nipponophile

I beg the forgiveness of Japanese people everywhere for reading this as "ninnyphile".

I am very selective about my sushi likes and dislikes -- it's a stomach and/or texture issue for me much more than taste. Anything vegetarian, OK; tuna or fake crab OK in very small doses; anything else, no can do.

I find that I crave Chinese like junk food, whereas I actually enjoy Thai food -- sweet curries with mango or pineapple, especially -- in a satisfying way. I don't know if it's because the only Chinese food available to me has always been junk-food level; maybe Chen Kenichi could win me over on that front.

I have little experience with Korean tastes, but enjoy a lot of Vietnamese flavors. I love basil and lime juice together, which happens in a lot of the Vietnamese dishes I've tried.

I say all this as somebody who can't eat hot-spicy foods period, so FYI there's some variety to be had.

Curry is the most amazing not-invention. Try not to go a whole week without some Asian food or the other. Usually Thai, since a million places deliver to me, and the overall quality is more reliable than the Indian or Chinese. For some reason having Japanese delivered seems weird. But I will buy it from the supermarket no problem.

if you break it down to only sushi and Chinese, maybe that's why. What is it about Asian food you don't like?

The smell of it, mostly. And a lot of the textures. If something doesn't smell right to me or feel right when I'm eating it, it doesn't appeal. I like to think I'm not a picky eater, but in reality, I totally am.

That said, we went to a Thai place with Victor and Thessaly when they were here a couple of weeks ago, and it was really, really good.

I also have not had Indian food, with the exception of tandoori chicken.

I say all this as somebody who can't eat hot-spicy foods period

Then Korean probably wouldn't be much to your taste, since there is kimchi in everything, and it is muy spicy.

(I love kimchi. I wonder if the place I'm eating at tonight has kimchi dumplings?)

Shit, now I really want Thai, and the truly great Thai place in our neighborhood has closed and been taken over by a mediocre sushi place

Come visit me, and we will go to the Monkey Noodle Bar! They're open tonight, and tomorrow night, and Thursday night. Maidengurl, K-Bug, and I went, and it was hella nummy.

I also have not had Indian food, with the exception of tandoori chicken.

Have mercy!

Asian food across the board doesn't smell even vaguely similar to me, but that means it's time for someone more erudite to come along and explain that a characteristic of the continent is to combine spice A with spice B just so, and my nose just hasn't realised it yet.

But Japanese curry and Chinese sweet & sour pork? Worlds away from each other. Kimchee? Nothing else smells like THAT, I hope.

For some reason having Japanese delivered seems weird.

For me, it's a freshness thing. Since Japanese usually means sushi when I'm eating it, I want it made right there, not sitting around for 20 minutes while they wait for the delivery guy to get back from his last run. (Tempura, likewise, doesn't travel well.)

Of course, I'll happily eat prepackaged sushi from a trusted grocery store, so really I'm just a big hypocrite.

I wish that I were a little more food adventuresome. But I am one of those people that always orders the same thing from any restaurant I have been to. And if it's one I haven't been to, it's REALLY hard for me to order and I turn into Sally Albright.

Come visit me, and we will go to the Monkey Noodle Bar!

Maybe tomorrow night? Hec will be coaching Emmett at practice tomorrow night, so I'm solo all evening.

I'll happily eat prepackaged sushi from a trusted grocery store

Yeah, me too. In fact, I was surprised the other day when I was rooting around the prepackaged stuff muttering that I couldn't find what I wanted (I needed unspicy, since I was very closely post-concussion) and the guy behind the counter said "Tell me what you want and I'll make it." Forgot about that option.

I am one of those people that always orders the same thing from any restaurant I have been to

I used to fall into that groove. Then I made the effort to not order the same thing twice from the Thai place nearest work until I was done every remotely palatable item on the menu. Discovered some interesting food that way. At my last apartment, I decided to sample all the restaurants nearby, or at least minimise second visits. Moved before I even made a dent. Right now I'm trying not to duplicate restaurants no matter where they are. Seeking recs from all round. I just need to know.