[throwaway2037]

    > When presented with something like the Mediterranean diet, most americans would balk at the bird and rabbit food they were now expected to eat.

That would be Italian, Spanish, and Greek food (plus some stuff from the Balkans). I think those foods are quite popular in the US.

[sprayk]

gp is likely referring to a specific diet called The Mediterranean Diet, "inspired by the eating habits and traditional foods of Greece, Italy, and the Mediterranean coasts of France and Spain, as observed in the late 1950s to early 1960s."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_diet

[astura]

I think most Americans would consider those foods very "exotic."

I was an adult before I ever ate chickpeas (in any form), really any beans outside of Taco Bell refried beans, eggplant (in any form), tzatziki, any sort of flatbread, lentils, avocado, zucchini, cauliflower. Etc.