# 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:** 4
**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, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/61 "2014-12-04T20:06:36Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Chicken fried steak (what sort of crappy steak is this, that you’d want to fry it like chicken?) It is, admittedly, poor man’s food. It’s usually a tenderized hunk of round steak (usually sold as “cube steak” because it’s run through the butcher’s cubing machine), dredged in flour, salt and pepper, then fried in fat. The drippings are used to make a basic brown or cream gravy. It’s actually quite tasty. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/62 "2014-12-04T20:28:01Z")
Sloppy Joes could be my last meal and I would die a very happy man. It’s invariably what I would ask for on my birthday when my mom would let me choose dinner, and also our traditional meal on Halloween. Other than its deliberate messiness, I don’t see how it’s all that different than international loose-meat dishes like tacos or peroshki. Biscuits and gravy I discovered later in life. I’d heard of it and seen it on menus and gave it a shot. It looks ugly but damn I love it. It’s pretty much replaced pancakes in my breakfast repertoire. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/63 "2014-12-04T20:34:08Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > I’m as American as they come, and wouldn’t even try some of those things. Frito…pie? > > And cheese grits is a first cousin to polenta. When I read “Frito pie,” I heard Homer Simpson in my head. “Mmmmm. Frito pie.” ~(\_8^(1) Seriously, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. Chili and cheese over a layer of Fritos is heaven. Jalapeños optional. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/64 "2014-12-04T20:37:12Z")
Moved MPSIMS --\> Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/65 "2014-12-04T20:44:47Z")
I categorise them thus: **Know what they are, seem perfectly normal** Hot dogs Jello - we call it “jelly”, confusingly White sandwich bread Peanut butter **Know what they are, but you wouldn’t see them here** Pumpkin Pie Biscuits and gravy - I think, in British terms, this is something like scones in white sauce. I guess if you like it, that’s the main thing. Velveeta Cheese Whiz Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie - at least I am guessing that I know what it is **Don’t know what they are** Rootbeer Floats - something to do with ice-cream floating in that abomination known as root beer? Sloppy Joes - some kind of pizza? We do have Sloppy Giuseppe pizza Frito pies Grits - I did know this, but can’t remember what it is Corn dog - possibly a hotdog variant? Chicken fried steak - chicken, and steak, in the same thing? Red velvet cake ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/66 "2014-12-04T20:50:05Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, there’s some odd ones in there. The “chicken fried steak,” especially, since it’s basically just a schnitzel made of beef instead of veal (or pork). Oh, and duh, there’s also the Latin America _milanesa_ preparations, too. A breaded beef cutlet is not exactly a US novelty. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/67 "2014-12-04T20:50:43Z")
Rootbeer Floats - love them. Get them from A&W and also make them myself Sloppy Joes - pretty good, but only if you make from scratch and not from a can Velveeta - good for melting on things. Wouldn’t eat it by itself, but my dog loves it. It is the way we hide her pills Hot dogs - okay, but better in Germany, and I prefer real sausage. Cheese Whiz - Far inferior to Velveeta Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie - Ick.Don’t like rhubarb. Pumpkin Pie - Ick. hate pumpkin Frito pies - Ick - don’t like Fritos Grits - Had when I lived in the south. Okay but not a favorite. Corn dog - way to ruin a hot dog Jello - Our non-US dopers misunderstand this. It is not jelly, it is flavored gelatine. Ate it when I grew up, but that was in the '50s. Don’t eat it now because I’m not a Mormon. Chicken fried steak - way to ruin a steak. Red velvet cake - Bleah. White sandwich bread Fine if good quality and not Wonder Bread Peanut butter - Don’t like, but I’m in the minority Biscuits and gravy - prefer good biscuits with butter. ---
**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, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/68 "2014-12-04T20:55:08Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie > Pumpkin Pie > [@Filbert](#): > > …strawberry and rhubarb is my favourite fruit combo… > > The only one really unavailable in the UK is pumpkin pie, and that sounds pretty good to me. The sweet potato pie I made last week certainly got the thumbs up from both my housemates, and apparently that’s pretty similar. Hilaire Belloc would have thought differently – but he strikes me as very much an “I know what I like, and don’t try to persuade me otherwise” kind of chap. Quoting from memory: In Massachusetts all the way From Boston down to Buzzards Bay, They feed you till you want to die On rhubarb pie and pumpkin pie And horrible huckleberry pie; And when in your despair you cry, ‘What else is there that I can try?’ – They stare at you in mild surprise And bring you other kinds of pies. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/69 "2014-12-04T21:00:19Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Jello - Our non-US dopers misunderstand this. It is not jelly, it is flavored gelatine. But that is what we call flavoured gelatin - “jelly”. Fruit preserves in jars are usually called “jam”, although the term “jelly” is sometimes used for them also. I think there is some technical difference, possibly involving pips vs. no pips. No doubt a non-American jelly expert will be along shortly to clarify. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/70 "2014-12-04T21:03:42Z")
Slightly related: Here’s a youtube page with videos of people, mostly Americans, trying snacks from countries not their own. [https://www.youtube.com/results?search\_query=americans+try+japanese+snacks](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=americans+try+japanese+snacks) > [@Ximenean](#): > > But that is what we call flavoured gelatin - “jelly”. Fruit preserves in jars are usually called “jam”, although the term “jelly” is sometimes used for them also. I think there is some technical difference, possibly involving pips vs. no pips. No doubt a non-American jelly expert will be along shortly to clarify. I was told that in America jelly is made from the juice of a fruit and jam is made from the fruit. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/71 "2014-12-04T21:06:44Z")
[QUOTE=GrumpyBunny] And cheese grits is a first cousin to polenta. [/QUOTE] Some brands actually say both GRITS and POLENTA on the package now. ---
**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, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/72 "2014-12-04T21:11:09Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > Sloppy Joes - some kind of pizza? We do have Sloppy Giuseppe pizza Not even [close](http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sloppy-joes-ii/). ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/73 "2014-12-04T21:11:49Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Jello - Our non-US dopers misunderstand this. It is not jelly, it is flavored gelatine. Ate it when I grew up, but that was in the '50s. **Don’t eat it now because I’m not a Mormon.** Bolding mine. What the fuck does that mean? Where do get the idea it is a “Mormon food” (whatever that means)? Jell-o is for everybody! I made Jell-o for Thanksgiving. There’s always room for Jell-o! ---
**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, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/74 "2014-12-04T21:15:31Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > I was told that in America jelly is made from the juice of a fruit and jam is made from the fruit. Yes: Jelly, jam, and preserves are all in the same food category, but jelly is made from the juice, not the solid fruit; jam is made with pureed fruit; and preverses includes lumps of fruit. And then there’s marmalade (most commonly orange), made with bits of rind. All are used in more or less the same way: you can spread them on bread or rolls or biscuits, or make a PBJ (peanut butter and jelly) sandwich with them. Jell-O is actually a brand name, for the dominant brand of fruit-flavored gelatin dessert, but it’s become somewhat [genericized](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1464/is-there-a-term-for-trade-names-that-become-generic), like “kleenex” or “band-aid.” ---
**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, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/75 "2014-12-04T21:17:02Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Frito pie is one of those things that is more than what it sounds like; I think the classic one is Fritos corn chips (not tortilla chips) and Wolf brand chili with no beans, along with shredded cheddar cheese… Pffft. Why would one bother with store bought ingredients when one could easily deep fry their own corn chips, throw some chili together, and culture their own cheese. It so much better when you make it at home… ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/76 "2014-12-04T21:18:38Z")
So many people who don’t know what chicken fried steak is? Okay…how about chicken fried chicken? ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/77 "2014-12-04T21:20:56Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > Not even [close](http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sloppy-joes-ii/). Oh. So it’s minced beef in a bun. I cannot imagine why it has not caught on here. [QUOTE=Dale Sams] So many people who don’t know what chicken fried steak is? Okay…how about chicken fried chicken? [/QUOTE] Obviously one could Google these things, but that’s no fun. So, the problem with the name “chicken fried chicken” is, how is it different from fried chicken? What, in other words, is the purpose of the word “chicken” before the word “fried”? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/78 "2014-12-04T21:22:08Z")
Frito pie is not too dissimilar to a taco salad, especially the heavy tomato kind. Heck, I’ve seen taco salads with a chili dressing. > [@Ximenean](#): > > Oh. So it’s minced beef in a bun. I cannot imagine why it has not caught on here. In a tomato sauce, but yeah. ---
**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, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/79 "2014-12-04T21:23:06Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > So many people who don’t know what chicken fried steak is? Okay…how about chicken fried chicken? I know what the fried steak is, but what’s “chicken fried chicken”? Why do you need the chicken in there twice? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/80 "2014-12-04T21:24:34Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > The thing that’s really irritating is, it’s incredibly easy to make a good pumpkin pie. A store-bought deep-dish graham-cracker crust, and follow the recipe on the can of Libby’s pumpkin - but double the cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. (I also use a bit less than the full can of evaporated milk, which IMHO speeds the baking time and improves the texture. But that’s a minor point.) I’m sure you mean well, but pumpkin pie has an actual flour crust, just like an apple pie has (except with no top crust). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307.md?page=5)