“Make My Stomach Turn Every Time”: 35 Non-Americans Roast American Foods They Can’t Understand
Taste is subjective, there’s no doubt about that. Controversial foods exist, that’s a fact too. Now combine them together, and you see some weird food combos landing in people’s stomachs.
This time, we will narrow down our investigation into American cuisine only (despite the fact all countries have their culinary quirks!) to find out what common eating habits and foods confuse non-Americans. Turns out there are many of them!
From super-size meaty breakfasts to cheese spread, these are the most eyebrow-raising American delicacies people in other countries just can’t fathom.
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Cookie Dough in a tube, which you guys apparently eat raw, according to the movies. Obviously I have no idea what this stuff tastes like (I can only assume it's awesome), but the concept just seems strange to my Scottish mind.
Having said that, we consume assorted animal innards, oats and spices in a tube allegedly made from a sheeps bladder (aka haggis), so I admit that we're on pretty shaky ground to be criticising anyone else's eating habits.
In the UK, cookies are chocolate chip biscuits. I believe you call all biscuits cookies but cookie is a specific type of biscuit to us.
Load More Replies...To be fair, raw cookie dough is always a treat :) Then again, I've only had it when my Mom baked cookies/cakes, so I don't know what it's like from the tube...
Please don't base your assumptions about us on movies. Unless you believe crowds in India routinely break into song-and-dance routines.
Oh, but breaking into song and dance routines would be wonderful.
Load More Replies...First off, haggis is awesome. Secondly, this Scottish lassie loves herself some cookie dough especially in ice cream so it's not that foreign a concept to be honest
I don't know anyone who eats cookie dough... romcoms are a bad source of cultural information. Edit: Nowhere did I say people don't eat cookie dough. I was merely saying I don't know anyone who does and it isn't something everyone does.
Hahahahaha! I personally don't like the cookie dough "in a tube" because I can taste the preservatives (yes, really. I can also "taste" the red & blue food coloring in cake frosting). So can my husband, it's one of the reasons we gave up Girl Scout Cookies - that and the fact all the Mothers are too young to understand the "are they made with real Girl Scouts?" reference.
Hahaha. I loved that line. After "is your lemonade made from real lemons". Hahaha
Load More Replies...Most of us just slice and bake it, not eat it raw (please do not judge our country by the junk you see in movies).
Sweet potato and marshmallow casserole. What the actual f**k?
This stuff is amazing! Used to have it at a BBQ restaurant called Hickorys near me, but they've taken it off the menu 😭
Agreed! It is amazing! I always go out of my way to make this for major holidays. The marshmallows are both crunchy and squishy when cooked just right!
Load More Replies...I'm a southerner and we love sweet potatoes but do not put a marshmallow on my sweet potato! That is disgusting. A thin layer of brown sugar, pecans, and butter is perfect.
Thank you!! Same here. No marshmallows for me! Yuck, yuck,yuck!!
Load More Replies...My family makes it once a year for thanksgiving, and I love it, but it’s so bad for you we only make it that one time
Never made it. I make candied yams with butter and brown sugar which some people like marshmallows on but not me.
I'd rather eat sweet potatoes than casserole with fish heads popping out of it or eels in jelly 🤮
A friend visited me from Italy and wanted to try Krispy Kreme donuts. He took one bite and said, 'Now I understand why Americans are fat!' He made me take him back twice for more.
They're fine. However, we have some amazing local bakeries in the UK and they produce some incredible donuts, smash KK out of the water. This isn't to say they're not tasty, just not THAT good.
We have a local mini chain nearby called Yum Yum. It is yum! Mmmmmmmmmm....
Load More Replies...My local shop (UK) sells these... the day old donuts get collected and taken away for disposal. We saw them being loaded onto the truck and my husband jokingly says "I've got a good rubbish bin to put them in" then got handed a box with a dozen assorted... it was a good day.
I don't like Krispy Kreme donuts either. ...in fact I don't like any kind of glasses donuts. But I've seen some pretty aweful sweet's in literally every country of Europe.
I think Krispy Kreme is overrated. But then again so is Tim Hortons. - a Canadian
The plain glazed are fine, but doughnuts with icing and/or filling don't need glazing as well. Too sweet for me!
Load More Replies...They are good. My favorite are the chocolate frosted glaze. But I only get one very rarely. Too many calories. But..yum 😋
You only get fat if you eat them on a regular basis. As a treat they are great. Especially if you can get them when they are hot. Krispy Kreme lights up a sign when they are selling them fresh out of the oven. I haven't had them that way since college in the 90's, but it's something you never forget! :)
can't stand Krispy Kreme, they delivered a literal van load freebies to the conference I was at when they first opened in Australia, just tastes like gluggy under cooked dough with far to much, and not very nice, glazing, they did this every day, I think I was one of only two or three conference goers going to the actual breakfast bar instead
Aerosol Cheese. Seriously America, what the f**k?
Really not worth letting it get to you - just think that is IS what is considered strange or weird. Most of us don't think of it as standard US food (those that do are probably a bit dim). All countries have their quirky or downright horrible things that they might think of as delicious. Though saying that, BP why not pick on a DIFFERENT COUNTRY for once? You know, one of those that IS NOT THE REPEATED TARGET? Just a thought...
Load More Replies...Ya but have you tried it or tried it on crackers? Its very addictive somehow
I like the cheddar and bacon one and it goes great with crackers, but I’ve also tried it on chips (plain Ripples) and it honestly tastes like a baked potato snack; I love it
Load More Replies...I have Le Meunier butter and St. Augur cheese in my fridge. I also have a can of Easy Cheese in my cupboard. It's a mindless guilty pleasure... no other country has some?
Yep, course they do! I've got some lovely cheeses in my fridge but I do have a cheese spread as well! That's lovely on hot toast! My truly guilty pleasure that is utter rubbish is cup-a-soups! Savoury and delicious. Terrible for you. Not sorry in the slightest!
Load More Replies...Sigh. My husband loves spray cheese. It's revolting but, at least, he doesn't chew tobacco.
And it travels well. For road trips. Just make sure you stay hydrated, that's a bunch of sodium.
Load More Replies...This. It's great on some Ritz crackers at 2 am while you're floating
Load More Replies...I went to a redneck wedding in Louisiana 40 years ago and the had this on ritz crackers at the reception
Well... The pictured cans come with the label « Now with real cheese »... So there's that.
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Hersheys chocolate. Honestly tastes like the smell of vomit.
Well, it does. it has Butyric acid in it (it was added to make the milk last longer in the olden days), and vomit also has butyric acid. Dairy farms in Europe were closer to the chocolate factories, so there it was not needed. And now they just keep it in as Americans are used to the taste.
That americans are used to the taste of vomit explaines a loooot!
Load More Replies...Yeah I hate Hershey. Tastes like dung. It sucks that American Cadbury is made with Hershey Chocolate since British Cadbury is sooo good
Load More Replies...And once you've tried chocolate from Germany Belgium or the Netherlands you will wonder why you ever thought that Cadbury's was good x
Load More Replies...So I'm the only one who likes Hersheys chocolate? It's not my favourite but I buy it quite often.
I love Hershey's. I like European chocolate, too, but the unique subtle sourness of Hershey's is special. I think it's funny that if European food tastes off or Asian food tastes rotten (kimchi - I'm looking at you), then people encourage you cultivate your tastes so you can enjoy these foods with a more sophisticated palate. On the other hand, if American food has a strange taste that takes a while to get used to, then you are a churlish rube for thinking that it's good. (PS--I love kimchi. It was just surprising at first.)
Load More Replies...It may or may not...It isn't in my hand long enough for me to smell it!
I don't know where people are getting this idea that Hersheys smells like vomit. HerSHEys is amazing and im going to have some right now.
That's because it's what you are used to so you think it's just fine.
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Processed cheese. There are so many lovely actual cheese, why eat s***ty fake stuff?
perfect for giving a dog a pill though, just wrap the pill in it and BOOM
Load More Replies...I love this stuff. Especially in a cheap grilled cheese sandwich. So good.
Just to check, I went to my local supermarket (UK) yesterday and noted that one sixth of the shelving was processed cheese, slightly less than that was dairy made, the rest was factory made. So it's clearly popular in many places.
Like American cheese! that stuff is disgusting. Me and my family (both sides) call it plastic cheese
Good grief, no. That would require effort and thought! Picking a different, less well known country would make a change!
Load More Replies...It may not be great but it may be the only 'cheese' some of us can afford!
American bread. I lived in the states for six months. At one point shortly after moving, I bought a loaf of bread and made a sandwich. To my surprise, the bread was so sweet. I told my housemates that I accidentally bought dessert bread, but nope — it was just regular bread in America.
Specifically, Subway: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/01/irish-court-rules-subway-bread-is-not-bread
Load More Replies...I'm firmly with you, Rachel! However, a well made rye is my true addiction!
Load More Replies...I have diabetes. American white bread has so much sugar it spikes my blood sugar levels, so I have to stay off the stuff. I can however eat homemade or bakery breads no problem.
i like to make my own sandwiches on the road :-D and when im in an American town for a few days its always a quest to find European bread, usualy end up with imported German bread. Normally i always eat local food but there are a few exeptions
Why would you expect European bread in the US? I certainly don't expect Wonder Bread in Germany or England. Seek out a bakery or the baked goods section of larger supermarkets and you'll find plenty of good bread. Just ask them to slice it if you want it for sandwiches.
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The fact that I ordered one pound of corned beef hash, three eight-inch pancakes with butter and maple syrup, four scrambled eggs with ketchup, six strips of bacon, four sausage links, three pieces of toast, and endless coffee for $12 at a diner. That was my breakfast while visiting the states. I love America.
No, it is not. You can only process so much food healthy, so just showing 2-3 servings in the morning is not ok. If you can't have lunch just make a sandwich in the morning. Or, a better solution, don't eat anything at all for breakfast. You will be perfectly fine just drinking water till the evening.
Load More Replies...Twenty years ago maybe. Just the three pancakes at IHOP will set you back about $8.
There's at least four breakfeasts in that description - and I AM obese. I couldn't eat half of that in any single meal. And I'd miss at least some veggies or fruit, even if it was only jam for the toast and a handful of cherry tomatoes.
I get the bigger better breakfast from norms and it feeds me and my giant of a husband for 2 days.
Load More Replies...I went to NY when I was 19, ordered pancakes for breakfast as my first time eating in America. When the stack arrived I was shocked at the amount. Think I managed to eat one! Anyway - lesson learned. Seems food over there is supposed to last you for more than the one meal?
Lobster is not odd in itself, but seeing “lobster mac’n’cheese” was wierd. Where I’m from, lobster is expensive, exclusive, and considered fine dining, and mac’n’cheese does not exist as a dish you can order anywhere. I love pasta, I love cheese, so pasta with cheese is common in my own kitchen, but that is far away from that “fine dining” lobster.
My first time in the states was a trip to NYC. I was pregnant at the time, and that’s probably why I allowed myself to order lobster mac’n’cheese for lunch at a restaurant, against my husbands comments on how it was a shame for the lobster to be served like that ... it was bloody delicious. I still dream about it.
Lobster is a bit less fancy in north America than in Europe. Until last century, it was deemed a poor man's meal, because it was abundant along the east coast and not very healthy (due to poor understanding on how to preserve and cook it). That's why it has been kept in informal recipes like lobster sandwich or the above.
These things often depend on your location too - I was brought up next to the sea and lobster wasn't at all unusual or fancy. Though admittedly not usually eaten with mac n cheese. I am going to horrify everyone probably but I LOVE and prefer cauliflower cheese to macaroni cheese (which is still v yummy!).
Load More Replies...I got Mac-n-cheese in Scotland and it was excellent! I don’t like fish/seafood so I don’t get that. What a way to ruin mac-n-cheese
I still have not recovered from the fact that McDonalds serves McLobster in Canada.
Fact! 💀 It is very much a thing in the Eastern provinces.
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The way they eat apple sauce.
Over here in the UK you would have a very small portion of it with some pork. It's just a condiment.
In the US they would pretty much have an entire bowl of the stuff and would just put spoonful after spoonful of it into their mouthes. It's like a snack or a meal itself.
OP doesn't speak for the UK. It's apples. Apples are great for lots of things. I use apple sauce in my pancake batter.
I like some in my porridge with a bit of cinnamon.
Load More Replies...It makes a very good snack or dessert. And from OPs attitude is say they could benefit from more fibre in their diet
Yeah, first time I had it in an office restaurant in Brussels I thought it was weird, but it grows on you...
Load More Replies...Is it just cooked apples with sugar an perhaps cinnamon? Or are there other spices like chili or ginger? If it's the first, then german people use it the same way. It's called Apfelmus here.
It is just cooked apples with or without sugar (or corn syrup) and can be seasoned with cinnamon. It can also be made into a puree with other fruits and is sold in the single serving cups that way.
Load More Replies...Never heard of it as a condiment. We can buy them in little cups like jello. Serving size.
I love it as a condiment. Though I'm not anti eating it with a wide variety of things! Yum.
Load More Replies...In Australia it’s puréed to the inch of its life. Making it baby food. In American it’s coarse and used as a side dish.
Germans do this too. My son's first week in a school in Germany they served him apple sauce and potato pancakes (kartoffelpuffer) he was outraged
I love how German words are so freaking long. Lol "Kartoffelpuffer." German seems to put five or six words together into one giant words instead of just being seperate words like "kartoffel puffer." Gets me every time I see a goofy word like that 🤣
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I'm American but no one can pay me to try/eat Spam.
Heads spam fried rice in an upscale hawaiian fusion restaurant and it was the bomb.
I like it fried until it is crisp like bacon.
Load More Replies...I am a Brit, I have fond memories of spam fritters for school lunch
That was not real spam, it was the lunch meat version which was less expensive. Still has 'spam' on the can but different product. 'Real' spam is better.
Load More Replies...Contrary to popular belief, Spam is NOT made with the scraps from the pig no one wants to eat. It is made from pork shoulder and pork ham.https://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/packages/food-network-essentials/what-is-spam-made-of#:~:text=What%20sets%20Spam%20apart%20from,in%201937%2C%20it%20was%20not.
People in Russia would have starved to death during the siege of Stalingraad if Americans hadn't smuggled in Spam. SPAM is great with mustard, it's great as travel food. I was snowed in on interstate once for 17 hours. SPAM tasted pretty good then.
Boxed macaroni and cheese. My partner is Swiss, and he is appalled by Kraft Mac & Cheese. He could not believe I was looking forward to ingesting orange powder mixed with noodles.
Mac & Cheese is so easy to make from scratch, I could never understand why to buy it as a premade meal made with dubious powder that you need to cook the same amount of time as the original dish.
Um, poor folks. Not everyone can afford to buy all the ingredients to make mac & cheese from scratch.
Load More Replies...No, boxed Kraft Mac n Cheese is fantastic! P**s off with that nonsense. I know 95% of people love the stuff secretly if not openly.
It's cheap and shelf stable. Some of these things, you are overthinking too much on.
Not gonna lie, I love a bit of cheesy pasta from the red box - when I was a teenager I used to work in Safeway (showing my age there!) and I used to buy a box of it and a chunk of fillet steak when I finished my shift and have that for dinner, my dad was appalled that I would dare have something so cheap and nasty with a beautiful but of steak but I still stand by my decision - it was awesome
My friend's German husband brings an extra suitcase to take home boxes of the stuff...
High fructose corn syrup.
It’s also slowly being removed from foods. I hate it, it ruined Coke when they replaced the sugar with high fructose corn syrup. That’s when I can I buy Mexican Coke, it still uses sugar.
Please don't get high fructose corn syrup confused with ordinary corn syrup. They are NOT the same thing. I got a bottle of corn syrup a few weeks ago to make some butter tarts (a Canadian thing). My friend had a heart attack thinking about all that nasty high fructose corn syrup. I informed her that to make HFCS, enzymes are added to corn syrup in order to convert some of the glucose to another simple sugar called fructose, also called “fruit sugar” because it occurs naturally in fruits and berries. HFCS is 'high' in fructose compared to the pure glucose that is in corn syrup.
Cost cutting measure that tastes bad, is bad for us, but we have it anyway
Not the food but the sheer size of the soft drinks is off putting and I'm from Canada.
And the flavors they're coming out with nowadays.
Load More Replies...If you are drinking soda with sugar, the amount of sugar in a 20 ounce soda is horrific.
I was surprised to discover you have to have a hazmat endorsement to haul 40,000 lbs of undiluted soda syrup. It's corrosive. I considered giving up my Mountain Dew for about 5 seconds.
That's probably why they say that you can use Coke, or another kind of soda I suppose, to clean the toilet bowl. It removes calcium and iron stains easily.
Load More Replies...I like my Diet Coke (mixed with a bit of root beer), but no bigger than a small or medium. I can't have a large medium or a large because I don't drink it fast enough and it goes flat before I can finish it. (And yes I'm from the US, I like a lot of ice....lol)
The straws get me, and at restaurants they fill it so full with ice so it looks like so much but it isn’t!! At a sit down restaurant I can down the Coke zeros, because I drink so much more through a straw, but one 12 oz can is perfect for me
The felt obsession with anything deep-fried is unnerving to me. There's a good few things that are excellent deep-fried, don't get me wrong, but putting literally anything in batter and frying it seems...wrong.
We Scots would deep fry our Irn Bru if we thought we would get away with it! #Laughs in tartan#
Load More Replies...Fried pickles and fried green beans are easily the top two best fried foods
Load More Replies...Well foods can be deep fried but that doesn’t mean it always is or everyone eats that. I was in Scotland a few months ago and have to say I was surprised how goos all the food was! And hot! Omg how can food be so hot and not overcooked? But the UK is routinely criticized for its awful food and I have to disagree. At least Scotland is doing right. I miss porridge the most.
I'm a Scot and have lived in a few countries and I'd say the UK is unfairly criticized for the food - it's as though people are stuck thinking of the 70s as their guide for what Brits eat. Most countries have good and bad. US is no different. Some food is lovely, some is not and a wide range in between. Porridge is as fheàrr (the best).
Load More Replies...i wanna try deep fried everything on a state fair once! The crazier the better, and it HAS to be on a stick. I was in Glasgow and noticed places were selling deep fried mars, but for some reason i managed to leave the town without trying it. So i must go back.
Grits. What the f**k even is grits? It sounds like the most unappetising thing ever. "I had grits for breakfast" WHY ARE YOU EATING TINY ROCKS?
It's like porridge but made with cornmeal. Very cheap and was a staple food fed to African slaves.
In the South everyone ate them, slave, owners , non slave owners. It's a Southern staple period. Has nothing to do with race.
Load More Replies...Big mistake is to try them plain. Butter, salt, pepper at the very least. Cheese is good, as is bacon cut up in little pieces and mixed in.
Yessss!! I love grits! Especially with butter, salt, pepper... bonus for the cheese and bacon 😍
Load More Replies...Grits is finely ground corn. It's a cheap food that many ate because that's all they had and because it's good, it's till eaten - with cheese or butter grits are wonderful. Italians eat polenta - it's a slight variation of grits. South Africans eat Miele Pap (corn porridge) - another slight variation on grits.
I like having grits sometimes....I put butter, salt, and pepper in it 😋
Taco Bell. They tried to open one over here and it lasted about a week. Don't try to sell Taco Bell to Mexicans. Just don't.
No wonder. Mexican tacos are great. Taco Bell is not Mexican food it's American food.
Yup. It's a poor imitation at best. Granted, in loo of a real taco or burrito I will get Taco Bell, but if the option is there? Na.
Load More Replies...It isn’t Mexican and for us that have eaten real Mexican food know that, it doesn’t mean we don’t like Taco Bell’s food. We accept it for what it is a quick lunch.
Taco Bell is just fast food shaped like Mexican food...
Has anyone ever thought that Taco Bell was selling authentic Mexican food? It seems like a stretch to say anyone would be surprised to find out that it isn't.
Yes. About 25 years ago I moved from my small town. When talking to a friend a bit later about gossip the fact that they were getting Mexican food in the old Arby's restaurant. They were so excited. It was a taco Bell.
Load More Replies...They opened one in Edinburgh and I was so disappointed. I quite liked it as a fast food option in the states but it was shockingly bad here
Same here in England, it's awful.
Load More Replies...I worked at a Taco Bell in San Diego years ago. 90% of our customers were Mexican.
Our local Taco Bell always has Mexican workers and families eating there. They like the food and the price is right for treating the family or lunch. We also have food trucks that serve the "real thing," and while they are good, there is room for both.
That's insane. That's like opening an Olive Garden in Italy. I would be so offended if I was Mexican.
We are, specially when they call tortillas "soft shells". The horror...
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Ranch dressing. Why don't you people want to taste the actual salad you're eating?
Me too. It is a simple salad dressing with mayo, and buttermilk. I can't understand why people hating it.
Load More Replies...Ranch is amazing but you need to use any salad dressing to ACCENT the food, not overpower it. I seem to be in the minority in that opinion
I agree. Growing up I always saw people putting globs of salad dressing on their salads and thought salads were too soggy because I like vegetables. When I discovered you can simply dip your salad rather than soaking it I became MUCH happier. It also means I can take bites without dressing if I want. Yay!
Load More Replies...If you use a reasonable amount it’s not bad. Restaurants typically put too much of any dressing on salads, that’s why i always ask for it on the side.
A reasonable amount? You mean about a cup, a cup and a half?
Load More Replies...I generally don't have dressing on my salad (wife says I'm odd), but ranch is no different from any other dressing - fine in small amounts. It's also good with chicken wings.
Mix in some sour cream to your ranch and it's amazing on spicy wings! Poor man's buffalo sauce I guess
Load More Replies...I'm strange as I don't like ANY dressings on my salads. I just use lemon juice to squirt on top. Brings out the natural flavors of the salad and is more healthy as well.
Not if you stick to iceberg lettuce, it doesn't. But cucumbers, Tomatoes, (red) onions, corn, parsley, carrots (grated), corn salad, leeks, celery/celeriac (grated), bell peppers, olives, ... all do.
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Mayonnaise on everything but French fries — use butter you savages.
You wouldn't put it on a hot dog or burger. But with jam or ham it's nice . Or Marmite!
Load More Replies...Nope. This American loves Mayo! I put it most things. I'm not going to stop.
I'm American, I LOVE mayo on my fries, but to be fair, I never would have tried it if not for that scene in pulp fiction.
Mayo is just flavorful butter, mwahahaha! Jokes aside, I have never had fries with mayo and I wanna try that now. But Mayo is staying as my sandwich condiment of choice lol
Not exactly *a* food, but breakfasts in general.
When I was there they looked at me like I was a starving child from the woods with my coffee and toast. MY BODY CAN'T DIGEST CHILI CON CARNE IN THE MORNING, I'M SORRY I'M NOT THAT MAGICAL.
Well yeah that’s gross. I’m American and would never have chili for breakfast.
Proud New Mexican here (yes, NM the state not the country) and I could literally put quality green chili on anything as a topping. My favorite! It's a cultural thing don't hate on it
Load More Replies...Yeah, but if you'd had a chili omelet w cheese I suspect you would change your mind
This was something my grandmother used to do and it annoyed me. I have always been taught a meal consists of three things, a starch, a vegetable, and protein. Even our health experts and diet professionals say as much. As such I think it's weird to not have all three in a meal
Breakfast entirely depends on the family. I know loads of people that do not eat huge meals for breakfast, especially during the week. On weekends, my family doesn't eat breakfast until about 8 or 9 o'clock so we tend to have more for breakfast than just toast. Typically, eggs, toast or biscuit, and sausage or bacon.
For me, it's not so much a particular 'American' food that I find bizarre, but rather the portion sizes. I'm Australian, and I was raised to eat everything on my plate. I brought that mentality to the US, and I put on 5 kg in over a month. The portion sizes are obscene. I could hardly finish a meal there without feeling ill from eating to much.
Many foreign visitors aren't aware of the doggy bag. It is completely common place to not finish your meal and ask the restaurant to box the leftovers for you to take home. When I visit family in the states one restaurant meal is really 2-3 meals.
Yeah its totally okay to have geck, even half a burger bagged up. Nobody's gonna shame you, even we commonly do it. Leftovers are amazing
Load More Replies...First restauant meal in USA we ordered calamari for starter, in Europe you get maybe 5-8 rings. We got heap full, bigger than usual dinner plate, each. It must have been at least a kilo of calamari on each plate. We were on the road, no way to heat it up and can’t think of fried calamari tasting nice reheated anyway, 4/5 got left behind. Main course was burger, about a kilo of chips and two massive pieces of cake. I think I took a bite from the burger and we left the rest behind. Probably biggest food waste in my life. We were much more conscious about what we order after that.
Appetizers either come big enough to serve 4 people or barely enough for 1 for some reason. Price wise, very similar so it is a guessing game
Load More Replies...When we went to US with my family, we used to order two plates for four, it was enough
That "finish everything on your plate" mentality along with portion sizes, is the reason we're so fat here. Thanks mom!
"There are children starving in Africa!" Okay, can we send this to them?
Load More Replies...That is definitely my experience. Eat at a fine dining establishment and the portions are smaller.
Load More Replies...This is one reason I want to live outside of the US for a couple years. I just wanna see if geography has anything to do with my weight personally lol
You don't have to live outside the US. Just don't eat a lot of prepared food, keep the sugars and simple starches to a minimum and move a little! And in these large-portion restaurants, only eat half of the entree and take the rest home.
Load More Replies...Was brought up the same way. That's why you can either limit the order or go on the take out route. Not too fond of dogg bags. Food tends to lose flavor fast and I hate reheating.....except for Chinese or Thai.
We Americans have no idea what a portion size is. Meals in restaurants are so large, that if we go on a diet & start measuring our food, we think we’re going to starve to death.
Watch the indie movie "Supersize Me" That horrible habit started here in the US in the 70's. WAY too much food!
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I had a friend who would get physically sick at any mention of Hamburger Helper.
As an American, I think he's nuts.
This stuff looks exactly the same going in as coming out! Pure grossness
“hamburger helper”? That’s NOT an acceptable American food to most people! Never had it, never will! My hamburger needs no help!
It's so full of preservatives, flavor enhancers, additives that your digestive system will pay for a week......I make it from scratch without all the garbage in it.
I HATE Hamburger Helper. Gives me indigestion. I do like getting ideas from their packaging, though. Homemade Hamburger Mac and cheese is delicious lol
Yea I agree with the friend, something about the taste of hamburger helper is very off. I tried it and ended up throwing the whole thing out, and I'm not a picky eater in the slightest.
Never did like the stuff and I'm a child of the 80s. Went without dinner many, many times because I refused to eat it.
A friend of mine brought back loads of American sweets from holiday. The Hershey's chocolate kisses were one of the worst things I've ever eaten. I thought I was going to be sick.
Yeah, American chocolate has an acid added to it that is also found in vomit. Not even joking.
Also the way to make milk chocolate is with sour milk, which is most Hershey products, milk chocolate
Load More Replies...american here....in the event of a nuclear apocalypse, i would eat rats before i would eat hershey kisses
I’ve eaten rats in Thailand. Pretty damn good actually!
Load More Replies...Any Hershey product is yuk, maybe I am just used to UK chocolate, but Hersheys is just so bland compared
People from other countries hate our chocolate so much. I have to try it from their countries, it must be amazing.
You will probably think it's odd, because you've been used to Hershey's all your life. You get used to a flavour. Real chocolate doesn't have that bitter vomit taste, because Europeans don't process their chocolates with butyric acid (ie vomit acid.)
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Chicago style deep-dish pizza. Great for the first two bites, but any more than that and I start to feel like my arteries are about to detonate.
as someone who grew up in chicagoland, deep dish pizza is not our go to pizza. it is more like special occasion pizza. its normalls a normal crust with awesome cheese and other toppings. i now live in the detroit area and the pizza out here is a sad, sad example compared to regular chicago pizza
Also from Chicagoland and can confirm. I actually never had deep dish pizza in the states. The idea of needing a spoon to eat pizza is just wrong...
Load More Replies...Biased. I live in Chicago. What people don't realize is that we eat and love so many different styles of pizza. Whether it's Chicago style deep dish or Chicago pan.. or by the slice that usually represents a NYC style. We also have the classic tavern style that is nothing like a deep dish or a pan. Even Detroit style has become popular. Give me any kind of pizza. I will eat it.
Agreed. I've had a healthier version of Chicago-style pizza from a particular restaurant that I love--Nello's (AZ, USA), although I'm not sure they offer "deep-dish." There are many great choices at Nello's and I like a pizza with a variety of toppings and well-balanced.
I have friends in Chicago who swear that is for tourists, and that isn't the real "Chicago pizza".
I've seen some pretty disgusting pizza even in Italy..... especially in other European countries.
Pop tarts, or God forbid microwaving your water when you have a cup of tea
You'd think so right - but no, it does taste different and ruins a cuppa tea.
Load More Replies...For the people downvoted, the taste of tea made from microwaved water is severely noticeable from boiled water. As for Pop Tarts, I've tried them. Fan of the chocolate fudge ones, not so much the others.
Pop tarts are cardboard filled with dry and bad tasting jelly, with some rock hard horrible tasting "icing" on top - I'm an American.
That's exactly what they are. That's why I love them ; )
Load More Replies...I AM AMERICAN AND WHO THE HELL PUTS WATER IN THE MICROWAVE AND AND HEATS IT UP THAT WAY?? you use an electric kettle obviously
Never owned an electric kettle until I moved out of the US. I bought one for my classroom, still don't have one at home. I use my water purifier to make tea, it dispenses near boiling water
Load More Replies...Oh, I love pop tarts! Have you ever had butter on a Pop tart? It's so freaking good....
Anything sandwiched between donuts or assembled and then fried to finish.
Luckily, Fair/Boardwalk Food isn’t a staple of anyone’s diet. It’s just a treat you have when you go to the State Fair or the beach.
Right? I think it's funny some foreigners think we regularly have access to this gut-bombing fried food lol. What we do have on a regular basis is still terrible for you! But it's not fried butter and donut mountains and all that
Load More Replies...ok, I think I just threw up in my mouth a little......
Load More Replies...Yuck, don't want a donut sandwich. I know some people here really enjoy donut cheeseburgers, I've never tried it, it looks revolting.
That's a new one for me. I can tell you that is not exactly an American food, it sounds like an experiment.
So first half I have never in my life heard of. What is this donut sandwich thing? Googled it and still clueless fried foods are more common in south then anywhere else
My German brother-in-law lost his mind at the concept of American 'all you can eat' buffets. He was like, 'All of this...all one price? ALL of it?' He was amazed by it.
I don't know a country that doesn't have all you can eat buffets. Including Germany
I have a local Indian restaurant that does Sunday lunch buffet and it is DELICIOUS. Same with a local Chinese restaurant which serves many of the same food items in the buffet as their regular menu, but the menu has more -meal- foods not the appetizers
Load More Replies...Like rolling dice though...possible to get violently ill from them.
I love a good buffet. But since covid, I don't think anyone does them anymore. 😢
I don't like eating at serve yourself buffets because not everyone practices good hygiene.
I like salad bars, but for buffets in general, I can't eat a lot in one sitting, so buffet isn't practical for my. I go twice a year, one for my birthday and once for my friends birthday because the local buffet gives the birthday person a free buffet meal.
The buffets in Berlin are usually "pick what you want and pay for the weight of the food".
Buffet's use special tactics though, the type of food they use, the positioning of them its all intentional to help control your grabbing
Casseroles made with "cream of" anything soup. Green bean casserole, tuna casserole, mushroom casserole. I know what those Campbells soups are like, we get them over here, and the idea of using them as a constituent ingredient in a main meal makes me shudder just from the idea of the sodium bomb. Especially those casseroles that are suggested to be topped with crushed chips.
Peanut butter and jam (jelly) sandwiches I can get behind. Pumpkin pie was a revelation of awesomeness for a new dimension on what to me is normally a savoury veg. Chicken-fried steak and sausage gravy? Genius.
But the idea of those casseroles make my stomach turn every time.
Try the green bean casserole. You will change your mind. The others can be iffy
Sorry any country that eats jellied eel and blood pudding can't criticize other people's cuisine.
Using tinned soup is hardly cuisine. At least jellied eels and black pudding are made from natural ingredients and are actually quite good for you. I wouldn't eat them, in fact eels are not a particularly common food and both are regional dishes, not national.
Load More Replies...Seriously! As an American, I ask, what's with all the GD casseroles! I hate that stuff. I mean, tuna, sure... I mix it in a bowl of Mac n cheese and add spices, that... is... it! But enough of the casseroles already!!! Gawd
I learned what tuna casserole was from Norway. The rest of this stuff is weird and disgusting to think about
My mom tortured us with that! She got it right about 1/10 times. Every other time was just a soggy mess and we didn't get new food until the left overs were gone. I didn't eat for 2 days once because of those leftovers were the only thing in the house!
Load More Replies...We were poor when I was growing up. Friday was tuna casserole day and I hated it. Now, I can eat pretty much anything I want... even have a freezer filled with high end beef and seafood. I still make tuna casserole once or twice a year...
My mom used to make tuna casserole for us when I was a kid. It was bland and bad. We ate it, but we weren't happy about it. She doesn't believe in seasoning things except for salt and pepper at the table. No amount of salt helped. Then I finally started making my own. Wow tuna hotdish can be good. I don't use canned soup or anything like that. It's just good, easy, cheap, and fast.
Load More Replies...My aunt makes a great broccoli casserole with cream of mushroom. A whole pan of broccoli, one can of soup, grated cheese and breadcrumbs on top, bake until melted and toasty. Great side for holiday turkey dinners.
It depends on the rest of your ingredients. Account for the salt and don't add as much everywhere else, for example. As a note though, I also don't care for most of the casseroles, I use it in certain sauces for flavoring lol
American desserts. I lived in the states for three years, and the amount of sugar Americans dump into their desserts is mind-blowing. They were beautiful to look at, but they were sweet as hell.
I have an American friend who complains that Australian's don't add sugar to whipped cream.
The Brits don't either! When I lived in the UK, I used to get apple pie with cream, and they would just pour a thick cream directly onto the pie (thicker than our whipping cream). I thought it odd at first, but then got to love it, and was very sad when I got back here and you just can't get that thick cream and you can't get whipped cream without it being sugared to death. I whipped up my own cream and others complained because it wasn't sweet. sigh - you can't win..
Load More Replies...And you have to specify that you don't want Sweet Tea when in the South. If you order Ice Tea they will just assume Sweet Tea. I am from the West Coast and Ice Tea is something different here.
Load More Replies...I agree as an American, the amount of sugar and butter is crazy in the u.s also salt
I agree. I love tart fruit, but it's so hard to find a pie or dessert that hasn't been ruined with way too much sugar!
Especially ruins a good tart cherry pie. Trying to replicate the cherry pie I baked as a kid (we had a high producing tree) is nearly impossible with canned cherries.
Load More Replies...Lots of countries have very sweet desserts, the difference is that the serving size goes down as the sweetness goes up.
Yes, look at the Greek baklava, kourabiedhes (powdered sugar shortbread cookies) mellomakarouna (Christmas cookies) Very sweet. But they limit their portion control too.
Load More Replies...Agreed. I always had a sweet tooth, but it's way too much even for me.
That's why I almost always get cheesecake for dessert. It's more rich than sweet, although not having had one in the US, I could be wrong. (I often am)
Most American food companies use far too much sugar in all their foods.
Yes they do. That and the soda/pop industry is ruining the country's health
Load More Replies...Not just USA. I found that chinese desserts are strong competition, probably worse because there is no trace of flavour. Talking about “modern” chinese desserts. Their macarons don’t even have almonds in them. Look nice but it’s just sugar with different colourings added. The more “upscale” the place trying to be the worse the desserts. Even traditional ones like mooncake, almond soup, egg tarts etc have waaaay too much sugar in them.
No, that's not what they're saying. They're saying that America puts too much sugar. Not that it shouldn't be used at all. Personally I agree with OP
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Pumpkin Spice Latte. It was just like REALLY sweet coffee, I didn't get the craze.
I'm not a coffee drinker but if this article has taught me anything, it is not to call something c**p just because you personally do not like it.
Load More Replies...The clue is in the name. It’s not pumpkin-flavored, it’s pumpkin spice flavored. It’s supposed to taste like the mix of spices used when making pumpkin pie. Just the spices, not the pumpkin.
Load More Replies...It's really popular here (UK), don't care for it myself, but vox populi
You know, we don’t think these things up. Companies, like coffee and food companies, trying to make even more money put together these taste nightmares & sell them to the people. This cannot be a strictly American thing.
Any kind of syrup poured into coffee. I heard someone say this is because deep down inside, many Americans don't like the taste of coffee, so they gloss it over.
A Latte is for adults who want warm milk but don't want to sound like a baby.
Me either. People act like PUMPKIN SPICE is entirely new food group. I have never understood the fanatic behavior about a spice which is a mixture of different spices.
Granola as a "healthy" breakfast option. It's basically a dessert.
Nothing is truly "healthy" for you. If someone wants a little honey on their grain and dried fruit, let them.
I looked at the labels of a bunch of different granolas! The sugar and fat content was off the chart!!!
Many, if not most, American breakfast cereals are basically desserts. Who doesn't love dessert?
True - I walk down the cereal aisle in any grocery store and am disgusted by what the food industry has been able to get away with. I wouldn't let anybody eat that c**p. 98% of that is just garbage. No different than having a doughnut for breakfast. NO nutritional value, ALL sugar!!
Load More Replies...I make my own, mostly nuts and dried fruit. No added sugar/sweeteners. Serve it over oatmeal and Greek yogurt, it's a filling meal.
Is that muesli or granola though? Granola is baked and frequently has honey or syrup added. Muesli is sweetened by dried fruits and has raw ingredients.
Load More Replies...I eat granola as a snack, mixed with yogurt and it’s also really good sprinkled on I e cream.
How is granola a desert? I mean, if you use it in a fruit crumble then yeah, but in a cereal, a granola bar, not so much.
Forgive me but I thought Maximilian Bircher-Benner developed muesli around 1900... is that not the case? I thought Americans created granola. They're not meant to be the same thing, though I wonder if the definition is blurred. Granola is baked and usually contains added sweeteners — such as honey or syrup — along with dried fruits, while muesli is meant to be raw and sweetened with dried fruits only.
Load More Replies...I have heard, though I can hardly believe it, that there are people in this world that actually eat, BAKED BEANS for BREAKFAST !!! Who would make up such bullśhit ?
Baked beans aren't in themselves particularly unhealthy though, whereas granola does contain a lot of sugar - natural or processed, sugar is still not a great ingredient for us.
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Those coated hot dogs on sticks. I've seen them in movies, they look really weird.
Corn dog. A hot dog covered in batter made with cornmeal, but thick so it's almost like corn bread. The UK batters sausages in greasy chip shop batter, the US batters hot dogs in a savoury/sweet corn batter and puts it on a stick.
If the chip shop batter is done well, it's not greasy. Should be crispy. Not commenting on the corn dog, never had one.
Load More Replies...And I love them. The only time my daughters and I have them is at a fair in honor of my dad who would eat about 6 of them throughout the day at the fair, but only once/year. He was a thin man, too! And we don’t eat 6 of them btw.
Mmm, corn dogs area summer fair and amusement park classic. Add some mustard and enjoy a meal on a stick, no table required.
Yeah, but we don't have the Michigan State Fair anymore - waaaahhh!!!
Load More Replies...Sadly some of my favorite brands have gone down in quality
Load More Replies...You kind of have to try it to understand. The appearance doesn't give much of a hint to what it tastes like
Multiple Europeans I've met have been baffled by the popularity of root beer in America. As they say, it tastes like medicine.
They've clearly never tried the British Dandelion and Burdock soda. Tastes like some poisonous potion concocted in the 1800's by a group of hedge witches. Vile.
D & B is my favourite pop, everyone I know thinks i'm strange :D
Load More Replies...I'm a Canadian who doesn't drink pop (aka "soda" in the US); even I like the taste of root beer.
Beyond its aromatic qualities, the medicinal benefits of sassafras were well known to both Native Americans and Europeans, and druggists began marketing root beer for its medicinal qualities as early as the 1700s.
Dentists in Europe give children a fluoride rinse that tastes similar to root beer. That is why they think it tastes like medicine.
My kids get some banana flavoured gunk over their teeth at the dentist that they can't clean off until the following morning, they love that
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I have a British friend who nearly vomited at the smell of Smartfood White Cheddar popcorn.... you know, the kind that comes in the black bag? He said it smells like baby s**t.
Cheddar or parmesan on popcorn - smells like baby-sh1t and dirty feet - but tastes absolutely won-der-ful!!!
Since a significant part of taste is smell, I think I'll pass on the baby sh*t and dirty feet.
Load More Replies...As a French, I really love all cheeses, but the paradox I found is that no one will accept having the crust smell on their finger while having no issue putting it in their mouthes🙂 Just try Maroilles or Soumaintrain, Langres, you'll understand what the point I'm raising
Ah. I'm Canadian, and Smartfood is my one downfall. I only eat it now about once every few months, but I could inhale that bag in 5 seconds flat. LOL!
I like white cheddar popcorn, but they're right, it does smell awful. I just breathe through my mouth when snacking on it.
My japanese roommate screamed when she saw me eating carrots & celery dipped in peanut butter
The ancient Incas and Aztecs ground peanuts into a paste. Peanut butter as we now know it was created as a source of protein for people who couldn’t chew meat. That was around 1895. The rest is just peanut butter becoming more popular, and used in more innovative ways. TBH, giving your kids peanut butter and jelly (jam, not Jell-O) sandwiches can be a way to give them some protein (yes, sugar too, depending on the quality of the other ingredients). I’m 62 now, and grew up eating PB&J sandwiches. I turned out alright, normal weight, normal physical, mental, emotional, and intellectual development, so I can say with authority that it’s not detrimental to health and development in children.
I dont even care about PB&J. Just hearing someone say that they are ‘normal‘ in all these ways is mind blowing in a heartening way :)
Load More Replies...And th still living fish because apparently thats okay to eat but not celery and peanut butter
Load More Replies...Peanut butter dressing on grated carrot, with chili garlic sesame oil....
Carrots in peanut butter? But if not pb or ranch how or why would you eat celery one of the most tasteless things ever
Should see how I like my carrots. Mayo,.super hot hot sauce - mixed together. Or Greek yogurt and hot sauce. Yummmm
Canadian here... American soda. You can taste the corn syrup. All of my American friends drink Mexican Coke or that 'throwback' pop with sugar instead of corn syrup.
As an American, I agree. I always try to source non-corn syrup soda when i have it. It tastes so much better.
Marshmallows somehow being a spreadable substance.
Just wait until find out about Fluffer Nutters. Peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwich.
Mostly it's used in recipes. I don't know anyone who spreads it on anything.
That spreadable stuff is called Fluff, and the only thing it's good for is a fudge ingredient. It's like sickeningly sweet spackle.
*sits quietly in the corner, digging a spoon into the marshmallow fluff jar*
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Met some Swiss guys at a house party after a mutual friends wedding. They couldn't believe that we were all actually drinking out of red Solo cups, it blew their minds. They kept on taking pictures and saying "It's just like the movies!
What's wrong with that? We also use single use cups in Greece, only they're white. It saves a lot of washing up after parties!
And it goes so well with the blue of the sea! Not to mention the beauty of plastic filled beaches!
Load More Replies...I have heard of 'Red Solo Cups' on BP and Reddit but nowhere else. Are these just red disposable cups? What's the big deal??
Yes, they are just red disposable cups that we've used as long as i can remember.They're usually for get-togethers and parties. They're sturdy, good-sized, and great for beer pong. At some point American TV and movies started using them and made them world famous. But they're still just good cups.
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As an Australian, I would like to know what in the flying firetruck a "Bloomin' Onion" has to do with anything, let alone the rest of Outback Steakhouse's menu.
Outback is just a ridiculous Disney-like imaginary version of "exotic" Australia. Even the owners had nothing to do with that country, if I remember correctly.
Well other restaurants do them. Restaurants do different things to create a food trend. So I doubt any restaurants hardly still makes these. Even fast food. First Hardee's had a jalapeño burger, then steak n' shake, then Burger King, now Dairy Queen. Right know it seems a Philly cheese steak is the it thing for fast Dodd.
Same thing those little sugar beads embedded in butter on a slice of bread have to do with fairies.
hate to break it to you but outback steakhouse has nothing to do with australia it was made by americans that wanted a steak house with an australian flare. That's what they gave us.
Waffles with chicken. It just seems so wrong.
I went to the Red Dog Saloon in Liverpool recently and tried "chicken tenders, fried toast and syrup"... It was amaaaaaazzzzzzzziiiinnnggggggg!
Everyone Know This: the kind of chicken and waffles everyone talks about originated in the South and spread *almost* everywhere: waffle, fried chicken on top, served with maple or table syrup. REAL CHICKEN AND WAFFLES can be found ONLY in Amish areas, usually central Pennsylvania, and is this: waffle, stewed chicken (baked or poached, cut up, and put in a pot of slightly thickened chicken gravy) on top, and NOTHING ELSE. It is WAY better and is hard to find but was a staple in my world. I will die on this hill. TRY IT PLEASE
I had really fancy chicken and waffles once. It was a savoury waffle, and it looked beautiful and tasted delicious.
i didn't try it until a few years ago but i absolutely love it now
Try the, imo, real kind..... see my post above for description
Load More Replies...Not the only type, though common... pls see my post above
Load More Replies...That super-sweet iced Tea. Maybe that's just a southern thing though.
Sweet tea is southern, but usually they ask if you want normal iced tea or sweet iced tea.
No, we don't. In restaurants they ask "sweet or unsweet". In the South, sweet tea is the default.
Load More Replies...Most restaurants will let you order iced tea half and half: half the cup filled with sweet tea and half the cup filled with unsweetened tea.
For the love of all that is holy, NEVER ASK MY DAD TO MAKE SWEET TEA. He puts four cups of sugar in a gallon. I'm not even kidding. He makes tea syrup.
Yeah, I agree. I LOVE sweets and sugar as a rule but southern "sweet tea" is over the top. It's sort of tea flavored simple syrup.
I remember back around 2009 ish Wetherspoons had this deliciously epic alcoholic sweet tea. I think it was called Jeremiah weed sweet tea served in a jar. I loved it. It tasted like sherbet I thought but sadly it wasn't on the menu after maybe a year?
It was tea before it was sweet so there is no such thing as unsweetened tea, yet there it is right next to the sweet tea.
The cereal selection. It's my favorite dessert in America.
i tried fruit loops once at a breakfast buffet (i just scooped a few on my plate) I was horrified that people let their children start their day with food like that.
An overwhelming percentage of espresso-based beverages I have been served in the US have tasted like bitter, burnt a*****e. Commonly at Starbucks but also at smaller coffee houses. I love that Americans are big on drip coffee, I feel like it's underrated and not widely available here.. but you guys need to work on the espresso thing. Also, last time this thread came up, I listed pumpkin pie and had literally hundreds of angry Americans in my inbox with everything from death threats to their grandmother's secret pie recipe. As an Australian, where we use pumpkin as a vegetable, I've since tried it but it's just weird to me.
So, were all going to just ignore the OP saying they know what "bitter, burnt a*****e" tastes like?
Yes we are. This is a thread about food, not about what and where they might sick their tongue in their spare time. That's a whole other thread that would probably be censored out of existence on BP.
Load More Replies...Starbucks = Starburnts, and is not necessarily considered great coffee by everyone. It’s just well advertised, and easy to get. i feel like a good portion of people who swear by their coffee tend to get flavored drinks where the actual coffee flavor is masked. I also agree on pumpkin pie, but that’s mostly because I don’t like how sweet it is. Not a squash fan, in general, though spaghetti squash is good and versatile. Edit: lol. Down voted for not liking pumpkin pie and Starbucks.
As they still taste of a$$h0le$, just not with that bitter burnt aftertaste?
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My European family and friends are horrified by Southern grits. I can't even get anyone to try it.
Maybe stupid but honest question: What is the difference between grits and polenta? Isn’t it cooked ground corn? I’ve never eaten grits but I like polenta - why is grits disgusting?
By your last name, I'll assume you're Italian. In Italian, it's called semolino. Similar to polenta, but made out of wheat. In Croatia, we cook it in milk as a dessert ( or kid's meal) with sugar, in the soup when somebody is sick as a diet food, use it to make dumplings ( originally Grießknödel from German cuisine), or in some deserts as an ingredient, but NEVER EVER we boil them in water. Grits are a little bit of texture and no flavor whatsoever.
Load More Replies...First of all, "grits" is plural. We don't eat a grit. Secondly, it's all in the preparation. I've known many people who wanted to try them plain first. Never do that. Butter, salt, pepper, possibly cheese and bacon or sausage cut up and mixed in. Now try them.
WHAT ARE GRITS! I ALWAYS HEAR ABOUT THEM BUT HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THEY ARE
Like oatmeal made from cornmeal, they're pretty bland on their own, but if you add some seasoning, they're not bad.
Load More Replies...Even the basic foods like bread, fruits, spreadable butter and cream taste so.. blargh. So artificial and unfresh.
I’ve heard this time and again from non-Americans, and have tasted the difference myself. The complaint is that the fruits and veggies and meat are all huge in size, but are tasteless. I discovered the difference abroad when I ate pork chops, and asked my husband if they were off, I was so suprised by the unusual flavor. No, they weren’t off, he replied, that is literally how pork tastes. In America, your pork has no flavor.
Setiously veggies and fruits in the USA dont taste like much or anything. And so unflavorful as compared to those I eat in India.
Load More Replies...So, fruit , meat - it depends on where you get it from, and season. Fruits and veggies especially. Strawberries, for example. In season, they’re delicious. Out of season, you get stuff grown in hothouses and places where the soil doesn’t produce stuff with as much flavor. I grew up in New York, and the fruits and veggies were always flavorful. The stuff I get in Florida is frequently bland, and regularly having to be shipped in from out of state because the soil here isn’t necessarily great for a lot.
It's also great in the warmer months when farmers' markets and roadside stands have locally grown fruits and vegetables for sale. I live in upstate NY where we have farms, orchards and vineyards all within driving distance. Unfortunately, in winter we have to settle for shipped and hothouse-grown produce which is tasteless.
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When I first moved here a few years back, biscuits and gravy weirded me out the most, but I have grown to enjoy it. Still looks like vomit, though.
Amen - it looks like some sort of beef hash that has been run through a blender. Gravy eaten with biscuits is white - made with some of the grease left from cooking sausage, flour "browned" in that grease, milk and some of the sausage broken up in it. We didn't eat this when I was growing up, maybe it wasn't an eastern NC, USA, thing, but my husband grew up in the Smokey Mountains eating it. BTW - it's good!
Load More Replies...Er, I don’t know who told you that is biscuits and gravy, but it’s not.
rocky mountain oysters
Round the Bend Steakhouse in Nebraska has a t___ festival every year during fathers day weekend. They used to have bull, pig, and lamb ballz but now just bull. Lamb were the best. The souvenir T-shirts are not safe for work, lol
Sweetbreads are two separate glands - the thymus gland (from the throat) and the pancreas gland (from the heart or stomach) that are taken from calves or lambs. Don't fancy any of them personally...
Load More Replies...Taste like chicken MC nuggets when fried... Makes you wonder what is really in those nuggets.
It's sheep's testicles where I live made popular by the Basque immigrants... but the deep fry is all American lol
I pray I'll never find myself hungry enough to even try 1 of these
They were big in Colorado, too. There are certain body parts that I absolutely refuse to eat.
Load More Replies...Twinkies.
They aren't as good as they were many years ago when the used better ingredients
Agreed. Once Hostess went out of business everything that came backed sucked. Miss the Hostess O's.
Load More Replies...Why are other countries so obsessed about twinkies? Ive had maybe 1 twinkie in 15 years.
Not only the unusual combination of peanut butter and jelly, but also the sheer amount of peanut butter that Americans eat.
Maybe because 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck (lack of affordable housing, minimal government benefits, & low wages) and high-protein food like peanut butter is affordable and filling. Also, in the western US you can live in towns that are hours from a grocery, so food like grits and peanut butter are staples, need no refrigeration, and last.
Please be aware that when Americans say jelly, we do not mean Jell-O. We mean jam. Peanut butter and Jell-O would be disgusting—-and make the bread really soggy.
Unnecessary explanation. Only an idiot wouldn't know this.
Load More Replies...At an old job, a German exchange intern asked me "why I drank beer during lunch", told me root beer tasted like cough medicine after I bought him his first one, and then I didn't talk to him ever again because I realized we would never truly understand one another.
Root beer isn’t beer, it’s a soda made from the root of the sassafras tree. Sarsaparilla is too, and tastes similar, but not the same. I remember when we were kids, my friends and I would cut off the more tender twigs of sassafras trees (which I remember as being more like large bushes than trees), strip the bark off, and chew on the pith of the twig. Because it’s the source of the soft drinks, of course it tasted like something between root beer and sarsaparilla.
Sassafras was labeled a carcinogen and banned in commercially prepared foods in the US back in the 1970s. Most root beer these days is flavored with wintergreen.
Load More Replies...Any kind of cheese in a can
Agreed. Gross -- and for the price per ounce of cheese, you could have much, much better quality cheese.
Something Americans do not eat as much as people elsewhere seem to think. I remember it as a novelty food from the sixties and seventies, but remember, back then our mothers were making some pretty disgusting stuff in aspic jelly, from recipes promoted in Good Housekeeping magazine. I heard nothing about it, and even thought it was long off the market, until I started looking at Bored Panda a couple years ago.
Nothing wrong with Aspic, it's just meat essence. Like soup stock but purer and one ingredient. Very Very good for you (unless you don't eat meat). And synthetic cheese (not really, but I call it that, it's actually sometimes really a real cheddar base), on occasion, is yummy
Load More Replies...Mint-flavored candies, like York Peppermint Patties. I live in Japan now, and most people I've met here hate mint-flavored things. I gave one to a friend, and he said it was the grossest thing he's ever had...tasted like eating toothpaste.
Spearmint is gack but peppermint is a beaut. Spearmint tastes like toothpaste, can't stand that but you can't be a good oul Cadburys mint crisp chocolate bar. All sorts of nom!!!
The mintiest gum I have ever tried was Japanese. Used to get it at the Japanese markets in L.A. I think it was flavored with menthol.
I can't get over all those weird fusion foods that are so popular in America, like burgers topped with deep-fried mac and cheese for buns, sushi burritos, taco pizza, etc.
Why my friend you’re missing out. At least part of the time. (I wouldn’t eat a sushi burrito but taco pizzas are pretty good)
Load More Replies...Spagetti on Pizza….but hey, a German brand did a Pizza-Hamburger thing…. Yeah, that was bad.
My freinds family owns a mexican food truck. It does sushi tacos, and they are really really good
The amount of sugar in American cereal. I could never tell if it was a layer of mold or solid sugar on those Froot Loops.
LOL, you should have seen breakfast cereal back in the 1960s and 70s. They even played up the sugar in the name: e.g., Sugar Frosted Flakes (and, man, there was a solid, thick coat of sugar on every single flake, Sugar Smacks, etc.
I would be very interested to try some US foods that have different ingredients in Europe and compare the two versions.
Cupcakes. I love the idea of having a cute little muffin-like cake, but then you slap ridiculous amounts of sweet cream on top, that is sticky, way too sweet and is of wierd texture. And on top of that, there is often more cream then cake. That's not a good ratio and it starts sticking to your gums. Very difficult to eat and overall not a pleasent experiance.
I love the frosting. I cut my cupcake in half horizontally and the flip the bottom half on top of the frosting. It creates a sandwich with perfect cake to frosting ratio.
Homemade cupcakes are not like this! For some reason, bakeries went insane in the 2010s and started heaping on those massive globs of frosting. It's revolting.
If you don't like them pre-made, bake your own and quit complaining.
I don't think we can be friends, OP.🤣 I will tell you a story- in the 80s when I was a child I was allowed a behind the glass cupcake when we went grocery shopping. One day I found one piled high with icing!! Well I bit into the icing and there was a huge marshmallow inside. A space taker. I was so mad. Here it is, 35 years later, and i am not over it.
You don't eat frosted cake? I'm so confused by this one. It cake not a muffin.
If I may: in Germany for example there are actually very few frostet cakes… if any. I can only think of one, but I’m not sure if it is really what you would call frosting. It is not that sweet as far as I know. (I’m thinking of Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte) We prefer cakes with fresh fruits, mostly. Apfelkuchen, Zwetschgenkuchen, Bienenstich has a cream, ….
Load More Replies...Cream cheese! Has a nice fresh and a bit sour (?) taste to it.
Load More Replies...Some people like the cake more so than the icing. I've seen them scrape off the icing and eat the cakey part by itself. The icing is very sweet and for the most part is an edible decoration.
Cornflakes — I'm not a farm animal, damn it. Quit feeding me corn and sugar mulch.
Cornflakes were literally introduced into the American diet through propaganda as a “healthy” breakfast, when in fact the opposite was true. Very scary reading of Dr Kellogg’s private writings reveal that he thought his generation’s young men were - literally - too “lusty”, and by feeding them carbohydrates in the morning instead of the usual meat and egg breakfast, their libido and energy would be reduced.. Sad fact - the campaign worked and the American diet is one that has created generations of health problems and misinformation.
Additional fact: He initially produced them together with his brother, and at some point his brother added sugar to the recipe to make them, well, at least a little less bland. Dear old Dr. Kellogg completely effin lost it because now they were too tasty and not boring enough, so he cut all ties with his brother and never spoke to him again (while his brother continued to produce the cornflakes as we know them)
Load More Replies...No offense, but then, don't eat them. Sorry, but the post sounded like they were being force fed the cereal.
I don't understand PB&J.
I love it on ADT! The peanut butter gets all melty mmm mmmm
Load More Replies...The jelly part is jam, not Jell-O. Does that clarify things for you?
I'm from the UK. I love a peanut butter & jam sandwich (jelly is a different thing over here).
you think thats weird, in Belgium they eat "bologna with brown sugar" sandwiches.....
*eyeroll* German here. I would not eat it every day, and I guess neither do they, but it tastes actually great!
Tootsie rolls!
An also-ran of Halloween candy. Still a cut above candy corn tho!
Load More Replies...Coke as breakfast drink
That's really only a southern thing (although I do confess to sometimes grabbing a diet Coke in the morning if I'm exhausted, since I don't like coffee but need caffeine.)
i used to do that :-D straight to the fridge first thing in the morning, poured myself a big glass and chug chug chug chug chug the first contribution to my 2 liter a day addiction -_-
My Japanese teacher in high school always has her Japanese exchange students try root beer and they always hate it. Made one cry once because of how awful she thought it was
Must be how people are brought up. As little kids everyone I knew loved root beer.
I never cared for it but it never made me cry.
Load More Replies...We grow accustomed to tastes. There are a lot of things that people in other countries find delicious that turn my stomach.
Went to the States. Tried root beer. Super disappointed at how bad it tasted. Might as well stick TCP in a soda-stream.
Okay, how is everyone hating on rootbeer? If it wouldn't kill me, or try to, than I'd drink that every day.
I'm convinced that the KFC Double-down is the biggest reason people hate America
one time in NYC we couldnt agree on where to eat, we got more and more hungry and eventually ended up at KFC. We forgot we were in the States and accidentally ordered SO MUCH FOOD but the chicken was so nice and crispy! Though we've seen them all over Europe, they now came to our small town and we went twice, but it was not nice at all. :-(
KFC opened a couple of years ago in my town (Sweden). I tried it once in Spain in 1995, but my wife liked it when she was a kid and her family traveled in the states. So naturally we went there. We found it greasy, bland and gross.
Was traumatized by the amount of grease between the chicken and the breadcrumbs
Load More Replies...I have lived in the Midwest, the South, and Pacific Northwest and I had to google what a KFC double down is.
I think it is very tasty, but too expensive. I eat it when I visit Poland. Way cheaper there. (German here).
KFC here in Kamloops is nothing but a tasteless ball of grease. I DO NOT recommend.
Not me but we have very good family friends in/from Botswana. My mom tells me that the idea of eating lobster, to them, is disgusting and scary, because they look like scorpions.
Yeah I do not eat anything that's comes out of the river or oceans.
Load More Replies...I knew an Afghan who married a Philippina. She thought lamb was disgusting, he didn't understand how she could eat insects (prawn). I believe they compromised on fish
But what about mop and worms? Most Americans would run wildly away from eating them
I get that -- but lobster is freaking delicious. I'd bet it they were introduced to it out of the shell, they'd love it.
Family from Poland thought shrimp looked like bugs so they refused to eat them. This was a long time ago though, like 40-50 years I think.
Deep dish pizza. This creation is not pizza. It is disrespectful to the Italian culture, especially Neapolitans. Deep-dish completely ruins what pizza is meant to be.
I don't like it but don't see how a dish can be considered as an insult to an entire nation, dude needs to chill
Like many foods, Americans change things to appeal to them and make it there own.
Correction, immigrants to America who open up restaurants generally modified their native foods to appeal to more customers than their core group. A basic business strategy; expanding your clientele.
Load More Replies...Hey - I got your disrespect right here. Why would we care about disrespecting an ice cream flavor.
Oh come on! Food evolves too! With this mindset you would need to ban Chicken Tikka Masala too!
The way Americans take coffee to-go. My partner's Italian mother absolutely can't get over the idea of seeing people walk around holding coffees. Americans are the only ones who don't enjoy their coffee while seated at a café.
I went to Florence for a job travel, and I felt that I was the only one taking more than two minutes to drink an expresso. There was a queue at the counter to order, everyone ordered, was being served, drank their coffee in one or two sips standing up and left
Fabian, your suppose to neck them! Thats what that LMFAO "shots" song is all about! Ha ha
Load More Replies...When I went to Rome, people were getting their coffee at little corner shops . . . with a shot of alcohol in them. I'm pretty sure they didn't drink them down while still standing in the store.
Takeaway is common in a lot of places. The problem with American coffee dhops is that so many of them are takeaway only. Drive thru coffee is the norm.
Beef jerky is too chewy and gives me rotten indigestion.
uuuuuhhhhh jerky is just how food used to be preserved everywhere before refrigeration it is not an american thing at all or even close or even kind of. Jerky has been around since the start of history. probably before.
Mixing sweet and salty foods, like honey-baked ham, pineapple on pizza, frosty fries, corn bread, and then pouring super-sweet soda over all your meals as you eat them... Even after 17 years in the states I still can't do it, f***ers drink some kind of flavored soda with everything, but when I order club soda (soda without flavoring) with my meals they all look at me like I just took a p**s in my cup before drinking it....
The combination of sweet and salty foods is great, depending on which kind of food you're combining. Honey and fruits with meat is around for centuries - there are plenty of ancient recipes.
So many cuisines mix fruit and meat, with perfect success
Load More Replies...Agreed! Try the Green & Blacks Organic chocolate, with Anglesey sea salt! :)
Load More Replies...I’m American, and in my 67 years I have NEVER seen or heard of anyone pouring soda on anything!
You would ask for either seltzer, carbonated water or fizzy water. A Soda Stream gives you the option at home and you can make various flavors of fizzy water, or as I prefer - just charged water
American jam (jelly) doughnuts are filled with strawberry, Aussie ones are filled with Raspberry. Every thing there is sort of the same, but slightly wrong, like uncanny valley.
? All the ones i get are raspberry or custard. Never seen a strawberry one.
Can't do jelly, ugh, but enjoy the Bavarian creme filled donuts
But Australia doesn’t have the crème filled Krispy Kreme donuts - which boggles my mind. The selection of Krispy Kreme donuts in Oz is so amazingly limited. Having grown up with signature crème donuts, I am not a fan of the custard. In the Aussie ones. But then again, the food is much better overall in Australia.
No, American jelly donuts are filled with raspberry, not strawberry.
Your Yellow f**ken cheese, that's not cheese!!! you f*****s put it on everything. Im sure i have seen it offered on top of ice cream. of and your coffee sucks as well.... but i love America, its real diverse and a great place for travelling.
If you mean kraft singles, that's pretty much just for grilled cheese, but yellow cheese is just dyed.
There are over 334million people here! “Dear nonAmericans, please stop over generalizing!”
You are correct it is pastuerized cheese product. Which is what makes it better.
California cheese ist awful. Visconsin cheese is very good, though.
Well in California there are so many different cheeses and types of cheese how. Can you judge it like that? I have had very good cheeses from lots of places and very bad cheeses from those same. My actual favorite. She is comes from Vermont. I have another one that I like to come from Utah
California is second only to Wisconsin in cheese production - the two states providing cheese for much of the rest of the country. California cheeses are easily as respectable as those from Wisconsin!
Reading this entire article has solidified my firm belief that we can take on the entire world again if we had too.
Lol ........ but not until the infighting stops
Load More Replies...Here we go again. There are a lot of ridiculous foods in the US. There are a lot of amazing foods in the US. If you feed yourself here only by going to gas stations, fast food joints, country fairs, Walmart and Aunt Millie's for dinner, this is what you'll see FFS. The generalizations are just dumb.
Ah yes. The BP "how to bash Americans today" post. Can we at least get something NEW?
Agree. Not an American but I am a bit fed up of all the "Look, Americans are weird and awful" lists on BP.
Load More Replies...American here and I hate nearly all of the foods listed. Too much sugar. Too much grease. Too many artificial colors and so forth. The three things I am guilty about are the applesauce, mint flavored things, and rootbeer.
I miss real root beer. Can't stand the stuff they make today
Load More Replies...I'm so tired of these anti American lists. Most fellow Americans I know don't indulge in most of this c**p. It's just a bunch of snobbish people trying to make themselves look better than us. You just sound stupid. And way to buy into stereotypes. I'm sure ever country has it's fair share of s****y food. I would just never think to post a list of everything I hate about another country. Get over yourselves and find something else to talk about. And I bet the people on this list are the shittiest tourists ever.
And Brits are evil colonising slavers with appalling cuisine and terrible teeth. Welcome to the "this country sucks" club.☹️
Load More Replies...What a bummer. At first I thought it was something about Non USA for a change
A friend of mine went to the US for business reasons like two years ago, and she said the servings you'd get in a restaurant were so big that she could split one plate with her assistant and they'd both be full.
The original idea was to get your money's worth and have enough for a meal there and then one to take home to eat later. However, in this day and age people just eat it all. Part of the reason why most americans (me included) are all shaped like spheres.
Load More Replies...Cute, but that’s not meant to cover and justify junk food.
Load More Replies...I can definitely appreciate that some American foods seem strange to visitors from other countries.... but that definitely goes both ways... I have traveled abroad quite a bit and can say with earnest people are eating some weird and nasty sh** in other regions of the globe! I guess it's all just what your used to. Italy is the best though. Can never go wrong with Italian food :-)
But never forget that tomatoes are indigenous to the Americas
Load More Replies...This topic is SOOOOOOOOO old and been done ad nauseum. Can we make fun of English and Irish food now?
Here we go again. There are a lot of ridiculous foods in the US. There are a lot of amazing foods in the US. If you feed yourself here only by going to gas stations, fast food joints, country fairs, Walmart and Aunt Millie's for dinner, this is what you'll see FFS. The generalizations are just dumb.
Ah yes. The BP "how to bash Americans today" post. Can we at least get something NEW?
Agree. Not an American but I am a bit fed up of all the "Look, Americans are weird and awful" lists on BP.
Load More Replies...American here and I hate nearly all of the foods listed. Too much sugar. Too much grease. Too many artificial colors and so forth. The three things I am guilty about are the applesauce, mint flavored things, and rootbeer.
I miss real root beer. Can't stand the stuff they make today
Load More Replies...I'm so tired of these anti American lists. Most fellow Americans I know don't indulge in most of this c**p. It's just a bunch of snobbish people trying to make themselves look better than us. You just sound stupid. And way to buy into stereotypes. I'm sure ever country has it's fair share of s****y food. I would just never think to post a list of everything I hate about another country. Get over yourselves and find something else to talk about. And I bet the people on this list are the shittiest tourists ever.
And Brits are evil colonising slavers with appalling cuisine and terrible teeth. Welcome to the "this country sucks" club.☹️
Load More Replies...What a bummer. At first I thought it was something about Non USA for a change
A friend of mine went to the US for business reasons like two years ago, and she said the servings you'd get in a restaurant were so big that she could split one plate with her assistant and they'd both be full.
The original idea was to get your money's worth and have enough for a meal there and then one to take home to eat later. However, in this day and age people just eat it all. Part of the reason why most americans (me included) are all shaped like spheres.
Load More Replies...Cute, but that’s not meant to cover and justify junk food.
Load More Replies...I can definitely appreciate that some American foods seem strange to visitors from other countries.... but that definitely goes both ways... I have traveled abroad quite a bit and can say with earnest people are eating some weird and nasty sh** in other regions of the globe! I guess it's all just what your used to. Italy is the best though. Can never go wrong with Italian food :-)
But never forget that tomatoes are indigenous to the Americas
Load More Replies...This topic is SOOOOOOOOO old and been done ad nauseum. Can we make fun of English and Irish food now?
