      "Boring" countries that aren't boring

      Some Quebec specialties are sugar pie, pork pie, and pea soup.

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        #53
        "Boring" countries that aren't boring

        Should the opportunity ever arise, I highly recommend watching 'Drive-ins, Diners and Dives' on (here, anyway) the Food Network or your local equivalent. If you want American cooking for the people, this is it. No chain restaurants, but mainly family-owned diners in towns across the US where they do not-heart-smart cooking that'll have your mouth watering for days. Whereas you might normally watch a cooking show and think "Must give that a try some time", this one will have you attempting to climb right through your tv set for just a small bite, please, or a lick of the plate when you're done.

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          #54
          "Boring" countries that aren't boring

          I second the endorsement for "Drive-ins, Diners and Dives" (is there a Canadian-specific version of that? There should be).

          Unfortunately, the guy who hosts that show now does ads for TGIFridays or Ruby Tuesday's or whatever the fuck it is, which really undermines the point of his show.

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            #55
            "Boring" countries that aren't boring

            Yeah, Guy Fieri can get up your nose after a while. There's no Canadian version that I know of.

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              #56
              "Boring" countries that aren't boring

              Speaking of Canadian cuisine, I was tempted to get some poutine from the vendor selling food out of a truck (is there a universal word for that sort of operation?) in front of the Toronto Convention Center, because it looked really good in the picture. But I decided against it because it didn't seem like something I could walk and eat with very easily.

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                #57
                "Boring" countries that aren't boring

                *I can't think of much food that is 100% Native American.

                Fiddleheads, Indian Candy (actually there are a whole range of methods of smoking salmon that are specifically native) Bannock, Whipped soapberries, oolichans.

                They're BC Native foods I've actually eaten — lots more I've never tried I'm sure.

                Cuisinewise lamb is relatively recent import to Canada. It was around, but only in Greek and a few other ethnic neighbourhoods. In the 70s your average butcher carried chicken, pork and beef, lots and lots of beef. No offal at all and rarely lamb.

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                  #58
                  "Boring" countries that aren't boring

                  As legend goes, the original 'une grande poutine' (a big mess) was served in a paper bag. So I'd say that anything from the chip truck - as we calls 'em - would have been fine for dining on the go.

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                    #59
                    "Boring" countries that aren't boring

                    Yeah, but it would still be a big mess and I'd probably get it on my tie.

                    Fiddleheads, Indian Candy (actually there are a whole range of methods of smoking salmon that are specifically native) Bannock, Whipped soapberries, oolichans.
                    I have no idea what any of those things are, but I'll take your word for it. I'm sure there are lots of things like that. The only one I could think of was wild rice. It's not just the ingredient that's native, but their way of harvesting it and roasting it.

                    Of course there are lots of other ingredients that are native. For example, I don't think the Europeans had ever eaten turkey before reaching these shores and, I gather, they still don't.

                    Smoked salmon, as a general category, is probably one of those things that sprung up simultaneously and independently in a few different places. (well, all the places that have salmon).

                    Lamb seems to be a minor part of American cuisine too. It only features prominently in Greek food, as far as I can tell. You never lamb on the menu in a barbecue joint, for example. Maybe it's got something to do with the land and its suitability for sheep versus cattle. Around where I grew up, there are loads of dairy farms, but you rarely see sheep. In Virginia, sheep are more common. I don't know why that is.

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                      #60
                      "Boring" countries that aren't boring

                      agree with earlier vote for ghent,belgium.its a great spot.hate switzerland,always found it very unfriendly.

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                        #61
                        "Boring" countries that aren't boring

                        Amor de Cosmos wrote:
                        In the 70s your average butcher carried chicken, pork and beef, lots and lots of beef. No offal at all and rarely lamb.
                        Those still predominate, as far as I can tell. In the US too, pretty much.

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                          #62
                          "Boring" countries that aren't boring

                          Out here a very successful lamb farming industry sprang up on the Gulf Islands in the 80s. It's extremely good quality and, locally at least, has become ubiquitous in most supermarkets. I'm not sure why but there's been a similar increase in varieties of sausage. Farmed Bison is also widespread at present, could just be fad though, I'm not a fan myself.

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                            #63
                            "Boring" countries that aren't boring

                            Bison meat is superb. Very lean. Excellent for burgers. Think I might have one tonight, now that you've mentioned it.

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                              #64
                              "Boring" countries that aren't boring

                              Antonio Gramsci wrote:
                              Bison meat is superb. Very lean.
                              Does... not... compute.

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                                #65
                                "Boring" countries that aren't boring

                                I found Bison to be quite tough and almost completely tasteless.

                                Almost as dull as Ostrich, and as difficult to chew as Crocodile meat.

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                                  #66
                                  "Boring" countries that aren't boring

                                  That makes sense. Flavour in farmed meat comes largely from the "marbling" of fat, doesn't it? It's different with game, I guess.

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                                    #67
                                    "Boring" countries that aren't boring

                                    Yes, bison is deeply unimpressive both in texture and flavour. The only time I've found it at all interesting is when it's mixed with another meat, in a casserole for example.

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                                      #68
                                      "Boring" countries that aren't boring

                                      Yes, but if you have fatty meat in a burger, it just comes out greasy and you can feel the pimples forming on your face while you eat.

                                      Anyways, I put goat cheese on the burger which was a mistake and I didn't enjoy it that much. Should have picked brie instead.

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