# 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:** 9
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/161 "2014-12-05T05:06:57Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Pumpkin’s a savoury vegetable to some of us, this is like having sweet broccoli pie for dessert. That’s gross. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/162 "2014-12-05T05:10:05Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > You may have had grits and not even known it. Grits are also known as polenta in Italy and the fanciest Italian restaurants serve it as a side dish. Not quite - polenta isn’t made with hominy, just straight (usually yellow) cornmeal. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/163 "2014-12-05T05:11:18Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > That’s gross. Precisely. (I should add, I _personally_ have no problem with sweet pumpkin pie) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/164 "2014-12-05T05:26:08Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > For a truely rich experience there is the mutton pie and the pork pie. Steak and kidney for me, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/165 "2014-12-05T05:56:06Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > Meat pies are popular in some parts of the US, but seem almost unknown in others. Natchitoches, a town in Louisiana, is particularly known for them, with the classic being a fried pie filled with a spicy mix of minced pork and beef. Crawfish pies are also pretty common in Louisiana. I know of restaurants in Texas and Oklahoma that specialize in fried pies, both sweet and savory. I haven’t really seen this type of meat pie much outside the South, though. Huh, and I’ve never heard of meat pies from the South ever (I live in Atlanta). The only meat pies I’ve heard of (and had) were from the North, and not the Northeast North (where I’m originally from), but North Central - so Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the Dakotas, Montana - usually referred to as a pasty (I had a fantastic one about a year back in Butte, Montana). ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/166 "2014-12-05T06:34:38Z")
Why the hate for corndogs? Best thing on the list!. Get rid of the stupid hotdog bun and wrap it in delicious cornbread then deep-fry it. Delicious! As an American, the one I don’t like is the biscuits and gravy because I don’t like sausage (probably a conditioned response because it gives me such painful heartburn), Also, even though I don’t particularly like rootbeer, a well-made rootbeer float on a hot day is awesome (although as a teenager I used to use TAB and mint chip ice cream so my palate may be somewhat questionable. Sloppy Joes can be delicious or an abomination depending on how they are made (hint from my cooking experience-do NOT try to substitute honey for sugar and cayenne pepper for hot sauce). Velveeta is the only thing to use in certain melty recipes but nobody eats it plain-do they? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/167 "2014-12-05T06:35:02Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > Huh, and I’ve never heard of meat pies from the South ever (I live in Atlanta). The only meat pies I’ve heard of (and had) were from the North, and not the Northeast North (where I’m originally from), but North Central - so Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the Dakotas, Montana - usually referred to as a pasty (I had a fantastic one about a year back in Butte, Montana). They are a Louisiana specific food, not a general Southern one. I am from Northern Louisiana and meat pies as well as a special kind of tamale are common foods with a very long history that originated during the Spanish Colonial period and still exist to this day. They are both very good even though they probably aren’t that good for you. It is very similar to other meat pies found in former Spanish colonies like Argentina. You can find isolated pockets of other meat pies in other places including some other places in the South but they are not common and the Louisiana version is the only one that I know of that has an extremely long history. > **[Natchitoches meat pie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natchitoches_meat_pie)** > > The Natchitoches meat pie is a regional meat pie from northern Louisiana, in the United States. It is one of the official state foods of Louisiana. > Ingredients include ground beef, ground pork, onions, peppers, garlic, oil, and a pie shell. Natchitoches meat pies are often fried in peanut oil because of that oil's high smoking temperature. A number of restaurants in the historic district in Natchitoches serve meat pies, and frozen pies are available from grocers in northern Louisiana. > It has a ... ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/168 "2014-12-05T06:35:35Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > Huh, and I’ve never heard of meat pies from the South ever (I live in Atlanta). The only meat pies I’ve heard of (and had) were from the North, and not the Northeast North (where I’m originally from), but North Central - so Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the Dakotas, Montana - usually referred to as a pasty (I had a fantastic one about a year back in Butte, Montana). Yeah [pasties](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasty) are a big thing in some US states and definitely here in Michigan and not just the UP either. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/169 "2014-12-05T06:48:41Z")
I wonder how many countries still eat brains and eggs? My mom and her sisters did in the 1930’s. They quit after leaving home. My mom has said thats really the only way brains were served. At least among the families she knew growing up. [They come in a can](http://www.dba-oracle.com/images/redneck_pork_brains.jpg)and are still packaged and sold by Armour. Gotta admit the eggs on the cans label look pretty good. Never had them and don’t plan to either. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/170 "2014-12-05T06:56:46Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > Why the hate for corndogs? Best thing on the list!. Yeah, me too. One of my favorite foods as a kid… and still love them with mustard. Treat yourself and try one if you haven’t. I’d never heard the term Frito pie before, but when I was in Little League, Pepper bellies, as they were called, were a hit at the concession stand and scored with me personally. But that was in 1976 and I would have guessed they would have retired from the game by now. BTW, here is a [link to the “article”](http://www.answers.com/article/1192317/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate) alluded to in the OP. While the author supplies enough American origins of the foods mentioned, not a whole lot of cites that foreigners hate them. I think more so, they just don’t know about them. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/171 "2014-12-05T07:11:45Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > Huh, and I’ve never heard of meat pies from the South ever (I live in Atlanta). The only meat pies I’ve heard of (and had) were from the North, and not the Northeast North (where I’m originally from), but North Central - so Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the Dakotas, Montana - usually referred to as a pasty (I had a fantastic one about a year back in Butte, Montana). I’m also in Atlanta. If I get a craving for a meat pie, I go to a Jamaican restaurant and get a “Jamaican patty.” (Beef or chicken, with jerk or curry flavorings.) Had some pasties when I visited the UP once. Similar concept, not as spicy. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/172 "2014-12-05T10:11:31Z")
Are grits actually gritty? ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/173 "2014-12-05T10:56:50Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > \*\*Why the hate for corndogs? \*\* Best thing on the list!. Get rid of the stupid hotdog bun and wrap it in delicious cornbread then deep-fry it. Delicious! > > As an American, the one I don’t like is the biscuits and gravy because I don’t like sausage (probably a conditioned response because it gives me such painful heartburn), > > Also, even though I don’t particularly like rootbeer, a well-made rootbeer float on a hot day is awesome (although as a teenager I used to use TAB and mint chip ice cream so my palate may be somewhat questionable. > > Sloppy Joes can be delicious or an abomination depending on how they are made (hint from my cooking experience-do NOT try to substitute honey for sugar and cayenne pepper for hot sauce). > > Velveeta is the only thing to use in certain melty recipes but nobody eats it plain-do they? Are corndogs the same as hotdogs only with a batter coating? Would I be right to argue that the worst of “traditional” American foods are of German-American origin? No offence meant to German-Americans themselves just their food. ---
**Author:** ![BOOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c4cdca/32.png) [@BOOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BOOM)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/174 "2014-12-05T10:58:32Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Rootbeer Floats > Sloppy Joes > Velveeta > Hot dogs > Cheese Whiz > Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie > Pumpkin Pie > Frito pies > Grits > Corn dog > Jello > Chicken fried steak > Red velvet cake > White sandwich bread > Peanut butter > Biscuits and gravy > > Any comments from the non-American dopers? I don’t mean to be harsh but an awful ot of US food is like … kids food, but in ridiculous-sized portions. I know this particular list has a lot of snackish stuff but really, pizza? burger and fries? It’s indulgent garbage. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/175 "2014-12-05T11:49:19Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Are grits actually gritty? No, not in my experience. I suppose they are before you cook them, though. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/176 "2014-12-05T12:07:00Z")
I’m American, but I’ve lived in Norway since 1990. In my experience, Norwegians’ (and probably other Scandinavians’) take on these would be about so: Rootbeer Floats - the few Norwegians I’ve convinced to try root beer have said it tastes like toothpaste. An ice cream float made with cola or, say, orange soda would probably have more appeal, though many would probably complain it’s too sweet. Sloppy Joes - I make these for my family. My kids’ friends have thought they looked weird, but have liked them once they’ve tasted them. Velveeta - only Norwegian I know of who has tasted this is my husband, who said it was better than he expected, but unsettlingly salty for cheese. Hot dogs - quite popular here, not exactly identical to the American version but close enough. Cheese Whiz - see Velveeta, except he didn’t like it as much. Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie - Don’t see that this would be an issue, both strawberry and rhubarb are popular here. Never made it, but only because I really don’t like rhubarb, and it doesn’t help to dilute it with strawberries. Pumpkin Pie - I make this every Thanksgiving and it always disappears. This year I swear somebody attempted to lick the pie pan clean. Frito pies - I suppose if you altered it to a chili-based dip you ate with tortilla chips, this would work. As it is, I suspect most people here would say it looks pretty gross and also like something an eight-year-old would ask for for supper. Grits - Several kinds of porridge are popular here, people would probably be willing to try it. Corn dog - I have had to convince Norwegians that these are real, and not just something made up for movies and comic books. I think that says it all, really. Jello - Popular here, though mostly seen as a kids’ dessert. Jello salads, on the other hand, they would rightly shun as an abomination before the lord. Chicken fried steak - they would wonder why you did this to a poor innocent steak. Red velvet cake - Has been sold here, was pretty popular. Norwegians tend to like American cakes and pastries. White sandwich bread - I have yet to meet a Scandinavian who has anything nice to say about American bread. Nothing personal. Peanut butter - widely available but seen as something for kids, not often eaten by adults. Biscuits and gravy - Never tried a Scandinavian on this but I suspect they’d find it messy-looking an unappetizing. Might like it once you got them to taste it, but see the bit about American bread - I fear the same problem would turn up with American biscuits. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/177 "2014-12-05T12:25:42Z")
I think the most mystifying item on the list, to me, is the Frito pie. I Google it and I don’t see anything pie-like about it. “Pie” implies some sort of crust, surely? Either on top, or around the sides and bottom, or both. What I see in the pictures is a curious corn-chip-based concoction that comes in a dish, or even in a bag. It looks nice enough, as a snack food, but I’m not seeing the “pie” part. ---
**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 5, 2014, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/178 "2014-12-05T12:51:18Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > Are corndogs the same as hotdogs only with a batter coating? > > Would I be right to argue that the worst of “traditional” American foods are of German-American origin? No offence meant to German-Americans themselves just their food. Well, you motivated me to look it up on [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_dog), and apparently the concept of deep-frying sausages (and perhaps other things) in cornmeal batter gets blamed on German Texans, who are apparently enough of a category as to have their own Wikipedia article. The article also includes this wonderful quote: > [@](#): > > I have discovered that articles of food such, for instance, as wieners, boiled ham, hard boiled eggs, cheese, sliced peaches, pineapples, bananas and like fruit, and cherries, dates, figs, strawberries, etc., when impaled on sticks and dipped in batter, which includes in its ingredients a self rising flour, and then deep fried in a vegetable oil at a temperature of about 390°F., the resultant food product on a stick for a handle is a clean, wholesome and tasty refreshment. If only the person who wrote that in 1927 could have lived to see the fair food of today: deep-fried Twinkies, depp-fried cheesecake, deep-friend candy bars, etc. ---
**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 5, 2014, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/179 "2014-12-05T14:17:15Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I always use canned. I can’t be bothered to buy a pumpkin and cook it just to make the pie. A lot of “canned pumpkin” is actually Hubbard squash, which probably tastes better than actual pumpkin. Yeah, when I lived abroad, we celebrated Thanksgiving and, among other things (usually the turkey and gravy), I was always in charge of the pumpkin pie. We had no choice but to make it from scratch from either the local pumpkins or butternut squash. (I would use the latter). In my opinion, the extra work wasn’t really worth it over using Libby’s canned pumpkin. Damned if I could really taste the difference, but I didn’t have two pies side-by-side, one with fresh and one with canned, to make a comparison. These days, back in the US, I either just use Libby’s or make sweet potato pie, which is quite similar. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307/180 "2014-12-05T14:51:08Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > Velveeta is the only thing to use in certain melty recipes but nobody eats it plain-do they? Sure. We rarely have it around, but I love snacking on a chunk of it. Yumm. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-things-americans-eat-that-foreigners-hate/706307.md?page=10)