"International" foods aisle in the supermarket
By Suzieqmom
@Suzieqmom (2755)
United States
September 28, 2012 6:00pm CST
At one of our local, more upscale grocery stores, there is an "international foods" aisle. I love shopping in this aisle, because they have foods from all over the world--asian, mexican, spanish, irish, german, brazilian, and more. But recently they added a new section to this aisle--"american". Now, since I live in the United States, how exactly is "american" food considered "international" here? if I lived in another country, then "american" food might be considered international, but surely not in the U.S.? This confused me. . .what do you think? Have you seen something like this in your own supermarket or grocery store?
2 people like this
13 responses
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Sep 12
We do have an international section, mostly Mexican, Chinese, and Thai food. I have not seen an Irish, German, or Brazilian, bt really that is because I have not looked and have not been to Superstore for a while. I live in Canada by the way,. I do have a theory about the American section. That is so the Mexican, Chinese, Thai, Irish, German, etc. who are visiting know where to find the real American food.
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
29 Sep 12
Hee hee! That's funny. Although, if you saw the food they put in the "American" section, then it's kind of sad--tuna fish, chef boyardee ravioli, spaghettios, spam--not really what I would consider the best representation of American food! But maybe to the Mexican, Chinese, Thai, Irish, snd German visitors, that's what American food is! 
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Sep 12
I always thought of American as hamburgers and fries with coleslaw on the side. I gather they cannot put that on a shelf unless they have a restaurant in the store. But they could put Boston baked beans, Spam (love that) and canned vegetables. The there is ketchup. I do wonder why they need an American section, since is not the whole store apposed to be American except for the International section?
@mysdianait (66005)
• Italy
30 Sep 12
What is American about ravioli? Unless the filling is made of hamburger? 
1 person likes this
@allknowing (153040)
• India
29 Sep 12
If you go strictly by the meaning of the word 'International' then it seems ok. One dictionary meaning is
"between or among nations; involving two or more nations: international trade."
@allknowing (153040)
• India
29 Sep 12
Were you able to compare the food that is kept here and in the general food area? Any difference? Anything special?
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
1 Oct 12
Definitely not anything special. . .maybe different! Most of it is just canned meats and such, whereas the rest of the store has mostly fresh foods or somewhat higher quality items. So what is the message here?
So what is the message here? @Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
29 Sep 12
True, but then what about all of the rest of the food in the store?
@yoyo1198 (3641)
• United States
29 Sep 12
The word 'International' leaves one thinking of all nations. So in that context then American food can be considered international for, say, a Frenchman or a German shopping in the grocery.
Recently, I discovered an entire store dedicated to international foods. The products are sufficiently varied and the prices are amazingly affordable. I love to browse around in there. I get all of my Asian ingredients for my menus. I make Asian three or four nights a week. It is delicious.
@mysdianait (66005)
• Italy
30 Sep 12
Is the food available in an international store imported or is it foreign recipes produced in US?
@yoyo1198 (3641)
• United States
30 Sep 12
@Diana....the food in 'my' international store is all imported. I don't think I saw anything that was made in the USA. Even the fresh produce came from Mexico and South America. There was some yellow squash that maybe came from USA but I'm not certain.
This store is huge with aisle after aisle of international food. They have a refrigerated section and a freezer section. The freezers had some types of fish that I've never seen before.
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
29 Sep 12
That is true, but what about all of the other food in the store?
I do like the international foods aisle in general--you can get food from many different countries for reasonable prices. Who knows--maybe the "American food" in that aisle is cheaper than the food in the other aisles!
I do like the international foods aisle in general--you can get food from many different countries for reasonable prices. Who knows--maybe the "American food" in that aisle is cheaper than the food in the other aisles! 
@yanzalong (19087)
• Indonesia
29 Sep 12
I think international foods are the ones widely spread in all countries. I don't think Maxicsn foods are international. Sphagetti is probably international as you can find it in almost all countries in the world.
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
29 Sep 12
That's an interesting way of looking at it although that's not the purpose of the aisle in my store--it's to highlight foods form different countries or regions of the world that maybe aren't so well known. In New Jersey, where I am from, we need a whole aisle by itself for all of the different types and brands of pasta, and spaghetti sauces that they sell.
@mysdianait (66005)
• Italy
30 Sep 12
I am in Italy and we have Mexican food in the supermarkets here 
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
1 Oct 12
I would think that Mexican food would be almost anywhere nowadays. . .do you have American food in Italy? LOL!
@gloryacam (5540)
• Philippines
29 Sep 12
I love that kind of lane in the supermarket, too, because I love all sorts of food from other countries. For us, we have American, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Indian, and other asian foods in our international lane. I suppose your right because it would be funny looking at "Filipino" in that aisle for us.
@gloryacam (5540)
• Philippines
29 Sep 12
Chocolates, Spam and other canned goods, mostly corned beef, bags of chips, canned fruits mostly those not found in tropical regions like cherries, blueberries, etc., cookies - mostly Oreos and other chocolate chip cookies. Most of the time it's not really a separate "American" aisle or something, but we have "memorized" american products by heart. I don't know but Filipinos have this obsession over anything American.
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
1 Oct 12
Hi glory, I know what you mean--my husband is Filipino (U.S.-born) and we have been to the Philippines twice to visit his family, and we did see a lot of American products in the supermarkets. But I didn't recall actually seeing an "American" section. Around here, if you really want to get Filipino food, you need to go to a Filipino grocery store. We have two in our area, and both sell Filipino packaged food as well as fresh-cooked foods, which is a nice treat for our family!
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
29 Sep 12
Exactly! LOL! We don't have a separate Filipino section in that store, but there are a few products from the Philippines in the Asian section. Just out of curiosity--what is sold in the "American" section in your store?
@deazil (4730)
• United States
29 Sep 12
I haven't noticed that but I don't generally look there unless I'm buying something from the UK. I like the candy and biscuits. But it does seem odd because this is America and the whole rest of the store is American food.
I'll have to check the next time I go shopping. What exactly was in the "American" section? Anything new or different? Strange. If I see that in one of the stores I go to I'll ask somebody the reason for it. 
I'll have to check the next time I go shopping. What exactly was in the "American" section? Anything new or different? Strange. If I see that in one of the stores I go to I'll ask somebody the reason for it. 
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
29 Sep 12
Some stores around here have a U.K. section too--I like that section also.
About the American section--that's kind of what I thought as well--that the whole store is "American". And the stuff in the "American food" section is NOT new or different--or even stereotypical like hotdogs and apple pie or something. It's cans of tune, spam, dinty moore stew, chef boyardee, spaghettios, and things like that. Not sure why those are considered American or are a good example of American food, but that's what they have! 
@deazil (4730)
• United States
29 Sep 12
Oh, that's very good. American food is all the junk. What are these stores thinkin'??? It's not like I've never bought any/all of those examples, but I don't think they're a very good representative of American food. Anyway, if I see that where I go I'll ask why. And thanks for commenting! Not a lot of that these days in mylot.
I do appreciate it.
Not a lot of that these days in mylot. I do appreciate it.
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
30 Sep 12
It does seem a rather odd idea to place food traditionally associated with your country in an aisle nominally reserved for international dishes. I know that the term correctly applies, but like you I would immediately associate international with foreign in this context.
Here in the United Kingdom we have a small variety of foreign dishes in most major supermarkets, which usually consists of Italian, Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Thai and a few others. The British dishes are alongside, but they do not tend to class the aisles as international or I am certain that I would have noticed.
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
1 Oct 12
I thought so as well. . .we do have other supermarkets with "international" asiles, but none of them have an "american" section there!
In the UK, are the foreign dishes actually fresh meals and produce, or are they packaged goods on shelves?
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
29 Sep 12
I completely agree--I love buying foods from other countries. But I live in America, so I'm not sure why they put American food in our international food aisle!
@anne25penn (3305)
• Philippines
29 Sep 12
Our groceries here in my country has always had an international section. Before, I could certainly find differences in taste when it comes to buying from these shelves. But now I cannot seem to find anything special (except for the price since these are more expensive) with food bought from the international section. But I haven't seen our groceries add a section for "Filipino" food amongst the international section . I would definitely find it weird indeed if I saw "American" amongst the aisles and I live in America. Maybe it was just labeled for distinction?
. I would definitely find it weird indeed if I saw "American" amongst the aisles and I live in America. Maybe it was just labeled for distinction?@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
29 Sep 12
Maybe, although the food they have in the American section is not special or distinct--it is mostly canned meats, tuna, spaghettios and things like that. Maybe they just didn't know what to do with these items or where to put them so they came up with this option!
@jillhill (37353)
• United States
29 Sep 12
I haven't seen anything like that but I bet its favorites from America for those from other countries to try. I would like the international aisle too..it would be fun to try different things...here though I don't think there is enough call for something like that..
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
1 Oct 12
Maybe. . .hard to say. I just found it to be puzzling, to say the least! It is nice having an international foods aisle--you get to try new things without having to drive to a specialty store.
@mysdianait (66005)
• Italy
30 Sep 12
Could it be that the American food displayed in that aisle is American food that is also distributed worldwide? Not all American food products comply with the laws in some other countries (for example some of the colouring used in American cakes and cookies is not allowed here in Italy).
Here in Italy many supermarkets have an international aisle with food made with ingredients that cannot be found here. For example, some of the exotic fruits are not grown here therefore any foods made using them would be in that aisle.
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
1 Oct 12
Maybe that's it--although I hope they sell other "American" foods overseas besides spam, tuna fish, and spaghettios!
I like Italy's version of an international foods aisle--you get something new and different, that's fresh, too.
I like Italy's version of an international foods aisle--you get something new and different, that's fresh, too. @gloryacam (5540)
• Philippines
29 Sep 12
Chocolates, Spam and other canned goods, mostly corned beef, bags of chips, canned fruits mostly those not found in tropical regions like cherries, blueberries, etc., cookies - mostly Oreos and other chocolate chip cookies. Most of the time it's not really a separate "American" aisle or something, but we have "memorized" american products by heart. I don't know but Filipinos have this obsession over anything American.
I don't know but Filipinos have this obsession over anything American.
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
29 Sep 12
Did they have an "American" section in this aisle as well?
I love the Aisan section--you can find all sorts of yummy, reasonably-priced food.
