Quote:
Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby
There is no diversity of places to eat here. That's the point. Every steak house and burger joint is pretty much interchangeable. Most restaurants here are national or regional chains, there are very few independent restaurants within the perimeter of the Villages. And most that are independent, get their sauce from a bag they cut open with a scissor and heat in a steam pan. Add a little ground beef and you can call it greek-style sauce.
If you want a pita sandwich it's greek style pita only, that slightly raised stuff. Lay it out flat and dump stuff on it, then roll it up. Instead of the middle-eastern style flat bread that you cut at the edge, separate the two sides, and stuff with the ingredients.
If you want tahini on your falafel, you'll need to ask me to make it. You can't get that combo at any restaurant in the Villages.
Curry that is NOT thai? Real genuine Indian curry? Gulab jamun? Samosas? Tandoori Chicken? Properly saffroned basmati rice? Fuggedaboudit. Go to Mt. Dora or Ocala, it doesn't exist in the Villages. Or learn how to make it.
This isn't even "gourmet" food I'm talking about. It's ordinary garden variety ethnic food. The closest bodega is in Winter Park. There /is/ one actual genuine taqueria, that's wayyyy over in Oxford. It's a food truck on 301 by County Line Road. I'll have to check it out next time I'm out that way. Very much missing having carne asada with chopped onion and cilantro with a squeeze of lime and a splash of habanero sauce on top.
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You have completely made my point - there is no food diversity in TV, it’s all the same stuff from Sysco-this is not cooking, it’s merely cutting bags open and heating them up - you could train a 5 year old to do that. The so-called “ethnic” restaurants in TV are so dumbed-down to American palates, with very little seasoning or spices. This apparently is what most in TV want and tolerate. If not, then there would be a clamor and demand for better restaurants. I have lowered the bar in TV, but can only lower it so far. Luckily we are near/sorta near many good ethnic places (visited Tarpon Springs last week, and had a delicious authentic Greek meal). I’m a pretty good cook, and can usually out-do any restaurant meal. I’m making my way through Cook’s magazine recipes, as well as all the DVDs of America’s Test Kitchen - so much fun, and all recipes turn out excellent. I’ve also challenged myself to once a week cook the national dish of every country in alphabetical order, starting with Albania. Sometimes, I need to order unusual ingredients online.