Her--Different Cuisines

The first question I’ve always asked friends who are locals to Fargo about what foods and restaurants they would consider local specialties. Truth is, I have not yet gotten a satisfying answer. There are many restaurants that have been around for quite sometime: Marlin’s, Josie’s Corner, I haven’t really been able to differentiate these foods from the generic American foods.

Breakfast at Perkin's

Fast food at Culver's

I think it comes down to the fact that the establishment of cities in the MidWest, especially Fargo, came at a much later time in history. Early settlers were migrants from western Europe, but that identity has been less influential with each decade. This is a stark contrast to how I see Chinese food in my home country. Each state, region, and even city has its own unique dishes that are different from one another. I was really disappointed when all I could browse for local authentic food in Fargo were mostly fast food American restaurants and diners.

With that being said, there is a large variety of other food types, which is what makes United States so unique. Outside of American fast food, we can also get foods originating from different continents of the globe: Mexican, Italian, Japanese. Chinese, Indian, Greek, Vietnamese foods. This gives an opportunity to everyone to experience different food types. One small criticism I do have is that the foods aren’t necessarily authentic to the origin, and more often than not, the tastes have been altered to suit t

he tastes of the locals.

From all my previous experiences with dining Chinese food, authentic Chinese food is hard to find. The major difference is that the altered “American” Chinese foods are often quite sugary and sour, meat is mostly deep fried with coatings and sauce to add. Luckily, in Fargo, there is still one Chinese food restaurant that serves authentic Chinese food -- Lucy’s. My experiences with Japanese food is also similar. One thing I have noticed is how sushi is the more pronounced Japanese type of food, and noodle

soups are hard to come by. However, I enjoy all types of food here, regardless of authenticity.

2 Entree at Panda Express

Janpanese Pan Noodles at Noodles & Company

I’ve tried several different Mexican restaurants in Fargo, from the lower-end of fast food joints: Taco Johns, Taco Bells, to the higher-end of fast-foods: Chipotle, Sweeto Burrito, Romos, and to the restaurants: Mexican Village and Pancheros. All in all, it depends on the quality of food one is looking for, and the price point. Prior to living in the states, I had not experienced Mexican food before. Initially, I had skepticism about how the food was often made cold to serve, but as I learned more about the different options offered, I started enjoying the refreshing taste of Mexican food, accompanied with creamy sauces or flavorful salsa.

Outside of fast-food American restaurants, there are also diners, pubs and sport bars of various sorts that offer the American food experience. Sports bars are something that is well patroned by Americans, the combination of beer + burger + sports game being the winner here. Chicken wings were never a thing for me until I experienced it here in a sports bar. In some ways, I feel that choosing your meal in an American restaurant is very much of a dichotomy between healthy and unhealthy food. You either get the unhealthy option which consists of grilled, fried food -- or you go with the healthiest of options of salads and soups. American restaurants are mostly very generous on portions, so be prepared to ask a take-out box if you haven’t dined American before.

Pasta at Olive Garden

Steak at Texas Roadhouse

All in all, the food experience in the United States, even in the MidWest offers a large variety of food options. Although living in a smaller city such as Fargo means there might be a more limited selection of restaurants, all these different types of cuisines are well covered. Compared to Asian countries, where food selections do not quite cover different cultures, but instead offers lots of different varieties within its own culture. One thing I’ve learned from tasting food, is that it takes time to accept foods out of our comfort zones. Most times, it’s a matter of eating it again until we finally learn to appreciate it. This is true for how I slowly learned to appreciate Mexican, Italian and American food here.

#HeGao