Claire
Master Chef
I agree with others that "ethnic" depends on where you're standing at the moment. When I'm visiting my New Mexican cousin, her green chili stew is not ethnic. Trust me, it is very exotically ethnic here (and very popular when I make it) in northwestern Illinois. My Cincinatti/Greek chili is very ethnic here, but in Ohio it's normal food, as it is in Virginia (where it is called "Greek Spaghetti", which I guess makes it ethnic). So I'd agree that ethnic means it comes from an ethnic background different from the majority around you.