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Sushi is like pizza where I am. You can get it take out, at the grocery store, and even all you can eat at a buffet. Decent quality too.
I still don't see much Vietnamese or Lao food, though I have my favorite spot. I don't think it will ever be all that popular because of how sharply fishy/shrimpy it can be..but ya never know, I would have thought raw fish wouldn't have been palatable to most Americans.
Authentic taquerias are coming up too, thank GAWD. Really, I could only deal with that saucy, cheddar-cheesy TexMex for so long. Give me tomatillos, cilantro, asado, and cotija, and I'm a happy girl.
Lebanese food is also getting a huge following, which I am certainly happy about.
I think a lot of Americanized ethnic foods have become popular, but often the cuisine as a whole rarely become popular
I agree. People in the US have grown to LOVE sushi, but many people do not like homestyle Japanese food. Sure people will eat soba, udon or tempura, but how many people are just as into some of the everyday foods???
Anyway, Indian and Thai food have both become extremely popular. I used to have to travel for Indian food and had few people who liked it. Now there are many more restaurants, with many more fans.
I cringe when people say 'Chinese' food now, even though I used to say that too not so long ago!! Some posters have already pointed out about regional differences in cuisine, but when it is exported you often tend to get the bastardized version of one particular region. In my home country Chinese food generally means greasy take-out noodles, wontons, sweet and sour, the usual suspects. But I had a big revelation when I moved to Hong Kong and found out that there is Cantonese, Shanghainese, Sichuanese, Shangdong-ese and the list goes on and on. Not only that, but the biggest surprise was that the southern chinese are rice eaters...but the northerners prefer wheat-based noodles and breads. As with any place, the list of different regional cuisines is as diverse as the population.
I personally love Vietnamese, even more than Thai, and I think that seems to be becoming much more popular in mainstream western dining - I think it's the 'new' Thai.
Depends on how common it is to make at HOME, versus going to a restaurant to eat it. Then again, some cultures might always make, say, latkes, at home--and it still not be considered "mainstream".
I've had pierogis at home, but working in stores, I've found them sold in the frozen food section of the store. Somewhat surprising to me.
The most popular mainstream ones are Chinese, Italian and Mexican.
However, there are certain dishes--if not the entire cuisine--from a few other ethnic groups that have been assimilated into the American diet for quite a while: Eastern European Jewish food: bagels, kaiser rolls, pastrami, rye bread, kosher pickles, cheesecake, strudel, rugelach, macaroons
I think it also depends on what part of the country you live in. Living in the northeast, we have a large variety of authentic restaurants to choose from that are very popular with everyone. In my opinion, I'd pick an authentic small restaurant over one of the larger chains.
Moroccan, Korean and upscale Mexican cuisine are really on the rise. I have learned to cook a dish from each group. I must say they are all simply divine!
It does depend on where you are. I bet that some people would be surprised to learn that there are Czech restaurants & bakeries in much of Texas. And actual chains that specialize in kolaches (I must admit they are a "Texanized" version, but still!).
If you want closer to true Chinese food, ask to see the Chinese menu. Most decent Chinese restaurants have two menus--one American & one that is (usually) more authentic.
Mainstream: Italian, Mexican, Chinese
Getting close to mainstream: Japanese, Greek, Thai, Brazilian, Cuban, Korean
Will eventually become mainstream: Vietnamese, Indian
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