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Original poster

To ask you what your most unusual/unexpected overseas food experiences are

153 replies

Bunnyfuller · 30/07/2017 09:21

I mean as in you order something, and the interpretation of it is so vastly different to expectations...

Sometimes this might be from fucking picky kids unrealistic ordering or just from a local idea that this is what people from your country eat.

My two favourites - a portion of fries on a side plate with a useful portion of cold tinned peas. And a full roast dinner. Pre cooked and straight out of the fridge (not reheated at all). The latter was put on for an official dinner, spectacular. Luckily there was lots of booze and some divine doughnut-y things I completely gorged myself on had a couple of for pudding.

OP posts:
lmer · 30/07/2017 10:52

Rat in Vietnam- it was grim nobody touched it

Potcallingkettle · 30/07/2017 10:57

Portugal - pork steak and egg was felt by us to be slightly adventurous. It probably would have been okay by itself however the creamy coffee sauce definitely didn't work poured across the top.

Rufustherenegadereindeer1 · 30/07/2017 11:10

This is an unexpected one

In bali

Ordered double egg and chips (stop judging me...6months is a long time) times 2..one for me and one for dh

The man looked at us a bit weirdly and said

So double egg and chips x 2 (in a doubtful tone of voice)

So 10 minutes later dh and i were handed a plate each...both had four eggs on and then an enormous plate of chips arrived

Reader, we ate the lot

13Bastards · 30/07/2017 11:25

Red rose- we were caught out on that one too in Vietnam.

DH will eat most things but that was a step too far for him.

MimsyFluff · 30/07/2017 11:27

Microwave pizza in Italy ShockConfusedHmmAngry

RestlessTraveller · 30/07/2017 11:41

Grits in a posh bistro in upstate New York. I ordered them because I'd never had them and didn't know what they were.

I still don't know what they are, but they're bloody lovely!

A durian cream puff in Malaysia. Smelled foul, tasted good.

Gotanewusernamenow · 30/07/2017 11:44

Self serve buffet. Thought they were onion rings. They were squid rings,,, eeeuugghhh!

inkydinky · 30/07/2017 11:47

Oh some of these are grim! Mine is rather dull in comparison. Omelette with chips in Greece. The chips were IN the omelette.

donajimena · 30/07/2017 11:53

In Prague I ordered a steak in mushroom sauce. Out came a plate with a steak (I'm unsure of what) under a bright yellow sauce. On the side was a dollop of whipped cream with a jam like dressing on

AlpacaPicnic · 30/07/2017 11:54

Not as exotic as some of these but...
I was on a long distance train in America, went for breakfast and was a bit overwhelmed by the choice and the questions so Just said yes to everything.
I got a cheese omelette with tomato salsa and guacamole on top, with sausage patties, little roast potatoes and a croissant.
It was delicious! A slightly odd combination but delicious!

bambambini · 30/07/2017 11:56

The baby octopuses i've had in some dishes. I eat them but i feel funny.

Fish head curry - a huge fish head with eyes and teeth and you pick the flesh from the cheeks. Delish!

BeALert · 30/07/2017 11:59

Pub in England. Ordered pasta in a butter and caper sauce.

Waitress brought plain pasta with capers. Asked her where the butter sauce was.

"Chef says we're out of butter."

bertsdinner · 30/07/2017 11:59

Small village bakery in Greece, they did various breakfasts, Greek yogurt and their bread was lovely and it was a popular spot. They also did an English breakfast, which was popular with all nationalities but seemed to cause a lot of amusement. One morning I ordered it, it was cooked ham, a frankfurter sausage, fried egg, salad and cold red kidney beans. It was actually quite nice.
I toyed with the idea of ordering "spleen sausage" at a restaurant in Meteora, but shied away at the last minute and stuck with just lamb.

Original poster
Bunnyfuller · 30/07/2017 12:22

Some of these are brilliant! Keep them coming!

OP posts:
HipsterHunter · 30/07/2017 12:36

Yummy mini pancakes filled with honey or chocolate spread or red bean paste in Japan. Come in a packet from any mini mart.

Except turns out they also have fish filled pancakes which live in the same place as the sweet ones.

That was not a good surprise :-(

Waggily · 30/07/2017 13:45

The most unexpected food was an ice cream after amazing duck and pancakes in Beijing. It was green so I thought it was green tea flavoured as that was quite common (and delicious). It was actually broad bean. It wasn't too awful in itself but just so unexpected.

PoppyPopcorn · 30/07/2017 13:49

The ice cream one reminds me of a similar experience in Japan - ordered a green ice cream I'd assumed to be pistachio and it was green tea.

Grim.

OlennasWimple · 30/07/2017 13:52

In the US Pret a Manger sweet and salty popcorn is thick toffee popcorn mixed in the same bag as cheese popcorn Sad

(I love trifle for starter, by the way Blush)

hazelnutlatte · 30/07/2017 13:56

Ordered lasagne in Prague - received minced pork in sweet and sour sauce, topped with a dried lasagne sheet and slice of processed cheese.

goose1964 · 30/07/2017 14:00

In Spain we had soup at air hotel every night , came in two versions red or brown, we could never work out what they were supposed to be

goose1964 · 30/07/2017 14:02

Only I've had that too it was lush, and DH once had the spleen sausage, it was delicious

TabascoToastie · 30/07/2017 14:06

A "vegetable pizza" which came with carrot sticks and baby corn (not corn kernels, entire sticks of baby corn) on it. This was in Leicester!

The infamous "frothypork" croissant in China (basically they subject pork fat to the same process you subject cream to to make Mr Whippy).

Ordered pizza from a restaurant in Havana and what arrived looked exactly like an Iceland own-brand job. It was fine, just unexpected.

Catinthecorner · 30/07/2017 14:11

Grits are ground corn, and I agree very delicious!

We once spent a Christmas in Egypt and the hotel put on a 'traditional Christmas meal' for the guests. It was fine (though they did much better with the Egyptian style cooking) - but we were all bemused by the whole apple stuffed with raisins and mazipan served alongside the turkey and veg and covered in gravy.

Glitteryfrog · 30/07/2017 14:13

Another Kyoto one.

8 course tasting menu all we knew...
It had sushi, a snail and all sorts of yummyness. No idea what we ate!

HarrietKettleWasHere · 30/07/2017 14:16

Had a few 'treats' in South Korea.

Fried eel spines once. And going out to a fish restaurant is a pretty big deal there. Baby octopus in hot sauce and starfish and sea anemone.

There was a huge pot bubbling away on gas in the middle. After each course, everyone (about twenty or so at our table) would scrape their plates into the pot. So in goes bones and heads and skin and fins and tail and shells and legs and what not.

At the end of the meal you get a little bowl of 'soup' ladled directly from the pot. I was never keen on this meals but I thought I did my best to show willing in front of my Korean colleagues.

Until one time my boss ordered fried chicken to be delivered directly to me at the table on one night out. I was mortified Blush and all the Koreans were like Shock

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