# 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:** 7
**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:** [January 13, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/121 "2020-01-13T15:17:24Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’m partial to the overcooked Polish sausages with crispy skins myself. Slathered with French’s yellow mustard, of course! :o I wouldn’t even call that “overcooked.” Just cooked differently. The way my mom used to do it growing up (and both my parents are from Poland) would be to take a sausage, split it down the middle to basically butterfly fly it (the halves would still be connected to each other with the casing), cut little one-inch slits along the edges to keep it from curling, and fry it with onions in oil until nicely browned and caramelized along the edges. It works really great, as you have all this beautiful browning and crispiness all along the cut sides of the sausage half. I don’t know if this was just her method or a common way of preparing them in Poland (so far as I see, image searching _kiełbasa na patelni_, sausages in a pan, or _kiełbasa samażona_, “fried sausage” all the Polish hits I find have them fried whole). But, man, it works well and I use the technique on other sausages sometimes, as well. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/122 "2020-01-13T16:59:27Z")
Here’s a new one: ranch dressing is really popular. It’s ok for carrot sticks and other veggie tray stuff and I guess I’d eat a handful of Cool Ranch Doritos. But using it as a sandwich condiment or dipping pizza in ranch (especially _urk_) is too much for me. And keep that ranch far away from my chicken wings, that’s blue cheese country (honestly, though, I can take or leave blue cheese dressing for wings). Vienna sausages are just so bland and soft. Baby food, really. But, sure, I’ll try one of yours if you’re offering. And I do keep a can in my desk drawer at work for a just-in-case lunch. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Just cooked differently. The way my mom used to do it growing up (and both my parents are from Poland) would be to take a sausage, split it down the middle to basically butterfly fly it (the halves would still be connected to each other with the casing), cut little one-inch slits along the edges to keep it from curling, and fry it with onions in oil until nicely browned and caramelized along the edges. If that was dry smoked/cured sausage, I made something similar on Friday. Locally smoked sausage, cut down the middle, some onions thrown in. I added a splash of beer (some delicious Miller Lite, lol) to steam things up a bit before browning. I’ll have to try the extra cuts since they did curl up a little. I steamed a couple hot dog buns in the microwave, then added some extra raw onion, mustard, a pinch each of sweet and dill pickle relish & some sport peppers. ---
**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:** [January 13, 2020, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/123 "2020-01-13T18:13:12Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > If that was dry smoked/cured sausage, I made something similar on Friday. Basically, the Polish sausages you get at a Polish deli, behind the counter. (So smoked with curing agents, but not really dry or dry cured in the sense a salami is, where it’s hung up for weeks and eaten raw. Most smoked deli Polish sausage is already cooked to around 155F internal) My mom would do it with the Hillshire Farms and the such, too, but typically we bought the local deli stuff, which was smoked, and lightly cured. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/124 "2020-01-14T06:23:54Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Vienna sausages are just so bland and soft. Baby food, really. But, sure, I’ll try one of yours if you’re offering. And I do keep a can in my desk drawer at work for a just-in-case lunch. I keep a can as a reminder. As in, if I ever have to resort to eating them, remind me to apply for food stamps the next day. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/125 "2020-01-14T08:04:44Z")
How about those towns where Velveeta is in the grocery’s Gourmet section? Are they the same places where Denny’s is the upscale eatery? > [@DesertDog](#): > > 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’ Many decades ago we drove our old pickup, with our sweet dobergirl in back, around to Saturday morning garage sales. One day we stopped at a McDonalds outlet and bought her a little burger. She refused to eat - just left it in the pickup bed. We got home and unloaded our take. Our depraved cat jumped in the pickup bed and ate the burger meat, no buns. Later she dumped a load in the backyard. The dog ate THAT. Conclusion 1: Much McFood requires appropriate re-processing. Conclusion 2: Felines aren’t real particular about what they eat. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/126 "2020-01-14T11:43:26Z")
> [@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. And that’s nothing compared to scrapple, which is loved by most of the people I’ve known from my area. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/127 "2020-01-14T13:17:17Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > How about those towns where Velveeta is in the grocery’s Gourmet section? Are they the same places where Denny’s is the upscale eatery? > Many decades ago we drove our old pickup, with our sweet dobergirl in back, around to Saturday morning garage sales. One day we stopped at a McDonalds outlet and bought her a little burger. She refused to eat - just left it in the pickup bed. We got home and unloaded our take. Our depraved cat jumped in the pickup bed and ate the burger meat, no buns. Later she dumped a load in the backyard. The dog ate THAT. > > Conclusion 1: Much McFood requires appropriate re-processing. > Conclusion 2: Felines aren’t real particular about what they eat. Your cat ate a mediocre hamburger but your dog ate cat poop. ---
**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 14, 2020, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/128 "2020-01-14T16:52:05Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I wouldn’t even call that “overcooked.” Just cooked differently. The way my mom used to do it growing up (and both my parents are from Poland) would be to take a sausage, split it down the middle to basically butterfly fly it (the halves would still be connected to each other with the casing), cut little one-inch slits along the edges to keep it from curling, and fry it with onions in oil until nicely browned and caramelized along the edges. > > It works really great, as you have all this beautiful browning and crispiness all along the cut sides of the sausage half. I don’t know if this was just her method or a common way of preparing them in Poland (so far as I see, image searching _kiełbasa na patelni_, sausages in a pan, or _kiełbasa samażona_, “fried sausage” all the Polish hits I find have them fried whole). But, man, it works well and I use the technique on other sausages sometimes, as well. My favorite brat joint in Sheboygan, Wisconsin does the split-sausage thing, too. Tastes great and makes it possible to eat a double-brat sandwich without most of it winding up in your lap. The flattened meat holds together better and even helps keeps the raw onions and sliced pickles in position. Two round sausages side by side, and you’re squirting lunch from every side of the roll. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/129 "2020-01-14T17:18:36Z")
> [@jerez](#): > > According to Wikipedia, pink slime is from/for beef-based products, not chicken. Yep. Chicken would result in beige slime. Maybe taupe slime. I’ve always wondered why they didn’t decide to call pink slime “mechanically separated beef” instead. The phrase “mechanically separated chicken” doesn’t seem to bother people much. At least not to the extent “pink slime” does. ---
**Author:** ![Rough\_Draft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rough\_Draft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rough_Draft)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/130 "2020-01-14T20:19:29Z")
Sometimes nothing hits the spot like a pimento cheese sandwich. I’m a purist; I just apply the spread to plain sandwich bread with nothing else. ---
**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:** [January 14, 2020, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/131 "2020-01-14T20:36:58Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > My favorite brat joint in Sheboygan, Wisconsin does the split-sausage thing, too. Ah, yes. Charcoal Inn (I assume) …how can I forget? Went there for the first time last year when we passed through town. Delicious brat sandwich, but also served on a Sheboygan hard roll (which isn’t really all that “hard,” despite the name) instead of a sausage bun. The split-sausage thing is really good and should be done by more places. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/132 "2020-01-14T20:51:30Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > …The phrase “mechanically separated chicken” doesn’t seem to bother people much… Some people I’ve known might well be described as mechanically separated chickens.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ricksummon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ricksummon/32/3333_2.png) [@ricksummon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricksummon)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/133 "2020-01-14T21:01:20Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > Yep. Chicken would result in beige slime. Maybe taupe slime. I’ve always wondered why they didn’t decide to call pink slime “mechanically separated beef” instead. The phrase “mechanically separated chicken” doesn’t seem to bother people much. At least not to the extent “pink slime” does. As Wendy’s would say about **processed** chicken, “Parts is parts.” 😃 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBnqK6o9mZ0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBnqK6o9mZ0) ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/134 "2020-01-14T22:11:33Z")
> [@Tatterdemalion](#): > > Because the food I had in Beijing was really different from the food I had in Shenzhen.The food I had in Hongzhou was pretty different from the food I had in Nanjing, etc. You really can’t generalize about Chinese food. > > There are different styles, and Cantonese is different from Szechuan etc. The point I wanted to make was that none of it was anything like Panda Express. Major issue is they were originally different kingdoms, mostly with different environments [China ranges from semitropical junglish, coastal, fertile river plains, steppes, desert and northern almost SIberian steppes … each area has a moderatly unique set of growing and herding conditions with unique foods - northern can be wheat/buckwheat/barley, southern tends towards rice. Not a homogenous ripple going from North to SOuth, trade has existed through out history, but you tend to find wheat pastas and grain inthe north, rice apstas and grains in the south. Spicing and vegetation change from region to region for traditional stuff, but again as I said, trade routes shift spices and products around [though coastal prefer fresh seafoods, inland preferred dried stuff, much like europe and western asian regions] > [@erysichthon](#): > > Flaming Hot Cheetos. Are they an inferior food? I’m not sure that they qualify as food. A friend once referred to Cheetos as “congealed air.” Love the congealed air =) I rarely eat cheetos but I prefer the crunch versus pufffed ones. > [@pulykamell](#): > > There really is something about a grilled cheese on Wonder Bread (or similar) with Kraft Singles that just hits the spot. It’s weird, because I didn’t really grow up on them. My mom and dad never made grilled cheese. But somehow I ended up growing to enjoy the cheapest-ass version of it possible. I don’t like the Campbell’s tomato soup, though. Too damned sweet for my tastes. Just gimme the sammie. The only way I like the toasted cheese sandwich/tomato soup combo of my childhood, it has to be a Kraft single, Wonder-type crap bread and the very specific Campbells tomato soup[the one that is water, salt and tomatoes] that has been made with whole milk instead of water. I don’t want the bisque, or any other soup, I don’t want the good cheese [just picked up a lovely 6 year old cheddar at the grocery this past weekend] or the good bread. I do like the good bread, good cheese as a grilled cheese sandwich, frequently with a slice of a good leg of ham [not deli sliced lunch meat hams, the ones that are real ham compressed in a block are ok, but for a good sandwich I wait until we have baked a ham of our own and sliced it] and I like it with a side of some good pickles and the good fresh made potato chips from Stew Leonards picked up a couple hours before making the sandwich. > [@BeeGee](#): > > For the record, that is probably a regional thing or even just unique to that restaurant. I’ve never ordered a baked potato and received any kind of cheese except grated cheddar or colby jack unless it was a “specialty” version like a nacho potato with queso, taco meat, tomatoes, and jalapenos. Sometimes you get the crappy cheese sauce from a #10 can [blech] that many places dump on steamed veggies. > [@harmonicamoon](#): > > Pork skins rock! And they are good for you. No carbs! And provide potato chip dry crunch for low carb diets. Nothing wrong with the wet crunch of celery, or carrots, or cukes, but sometimes you just want a dry crunch, maybe with salsa or some other dip. > [@jnglmassiv](#): > > I recently remembered Chef Boyardee Italian Sausage Ravioli. I looked around locally but wound up buying a case of 12 on Amazon. Dreadfully sweet sauce. I’ve got 10 cans left and am seriously considering rinsing all the sauce off if I don’t just give them all away. I don’t ever remember seeing that in a store - I do remember a cheese ravioli but only seem to be able to find beef. Have you considered posting the cans up in the marketplace here for a trade deal with people for some canned good you want to try or are interested in a single can of? Not sure what I have in either Connecticut or western NY you might want to trade, but I would love to try a can if I didn’t have to buy a case =) > [@lingyi](#): > > In the 60’s and 70’s we had Primo Beer in Hawaii [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primo\_Brewing\_%26\_Malting\_Company](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primo_Brewing_%26_Malting_Company). I was too young to try it and had no interest in beer anyway, but it was referred to a p\*ss water or worse by almost everyone. Very few admitted to actually liking it, but everybody drank it because it was cheap! Every locatin has a local cheap beer. I was rather nonplussed to see my local swill growing up, GEnesee Cream Ale as a primium beer in tidewater Virginia. > [@aceplace57](#): > > I prefer Cranberry sauce from a can. The rings on it reminds me of past holidays. Last couple years we only make the Townsends version of [cranberry sauce,](https://savoringthepast.net/2016/03/04/cranberry-sauce-and-cranberry-tart/) it self gells upon cooling down to the jiggly goodness =) > [@TimfromNapa](#): > > Very popular with Mexicans as well. They call them Chicharrones. Delicious, especially with guacamole. > [@jerez](#): > > A > 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. > . I like to make a ballotin of chicken, where one starts by deboning a chicken whole [I leave the legs and wings on so when it is stuffed and rolled back up it still looks like a regular chicken but it isn’t difficult to remove teh wings and debone the legs.] The only thing I can do i smake stock from the carcass, I am horrified by wasting a perfectly good carcass if I can turn it into something tasty. ---
**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 15, 2020, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/135 "2020-01-15T20:01:35Z")
> [@jerez](#): > > Some people I’ve known might well be described as mechanically separated chickens.🙂 Sort of like [Mike the Headless Chicken](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_the_Headless_Chicken) who despite his name, was only missing most of it. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/136 "2020-01-15T21:36:11Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > (Regarding Velveeta) Good for fishbait. Trout love it. And shelf-stable, so better for camping trips. Hilarious you call it fish bait. I have a friend who used to be a cook aboard an Alaskan fishing ship. He said that he could get the guys to eat chum salmon (the kind you usually throw overboard or give to the dogs), if he put velveeta on it! ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/137 "2020-01-15T21:40:26Z")
My entries… 1. What, nobody’s brought up the vast world of sugared breakfast cereal? What says “Welcome to America!” more brightly than a grocery store with a full, 100-foot long aisle with both sides stocked with over 100 brands of sugary breakfast food, aimed at kids? It’s always been my guilty pleasure, but I’ve pretty much stopped buying it the last decade, since my kid hates cereal of all kinds. I kid you not. (He also doesn’t like french fries, so there’s definitely something wrong with him…) 2. Pop Rocks, the leader in obnoxious and sometimes-even-dangerous candies! My kid likes these, however. Meanwhile, I still don’t know what a “Jacket Potato” is. Could it be a stuffed potato? ---
**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 15, 2020, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/138 "2020-01-15T21:52:12Z")
> [@Limmin](#): > > Meanwhile, I still don’t know what a “Jacket Potato” is. Could it be a stuffed potato? It’s just a plain baked potato. It’s called a “jacket potato” because it’s still in its skin. ---
**Author:** ![txjim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f07891/32.png) [@txjim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txjim)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/139 "2020-01-15T22:03:34Z")
> [@TimfromNapa](#): > > Very popular with Mexicans as well. They call them Chicharrones. Delicious, especially with guacamole. Many of the Mexican/Latin supermarkets in my area have Chicarrones by the sheet. 2-3 square feet of fried pork rind. Have not tried one in that form yet. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990/140 "2020-01-15T22:57:40Z")
[20 Foods That Are Bad for Your Health](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/20-foods-to-avoid-like-the-plague) - read-em and weep. Sugary drinks. Most pizzas. White bread. Most fruit juices. Sweetened breakfast cereals. Fried, grilled, or broiled food. Pastries, cookies, and cakes. French fries and potato chips. Gluten-free junk foods. Agave nectar. Low-fat yogurt. Low-carb junk foods. Ice cream. Candy bars. Processed meat. Processed cheese. Most fast food meals. High-calorie coffee drinks. Anything with added sugar or refined grains. Most highly processed foods. You know you love-em. What’s an omnivore to do? Eat worms? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitely-inferior-foods-americans-love/845990.md?page=8)