# Foods with darn-near universal appeal **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 4, 2007, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762 "2007-05-04T16:52:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/101 "2007-05-06T05:16:27Z")
A lot of the flavor and food biases here are very Western Centric. If you talk about world appeal, I would say that my fruit and nut theory is the most universal (Capsicum and Coconut are fruits and nuts.) I would say that in terms of flavor and general survuival mankind in majority will eat fruit and nuts. Sugar and protein. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/102 "2007-05-06T06:22:35Z")
[QUOTE=Lemur866] While it’s rare to find an American who hates peanut butter, lots of Euros claim to find it disgusting. [/QUOTE] I love peanut butter but not the way Americans have it…with jam :eek: Spread on bread and sprinkled with salt…yummy ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/103 "2007-05-06T06:40:22Z")
**Risha** : Allow me to edifercate you. Fish,chips and mushy peas is traditional British (English) fodder. A fillet of fish, mainly cod, is fried in a batter until golden brown. Big fuck off juicy chips (none of those poncy French fries) are added to the plate. The mushy peas are then either dumped on top of the chips or put at the side of the plate. Sprinkle with salt 'n vinegar, grab a slice of buttered bread, put chips on bread, fold bread, dip into peas and gronff it down whilst shovelling a forkful of the battered fish into ones gob. Heaven on a plate. As has been mentioned, there are people who do not like mushy peas but we ignore those freaks and treat them with utter contempt. Eggs, chips and beans. Another culinary delight given to the world by the UK. 2 fried eggs (yolks MUST be runny) chips as mentioned above, add beans to plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, grab slice of thickly buttered bread, add chips to bread, fold and dip into egg yolk and beans…gronff!! I’m bloody hungry now ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/104 "2007-05-06T06:49:45Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] **Risha** …Big fuck off juicy chips (none of those poncy French fries)… [/QUOTE] I think I need some more edifercation. I’ve been under the impression that “chips”, at least in the context of “fish and chips” referred to what we Americans call french fries. Are you saying that they’re not french fries? ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/105 "2007-05-06T07:05:16Z")
[QUOTE=davidm] I think I need some more edifercation. I’ve been under the impression that “chips”, at least in the context of “fish and chips” referred to what we Americans call french fries. Are you saying that they’re not french fries? [/QUOTE] Nossir they are most definitely not FFs. :eek: These are an abomination in the eyes of man. Scrawny little fuckers Real mans chips are, as I said, big fuck off slices of spud deep fried to a golden brown and crispy on the outside but meltingly delish on the inside. 😃 What you call chips we call crisps ---
**Author:** ![cheeky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@cheeky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheeky)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/106 "2007-05-06T07:18:50Z")
Cock. Finally, something on which men and women can agree. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/107 "2007-05-06T07:26:52Z")
I don’t like chocolate chip cookies. I like cookies and I like chocolate chips. I even like chocolate chip cookies sans chocolate chips. But when you put the two together I think it’s gross. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/108 "2007-05-06T10:57:53Z")
[QUOTE=cheeky] Cock. Finally, something on which men and women can agree. [/QUOTE] Well our lesbian friends may disagree with you there also our straight guys. However you forgot tits…summat on which we can all agree even gay guys ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/109 "2007-05-06T12:11:27Z")
for junk food, McD’s is pretty popular over much of the earth and Coca Cola may be the most recognized name globally along with Jesus and Elvis. French fries have to be pretty universally liked. Even in China, Pizza Hut is popular for cheese pizzas. Chicken seems to be popular around the world, so what dishes are common? Chicken soup with veggies? Fried chicken of some variation? Boiled eggs? I also agree that most cultures have a noodle of some sort. forget the phooey about Marco Polo bringing back noodles invented in China. There is such a thing as parallel discovery. And most cultures do have some sort of boiled dumpling. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/110 "2007-05-06T14:26:22Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] Well our lesbian friends may disagree with you there also our straight guys. [/QUOTE] Maybe it just hasn’t been fixed right. Now, _my_… ---
**Author:** ![Risha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Risha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Risha)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/111 "2007-05-06T15:53:06Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] **Risha** : Allow me to edifercate you. Fish,chips and mushy peas is traditional British (English) fodder. A fillet of fish, mainly cod, is fried in a batter until golden brown. Big fuck off juicy chips (none of those poncy French fries) are added to the plate. The mushy peas are then either dumped on top of the chips or put at the side of the plate. Sprinkle with salt 'n vinegar, grab a slice of buttered bread, put chips on bread, fold bread, dip into peas and gronff it down whilst shovelling a forkful of the battered fish into ones gob. Heaven on a plate. As has been mentioned, there are people who do not like mushy peas but we ignore those freaks and treat them with utter contempt. Eggs, chips and beans. Another culinary delight given to the world by the UK. 2 fried eggs (yolks MUST be runny) chips as mentioned above, add beans to plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, grab slice of thickly buttered bread, add chips to bread, fold and dip into egg yolk and beans…gronff!! I’m bloody hungry now [/QUOTE] Ok, you’ve made _me_ hungry now too. I must seek these out at some point. I already love fish and chips with malt vineger, so at least I was already on the right road. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/112 "2007-05-06T16:23:18Z")
[QUOTE=Risha] Ok, you’ve made _me_ hungry now too. I must seek these out at some point. I already love fish and chips with malt vineger, so at least I was already on the right road. [/QUOTE] Indeed you were, we’ll make an Englishman outta you yet 😛 Another abomination that certain plebs make is to have mayonnaise with their chips. I mean, c’mon already :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/113 "2007-05-06T16:41:19Z")
I’d just like to point out that many vegetarians I know actually find meat very appealing indeed, and abstain from eating it not because it’s not appealing but for personal ethical or religious reasons. Also, I agree with “billions - millions = billions.” I think chicken should be on the table. Vegetarians won’t eat it, but I bet you anything the vast majority of them like the taste & texture. Eating meat is part of humanity’s evolution. Chicken is appealing, and, as far I can tell, universally so (meaning, there is no large culture’s cuisine that doesn’t include chicken that I know of), although significant numbers of people abstaining from it from personal reasons as vegans/vegetarians is a worthy footnote. My current main squeeze finds chocolate to be “icky.” Anything with chocolate chips in it would definitely be right out. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/114 "2007-05-06T17:01:03Z")
I would like to ask for a clarification of the term “dumplings”. Dumplings in my house and to everyone I know is a gooey biscuit dough that is cooked on top of various types of stews. We have them with beef stew and one of my favorite foods is chicken and dumplings. Someone else used dumplings to describe tortellini, ravioli and perogies. Tortellini and ravioli is a type of pasta in my book and a perogy is a meat filled biscuit that is baked in an oven. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/115 "2007-05-06T17:29:29Z")
[QUOTE=racer72] I would like to ask for a clarification of the term “dumplings”. Dumplings in my house and to everyone I know is a gooey biscuit dough that is cooked on top of various types of stews. We have them with beef stew and one of my favorite foods is chicken and dumplings. Someone else used dumplings to describe tortellini, ravioli and perogies. Tortellini and ravioli is a type of pasta in my book and a perogy is a meat filled biscuit that is baked in an oven. [/QUOTE] Well I guess you can have various sorts of dumplings, those you describe we also enjoy very much. Same as sweet dumplings with syrup/honey/melted chocolate/ice cream etc. etc. just as tasty. Not forgetting Chinese dumplings with any sort of filling, sweet or savoury ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2007, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/116 "2007-05-07T15:53:53Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] “A vegetable”? Well, we’re not talking about some ingredient. Most people that hate vegetables still like pizza, and that’s made with tomato which is a vegetable. You seem to be so dead set on finding a way to “invalidate” the idea that what I started the thread for can be discussed… yeah, I’d call it threadshitting. [/QUOTE] Just to clarify… Tomatoes are fruits, not vegetables. ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2007, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/117 "2007-05-07T16:34:47Z")
Maybe broth. It is a staple foodstuff from the lowest slop to the highest cuisine. It can be made with anything that has a flavor. There can be nothing more basic than infusing water with a flavor of something, whether that something is as expensive as saffron and lobster or as cheap as unwanted scraps and/or bits of vegetation. ---
**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:** [May 7, 2007, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/118 "2007-05-07T16:37:39Z")
I third (or whatever) the notion of dumplings, and also noodles, and have a recommendation of my own: Pancakes. From _Roti_ to _tortilla_, _crêpes_ to _héyè bǐng_, they are pretty universal. Here there are _obletjies_ made in special cast irons, in the US there’s flapjacks with maple syrup and bacon. There’s _blintzes_ and _Dorayaki_. Hell, it even has its own holiday - Pancake Day (Shrove Tuestday - Mari Gras) and sport event (pancake races). I know _some_ quibblers might call some of these (roti & tortilla especially) kinds of flatbread, but I reserve that name for risen products. Flat and round = pancake to me. ---
**Author:** ![Ludy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Ludy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/119 "2007-05-07T16:47:17Z")
Whatever the food is, it can’t have much flavor. It has to be acceptable for people with restricted diets and seen in cultures all over the world. What about lettuce? Very few people would balk at lettuce. It’s healthy, with a very mild flavor, there is a form of it available in most cultures, it wouldn’t make a person who wasn’t used to rich or fried food ill, and will fit in most diets. It is not glamorous but is seen as anything from a garnish to a main staple for many meals. Lettuce is my vote. ---
**Author:** ![Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2007, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762/120 "2007-05-07T16:51:25Z")
Okay, now look here. There is one food that is beloved by vegans and carnivores to end all. The banana! Come on, who among us hates bananas? They are the quintessential fruit. Not too sweet, not too tart, just right. And if someone comes in and says they hate bananas I’m gonna hit them with a big old palm frond. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-with-darn-near-universal-appeal/402762.md?page=7)