As for desire, I bet most Eastern Europeans in the Netherlands survive on exotic takeaway.
You would think, but that is not the case. I've had dozens of Polish friends and students go to work in the Netherlands, and told them specifically to try Indonesian food, particularly rijsttafel. None did. In fact, they did very little eating out at all, surviving entirely on supermarket food. Especially bread and cold cuts. They are there to make money to bring back to Poland, and eating out works against that. Even cheap takeout. Sampling the local food, whether native or exotic, is very low on the priority list.
As a foodie evangelist, I have to say that Poles are particularly difficult to convert to the foodie faith. I've had a few stunning successes, and I've met some avid Polish foodies, some from surprising quarters, but most Poles are quite reluctant to budge from their comfort zone.
Sadly, a lot of the reluctance has to do with cost. Trying an unknown food means risking that you will end up with something you don't like and have to throw away. Particularly in a restaurant setting in the West, where food is extravagantly expensive in relation to back home. Better to stick with the tried and true.
