# 16 People On Things They Couldn’t Believe About America Until They Moved Here **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 15, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954 "2013-11-15T01:24:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/181 "2013-11-20T22:36:23Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Although I haven’t moved to the US, nor have any intentions of doing so, stuff I’ve picked up from this very board have sometimes gets my :dubious: activated. > > You guys have PUMPKIN IN A CAN?? [Don’t you?](http://www.walmart.com/ip/10306750?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=3&adid=22222222227000000000&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=21486607510&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=19880599990&veh=sem) 😛 ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/182 "2013-11-20T22:40:46Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > Wait until you see the [whole canned chicken](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.seriouseats.com/images/20090430-cannedchicken.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/04/whole-chicken-in-a-can-taste-test.html&h=375&w=500&sz=45&tbnid=NozePIN2NhFc1M:&tbnh=90&tbnw=120&zoom=1&usg=__u_robqs0jpPe3AaxQn0cVh_mbJI=&docid=X67xjXg2SbSeoM&sa=X&ei=VjeNUrHbIe_lygH104GYCQ&ved=0CC0Q9QEwAQ). Oh good grief! 😛 Although I must say, as of recently (last few months perhaps??) I have seen _shredded_ chicken in a can here in Aus. Just can’t quite wrap my head around a **whole** chicken. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/183 "2013-11-20T22:50:30Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Although I haven’t moved to the US, nor have any intentions of doing so, stuff I’ve picked up from this very board have sometimes gets my :dubious: activated. > > You guys have PUMPKIN IN A CAN?? I had the same reaction to the [spotted dick in a can](http://www.britishfooddepot.com/Heinz-Spotted-Dick-Sponge-Pudding-114.htm?gclid=CIjz2q249LoCFcUWMgodVzQADw) I ran across in the foreign foods aisle yesterday. Is this actually an imported product, or is Heinz purely trying to cash in on the Homesick Brit market? ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/184 "2013-11-20T23:01:04Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > You guys have PUMPKIN IN A CAN?? I’ve heard a number of cooking authorities claim that pumpkin pie made from canned pumpkin tastes far better to them than a pie made from scratch. A quick google search turns up lots of articles like [this](http://www.forbes.com/sites/nadiaarumugam/2013/11/19/why-you-want-canned-pumpkin-for-a-better-pie-not-fresh/). > [@](#): > > With farm-to-fork perhaps the most prevalent conceit in culinary matters today, there’s a general presumption that made-from-scratch is always better, and that fresh consistently trumps processed. But here’s the caveat, not so with pumpkin pie. > > If you’ve ever gone to the great lengths of lugging home an actual pumpkin, cooking it, skinning it and pureeing it and then baking a pie with the watery mush, you’ll be all too familiar with what a big waste of time that endeavor is. For those of you who’ve thankfully only conceived of the notion, I hope to convince you of its foolhardiness before you swap out canned pumpkin for the real deal. The only made-from-scratch pumpkin pie I’ve ever (knowingly) eaten was terrible, but I think it had far bigger problems than the origin of the pumpkin. So I can’t really say I have an opinion one way or the other, simply due to lack of data. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/185 "2013-11-20T23:14:08Z")
Pumpkin pie itself is very rare here too. I’ve never tasted it. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/186 "2013-11-20T23:34:47Z")
> [@brad\_d](#): > > I’ve heard a number of cooking authorities claim that pumpkin pie made from canned pumpkin tastes far better to them than a pie made from scratch. A quick google search turns up lots of articles like [this](http://www.forbes.com/sites/nadiaarumugam/2013/11/19/why-you-want-canned-pumpkin-for-a-better-pie-not-fresh/).The only made-from-scratch pumpkin pie I’ve ever (knowingly) eaten was terrible, but I think it had far bigger problems than the origin of the pumpkin. So I can’t really say I have an opinion one way or the other, simply due to lack of data. We did it a few times and honestly if you have a good recipe it’s no better or worse, it’s was pretty much the same. We decided it was just too much work and the result wasn’t any better. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/187 "2013-11-21T00:05:51Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > You guys have PUMPKIN IN A CAN?? Yeah, but they aren’t as much fun to carve after they’ve been canned. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/188 "2013-11-21T00:29:34Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > You guys have PUMPKIN IN A CAN?? Given that winter squash\* is fairly common in the US, why wouldn’t we have canned squash? It’s cooked and mashed before canning. You Oz lot don’t have canned vegetables? \*late season, long-storage squashes such as pumpkin, butternut squash, and acorn squash. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/189 "2013-11-21T00:32:08Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Pumpkin pie itself is very rare here too. I’ve never tasted it. A friend of mine from the Melbourne, Australia area is currently visiting Canada and just had her first piece of pumpkin pie this week. Her review: Eh, it was okay. I wouldn’t eat it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/190 "2013-11-21T02:13:02Z")
> [@brad\_d](#): > > The only made-from-scratch pumpkin pie I’ve ever (knowingly) eaten was terrible I once made pumpkin pie from scratch, and it was pretty bad. This is one of the few cases where a canned food is better than the fresh version. For those who haven’t tasted pumpkin pie: it’s actually a kind of custard pie with pureed pumpkin mixed into the filling. It is almost always made with a combination of “sweet” spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/191 "2013-11-21T02:42:43Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > You guys have PUMPKIN IN A CAN?? Well you better let him out! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/192 "2013-11-21T02:52:46Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Pumpkin pie itself is very rare here too. I’ve never tasted it. This may be the saddest thing I’ve ever read. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/193 "2013-11-21T03:07:21Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > This may be the saddest thing I’ve ever read. Ah yes, but we have[pavlova](http://food.ninemsn.com.au/recipes/ichocolate/8345460/chocolate-pavlova-with-raspberries). 😛 ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/194 "2013-11-21T03:28:30Z")
> [@Sahirrnee](#): > > I was surprised to see MD on the list, but it’s only a few counties, not the whole state. Yeah, but one of those counties, Montgomery, has over a million people and close to 20% of the state population. I’ve lived my whole life in Montgomery County save a year in LA. Having to go to a government-run liquor store to buy any kind of beer/wine/liquor is totally normal to me, and when I went out to LA and saw all the alcohol at Vons and Target, my eyes almost bugged out of my head. “What, they just leave it laying around like this in the middle of the store?” was my astonished reaction. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/195 "2013-11-21T03:54:17Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > You guys have PUMPKIN IN A CAN?? Well, but in some states I think it can only be sold in little one-oz. servings. 🆒 > [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > This is one of the few cases where a canned food is better than the fresh version. Cookbooks always admonish that one should use small pumpkins for pie. Bad scratch pie might have been mistakenly made from an enormous would-be Jack O’Lantern. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/196 "2013-11-21T04:04:15Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > This may be the saddest thing I’ve ever read. O only a man who never had pumpkin could say that. Yuck. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/197 "2013-11-21T04:41:19Z")
> [@interface2x](#): > > A friend of mine from the Melbourne, Australia area is currently visiting Canada and just had her first piece of pumpkin pie this week. Her review: Eh, it was okay. I wouldn’t eat it all the time. Well, neither do North Americans - we have it once or twice a year here (on Thanksgiving mostly). I love pumpkin pie myself - mmm mmm good. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/198 "2013-11-21T04:45:00Z")
Or sweet potato pie. Just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/199 "2013-11-21T05:54:35Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Or sweet potato pie. > > Just sayin’. [Or green tomato pie](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_92ggj1lK_Jw/TFcBVZfGkGI/AAAAAAAAANo/RAnAJv_pJWo/s400/sliced-tom-in-pie-shell-web.jpg). [Or pecan pie.](http://themusingsofthebigredcar.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/pecan_pie.jpg) [Or sugar pie](http://images.media-allrecipes.com/userphotos/250x250/00/97/07/970733.jpg). [Or peanut butter pie.](http://unconfidentialcook.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/dsc_0046.jpg) Oh hey \*\*Swampspruce \*\*- Hill won’t let you do that nomo. Seems SOME people were buying enough for a few parties’ worth and even reselling it so there’s limits now. They still have those cute ‘STRONG BEER’ warning stickers on them, though. Precious. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954/200 "2013-11-21T08:44:00Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > O only a man who never had pumpkin could say that. Yuck. Well, I don’t like eating pumpkin as a vegetable, but I love pumpkin pie. This is akin to my hating buttermilk but loving buttermilk doughnuts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-people-on-things-they-couldn-t-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/673954.md?page=11)