I Feel Like Burundi For Dinner Tonight

August 9, 2010 7:54 AM

"The goal of this journey is to find cuisines from every United Nations member state, within New York City limits, in alphabetical order. " For your gustatory delight, here is The Confined Nomad
posted by spicynuts (33 comments total)

THIS. IS. AWESOME.

I'm also please to see that unlike New York Magazine, they are aware there's more to New York City than Manhattan, Park Slope and Astoria.
posted by zarq at 8:04 AM on August 9, 2010 [3 favorites]

Makes me wish I were back in the city. I'd be lucky if I can get a dozen such places in this wasteland of a town.
posted by valkyryn at 8:05 AM on August 9, 2010

Oh man, I so wish this were for Chicago. My boyfriend would love it. He just went to a Montenegrin "restaurant" last week (it turned out that some woman had made a storefront out of her home kitchen). This is very cool.
posted by phunniemee at 8:05 AM on August 9, 2010

This one about Cape Verde is my favorite so far. The best thing is the stories are sweet. Also, it's about more than just food, as you can see from the one about Bulgaria.
posted by spicynuts at 8:06 AM on August 9, 2010

I'm also please to see that unlike New York Magazine, they are aware there's more to New York City than Manhattan, Park Slope and Astoria.

Yay! He's even gone to the Bronx a couple of times, which equals instant credibility in my book.
posted by deadmessenger at 8:09 AM on August 9, 2010

Let's see if he forgets about Staten Island.
posted by spicynuts at 8:12 AM on August 9, 2010

Yay! They went to my favorite Afghani place!
posted by The Whelk at 8:12 AM on August 9, 2010

I'm also please to see that unlike New York Magazine, they are aware there's more to New York City than Manhattan, Park Slope and Astoria

In fairness, he's going to need to step out quite far and wide if he wants to eat Turkmeni, etc etc
posted by MuffinMan at 8:14 AM on August 9, 2010

Yay! He's even gone to the Bronx a couple of times, which equals instant credibility in my book.

I was amazed to see he went to Sevan to find Armenian food. I ate there a few weeks ago.
posted by zarq at 8:17 AM on August 9, 2010

What a neat idea. Of course, the alphabetical thing made me think of Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged.

I think I'll join them in solidarity and go have some Chinese food today.
posted by Gator at 8:17 AM on August 9, 2010

Let's see if he forgets about Staten Island.

I'm curious to see where he goes there, too.

The restaurants I know of on SI, like Nucci's, all feature fare that you can find in the other five boroughs.
posted by zarq at 8:22 AM on August 9, 2010

The restaurants I know of on SI, like Nucci's, all feature fare that you can find in the other five boroughs.


SI has the largest Sri Lanakan community in NY. I also think there might be a few African places there.

(but yes it is mostly whites from Brooklyn who fled from diversity)

This is a pretty fun food blog.
posted by JPD at 8:33 AM on August 9, 2010

This is exactly the type of thing that makes me instantly miss living in New York.

*sigh*
posted by slogger at 8:36 AM on August 9, 2010

FYI, the blog isn't written by a "he," it's written by three people: a woman and two men.
posted by Awkward Philip at 8:37 AM on August 9, 2010

ah wait no they went to the WRONG one across the street that looks identical to the GOOD one. These are important distinctions
posted by The Whelk at 8:40 AM on August 9, 2010

I like their repeatedly foiled attempts to eat the national cuisine of Bhutan.
posted by escabeche at 8:41 AM on August 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

Hey, I've eaten at the Uighur restaurant they went to! It really is great.
posted by gaspode at 8:44 AM on August 9, 2010

This is awesome, but for Burkina Faso, they went to New Jersey!
posted by millipede at 9:00 AM on August 9, 2010

This guy tried to eat at a different country everyday in Los Angeles and surrounding area. I think lack of money finally did for him.
posted by stuartmm at 9:05 AM on August 9, 2010

If they manage to find Icelandic cuisine anywhere in New York, I'll be mightily impressed. Hell, Icelandic cuisine is hard to find in Iceland. I suspect they'll simply have to settle for some delicious skyr from a store.
posted by Kattullus at 9:13 AM on August 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

Yep. Store-bought is probably the only way they'll sample Icelandic food.

Murray's should still sell Siggi's, and Whole Foods apparently sells some packaged stuff.
posted by zarq at 9:20 AM on August 9, 2010

Yep. Store-bought is probably the only way they'll sample Icelandic food.

Do not underestimate them. They hired the personal chef of the ambassador of Cape Verde to cook them a dinner. I'm sure there's some Icelandic grandma sitting around dying for someone to taste her fermented trout or whatever.
posted by spicynuts at 9:43 AM on August 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

That would be pretty awesome. Maybe Siggi would cook for them personally! :)
posted by zarq at 9:47 AM on August 9, 2010

Goddamnit now I want smoked Puffin.
posted by The Whelk at 9:52 AM on August 9, 2010

Years ago, I took an anthropology class at Columbia taught by a guy who studied Iceland. I remember him telling us a story about Icelandic pancakes. I think the story was that his hosts announced that they would be serving him special Icelandic pancakes, and when they brought them out, the pancakes were green. He assumed that what was special and Icelandic about them was the color. It turned out, though, that what was special and Icelandic about them was that they were stacked up in a big pile and then sliced like a cake. They just happened to be green because his hosts owned chickens that laid green eggs.

Anyhoo, I have no idea if that guy still teaches at Columbia, but I am nearly certain that he would be happy to make them special Icelandic pancakes. He was a bit of an Icelandic cultural evangalist. He brought in tapes of Icelandic music for the last day of class and seemed surprised that many of us had heard of the Sugarcubes.
posted by craichead at 10:42 AM on August 9, 2010

Chad fail.

JPD: There a SI place on 1st Ave Manhattan And very good it is.
posted by i_cola at 10:59 AM on August 9, 2010

I'm a little sad that Canada was just poutine. Don't get me wrong, I love poutine, but there are quite a few good options. Lobsters from New Brunswick, a jig's dinner or some salt cod from Newfoundland, or alternatively some flipper pie. Any number of things from up north. Oh well.

Now I want Peruvian food. Yummm.
posted by Lemurrhea at 11:04 AM on August 9, 2010

JPD: There a SI place on 1st Ave Manhattan And very good it is.


I agree - but there are several of them out in Staten Island - my point was just that Staten Island isn't just a bunch of guys named Vinny and Paulie whose parent's moved out there from Dyker Heights when they finished the bridge.
posted by JPD at 11:12 AM on August 9, 2010

I didn't mean to sound so critical - this is a really awesome idea and if I ever get a chance to hit up NY I'm printing this as my gastronomic bible.
posted by Lemurrhea at 11:28 AM on August 9, 2010

The Whelk, I love me some Ariana Afghan (assuming that's what you're talking about). Before moving out of Hells Kitchen, I'd easily order in from there once a week.

And now I've got a craving to satisfy.
posted by JaredSeth at 1:28 PM on August 9, 2010

I think the bread and bulanee is better at Afghan Kebab House.
posted by The Whelk at 1:34 PM on August 9, 2010

I'm just glad he didn't go to "Outback Steakhouse" to sample Australian cuisine.
posted by robotot at 1:46 PM on August 9, 2010

Didn't go the pie floater? I think they'll have to start again...
posted by pompomtom at 3:01 PM on August 9, 2010