These days, Americans tend to eat more diverse types of food than the conventional steak and seafood of 50 years ago. For example, in the 1950s and 1960s when people wanted food crazier than the ordinary meat and potatoes, they looked to Italian or Chinese food. Back then even French food was considered exotic! An episode of a popular TV Show, “I Love Lucy,” showed Lucy accidentally ordering escargot, a snail delicacy.

When the food arrived, she did not know how to eat it or whether it was edible.

Today many of us would consider eating French, Italian and Chinese food routine. It is now much more common to find a Thai, Indonesian, Filipino, Indian, Persian, Greek, Ethiopian or vegetarian restaurant in your neighborhood. Food choices in Los Angeles are particularly diverse, and we can select different cuisines from all over the world.

    I am fortunate that I have been brought up with many varieties. We routinely eat Chinese and Filipino food from my mother’s side of the family, and Mexican dishes and Texas Barbeque from my father’s side. My parents are big believers in experiencing other ethnic foods so when we go out to eat we often eat Indian food, French food, Peruvian food, Japanese food and Korean food.

I can still remember the first time that I tried Ethiopian bread, injera, which resembles a porous sponge. When the waiter brought the injera out, I wasn’t sure it was edible. I am lucky that when I was at the Ethiopian restaurant I was not on a reality show since it would have been embarrassing since I did not know how to eat it just like Lucy.