# Definitely inferior foods Americans love... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 5, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990 "2020-01-05T21:10:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/101 "2020-01-09T13:38:19Z")
> [@jerez](#): > > Eighty posts and no mention of hot dogs. There. I mentioned it, you ninja you. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/102 "2020-01-09T14:55:11Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > As a Chicagoan, I must submit hot dogs. > > I’ve never understood the horror of people who say, “Do you _know_ what they put in those??” > > If asked to explain, they always cite stuff like _PORK LIPS!!! PIG EARS!!!_ > > My response is so what? Pork lips are perfectly edible. Pig ears give hot dog innards those tiny bits of crunchy cartilage delight. > > When I was young, I would eat hot dogs raw, right out of the fridge. I’d like to do that now. Mmmmm. Gut bacteria. > > Oh god, I just thought of Smokey Links. I want some Smokey Links soooo baaaad. those people would shit themselves if they looked in the deli counter of a Polish market. salceson (“head cheese”) with chunks of beef tongue big enough where it licks you back as you eat it. ---
**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:** [January 9, 2020, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/103 "2020-01-09T16:33:37Z")
I love canned chili. Frito pies made with canned chili & grated cheese is wonderful. I prefer Cranberry sauce from a can. The rings on it reminds me of past holidays. Velveeta is always found in my fridge. These foods are rare treats. I don’t eat them regularly. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/104 "2020-01-09T16:42:19Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > As a Chicagoan, I must submit hot dogs. > > I’ve never understood the horror of people who say, “Do you _know_ what they put in those??” > > If asked to explain, they always cite stuff like _PORK LIPS!!! PIG EARS!!!_ > > My response is so what? Pork lips are perfectly edible. Pig ears give hot dog innards those tiny bits of crunchy cartilage delight. The main commercial Chicago dog vendors (Vienna Beef, Chicago’s Best) tout all beef franks. That isn’t to say there aren’t lips and ears emulsified in there but those lips were used for mooing, not oinking. ---
**Author:** ![TimfromNapa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@TimfromNapa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimfromNapa)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/105 "2020-01-09T20:41:29Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Pork skins are most definitely not just an American food. I’ve seen them in Central America and the Philippines, the latter where they are arguably much more popular than in America. Very popular with Mexicans as well. They call them Chicharrones. Delicious, especially with guacamole. ---
**Author:** ![TimfromNapa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@TimfromNapa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimfromNapa)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/106 "2020-01-09T20:46:35Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > White Castle sliders. I’d never call White Castle sliders inferior food. They are a national treasure. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/107 "2020-01-09T21:13:17Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > I’ve never understood the horror of people who say, “Do you _know_ what they put in those??” > > If asked to explain, they always cite stuff like _PORK LIPS!!! PIG EARS!!!_ > > My response is so what? Pork lips are perfectly edible. Pig ears give hot dog innards those tiny bits of crunchy cartilage delight. I feel the same way about chicken nuggets (Have chicken nuggets been mentioned yet? I have to admit I haven’t read the whole thread) when people mention how they’re made from that scary sounding stuff dubbed “pink slime” by some, officially mechanically separated chicken or something like that. All it really is is the little bits of meat and other tissue left on the bone after the big pieces have been cut off. I think it would be wasteful to _not_ make it into something palatable. The same goes for the cuts of meat that often go into hot dogs and other sausages. Actually I think most fast food nuggets are now made from whole chicken meat partly thanks to the controversy over pink slime, but I bet some of the frozen ones you buy at the grocery store still have it. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/108 "2020-01-10T06:59:53Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > …(Have chicken nuggets been mentioned yet? I have to admit I haven’t read the whole thread) when people mention how they’re made from that scary sounding stuff dubbed “pink slime” by some… According to Wikipedia, pink slime is from/for beef-based products, not chicken. > [@WildaBeast](#): > > All it really is is the little bits of meat and other tissue left on the bone after the big pieces have been cut off. If you fillet chicken breasts, the remaining skeleton may not seem like much, but it makes outstanding broth and yields a suprising amount of meat. Chicago-style hot dogs are pretty good and not too unhealthy if you don’t eat them too often. Maybe too good to be on a list of “inferior” foods, but that’s just my opinion and it certainly depends on the hot dog. Some of the good ones are kind of sad looking, but when the colors, proportions, arrangement, etc. are pleasing to the eye and it tastes good, it’s an impressive little dish for what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/109 "2020-01-12T06:57:01Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > Dairy Queen and McDonalds soft ice cream as mentioned. > > Nowhere near a good. much less great vanilla ice cream (for which I’m still searching for), but sometimes just gotta have it even though it sometimes give me hives. Dairy Queen soft serve is great, but some franchisees don’t serve it cold enough and serve it already slightly melted. The keys are keeping the soft serve machine the right temperature and not dispensing it too quickly. Don’t make an ice cream cone for someone three cars back until they’re close to or at the window. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2020, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/110 "2020-01-12T08:41:29Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > Just remembered ice milk. Is it served anywhere? > > I thought I remembered Dairy Queen (and I think McDonalds when it’s “ice cream” was first introduced) was classified as ice milk. > > "Why isn’t Dairy Queen soft serve ice cream? > > To earn an “ice cream” categorization, a product must have a minimum milkfat (or butterfat, as DQ calls it) content of 10%. DQ’s soft serve, meanwhile, has just five percent milkfat. > > “Technically, our soft serve does not qualify to be called ice cream,” the Dairy Queen site fesses up. The company also explains that its famous soft serve once fell into the FDA’s category of “ice milk.” But the FDA scrapped that category of product to allow companies to market their frozen dairy products with lower milkfat content using terms like “low-fat” and “reduced fat.” > > Dairy Queen’s soft serve does fit into the FDA’s “reduced-fat” category, and its shake mix would count as “low-fat,” the company website explains, but the company has never marked it that way." > > [https://www.eatthis.com/dairy-queen-ice-cream/](https://www.eatthis.com/dairy-queen-ice-cream/) Feeding ten kids on a union man’s salary, ice milk was the frozen confection that my mom always selected at the supermarket, and my sibs and I all found it satisfactory. Nowadays, I don’t think I’ve seen ice milk in a supermarket since I got married in 1983 (as a Navy man, I didn’t do much grocery shopping between 1980 and 1984). ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/111 "2020-01-12T23:19:12Z")
I buy frankfurters at the Schaller and Weber German butcher in the Yorkville section of Manhattan. There is no way I would call these “inferior food.” ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/112 "2020-01-13T03:01:26Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > I have heard that Panda Express is very like real Chinese banquet food, except NOT as sugary and greasy. Like diet Chinese food. Not only is Panda Express (aka Sugar Chicken Land) NOT anything like anything I saw for a month in China, their ubiquitous KFCs serve nothing you’d recognize in the States. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/113 "2020-01-13T03:06:34Z")
Kraft Singles are shit cheese, but they make the best grilled cheese sandwiches bar none. I have a soft spot for gas station Chederwurst hotdogs. I know they’ve been sitting on those rollers for days and they give me instant heartburn but still, I crave them sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/114 "2020-01-13T03:11:14Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > I have a soft spot for gas station Chederwurst hotdogs. I know they’ve been sitting on those rollers for days and they give me instant heartburn but still, I crave them sometimes. I’m partial to the overcooked Polish sausages with crispy skins myself. Slathered with French’s yellow mustard, of course! :o ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/115 "2020-01-13T04:42:55Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Kraft Singles are shit cheese, but they make the best grilled cheese sandwiches bar none. Colby longhorn is better. But yeah, you gotta get a great melting cheese. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/116 "2020-01-13T04:55:07Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Colby longhorn is better. But yeah, you gotta get a great melting cheese. Velveeta, f’rinstance. :o ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/117 "2020-01-13T05:20:14Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Velveeta, f’rinstance. :o Good for fishbait. Trout love it. And shelf-stable, so better for camping trips. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/118 "2020-01-13T06:59:16Z")
Vienna sausages. People recoil in horror, but I LIKE Vienna sausages. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/119 "2020-01-13T09:25:58Z")
Anyone mentioned bread yet? Sliced white bread, spread with margarine, crust cut off ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/120 "2020-01-13T14:55:14Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Vienna sausages. People recoil in horror, but I LIKE Vienna sausages. A few years back one of the Dogs had to be on a pill regimen. We bought a can of Vienna sausages, cut one in half, and stuffed a pill into it. He wouldn’t touch it. Just sayin’ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990.md?page=7)