Eighty posts and no mention of hot dogs.
One very well known “old school” steakhouse in Seattle (candlelight, waiters in tuxedos, gentlemen must wear a coat and tie, there’s someone playing jazz piano off in a corner somewhere, etc.), where I ate for my birthday a few years ago, serves its baked potatoes with a sharp cheddar sauce instead of grated cheese.
A couple years ago I went camping with some friends one of whom had brought his dog. He had also brought a plastic Utz peanut filled pretzel nugget jar repurposed for the dog’s kibble. The next morning when he crawled out of his tent I pointed to the jar on the table and said, “I filched a couple of those nuggets last night and they were awful – didn’t taste like peanut butter at all!”
He laughed and said he didn’t doubt it.
I’d forgotten about Spaghetti-O’s! Even better with meatballs.
The McDonald’s chocolate sauce in Switzerland is by Cailler. I don’t like it. I want the American style chocolate sauce. So I only get caramel topping if I get a McDonald’s sundae.
Oh, and a Frosty from Wendy’s. And a Shamrock shake (also not seen in Switzerland).
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.
I remember when George H.W. Bush was president and it was announced or mentioned that he liked to eat pork skins. It seemed so odd, given his patrician background. But then around the same time, the Atkins/low-carb diet was getting started and it was pointed out that they were a low-carb alternative to potato chips.
Probably 95 out of 100 beers I drink are Miller Lite. I know it’s shitty macrobrew but that’s my beer.
Chef Boyardee Lasagna for me. I keep a couple cans around along with some blocks of instant ramen for when I’m too sick or tired or lazy to do anything beyond dumping some stuff into a pan.
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.
Starbucks in America is garbage. I have no idea why they think Americans like burnt coffee. I avoid it when I can and stick to simple drinks when I can’t.
Go to a Starbucks in France and it actually tastes like good coffee.
White Castle sliders.
I have a friend-- really, a friend, not me-- who truly loves Circus Peanuts. Perhaps I should mention that she’s an adult; our parochial school, c. 1960, sold assorted “penny candy” confections during recess, so I happily munched on Circus Peanuts and comparable items back then. But I outgrew them.
Speaking of munching, while perusing the thread I wondered about the influence of the munchies in acquiring or retaining a taste for junk foodstuffs. Personally, I wouldn’t eat Circus Peanuts nowadays, no matter how buzzed I got.
The munchie factor is probably worth a thread of its own, assuming that the increasing legality of the munchie-inducing substance renders it a permitted subject here. 
This suddenly reminded me of “Sweet Munchee” cheese. I haven’t eaten it for quite some time, but I like it; I always assumed it was actually a bogus processed pseudo-cheese, though.
It’s refreshing and thirst quenching, so dont be ashamed.
But yeah for taste-* not so much.*
I am so borrowing this one! Perfect description for FunYuns which are a fake onion ring type of puffed snack that has never been in the same room as an onion, but goddamn they hit the spot sometimes.
I first had pork rinds at a pig roast in Venezuela. Instant love.
An American icon! :o
Starbucks switched their base coffee from the over-roasted drek they had been serving well over a decade ago, maybe 2 decades. Still not a great cup, but Starbucks is competing with Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, and deli coffee in most places. Dunkin is just as expensive, if not more expensive, and is shit compared to Starbucks; McDonalds is actually a decent-but-also-not-great alternative that’s actually cheaper; and deli coffee rates from undrinkable to barely drinkable but cheapest. Starbucks doesn’t have to be great, it just has to be better than the competition and the ubiquitous K-cups one finds in every office.
In the 60’s and 70’s we had Primo Beer in Hawaii 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!
Try adding a very small amount of vinegar to the sauce. It’ll cut the sweetness.
A while ago I bought a couple of cans of Campbell’s Chunky Tomato Soup with shells. I tried one, but it was so sweet I almost didn’t finish the can, and I had no desire at all to try the second can. Then I remembered a tip I heard long ago: if you’re making tomato sauce and it’s too sharp, add a little sugar. I thought I’d try the reverse with the remaining can. I added 1/4 tsp of vinegar to a bowl of the soup. It was still a bit too sweet for me eat regularly, but the vinegar reduced the sweetness greatly and made it palatable, and I couldn’t taste the vinegar.
Hot sauce which usually has some vinegar will also work and add flavor and a kick!
I’m eating a Hershey Kiss right now even though it’s not just for breakfast any more.
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.