# 15 things Americans eat that Foreigners hate **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 4, 2014, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307 "2014-12-04T12:38:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/21 "2014-12-04T15:11:24Z")
I take it that things not on the list, can be mentioned: I’m a bit surprised at its not including scrapple. Perhaps because – if I’m right – that is something restricted to a fairly small area of the USA: the sort-of “mid-eastern” bit. Scrapple has featured before, on the SDMB – from pictures of it, it looked to me at first view, revolting; but on reflection, it seems a lot like Britain’s “white pudding”, with which I have no problem. I’d be quite ready to try the s-stuff. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/22 "2014-12-04T15:14:41Z")
Pumkin Pie I like. Grists and Chicken Fried Steak are ok. My complaints about American cuisine is mostly to the amount of sugar they put in their food, not specific dishes, every culture has dishes that makes people say WTF. And not just foreigners. ---
**Author:** ![Inna\_Minnit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Inna\_Minnit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inna_Minnit)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/23 "2014-12-04T15:16:32Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > It’s just chili and corn chips. > Open a bag of Fritos, throw in a ladle of chili, eat with a spork How is that pie? ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/24 "2014-12-04T15:22:37Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > I am skeptical of the hot dogs also. In Europe, sausages are very common. Hot dogs are just a type of sausage. Consider, sausages are named for the towns where they originated: who hasn’t heard of a Wiener (Vienna) or Frankfurter (Frankfurt)? Those are both common aliases for the American hot dog. Yeah, hot dogs are German in origin. Heck, just visit any of the gazillion German Christmas markets that have popped up everywhere in the UK for confirmation. I didn’t know what a sloppy joe was. I’ve googled the pictures and now feel slightly queezy. Is it just like a really wet burger? ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/25 "2014-12-04T15:24:37Z")
> [@vontsira](#): > > I take it that things not on the list, can be mentioned: I’m a bit surprised at its not including scrapple. Perhaps because – if I’m right – that is something restricted to a fairly small area of the USA: the sort-of “mid-eastern” bit. Scrapple has featured before, on the SDMB – from pictures of it, it looked to me at first view, revolting; but on reflection, it seems a lot like Britain’s “white pudding”, with which I have no problem. I’d be quite ready to try the s-stuff. Yes, scrapple is very regional, mostly the PA/NJ area (although I have seen frozen scrapple available in the south). Most people I knew in that area considered it offal… > [@Inna\_Minnit](#): > > How is that pie? It’s not, just like a hot dog has no actual dog…okay, bad example. Just think of it as Frito “pie”. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/26 "2014-12-04T15:35:24Z")
> [@vontsira](#): > > I take it that things not on the list, can be mentioned: I’m a bit surprised at its not including scrapple. Perhaps because – if I’m right – that is something restricted to a fairly small area of the USA: the sort-of “mid-eastern” bit. Scrapple has featured before, on the SDMB – from pictures of it, it looked to me at first view, revolting; but on reflection, it seems a lot like Britain’s “white pudding”, with which I have no problem. I’d be quite ready to try the s-stuff. I hadn’t heard of scrapple before. From Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > Scrapple is best known as a rural American food of the Mid-Atlantic states (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia). Scrapple and panhaas are commonly considered an ethnic food of the Pennsylvania Dutch, including the Mennonites and Amish. Scrapple is found in supermarkets throughout the region in both fresh and frozen refrigerated cases. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/27 "2014-12-04T15:38:50Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > I didn’t know what a sloppy joe was. I’ve googled the pictures and now feel slightly queezy. Is it just like a really wet burger? IME it’s usually eaten open-faced on a plate, with knife and fork. It can be eaten held in the hands, but that’s where the sloppy really comes into play. I haven’t had one in years, since I was a kid. it is pretty good, though. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/28 "2014-12-04T15:41:41Z")
Here are my opinions: Rootbeer Floats - love them. Sloppy Joes - love them. Velveeta - good stuff. Hot dogs - good stuff. Cheese Whiz - OK in small doses. Better with salsa mixed in. Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie - food of the gods. Pumpkin Pie - could take it or leave it. If I take it, it needs lots of whipped topping. Frito pies - never had. But now that someone mentioned how they are ‘made’ I think I’ll have to try it. Grits - never had. Corn dog - not bad if the corn part isn’t too thick. Jello - could take it or leave it. It’s better with fruit mixed in. Chicken fried steak - good stuff. People keep calling this a southern thing but my mom was making it for us when I was a kid and we are about as far from the south as you can get without being in Canada. Red velvet cake - it’s OK. White sandwich bread - pretty innocuous. I don’t see the beef with it. Peanut butter - good stuff. Biscuits and gravy - good stuff. Once again, people keep calling this a southern thing but my mom was making it for us when I was a kid and we are about as far from the south as you can get without being in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/29 "2014-12-04T15:53:23Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > I found this article to be funny. I’ve always assumed some things American are just rare in other countries like say pumpkins for pumpkin pies but I never realized there are some things foreigners just hate just like an American would hate some exotic Asian “delicacy”. You can actually get pumpkin cake (which to my American eyes and tongue, was practically pumpkin pie) in South Korea. It seemed to me to be about as popular as the sweet potato cakes there. “Root beer” is a rare soft drink in other countries and often confused in the UK with ginger beer and mixing it with ice cream is almost never heard of. [/quote] [Ginger beer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger_beer) can be had in the US in both booze and non-booze varieties. Not only is there root beer and ginger beer, there are varieties of sarsparilla, and some varieties of birch beer. Here in China, I’m pleased to say, there are some very good local brands of sarparilla sold in cans at the supermarkets. I grew up in Dixie so I still enjoy hot grits with butter and pepper on them; I was never big on putting salt on my food. The first time I saw grits served up north, it was at the base mess hall in Indianapolis. I was appalled to see cold grits served up with milk and sugar. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/30 "2014-12-04T15:55:37Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > One doesn’t have to be foreign to hate half the stuff on that list. Why do you hate America? A lot of the items on that list are what I’d consider “kid food.” Sloppy joes and corn dogs were staples of the school cafeteria when I was a kid. White sandwich bread and Velveeta are mild, processed versions of real bread and cheese that appeal to the unformed palate of the very young. Jell-O was advertised to kids by Bill Cosby, long before there was anything creepy associated with him; it’s like wiggly candy. And biscuits & gravy is just _awesome_. Back when the Hardee’s fast food chain introduced their breakfast biscuits (in the early 80s?), they were the go-to place for biscuits and gravy. I don’t know that theirs are as good nowadays as they used to be, but McDonalds and other places also offer biscuits and gravy for breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/31 "2014-12-04T15:56:34Z")
> [@Inna\_Minnit](#): > > How is that pie? In the same sense a shepherds pie is a pie. Pie used to have a much broader definition. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/32 "2014-12-04T16:11:05Z")
American here, I’ve heard about some of these Velveeta - I’ve heard this reviled by several non-Americans, they considered it ‘American food’, something that started out as decent food (cheese) that we made with very cheap, barely food type ingredients. Hot dogs - Disliked for the same reason as Velveeta, it’s an ‘American food’ version of what the rest of the world calls sausage. Corn dog - Breading and deep frying things that up until now weren’t is apparently an ‘American food’ thing too Peanut butter - Everyone I’ve talked to just said it was really uncommon outside of America, and that it was considered a dessert or treat kinda thing, not regular food > [@SanVito](#): > > I didn’t know what a sloppy joe was. I’ve googled the pictures and now feel slightly queezy. Is it just like a really wet burger? “Sloppy Joe” is just seasoned tomato sauce with ground meat mixed in. It’s kinda like chunky spaghetti sauce. You ladle some onto a burger bun and try to eat it without getting it all over the place. I ate it as a kid, and haven’t since then, always thought of it as kid’s food. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/33 "2014-12-04T16:16:31Z")
Those of you who are saying Frito pie sounds disgusting, are you objecting to the method of serving or just the combination of chili and corn chips? ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/34 "2014-12-04T16:20:36Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > It’s just chili and corn chips. > Open a bag of Fritos, throw in a ladle of chili, eat with a spork Sometimes dressed up some more and called a Walking Taco. > [@Frank](#): > > One doesn’t have to be foreign to hate half the stuff on that list. Just a Soviet spy, Komrad? 🙂 OK - I will admit to not being a big fan of corn dogs. But if you are at the county fair and the wind from the animal exhibits is just right and the Elephant Ear stand has too much of a line, I can handle it. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/35 "2014-12-04T16:24:16Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > What is the objection to chicken fried steak? Is it the white gravy? Because otherwise, it’s a fairly common dish in a large part of the world, it’s just called something different. It’s just a variation on wiener schnitzel. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/36 "2014-12-04T16:27:50Z")
Tangentially anecdotally-related: A friend was travelling in Japan for a while and had grown mightily tired of Japanese food. As he passed a restaurant, he spied in the window where they put all the fake wax food showing what they had for sale, a root beer float. He went inside and, by virtue of much hand-waving and pantomime, ordered it. You can imagine his dismay when he was served a tall, frosty glass filled with tofu and iced tea. ---
**Author:** ![vd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b19c9b/32.png) [@vd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vd)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/37 "2014-12-04T16:46:23Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > > [@SanVito](#): > > > > Yeah, hot dogs are German in origin. Heck, just visit any of the gazillion German Christmas markets that have popped up everywhere in the UK for confirmation. > > > > I didn’t know what a sloppy joe was. I’ve googled the pictures and now feel slightly queezy. Is it just like a really wet burger? > > “Sloppy Joe” is just seasoned tomato sauce with ground meat mixed in. It’s kinda like chunky spaghetti sauce. You ladle some onto a burger bun and try to eat it without getting it all over the place. I ate it as a kid, and haven’t since then, always thought of it as kid’s food. Think Shepherd’s Pie, except in/on a bun instead of under mashed potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/38 "2014-12-04T17:00:31Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Those of you who are saying Frito pie sounds disgusting, are you objecting to the method of serving or just the combination of chili and corn chips? It probably tastes good to be honest. But eating something called “Frito Pie” sounds like something they’d have for dinner on that show with Honey Boo Boo. ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/39 "2014-12-04T17:08:44Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > I’m as American as they come, and wouldn’t even try some of those things. Frito…pie? Don’t knock it until you try it ! (do you remember Dr. Seuss’ “Green Eggs and Ham” ?) First, it definitely needs cheese - grated cheddar or american works. When I first heard of it, I, too, was a bit put off (“that much salt ???”). But in the interest of science, I took the advice of others, and tried one. And amazingly, it works. It’s one of those “completely devoid of nutritional value, but tastes good” (particularly on a cold day) kinds of foods - think funnel cake. I was told about a canadian treat called “poutine” (sp?) that sounds like the same type of “not good for you, but awesome” kind of food. As to the “pie” name - mine was served in a bowl and I figured that was “pie like” enough. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/40 "2014-12-04T17:18:16Z")
I’m guessing that [this](http://www.answers.com/article/1192317/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate) is the article the OP’s referring to. I must say that I think “hate” is a pretty strong word. “15 Things That Aren’t As Common In Other Countries” might be nearer the mark. And really, why would they be? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307.md?page=3)