Are you a Culinary Xenophobe? Part 2: The Solution

Let's diversify food tastes to create healthier food cultures.

Photo by Victoria Shes on Unsplash

The following is a follow-up to Tuesday’s post, “Are you a Culinary Xenophobe?” If you haven’t already, check it out:

Are you a Culinary Xenophobe?

In that article, I criticize part of America’s culture and imperialism for spreading fast food chains worldwide, increasing various health problems worldwide. I believe diversity creates healthier ecosystems, societies, cultures, and people. So, I’m asking you to help diversify food tastes and limit culinary xenophobia.

Please tell me about a meal you love and struggle to find in corporate restaurants. It can be from your home or from a country you've visited. Comment, share it in Notes, and spread a healthier, more diverse food culture.

Here's my example.

I originally made this comment on

Anne Helen Petersen

’s Tuesday's Thread: Regional Food Delights when she asked people to share a regional dish.

One of my favourite dishes and snacks since moving to the Valencia community is caracoles (land snails). It's popular across Spain, so I guess it's not that regional. The most regional dish of Valencia is something many foreigners think of as the most Spanish dish of all — Paella. But that's inaccurate. Many Spanish restaurants outside of the Valencian Community (especially in the tourist areas) don't make authentic paella; they make arroz (rice).

But let's get back to the snails since it's a bit more "resistant to the nationalization or globalization of food tastes."

They're cooked in olive oil (obviously, it's Spain), garlic, some onion, chilli pepper, salt, and white wine. And if you want to find some authentic recipes, don't google snail recipes in English. Google or even better DuckDuckGo caracoles receta, and then hit translate. Some things might not make sense but comment here, and I'll try to help out.

Now, let's try and break free from snail prejudice. Snails are high in healthy fats (Omega 3), iron and protein. They also have A, B9, B3, B12 and E and contain magnesium, potassium and sodium. They're also a sustainable choice for obvious reasons—let's just say they don't take up much farmland or cause any deforestation. Plus, they also have a simple nervous system that doesn't allow them to process emotions or pain. Oh, and they're delicious — that's also something to consider when making food choices.

But now that I've hopefully convinced some of you to try out our slimy friends (which aren't slimy when cooked) let's get back to paella, which you can learn about here:

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