American food and how other countries often find it weird
By Sissy15
@sissy15 (12269)
United States
December 12, 2020 1:31am CST
I was reading a buzzfeed article that I'm guessing someone from the UK put together about food. It never really occurred to me what other countries considered weird. I always forget how different the food is here than in other places. I know Peanut butter and jelly isn't something that is eaten in a lot of other places but I often forget how different other things are too.
On the list were things like corn dogs, meatloaf, and beef jerky. Some things I had to admit they had a point and other things while I've never tried them and they sounded incredibly unhealthy didn't sound bad to me. We do have an unhealthy love of bacon here in the US to even the point where I'm left scratching my head at how insane it has gotten. I like bacon as much as the next American but I do agree sometimes we take it a bit too far here. I also saw Jimmy Dean's breakfast on a stick (well that's what I call it I can't remember the actual name) basically it's sausage surrounded by a pancake and it sometimes has things like blueberries and apparently chocolate chips in it. I personally like them from time to time. It's honestly the whole sweet and savory mix that I often like. It's why I put Reese's pieces in my popcorn. I like sweet and salty. It's also why I like pineapple on my pizza. It's different and probably not for everyone but I'm not alone in this weird love of the mixture obviously.
I myself have always questioned the whole sweet potatoes and marshmallow combination we like to put out at Thanksgiving. I have tried it and can honestly say I'm not a fan. I know other countries don't understand our obsession with fake cheese either. They don't get our love of liquid or spray cheese. All I can say is it's not as bad as you think but that doesn't mean we can't or don't appreciate real cheese because we do at least some of us do.
That said I've seen some pretty interesting coming from other countries too that I can't wrap my head around, especially places like Japan. It's interesting to see how different we all are. We may have weird tastes in the US or so it seems but we aren't alone and we also have so many other amazing things here. All I can say is don't knock it until you try it. I personally think you're all right with how we fry too many things like butter (yuck).
Our food here can be absolutely amazing but it can also be over the top. America does know how to do food but along the way we have created some things that I myself can't get behind. I have been surprised over the years learning what other countries see as weird about our food. I know that ice cubes are weird in other countries and that surprised me. I remember learning a long time ago that people in the UK were weirded out over the concept of biscuits and gravy because a biscuit there is more like our version of a cookie and they were picturing us covering our cookies in gravy and it amused me. Our biscuits are more savory. Just like learning their chips are our fries and our chips are crisps there. I don't know how old I was when I learned that but I do remember being shocked. It's funny how things we see as normal are not normal to people in other countries.
That said those of you in different countries have you ever had actual American food? What American foods do you think are weird? What are your thoughts on our food? Is there any American foods that sound good to you that you'd like to try? For the Americans do you ever think about how weird our food is to other countries? Do you think we are bit over the top in our bacon and fried food obsession? Do you like some of the foods other countries think are weird or do you agree that they're weird? I'm just curious on other people's thoughts on our food.
14 people like this
14 responses
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
12 Dec 20
I don't disagree it's just different. America is just known as being a bit more outrageous. Culturally our food is going to be different. That said some countries are probably going to have better food than others depending on what you're used to.
1 person likes this
@indexer (4852)
• Leicester, England
12 Dec 20
I agree - it is all very weird!
I have only visited the US once, and was amazed at the strange way in which Americans actually eat their food, let alone what it is! The habit appears to be to cut everything up first, then abandon the knife, place one elbow on the table - thus taking up as much room as possible - and use the fork to do the actual eating!
Is this typical, or did I just come across a very odd bunch of people in the restaurant I visited?
3 people like this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
12 Dec 20
Honestly, it depends on the people. I don't always put my elbows on the table but do sometimes and I do usually precut my food because I don't like struggling with it as I go (I have carpal tunnel and fine motor issues so often time this is just easier for me than struggling through the whole meal) I also cut my son's food up before hand because it'd be super annoying cutting his up as he went while trying to eat my own food. My husband cuts his as he goes. It varies honestly. I am obviously not going to be putting my elbows on the table if I'm with a bunch of people I'm not familiar with but when it's just at home I sometimes do just because it's honestly more comfortable. To each their own. The only thing we use our knife for is to cut the food. I really don't observe what other people do while they eat I'm too focused on talking to whoever is at my table to really pay attention to other people at restaurants.
I think it's only weird to you because again it's just different. I will agree some things we do are very weird but honestly some of the foods aren't things most of us eat let alone on a regular basis. I don't eat a ton of fried food and I definitely don't want bacon flavored everything. We do love our corndogs though and they are amazing. We have a more relaxed approach to dining here I guess and we like to try things that sometimes really shouldn't be tried. I'm sorry but I'm still stuck on deep fried butter. I remember going to a friend's house as a kid and I watched in horror as she literally picked up a stick of butter and just ate it and to this day I want to gag thinking about it. We know putting your elbows on the table is considered rude but most Americans don't care because quite honestly it really is about comfort and less about manners. Had we been raised to not put them on the table that might be different but a lot of us just didn't have that upbringing. Table manners are definitely something people with more class do here. I grew up poor so table manners really weren't what most of us thought about. I mean if I were to be around a bunch of strangers I'd use them but with my close friends and family? No one cares.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
12 Dec 20
@indexer The fact that you don't know what one is amuses me immensely because it kind of goes into what I'm saying lol. There are so many things here you probably haven't ever heard of. This one that baffles some people in other countries. A corn dog is a hotdog on a stick that is covered in a cornmeal batter and deep fried it is often eaten with ketchup or mustard. It might sound weird but it is delicious. It's a popular fair food but you can get them all over and even in the microwave section at the grocery store. We buy them for my son and put them in the freezer. They're not as good reheated as they are from a fair but they still aren't bad.
@rsa101 (37968)
• Philippines
12 Dec 20
Being the last known American Colony here in Asia we somehow have adapted to the types of food you ate after bringing all your food to our country.
. American influence has established that easy even though you controlled our country for just 3-4 decades. We are actually a mixture of Spanish and Asian when it comes to food. That is why rice is still our staple food. Even though Burgers and french fries are popular food nowadays our McDonald still serve rice with chicken here. I have been to US and there’s no rice served there in Mcdonalds fast food.
. American influence has established that easy even though you controlled our country for just 3-4 decades. We are actually a mixture of Spanish and Asian when it comes to food. That is why rice is still our staple food. Even though Burgers and french fries are popular food nowadays our McDonald still serve rice with chicken here. I have been to US and there’s no rice served there in Mcdonalds fast food.3 people like this
@rsa101 (37968)
• Philippines
12 Dec 20
@sissy15 True many of our food ate mostly influenced by Spanish cuisine since we were under them for 3 centuries so you can easily find their flavors in most of our food. When the American came they were a bit liberated from sharing their cuisine that is why we easily adapted to it. Unlike during the spanish colonial times were discrimination was quite high back then that is why only those in the elite classes were able to enjoy the true Spanish cuisines. But the American rule was quite liberated though we have had a little discrimination too but the food wasn’t part of something that wasn’t controlled by them unlike during the Spanish rule.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
12 Dec 20
@rsa101 That's interesting. I love Mexican food. I don't know how Spain and Mexico's food vary but I imagine it does. It probably has a lot of similarities as most Hispanic countries are similar but also different. I remember having to do a report on a Hispanic country for my Spanish class in the tenth grade and I got Nicaragua and honestly, I looked up what they ate and it was pretty similar to most other Spanish countries. A lot of the Spanish countries are poorer so rice and beans are a staple just like they are in other poorer countries because they are a cheaper food. The way they cook the same foods is often what differs. I remember one of my best friends when I was younger was Mexican and I loved when her mom cooked. It was so different from what my parents cooked but that being said as a kid you have this way of thinking that they probably only cook Mexican food but her mom often cooked American dishes too. I always thought of a culture strictly cooking food from their culture and the concept of anyone making food outside of their culture seemed odd to me. I am what I guess you could refer to as a mutt when it comes to my ancestry I have mostly European ancestry (England, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, French, Scottish, etc) and I didn't grow up in a very cultured home like most US citizens (I say most because again it isn't all) we grew up in the typical American way which is eating the normal variety of foods like meatloaf, tacos, pizza, burgers, steak, soup, etc. and it had no real rhyme or reason and it wasn't all simply "American" because once again in the US our food is already mostly modified from other countries so I never really thought about what it's like in homes where they are from one culture. As a kid I just assumed that if they were Mexican they made Mexican food if they were Chinese they only made Chinese food it was incredibly naive but as a kid I guess you are naive. It just never occurred to me that they'd like food outside of their culture.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
12 Dec 20
I'm always fascinated by how different McDonald's is in all of the different countries. Their menu is always based off of what the locals eat. Here it's pretty much just hamburgers and chicken nuggets and fries of course. We also do our little pies and shakes. I remember when McDonald's temporarily brought in some food items from other countries here and I think I tried two of the menu items one I think was a strudel dessert and it was good but way too rich for me and the other I think was a burger from Spain which I don't remember if I liked it or not but I remember they didn't cook it all the way through so that sort of ruined it.
Here our food isn't exactly all 100 percent American it came from other countries too so it's amusing to see that we had other countries influence our food and we influenced some of yours. Most of our restaurants based off of other countries cuisine isn't even fully authentic but Americanized for our tastebuds. I know that our Chinese places here have really Americanized their food some of the others I'm unsure of. I am fairly sure some of the Mexican restaurants probably make their food a little less spicy for us. I would honestly love to try more foods. Some of my favorite places to get food from here aren't burger places. We have a Lebanese place here I love getting food from. I especially love Baklava. I remember learning how Greece and the Middle East had similar food and were just considered Mediterranean food because once again other cultures can overlap. I love reading about other cultures it's so interesting to see how similar and different places are and how other cultures influenced each other.
1 person likes this
@crossbones27 (48446)
• Mojave, California
12 Dec 20
Those were old days, now America barely eats meat, all plant based, corporations on a war path to make sure plant based meat is here to stay. That is how quickly corporations move now. Burger King already there, wait for it, who is next McDonald's. Australia has been doing that stuff since the 90's not a novel idea, but cooperate America latched its claws in it, now on a war path.
2 people like this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
12 Dec 20
Plenty of Americans still eat meat. There are meatless alternatives which I'm fine with but it won't take over but will become more mainstream and part of the menu. I have no problem with fast food places offering meatless options for some people but the vast majority of people do eat meat. People are learning about healthier eating and meatless options are becoming more popular but are by no means taking over. I don't even know any vegetarians let alone vegans. The few people I know who have attempted it couldn't stay with it. I say if you can make a buck by giving meatless options then go for it. I've tried veggie burgers and some of them aren't bad but they are no substitute for meat. I love vegetables but I don't plan on giving up meat anytime soon.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
12 Dec 20
@crossbones27 I don't see meat going anywhere. I think they'd lose a lot of business if they tried to get rid of it on menus. We had a vegetarian/vegan place here for a while but it couldn't get enough business to stay open. We have another one that went in a while ago and I guess I'll see how that one goes. They won't be shoving it down our throats. They'll give us options and talk healthy eating to us but really I don't see meat going anywhere. I don't mind meatless meals and some of the meat substitutes are ok but it definitely won't be something I'd switch to full time. We are taking a turn into a more health-conscious US but that doesn't mean removing meat from the menu it's more about GMOs and having organic food which isn't a bad thing at least it wouldn't be if it weren't so expensive. We are learning that the way we have been eating really isn't the best for us. The things they put in pesticides aren't good for us. They have taken a look at some of the stuff that goes into our food and have realized it's really not doing us any good to eat like that all the time. It's not about removing meat necessarily but making our food healthier and that's really not a bad thing. Fast food isn't going anywhere. We still like our unhealthy food and that's ok but it shouldn't be something we eat all the time and our food really shouldn't be having stuff we can't even pronounce pumped into it. Back in the day all of the food was organic because they didn't have the technology to add stuff to it. People that are in their 70s and 80s now probably didn't have the junk we did when they were younger. Medical science is why people live longer but if we took a page out of the book of our ancestors and ate the way they did we'd probably be healthier.
1 person likes this
@crossbones27 (48446)
• Mojave, California
12 Dec 20
@sissy15 Fair point but from what I am reading they about to shove plant based meats down throats so hard but I am with you.
Its up to the people to decide and I myself think why not just give them a choice and let them do what makes their heart content instead of forcing people and IS why we always at each others throats.
1 person likes this
@iKONICNoona (3997)
• Philippines
12 Dec 20
I am from the Philippines and haven't gone to other countries. I love to eat and try variety of food . Our dishes here or food are a combination of different spices and ingredients from other countries as well and I must say they all taste good. Just to give a heads up the Philippines was colonized by Spain in 1565 - 1898 and the United States in 1898 -1946 so there are alot of norms, traditions , practices and ways to cook food that we acquired from those countries. Plus the fact that there are also a lot of mix Filipino races in our country. Burgers, pizza, spaghetti, chips, dishes with sauces are the examples of food we have here . Other asian dishes are also available here .One thing I cannot try to eat are the raw ones specially fish, shrimp or squid or even meats.
3 people like this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
12 Dec 20
I actually did know that about the Phillippines and I knew they have a lot of similar foods as we do but I also know our food is still a bit different than there when it comes to some things because some of it is newer. You have things that are probably what the US is most known for like pizza and burgers (although technically pizza isn't even American) I don't however know if you really have meatloaf there? That's one of those foods that other countries often don't have and they think we are insane for eating it although it's probably one of my favorite foods. The thing about the US is we are made up of a lot of different cultures so our food is sort of all over the place because we do take from them. There are more French foods in the south and more Mexican closer to the border. New York has sort of a weird combination of food because a lot of people would settle there after getting off the boat to America and it is just full of more culture than a lot of other areas than the US. Chicago is known for their deep dish pizza and Ohio is known for their chili spaghetti. We all just do things differently depending on the state/area of the US. I also completely agree with you on the fish things. I don't like seafood at all let alone raw.
2 people like this
@iKONICNoona (3997)
• Philippines
12 Dec 20
@sissy15 We do have meatloaf here too. And a lot of canned food and goods . Sardines in cans, sausages , hams , non cook noodles we just have to add hot water and many more .
2 people like this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
12 Dec 20
@iKONICNoona We do have a lot of canned foods here but they as a whole aren't super popular to the majority of us at least not in my area. They are the types of things people stock just in case the power goes out or something. Spaghettios and Ravioli are fairly popular but most canned meats definitely are not. We love our Ramen here though.
1 person likes this
@nigelkoay (67)
• Malaysia
12 Dec 20
I'm from Malaysia and our cuisine is basically multi-cultural based, however, there are unhealthy and healthy options when it comes to Malaysian cuisine. Although i haven't been to USA, but i did see some pretty decent healthy foods in the states through Youtube. I'm just guessing that Media is trying to glorify some of the unhealthy stuffs over there, which probably gives us non-Americans a perception that Americans are all unhealthy.
2 people like this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
12 Dec 20
We are known for our unhealthy food but that being said we do have a lot of healthy options too. Subway is a popular fast food chain here and it as a whole isn't overly unhealthy some of their meats can be fairly unhealthy but it's definitely a healthier option than McDonald's. You can get food from Subway that is healthy though. Getting a sub loaded with vegetables isn't a bad way to go. Their bread has carbs and their sauces and dressings can be fattening but still healthier than other places. I have noticed that we as a country are becoming slightly more health-conscious at least in some ways. I don't know that we are being over-glorified though when it comes to unhealthy eating because we do really like our junk food but you're right that doesn't mean we don't have healthy options because we do.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
12 Dec 20
@nigelkoay It's definitely a good trend. Junk food is great in small doses but I do think it's important to have healthier options.
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@nigelkoay (67)
• Malaysia
12 Dec 20
@sissy15 yup, i know about Subway's options and it is definitely a healthier choice. Its good that your country is heading to the healthier options.
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@GardenGerty (157646)
• United States
13 Dec 20
I feel like there are not a lot of things that are culturally unique to the US, except maybe fried foods, fried chicken. I think we are a great melting pot of foods.
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@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
13 Dec 20
Part of the reason we are unique is because of the fact that we are a melting pot. We have taken all of these different culture's foods and made our own adaptions of them and depending on where you are in the US is dependent on what food is popular.
@Marisawriter (62)
• Australia
13 Dec 20
I've only visited the US a few times. The main thing I noticed about the food was the portion size - twice the size of what you'd get in a British or Australian restaurant. We would order one meal to share and even then, it was often too much.
I notice portion sizes in Australia are getting larger now, too, and it's a bad thing. I think we all grow up getting told off for leaving food on the plate, so we'll try to finish it even if it's too much - and before long, your stomach gets used to the larger portion. And then you get fat! I know the US has had an obesity problem for a long time, and Australia (including me!!) is getting the same way for that reason.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
13 Dec 20
Portion sizes are very large here. My issue isn't how much I eat but what I eat and when I eat like going all day and not eating and then eating at an odd time and going to bed that's an issue. I often times will split something in half and take it home. I usually bring home leftovers from restaurants other times if I'm hungry I'll eat it all but it really depends. My husband and I have split meals before. We are both heavier but it's not from portion sizes. We are trying to eat a bit healthier lately and eat less. You're right though the portion sizes don't help matters. When we make food at home we are much less likely to eat more because we often eat leftovers for a few days because depending on what we are doing sometimes we can't bring home leftovers because they won't be good and then we feel the need to try and eat it.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
13 Dec 20
@Marisawriter I usually eat about half of what comes on my plate at a restaurant. At home, I will literally go all day without eating and then eat dinner so I genuinely don't eat a lot. I might eat more at one sitting but I still eat less than the recommended daily serving of food that said I also eat things that probably aren't the best for me, I eat more at once sometimes, I eat before bed, and my inconsistency in eating has my metabolism out of whack and then on top of it all I have something called PCOS which makes weight gain easier due to hormones and while I can't help one of those issues I can help the others it's just that i don't really think about eating most of the time and forget to and then I'm starved at dinner.
@Marisawriter (62)
• Australia
13 Dec 20
@sissy15 - yes, we've all been taught to hate waste. Actually Australian portion sizes are bigger than British ones, and I gained weight (very slowly) after I migrated to Australia as a result. I didn't even realise i was eating more, until I went home to visit my folks and was shocked to see how little was on my plate! And because I'd got so used to the bigger portions, I still felt hungry after the meal, whereas that size serving was plenty for my British family members.
So you see, you may think portion sizes aren't to blame for your weight, but they probably are part of the problem. We all get too used to them to notice.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (170271)
• United States
12 Dec 20
Honestly, I think every country and culture has foods they love that most of the world would not be interested in or consider to be a taste treat..blood puddings, and insects on a stick for instance.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
12 Dec 20
I completely agree but a lot of things we do in the US baffle most countries outside of ours and I think a lot of that is because we are one of the handful of countries that really makes national news in the way that we do. Our movies make it all over the world because we have one of not the biggest movie industry in the world (I don't really know how big Bollywood is) and people see our movies and our way of life and I think that's why we are seen the way we are and why our food seems to get a bit more attention.
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
12 Dec 20
Well, I mean weird is subjective. Oftentimes it just means different and anything that is different can seem weird to some people. There are definitely food items that seem weird to me. I think weird often has a negative connotation to it and it doesn't have to. I think weird is what we make of it. We are all going to have certain foods we don't like and can't understand how other people could like and that's ok. I like a lot of things other people hate and I'm fine with that. I think it's just interesting to learn about other cultures and what they eat. Sometimes certain things actually sound good to me. When I watch videos of people trying other countries foods I often think it looks good but then there are times I think the opposite.
2 people like this
@FourWalls (62317)
• United States
12 Dec 20
One of my all-time favorite shows is Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel. In it, chef Andrew Zimmern travels all over the country, showing the culinary norms of that country or region (like durian, pig’s brains, snake, etc.). Still can’t watch that scene where he eats the eyes out of a roasted pig, but overall it’s a fascinating look at how the world eats.
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@Mike197602 (15487)
• United Kingdom
13 Dec 20
Even our bacon is different to yours
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
13 Dec 20
@Mike197602 I was going to say Canadian bacon looks about like the picture you posted but it's hard to tell for sure without a picture to picture comparison and a taste comparison. To me, Canadian bacon tastes like ham. It's interesting how different everything is. Our bacon is so greasy and unhealthy but I like it on occasion but I don't eat it all the time because it can be too much. I love a BLT from time to time(I don't know if you have that there I have doubts if you don't have our typical bacon it's Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato and then you put it on toast with some mayo). I also occasionally like a few pieces of bacon at breakfast on occasion.
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@Mike197602 (15487)
• United Kingdom
13 Dec 20
@sissy15 Hadn't heard of Canadian bacon but by the look of it it is similar to our bacon...not sure what cut it is or how it's processed but it looks the same.
Over here we call your type streaky bacon.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
13 Dec 20
I agree but for me it's just interesting to hear what others think is weird because for us something is so normal and then to hear someone tell us it's not normal for them seems unusual because we often don't really think about what's normal in other countries.
1 person likes this
@Cheyee (8362)
• Pakanbaru, Indonesia
12 Dec 20
Well, i think it's about culture and habit. People find it weird because they are not used to it. Just like my country Indonesia, chocolate cake and grated cheese is very common here. I just found out most people from other country (western i think) find it weird. We eat heavy food for breakfast, we eat rice and fried noodles, we need rice so badly, even people here say they still haven't eat if they dont eat rice (they eat whole pizza, but say they havent eat because it wasn't rice).
So yeah, it's about culture and habit.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
12 Dec 20
I agree part of what makes it weird is that it's different and something we aren't used to but it's weird to us because we can't visualize trying certain foods and liking them because we aren't accustomed to eating them. I would say chocolate cake and cheese does sound weird to me but I think that comes down to the whole sweet and savory thing but I just can't visualize eating cheese on cake. I know that rice is a staple in a lot of Asian countries but rice as a whole is something that's common in a lot of cultures but the way it's made and eaten varies from culture to culture. I love Spanish rice and I love just plain white rice and I love fried rice and they all taste differently. I can't imagine eating a whole pizza and saying I haven't eaten because I didn't have something though. To me, the act of eating anything means you've eaten. I will say all I ate was junk today if I didn't eat something substantial though.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
13 Dec 20
@Cheyee I understand that I'm just saying here no matter what you eat you typically don't say you haven't eaten unless you literally haven't eaten anything. If we've had snacks or junk food we'll say something along the lines of "I haven't eaten anything but junk all day" or "I haven't had a real meal today". If you were to say something like that here we would think you've literally starved yourself that day.
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