What’s a good Asian dish to cook for a very white bread Midwestern family?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3 cup chicken. Super easy.


https://thewoksoflife.com/three-cup-chicken-san-bei-ji/

If they’re in the Midwest, I doubt OP will easily find Thai basil for this dish.

Ha! I live in Milwaukee now, and I am staring at my huge Thai basil plant on my patio. And yes, you can find it at many stores here too. I know it is shocking but we also have tons of ethnic markets here. Actually when I lived in NOVA, it was a lot tougher to find anything but ordinary ingredients. Some of you need to get out more!

Doesn't the upper midwest (specifically minnesota) have one of the largest populations of Vietnamese people in America?

Hmong. Wisconsin too.

Ugh, you are making me hungry! I went to college in Appleton (hardly a metropolis) and my favorite Vietnamese restaurant EVER is there. So, so good.

[Anonymous]

This discussion is fascinating. OP is nowhere to be seen yet everyone has an opinion.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Did not read it all, but OP, your original post was so odd. Your DH said you would cook "something Asian" and you say "I am Asian."

It would have made sense if DH/you had said Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Filipino, Pakistani, Kazakh, or Uzbek, or so on. Folks are offering up dishes from all over Asia, which may not be your culture. Why would you be so deliberately vague? Why not identify the heritage? If you won't, then think about what your mom or grandma made, cut down on spices if need be.

It seems bizarre if, say, your heritage is Indian and you offer up a Chinese (Americanized, no less) or Japanese dish. What would be the point?

I think OP kept it vague to avoid being identified just in case. But to your point, why can’t an Indian person cook a Japanese dish? Your premise is ridiculous and smacks of culinary gatekeeping.

No, PP is right. If you have to crowd source a recipe because your husband assigned you a cooking assignment you’re not familiar with, and nobody specifically requested, it’s weird. Why not Russian, Peruvian, or French? What difference does it make if it’s new to OP and she doesn’t have a go to recipe? Just make food that people like and keep it simple. Maybe bbq since crosses so many cultures and doesn’t belong to any one in particular.

I’ll bite. I have to say that if you’re Asian and not from the Baby Boomer generation, you’re going to be quite open to different Asian cuisines so it doesn’t matter what Asian you are. I’m not saying that you will know how to cook every Asian cuisine, but Vietnamese fish sauce isn’t going to shock someone from Malaysia, for example.

But OP apparently doesn't know many recipes suggesting her repertoire isn't that deep. Why does she have to ask? She could have suggested a few things she's good at and likes to cook that are usually well received. Instead we get the vague "Asian" while she trashes her in laws preferences. And if she's such a good cook, she should be able to whip up a recipe from any culture. Why Asian?

Cultural exposure for the family. Duh. If she was just as white as they are, she wouldn’t be doing this!

Then OP makes her food that she's familiar with. Duh. How would we know what recipes she does best from her specific Asian culture? And really, why is it her job to expose the family to a different culture? Who asked for it?

It sounds like class differences within the family where you have some who are more cosmopolitan and some who are more insular in their tastes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3 cup chicken. Super easy.


https://thewoksoflife.com/three-cup-chicken-san-bei-ji/

If they’re in the Midwest, I doubt OP will easily find Thai basil for this dish.

Ha! I live in Milwaukee now, and I am staring at my huge Thai basil plant on my patio. And yes, you can find it at many stores here too. I know it is shocking but we also have tons of ethnic markets here. Actually when I lived in NOVA, it was a lot tougher to find anything but ordinary ingredients. Some of you need to get out more!

Doesn't the upper midwest (specifically minnesota) have one of the largest populations of Vietnamese people in America?

Hmong. Wisconsin too.

Ugh, you are making me hungry! I went to college in Appleton (hardly a metropolis) and my favorite Vietnamese restaurant EVER is there. So, so good.

What’s the name of the restaurant, please?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3 cup chicken. Super easy.


https://thewoksoflife.com/three-cup-chicken-san-bei-ji/

If they’re in the Midwest, I doubt OP will easily find Thai basil for this dish.

Ha! I live in Milwaukee now, and I am staring at my huge Thai basil plant on my patio. And yes, you can find it at many stores here too. I know it is shocking but we also have tons of ethnic markets here. Actually when I lived in NOVA, it was a lot tougher to find anything but ordinary ingredients. Some of you need to get out more!

Doesn't the upper midwest (specifically minnesota) have one of the largest populations of Vietnamese people in America?

Hmong. Wisconsin too.

Ugh, you are making me hungry! I went to college in Appleton (hardly a metropolis) and my favorite Vietnamese restaurant EVER is there. So, so good.

What’s the name of the restaurant, please?

Basil Cafe