I will admit it. I am a big time foodie. Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern are always on my DVR list. I am one of those weirdos that takes pictures of my food and posts them online. I pride myself in knowing the ins and outs of different cultural food. However, I live in Oklahoma, where chain restaurants tend to be the norm. When I say these places are not authentic, I get evil looks from their loyal followers. I even had somebody challenge me with a "How do you know?" response. To be fair, most of my knowledge came from my husband who is not from here. Before I met him, I thought Applebees was the best place to eat. Now, I could not even tell you what the best place to eat is because there are so many. So to respond to the "How do you know? reponse, here are my tips on finding a great place and ordering the right thing.
Do your research
I always go to sites like Urbanspoon to get reviews and view the menu before I ever set foot in a place. While you might have an exaggerater here and there, these sights do tend to be accurate. I also get ideas from local papers. In OKC, we have an independent paper called the Oklahoma Gazette that features local restaurants. I found a great tea and coffee place, a Peruvian restaurant, and seafood place just by thumbing through the Gazette.
Look for natives
If you walk into an Indian restaurant and see a lot of women wearing saries and people speaking in Hindi, that is a GREAT sign. Natives want food that reminds them of home and they will avoid a place that does not make it right. I have seen my father in law throw a fit at too many restaurants to know that this is a fact. I get super excited when I am the palest person and the only person speaking English.
If you don't know the cuisine, find somebody who does
When I try a cuisine for the first time, I don't take a shot in the dark. When it comes to Chinese, I am more than happy to let my father in law rattle away in Cantonese to the waitstaff because I know he is ordering what he ate back in Hong Kong. If you don't have the luxury of having a friend, ask the waitstaff for a recommendation or read reviews to see what people like. Don't be the idiot who orders the most Americanized item on the menu. I swear, I see this scene EVERY TIME we go to an Asian restaurant. There will be somebody who orders sweet and sour chicken and fried rice when our table is feasting on crab, prawns, and fresh, sauteed vegetables. Seeing that processed ick next to fresh food makes me want to gag.
Don't be a wimp
My mother always taught me, if you have never tried it, how can you say you don't like it? Being in a landlocked state, I am always amazed at how fearful people are of seafood. I also cannot stand the attitude of, "If I am not used to it, it must suck." Trying new foods will test your palate. It may seem a little weird to you at first. But take another bite for crying out loud!!! You may find you like it. Granted, some things you may never acquire a taste for. I'm still not a fan of tripe or chicken feet, but I have given them a fair shot and if somebody prepared them a different way I would try them again.
The bottom line is, trying new food is a ton of fun. Plus, you help local businesses stay alive. Go ahead, wait an hour to get into Chili's on a Friday night. I'll be going to a local joint where I can get right in. And don't tell me you can't do it. My daughter is only one year old and she has eaten more ethnic cuisine than people much older than her. So go out there and try that taco stand on the street corner. You might be their most loyal customer after one bite.
Live life to the fullest,
Culture Girl
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