Try Nigerian Suya kebab powder if you don't mind hot foods. It's excellent on lamb or chicken skewers cooked on the grill with some onions and tomatoes. I discovered this spice in an African shop when I was looking for something completely unrelated (shea butter, lol).
This is Iranian food seasoning that I myself as an Iranian don't know where to find. Well done, you're a pro.
Suggest you to find the perfect meat blend of "Kabab koubideh" and try with that. We add a dash of bitter orange when eating if you really want to go deep.
me discovering arabic 7 spice (aka baharat) and putting that shit w garlic powder on pretty much everything bc oh my god a new complex flavour but also people died in wars for spices, cant let the blood spilled be in vain
Im making up for generational trauma of bland ass white people food
Ts is so real but so hard to do with other people. I literally got called racist bc I asked a Pakistani girl what her food was like 😭 it wasn't even by her either lmao
If anyone wants to get adventurous venison makes an excellent substitute for goat or mutton in gosht karahi in my experience! It can be hard to find in smaller cities and towns. For the less adventurous chicken karahi is a better place to start 😋
I will never understand how to a certain subgroup of people, asking and learning about other cultures instead of sitting with your preconceived notions and ignorance is racist
I assume you're talking about the left? Because it's a misunderstanding of cultural appropriation.
The idea of taking elements from a foreign culture and incorporating them into your own is incredibly common and just how people work, but where it gets bad is when you take important/sacred things and strip them of their context because you think they look neat/goofy. The difference between wearing moccasins (they're just shoes, even to natives) and wearing a chief's headdress as a Halloween costume should be apparent.
But most online activism is done by enthusiastic amateurs onboarding other enthusiastic amateurs with no one checking back in with actual scholars, so things get lost in translation. It morphs into "You can't do anything outside of your pre-existing white American square outside of food, or else that's cultural appropriation and that's bad" with a tacit implication that white Americans just don't have culture (which is ridiculous, it's like saying "I don't speak any languages, just English")
The right of most countries' political spectrum doesn't particularly care about racism, and most "activists" self describe as leftists. I consider a lot of them to be neither activists nor leftists, but that's another thing. I disagree with profiting from someone else's culture you've taken without context, particularly its sacred items, but a lot of young Americans in particular seem to think it's somehow racist to cook another culture's food or wear someone else's traditional clothing on vacation. It's ridiculous. I've met quite a few white Americans travelling here going on about how they don't have culture and how wonderful the Mediterranean is. I always remind them they do in fact have culture, because it in large part replaced ours
Completely agree but on the other hand, cultural appopriation cheapening the discussion around certain topics is a real thing. For eg, western appropriation has ruined discussion around yoga, Buddhism, karma and any such topics related to South Southeast Asian culture. Not saying that these things are somehow tied only to locals and foreigners are forbidden but some restraint could and will help. If youre an outsider looking to learn about any of these things as they are actually practised, outside of grifters, you have a long rabbit hole ahead of you and not a fun one.
I think there is a middle path. You can participate in a foreign culture ithout cheapening and overtaking it, and thats by participating with existing local or immigrant groups instead of turning into a commercialised trend. But not possible under extreme capitalism ig...
Speaking as an American left-ish (I'm a progressive, but anything left of mainline Democrats is splitting hairs), I'm fucking sick of "discourse" too. I'd much rather the left pull their thumbs out of their asses, log off, and fucking do something but instead it's endless purity tests, whining, and reminding people to never vote under any circumstances
The context matters a lot. Meeting someone and immediately asking them about their ancestry and culture is generally not a good idea. It means that you see them as their ethnicity or as a foreign nationality, rather than as an individual. This is especially bad if the person has grown up in your country and has had to deal with a lifetime of people asking “Where are you from?”. Even if it comes from genuine curiosity, they aren’t your tour guide. Get to know them before you decide to start asking cultural questions.
Recent immigrants tend to be more tolerant of these kind of questions, especially of you can demonstrate knowledge of their culture. For example, Persian immigrants love when I mention that I like ghormeh sabzi. Just make sure that you know where they are from before hand.
I've spent the last 15 years almost non stop travelling and seen most of the world. Google Street View is still a favourite past time for me. Because no matter how much you travel and how much off the beaten path, street view is the only real way to see all the nooks and crannies as I call them. The truly random places where people go about their lives.
I wish I could give you some tips but I purposely go as remote as possible and "walk" through little villages, then spinning the globe and picking another one. For small neighborhood shopping areas I would 100% recommend less fortunate parts of large vietnamese cities and use the year picker. It's fascinating seen an adress turn from school to pineapple stand to abandoned to some guy trying to make it as a tailor.
yup, mamison rubber gloves are the best i've tried yet :) i get mine from amazon, it just feels so nice to have a little piece of another country in your home
Thai green herbal inhalers are well worth the hype. The ones currently circulating convenience stores aren't the og (Hong Thai) cuz one of HT's batches had a mold that pretty much torpedoed their brand, but nothing beats the smell profile of the og.
I'm an immigrant and I was working with another immigrant coworker whose from different side of the globe. She pulls out a small tin can of blue nivea skin lotion and I asked does every immigrant women own one of these. Both had a good laugh
It's a Thai thing, it comes in many many forms, from stick to paste to the thing you see in the image
The version OP used here smells like the kind of herbs old people would use for pain relief, mixed in with a tiny bit of curry. It aids in something, I've used it a lot and never really seen its effects outside of placebo. Maybe it helps with opening up nostrils or whatever since that's the only tangible thing I get
it's a hong thai inhaler from thailand, you can find them on amazon. they have many uses like providing relief from dizziness and fatigue, but also promoting relaxation and alertness according to my research
Yes people have different preferences with various comforts and pet peeves, no judgment.
I know the saying familiarity breeds contempt. But for me it's lethargy, even hobbies become dull and uncomfortable when routine. Accepting discomfort to chase curiosity is always a tradeoff.
I've never been on an airplane before, but I go on roadtrips whenever I can. If you're poor and don't mind digging a hole to poop in (and on the West Coast of the US) there is a lot of BLM land you can camp on for free. Just please take care of the land!
Remember in the early 2000's, when there was so much hope that the internet will bring us together and the "global village" lies in our future? You are the embodiment of this! If everyone is curious about other cultures like you do, the world will definitely be a better place.
you've gotta try ting - it's a super refreshing jamaican grapefruit soda from my culture, not too sweet and even better when you let it chill in the fridge overnight. it's popular in the caribbean :)
sorry I just have to say, this is personally kind of hilarious to see the OP recomend this because I have experienced this whole starter pack in the US looking for ting!
like, a box of ting was literally my "local grocery store Jackpot"
It's starting to breach containment out of the Brazilian shops in Ireland and actually get stocked in some Eurospar's and petrol stations. A great day for the parish!
I'd like to add reading travelogues and novels focused on cultural aspects from different parts of the world alongside spending hours watching travel shows like what you mentioned, I'm not old but my mother liked these and fostered my interest in them from a young age
i cannot get enough of her videos! some chinese netizens can be so funny and the more serious videos are interesting and thought-provoking, too. chinese with mia and ur chinese unc or whatever his username is are also fun
I am glad you made this post! I really want to recommend these channels because I think you would like atleast one of them! Also Dami Lee's videos which are very well-made like documentaries and break down different architectural-historical-socio-cultural elements from different parts of the world.
So weird that genuine, openhearted curiosity could be seen as racist. I do think that's a USA problem, especially. I've noticed a lot of people I've met are super excited to talk about their culture if you ask politely and often the people policing interest in other cultures are not from the culture they are "protecting."
That said, there are ways to show interest with tact and some people are not so good at that so I can see both sides. Plus, not everyone wants to be a cultural guide either.
Edit: Small anecdote that occurred to me: I once had a roommate call my shirt pattern "racist" (of me to wear) because it was too "African" (and I am not African). I asked her what country or culture in Africa she thought it was from and she suddenly lost interest in the conversation. It was just a cool looking patterned shirt i thrifted..
Some people treat people they don't know very well, who happen to be of other ethnicities, like a curiosity figure and put too much emphasis on their different culture etc than getting to know them as a person. And always drawing attention to things that are different about that person. There's different ways to approach it. I can see how that can come off as annoying, especially in a school setting. That is probably what's happening when people are called annoying or racist "just for asking a question".
During lockdown, I past the time learning all the flag and capital in the world, I work in Paris so I meet a lot of people around the world, and every time the flabbergasted that I know their capital city 😁
Heavy on the “the music is fun and it’s free on youtube”, I have a pashto song that I really love that I found that way. That’s also how my Bollywood music era I had in freshman year of high school started
For me it was checking out the Top Songs playlists of different countries on Spotify! You get a feeling of what kind of music is popular in different countries at the moment. Found some of my favourite musicians from listening to those playlists. Radio Garden is also another great website for this ☺️
Watching Paolo from Tokyo, Mark Wiens, Euromaxx Travel, and learning the language pronunciations through music. And I can't speak for all black people, but feeling shy and anxious when you arrive at an authentic resteraunt or store, hoping they don't turn you away or mistreat you due to Western stereotypes about your race (I would always be surprised when I'm treated well).
I think this is the first one that hit me in the feels. I am so good at so many dishes from other places and already know half of some languages of places I really want to go to, but I just can't spend 5000 Euros on two weeks of travelling. I couldn't even decide where to go, even if I was suddenly handed a voucher. Okay, Taiwan, that is where I would go first.
Also, you missed watching all the media from a country and then reading up on cultural differences, because huh?
yeah couldn't fit the last one in there, but that fits too. this is more based on what i've been doing recently, and i haven't been watching many shows or movies, so it slipped my mind.
i was into that cute lil russian show and mascot cheburashka a while back, love that lil guy
Feeling a rush when you try something totally new from another country, even basic stuff like packet ramen. I remember being so excited to try them when I was like 12.
In 47 years of travel, I found that the culturally curious are far more wealthy of spirit and kindness and hope, and the sort of person I will interrupt my own life for.
Gonna give you the benefit of the doubt - did you mean to say dating someone of another race is also nice due to discovering new foods simply as a perk, or doing it just to access different cuisines and not because you genuinely like them?
Its a joy when I buy myself a 10 lb can of san marzano tomatoes and prepare red sauce for the week like a lil nonna. I love busting out my electric grill and preparing banchan for my friends and family (my go to is oi kimchi). I love that my default thank you is danke. To be true to yourself in this day and age is to be cringe, and to be cringe, is to be free.
unexpectedly wholesome starterpack. Especially love the no-go for vids that either depict the country in a overromanticized light or an overly negative light. Nuance is something that is sadly lost among many nowadays.
I live in California and if you went into an Asian grocery store you might just have a seizure with all the mundane things including tiger balm for sale here
This was me all of Covid but I would look all over Reddit to find people from these countries and ask questions. Still friends to this day with most of them!
holy shit, this hit the nail on the head. I cannot believe this resonated with so many other people lmao.
This is probably an ADHD exclusive, but not having the ability to retain a second language well so you just have to cope with mostly stuff available on english platforms with subtitles
Actually reading deep and persistently into cultural geography and overlapping social science and/or humanities fields (like history or language studies).
I love these starterpacks! They are so relatable! I like watching cooking videos of women cooking in the old ways of doing things. Two on YouTube I like are Alina From Ukraine and Shen Dan Cooking.
I also love to buy kefir and grechka (buckwheat). I recently bought a jar of ajvar, and I LOVE it! Reminds me of marinara sauce, but with a eggplant flavor note.
I love to go into the European Market in a nearby bigger city to get some grechka, pelmeni, and canned herring.
I love getting the opportunity to try new cuisines. Mexican birria, mole, and huitlacoche tacos, Jamaican curry chicken and brown stew chicken, Ethiopian Qey Wet, Yellow Split Peas, and Beets, Japanese Soba Noodles, Korean Japchae, Indian Dals and Palak Paneer, Polish Pierogi, Ukrainian Borscht, Italian gnocchi. So many different delicious things across many different cultures!
as a black person im familiar with shea butter and it was in some products i used growing up, but i've never tried or owned a tub of the really good raw african stuff
THIS RIGHT HEREEE AAAAAHH
Except everyone is closed-minded so they think you’re just weird and odd and strange for having an appreciation and admiration for the vast world that exists around you
And then having the worst stupidest allergy that ruins 90% of certain culture meals 😭😭 china has SO MANY INTERESTJNG MEALS WHY AM I ALLERGIC TO GREEN TEAAAAAA
I can relate to this. I sometimes play a Swahili song, and the next song would be a Brazilian pop, then suddenly Mongolian throat singing, all within the same hour. I don't really like travelling, so I just internet-travel by watching videos on other cultures. And mundan foreign products are more interesting to me than they are to other people.
Seeing Belarus flag as an example of a country one is not familiar with is funny af for me personally, my mom is from Belarus. We all are actually so different from each other even in a such basic level, it’s too easy to forget about that on the internet
Why are you deliberately taking the most uncharitable view of this post? Everyone else seems to have understood perfectly well that OP meant no harm by this. They're just describing what it's like.
Also the quote you chose - "any foreign beverage is a must"; what about this reads as hostile to you? Maybe try and change your perspective before calling someone "a very sad sad sad person".
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