I grew up in the '60s in the South of course and "foreign food" wasn't a thing. I probably missed noticing some because we never ate there. Cafeterias were a thing, and some were pretty good, some not. That is a something that has almost disappeared. I guess we have food bars now.
I started getting into French food in grad school because I was dating a French major, and there was one place in CH that was French(ish). By then I was familiar with Greek (liked it), German (didn't), Italian (loved it), Mexican(ish) (not so much of what was available). I ate a lot of eastern Carolina BBQ and fried seafood and chicken.
Red Lobster had all you can eat shrimp one day a week and we'd splurge and go there sometimes. I was super skinny and could eat like crazy.
It is fun to think back about how much I've evolved.