# Foods Americans like that non-Americans find disgusting **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 21, 2015, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054 "2015-09-21T01:22:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/21 "2015-09-21T07:12:16Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > [Taiwan’s version](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarsaparilla_(soft_drink)#/media/File:Sarsaparilla.JPG), Hey Song company’s sarsaparilla drink. I get my root beer fix in Beijing using that or Watson’s sarsaparilla drink called Sarsae. That’s good stuff. I get it at the local Asian market. It’s not quite root beer (a bit more… bubblegummy?), but it’s definitely in the same ballpark. ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/22 "2015-09-21T07:26:18Z")
Pumpkin pie. That’ll raise an eyebrow in most of Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/23 "2015-09-21T07:42:00Z")
With respect to Japanese people (I lived over there for 8 years), they tend to dislike two foods already mentioned: dill pickles and root beer. The McDonald’s burgers there are exactly the same as here, and probably most people leave the pickles on, but it’s something that Japanese people will often call out as not liking. I have found this odd, as Japan has a huge pickle culture with a wide variety of flavors. Dill seems pretty inoffensive to me. And yes, root beer is said to taste like medicine, and why make a soda that tastes like medicine? (When you think about it, the main flavor is wintergreen. Mint soda. Wintergreen or other flavoring is used to make medicine more palatable in many countries, including Ota Isan, a popular stomach remedy in Japan. So it doesn’t have good associations in some places.) Other than that, I think American food is pretty “normal.” Most countries are pretty used to it by now, and I don’t think there are too many things people would find “really gross.” ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/24 "2015-09-21T07:49:29Z")
Hershey chocolate bars taste vile. Edit: missed post 18. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/25 "2015-09-21T08:04:16Z")
I found root beer disgusting the only time tried it. Now, I must admit that it was more than 25 years ago. Plus, I thought it was a sort of cola so the difference between the expected taste and the actual one might have played a role. I’m still not going to give it another try, though. Peanut butter, while not as bad, is definitely not pleasant either. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/26 "2015-09-21T09:33:19Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > Grape flavoured stuff. Yech. More specifically, Concord-grape flavoured stuff. Double yech! Not generic American food, but those weird-ass casseroles from the upper Midwest, made with like canned mushroom soup and green beans. On the other hand, I quite like root beer (although I prefer dandelion&burdock) ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/27 "2015-09-21T09:59:56Z")
**Pumpkin pie** and the **tinned pumpkin** that makes them. **Sloppy Joes** like in _Roseanne_. That marshmallow **Fluff** they had at Aldi once. **Smores,** until we got the Fluff and started making them at work, **Grits**. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/28 "2015-09-21T10:10:15Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > My Danish relatives think American food is too spicy. > > Othertimes it isnt the taste as much as the amounts Americans eat. In Denmark they like several small meals instead of 2-3 really big ones. Personally I like spice so when I was in Vegas last month the food was very much to my taste, particularly the mexican inspired dishes. But portion size killed me, I cut down to 2 meals a day, brunch and dinner with margaritas and beer to fill the gap. ---
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/29 "2015-09-21T18:07:11Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#): > > I found root beer disgusting the only time tried it. Now, I must admit that it was more than 25 years ago. Plus, I thought it was a sort of cola so the difference between the expected taste and the actual one might have played a role. I’m still not going to give it another try, though. I bet you omitted part of the presentation. The proper way to drink root beer is with a scoop of vanilla ice cream floating in it. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/30 "2015-09-21T18:16:27Z")
I went to school with a guy from Peru, and when I mentioned eating cold pizza he thought I was trying to pull a fast one on the foreigner. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/31 "2015-09-21T18:26:21Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > **Sloppy Joes** like in _Roseanne_. Do you mean the loose meat sandwiches Roseanne sold in her restaurant? Because loose meat sandwiches ≠ sloppy joes. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/32 "2015-09-21T18:34:57Z")
Having grown up with Hershey’s chocolate, I do feel compelled to defend it. Quoting from the Wikipedia article on chocolate types: > [@](#): > > “Milk chocolate,” the variety that accounts for, at minimum, approximately 87.5% of the solid chocolate actually eaten in the United States alone, is solid chocolate made with milk, in the form of milk powder, liquid milk, or condensed milk, added. In the 1870s, Swiss confectioner Daniel Peter developed solid milk chocolate using condensed milk, but German company Jordan & Timaeus in Dresden, Saxony had already invented milk chocolate in 1839;[5] hitherto it had only been available as a drink.[6] The U.S. Government requires a 10% concentration of chocolate liquor. EU regulations specify a minimum of 25% cocoa solids. However, an agreement was reached in 2000 that allowed what by exception from these regulations is called “milk chocolate” in the UK, Ireland, and Malta, containing only 20% cocoa solids, to be traded as “family milk chocolate” elsewhere in the European Union.[7] > “Hershey process” milk chocolate is popular in North America. The process was invented by Milton S. Hershey, founder of The Hershey Company, and yields chocolate that can be produced more cheaply than other processes since it is less sensitive to the freshness of the milk. The process is a trade secret, but experts speculate that the milk is partially lipolyzed, producing butyric acid, which stabilizes the milk from further fermentation. This compound gives the product a particular taste, to which the North American public has become accustomed, to the point that other manufacturers now simply add butyric acid to their milk chocolates.[6] It’s not clear to me that Hershey settled on his process because it was cheap – despite the 1830s experiments, “milk chocolate” was still a new concept (and a luxury item) when Milton Hershey came up with his own formula by experimentation. That his result differs in taste from the European variety isn’t surprising, but that in no way makes it inferior. > [@](#): > > Using the proceeds from the 1900 sale of the Lancaster Caramel Company, Hershey initially acquired farm land roughly 30 miles northwest of Lancaster, near his birthplace of Derry Church. There, he could obtain the large supplies of fresh milk needed to perfect and produce fine milk chocolate. Excited by the potential of milk chocolate, which at that time was a luxury product, Hershey was determined to develop a formula for milk chocolate and market and sell it to the American public. Through trial and error, he created his own formula for milk chocolate. The first Hershey bar was produced in 1900. Hershey’s Kisses were developed in 1907, and the Hershey’s Bar with almonds was introduced in 1908. > **[Milton S. Hershey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_S._Hershey)** > > Milton Snavely Hershey (September 13, 1857 – October 13, 1945) was an American chocolatier, businessman, and philanthropist. > Trained in the confectionery business, Hershey pioneered the manufacture of caramel, using fresh milk. He launched the Lancaster Caramel Company, which achieved bulk exports, and then sold it to start a new company supplying mass-produced milk chocolate, previously a luxury good. > The first Hershey bars were sold in 1900 and proved so popular that he was able to build h... ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/33 "2015-09-21T18:45:13Z")
For me I can get on with most US food - I would call a lot of it “LCD (lowest common denominator) food” and it is not a million miles from English food. However there’s a few dishes that I object to on intellectual grounds: Peanut Butter and ‘Jelly’ sandwiches: I detest peanut butter (but I assure you it is a popular food stuff in the UK), so this was always going to be a non-starter with me, but I can’t work out the rationale behind this sandwich. Pumpkin pie: Pumpkin is the least edible of all vegetables, so why make a sweet pie out of it? Though I have never tried this uniquely American dish. Cheese in a can: nearly all cheeses have some virtue, but this cheese has none. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/34 "2015-09-21T18:58:09Z")
Biscuits (scone-like things, for the Brits) with sausage gravy. Even a lot of Americans (mostly women) find it disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/35 "2015-09-21T19:01:26Z")
> [@Asympotically\_fat](#): > > Peanut Butter and ‘Jelly’ sandwiches: I detest peanut butter (but I assure you it is a popular food stuff in the UK), so this was always going to be a non-starter with me, but I can’t work out the rationale behind this sandwich. It’s the same rationale that’s behind the latest craze of salted caramel and salted chocolates - the combination of sweet and salty/savory. Or the combination of butter & jam on toast. You start eating PB&J sandwiches in childhood, and children’s palates are inclined to like sweet things. In adulthood you eat them because you remember them fondly from childhood and because they still taste good to you. The sweet jelly/jam/preserves and the sweet & salty peanut butter together are pretty good! Starting with an adult palate they could easily taste too sweet to you. ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/36 "2015-09-21T19:10:17Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > It’s the same rationale that’s behind the latest craze of salted caramel and salted chocolates - the combination of sweet and salty/savory. > > Or the combination of butter & jam on toast. > > You start eating PB&J sandwiches in childhood, and children’s palates are inclined to like sweet things. In adulthood you eat them because you remember them fondly from childhood and because they still taste good to you. The sweet jelly/jam/preserves and the sweet & salty peanut butter together are pretty good! > > Starting with an adult palate they could easily taste too sweet to you. Sure you can justify anything if you set your mind to it, but some ideas (like PBJ) are too vile to allow into your heart.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Oops\_I\_Went\_Poopies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Oops\_I\_Went\_Poopies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oops_I_Went_Poopies)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/37 "2015-09-21T19:14:50Z")
Grits are pretty gross. Pumpkin seems odd on its own, but a lot of the “pumpkin” flavor really comes from a mix of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger. The pumpkin itself is kind of a base which provides the texture and color and complements the spices well; without the spices, pumpkin falls flat. As far as cheeses and chocolates go, I like to think that all types have their place. I can enjoy a Hershey’s bar, and I’m not opposed to cheese in a can; however, I would prefer anything else if given the choice. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/38 "2015-09-21T19:16:34Z")
Now, I come from a land where people consider pig feet and snails a delicacy, but, by Jove, even I consider that cheese on a spray can is too much of an affront to good taste. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/39 "2015-09-21T19:17:53Z")
> [@Asympotically\_fat](#): > > Sure you can justify anything if you set your mind to it, but some ideas (like PBJ) are too vile to allow into your heart.🙂 😃 ETA - I’m bringing PB&J for lunch tomorrow, dammit! I’m not letting some redcoat tell me what to do! And I’m going to sing My Country 'Tis of Thee while I eat it!!! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054/40 "2015-09-21T19:20:29Z")
> [@Asympotically\_fat](#): > > Sure you can justify anything if you set your mind to it, but some ideas (like PBJ) are too vile to allow into your heart.🙂 Right then! That’s quite enough young man! Vegemite for supper and straight to bed for you! 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-americans-like-that-non-americans-find-disgusting/732054.md?page=3)