# Do other countries label any products "American"? (Think "French" fries.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 17, 2002, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308 "2002-08-17T05:44:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/1 "2002-08-17T05:44:09Z")
Well, in the interests of descriptive thread titles, I think the title says it all. In case it doesn’t, well, do non-US countries have products that, are “labelled” American? You know, like we have french fries, french toast, belgian waffles, etc.? I assume that American football is, for obvious reasons, and I’m wondering if American cheese retains its American identity as well. Or is it just “that really crappy, super-mild cheddar cheese stuff they eat in the USA”? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/2 "2002-08-17T05:59:19Z")
Well in Australia, American football is called Gridiron. I rarely heard it called American football when I lived there (including watching the Superbowl live at 9am on Monday morning local time with Aussie commentators) and there were quite a few gridiron teams that they had their own league. Then again, having experienced both, I am in total agreement that Aussie Rules! compared to Gridiron. Go Port Power! 😃 However, I do know a few uses of the word “Yank” when describing things American in Australia: Yank Tank and “Oh, he’s _such_ a Yank,” figure quite prominently. But American icons in Oz more often had their own local nicknames rather than attach “American” to it – like going to Maccas. Come to think of it, when “American” was used to identify something in Australia, most often it was with a negative connotation. ---
**Author:** ![Tsubaki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@Tsubaki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tsubaki)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/3 "2002-08-17T06:13:58Z")
Here in Japan, corndogs are called “American dogs”. And you can go into Mister Donuts and get an “American coffee” (don’t ask me what blend of beans it is, because I’m no coffee connoisseur!). American beef and American pork is starting to be advertised pretty heavily in my area, due to the mad cow disease scare with Japanese beef. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/4 "2002-08-17T06:14:17Z")
As I remember, Fortune Cookies were unknown in China until relatively recently, and when a company in Hong Kong started producing them for the local market, they were touted as “Genuine American Fortune Cookies.” ---
**Author:** ![mikan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@mikan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/5 "2002-08-17T06:58:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tsubaki \* > **Here in Japan, corndogs are called “American dogs”. And you can go into Mister Donuts and get an “American coffee” (don’t ask me what blend of beans it is, because I’m no coffee connoisseur!).** In Japan (and not just at Mister Donuts, btw), American coffee refers to coffee that’s very weak, like the stuff you’d get at a diner in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/6 "2002-08-17T06:58:41Z")
In Germany, they have a pastry known as an “Amerikaner”, which has one side covered in icing, just the way the Germans think we like our pastries (they seem to be correct, of course). The best way to describe it is a slightly flattened, icing covered donut, without the hole. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/7 "2002-08-17T07:03:09Z")
[nitpick] ‘French’ Fries refers to the manner of preparation of the fries, not the country of origin. [/nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![Indy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@Indy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indy)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/8 "2002-08-17T07:07:56Z")
well, in most parts of Europe that I’ve grooved around, chocolate chip cookies are known as Maryland Cookies (from England to Sweden and beyond), God knows why, but is that too specific to be “American”? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/9 "2002-08-17T07:12:11Z")
Then there is “American Champagne” AKA Coke ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/10 "2002-08-17T07:35:30Z")
In Belgium and a few other parts of Europe, Steak Tartare is known as _Filet Americain_. (This, of course, has caused some queasy moments for some just-arrived Yanks who thought they’d “ease into” the European foods, saw the entry on the menu, and were told that it was “American hamburger”–without being told that it was raw.) ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/11 "2002-08-17T08:07:00Z")
Espresso + water = Americano ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/12 "2002-08-17T09:32:45Z")
“Maryland Cookies” is a brand name for rather mediocre prepackaged chocolate chip cookies. Perhaps the name has gone generic in some places? A mixture of frozen peas, carrots, and corn/maize is called “amerikansk blanding” (blanding=mixture) in Norway. In Denmark I’ve seen ice cream stands selling an “amerikaner”, which is an ice cream cone with a particular kind of chocolate-covered fluff ball planted in the top. I have never seen either of these products in the US. Other things are often labeled “American” as a selling point around here, but these are usually things that Norskies learned about from transplanted Yankees, e.g. brownies, thick-crust pizza… ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/13 "2002-08-17T09:59:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tsubaki \* > \*\*Here in Japan, corndogs are called “American dogs”. \*\* Interesting, in that in NZ, “corndogs” are hotdogs, while what Americans call hotdogs are called “American Hotdogs”. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/14 "2002-08-17T10:11:15Z")
In the UK Pizza Express have a pizza they call ‘American Hot’. It has (I think) pepperoni, sausage, and japaleno peppers. I was at a beer festival a couple weeks ago and there was a stand selling ‘American pretzels’. These were the big soft pretzels I’m used to, but they were buttered and then dipped in either salt & pepper, or (shudder!) sugar. At the grocery store you can get ‘American style snack crackers’ which are basic saltines. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/15 "2002-08-17T12:09:42Z")
To follow on from **kferr’s** post, in the UK we have loads of items that are called “American style”: Muffins, cookies, doughnuts, root beer, hotdogs, etc. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/16 "2002-08-17T13:39:27Z")
A staff report on the origin of French Fries is in final editing stages and should appear in a few weeks. And, incidentally, what Americans call “french fries” and what Brits call “chips” are often called “American fries” around the world, because they were popularized by the American fast-food chains. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/17 "2002-08-17T13:41:45Z")
When I was studying in Spain, a men’s blazer was called “una americana.” Oddly enough, when my Salvadoran college roomie referred to citizens of the U.S., she called them North Americans, rather than Americans, whether she was speaking Spanish or English, reasoning that “hey, I’m waaaaay more American than you are (Central American), because I have Mayan blood, and your family has only been in the U.S. for a couple of generations anyway.” We had many, many debates on this issue, because, of course, that meant she’d have to call Canadians and Mexicans North Americans, too, which wasn’t at all how she was trying to distinguish people (espeially the Mexicans). We never did come up with a term that made everyone happy. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/18 "2002-08-17T14:25:46Z")
here we have “American Chopsuey” (actually a chinese dish, but with a variation) and “American Bhel” (an indian snack, with a variation). I doubt either have anything really to do with America. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/19 "2002-08-17T14:35:51Z")
Like, American cars? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308/20 "2002-08-17T14:37:08Z")
In Japan, “Meriken-ko” (“American flour”) refers to regular (wheat) flour. Kind of an old-fashioned term though, not very common these days. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-countries-label-any-products-american-think-french-fries/124308.md?page=2)