It was actually a huge letdown for me too. C.S. Lewis described Turkish Delight in a way that made me think that it didn't even exist, like it was some perfect

It was actually a huge letdown for me too. C.S. Lewis described Turkish Delight in a way that made me think that it didn't even exist, like it was some perfect candy that was unattainable. One day, also in my 20s, I stumbled upon it in the "ethnic" section of a supermarket near my college. I was so excited I could hardly get out of the store before trying it out. Just like the author, I couldn't believe it was just a thick gummy starchy mess with some powdered sugar messily slopped on top. Also, it should be noted, I'm not sure if you're from America or not, but eating sushi / thai / indian foods can actually be quite uncommon in most of America, in particular the fly-over states. Even someone like me who grew up 10 mins from Providence / 45 mins from Boston on the east coast never had tried thai / sushi / indian food until college, and even then, I was considered weird and adventurous by my hometown friends. You might be right that within the past decade it's become more popular, I can't say, but I know in the 80s/90s when I grew up, there wasn't much available "ethnic" cuisine. Lastly, my quotes around "ethnic" aren't in response to your usage of the word, they are just my own response to the fact that people would consider me "ethnic" even though I grew up in America just like they did, and the false distinction has always bothered me. :)