# Is any food / drink really "world famous"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 5, 2009, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606 "2009-02-05T19:07:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/21 "2009-02-06T04:12:10Z")
Ohohoh! I forgot- Johnny Walker. Upscale peanut vendors in Cameroon will pack their peanuts in Johnny Walker bottles, and nearly every home displays at least one empty Johnny Walker bottle as proof that at one point in their life they could afford a bottle of liquor. For fun, here are the American-recognized products available in my large village/small town in Cameroon: Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Guinness, Laughing Cow Cheese, Nestle milk/baby products and Lipton tea. The expensive “rare goods” store had Palmolive body care products, kindersurprise eggs and Heinz Ketchup. In the regional capital three hours away we could get Leaderprice products, Pringles, and sometimes Snicker’s bars. There were also a handful of foreign products that Americans wouldn’t recognize. But in general I’d say we had regular access to maybe 30 processed food products. It’s a trip to live someplace without any consumer goods. Your average person had hard cash in their hands once a year after they sold their crops- even then it’d only be maybe $20-$70. This would get spent first on a new set of clothes and medicine. If some was left they could pay school fees for the kids and buy some laundry soap. And that’d probably be it. One of my volunteer friends threw out a Laughing Cow cheese box, and the next day she found it proudly displayed in the family’s china cabinet next to their most prized processions. Just having eaten a processed food product like that once was a sign on prestige. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/22 "2009-02-06T04:19:42Z")
> [@imfloating](#): > > …Long Island Iced Tea… That may not be the “Iced Tea” you’re looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/23 "2009-02-06T06:53:17Z")
How about those steak places where you have to eat the entire thing within an hour (72 oz.?) and you get the whole thing for free? That conversation seems to come up every few months or so, and the closest one I know of is in Texas. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/24 "2009-02-06T07:12:03Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > TABASCO® sauce has an amazing amount of brand recognition for a company that isn’t that big. Most gas station mini-marts here in New England carrier it in their (tiny) food section. I have also seen it in small places in Canada and several countries in Europe. I suspect it is really world famous or, at least, close to it. They run some pretty intense ad campaigns around Tokyo, frequently [wrapping entire trains](http://www.flickr.com/photos/mutantlovesongs/2276708848/) in Tabasco images. ---
**Author:** ![not\_alice](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_alice/32/7283_2.png) [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/25 "2009-02-06T07:52:35Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > How good is Carl’s Jr.? Nothing short of the same level of dreck at any other fast food place. giant portions though. the first one here opened about 2 weeks ago. set corporate record for weekly sales the first week! I think the City and the local hospital are exploring transportation options to go straight to the cardiac and obesity units from the restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/26 "2009-02-06T08:08:14Z")
KFC 7 Up Modesty forbids me mentioning New England Clam Chowder ---
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/27 "2009-02-06T09:16:51Z")
OK, so I take it that any single brand or restaurant chain offering goes here. How about **Starbucks** coffee? They have stores practically everywhere, and even had it in the Forbidden City in Beijing (until it was closed for ideological, not economic, reasons)! I guess it probably hasn’t made much inroads in Africa, though. Also, as for brands that seem to be offered everywhere, I’ll second: KFC, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Sprite If Tabasco sauce is fair game, then I guess **Nutella** would be as well (all other condiments and food accessories are too splintered into different brands). ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/28 "2009-02-06T09:25:22Z")
I guess Vegemite is “world famous,” but not in a good way. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/29 "2009-02-06T09:34:03Z")
> [@milquetoast](#): > > And second, you’re over-parsing the phrase. “Our world-famous cheeseburger” doesn’t mean **our cheeseburger** if famous world over. It means cheeseburgers are famous world over, and here is our version of it. No. It means the former. If I said my restaurant was offering “Our delicious chocolate pie”, I don’t mean “Chocolate pie is generally delicious, and here’s our particular version of it [which is not necessarily delicious]”. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/30 "2009-02-06T09:49:31Z")
‘World famous’ could just mean that one person in France has heard of this product. It doesn’t mean famous in every country. I mean, I haven’t heard of most of the products in this thread, and I’m in London, England, which isn’t exactly a backwater. Coca-Cola isn’t just the most recognised brand in the world, it’s the second most-recognised _word_, after OK. (Although I can’t find any actual study that proved this, I do remember hearing about a study that apparently did prove it many years ago; maybe this is one for Cecil). > [@Krokodil](#): > > I guess Vegemite is “world famous,” but not in a good way. You either love it or hate it. 😃 And in the UK, of course, it’s Marmite. Maybe Worcester Sauce could be counted as just as famous as Tabasco. I didn’t even realise Tabasco was a brand name, which is testimony to just how famous it is. ---
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/31 "2009-02-06T09:53:59Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > Coca-Cola isn’t just the most recognised brand in the world, it’s the second most-recognised _word_, after OK. (Although I can’t find any actual study that proved this, I do remember hearing about a study that apparently did prove it many years ago; maybe this is one for Cecil). Wow, that’s amazing, if true. I would have thought that at this point, “hello/hallo/allo” and “bye/bye-bye” would be up there, outranking any product. I’ve had kids in a bunch of random 1st and 3rd-world countries saying those to me. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/32 "2009-02-06T10:18:03Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > I myself didn’t even know what a “cheese steak” was until recently–I still haven’t had one. The first time I heard the term “cheese steak” was a week _after_ moving to Philly. Pretty much any meal where you’re linking it to the restaurant won’t be “world famous,” same for many local specialties. Delmowhat? And I agree with **even sven** that “world famous” has to include that woman in Niger. Not every single woman in Niger, but we can’t say “oh, world famous means only people in countries with average incomes over XYZ$/annum and literacy above 97%!” ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/33 "2009-02-06T13:30:43Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > How good is Carl’s Jr.? The same as Hardee’s. You may see some similarities here… 😉 > **[Hardee's](https://www.hardees.com/)** > > Explore Hardee's. – check out our menu, find locations, learn about our company, join rewards, and enjoy great burgers and meals every day. > **[Carl's Jr](https://www.carlsjr.com/#/on-tv-now/natural-cut-fries)** > > Explore Carl's Jr. – check out our menu, find locations, learn about our company, join rewards, and enjoy great burgers and meals every day ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/34 "2009-02-06T13:44:43Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > No. > > It means the former. > > If I said my restaurant was offering “Our delicious chocolate pie”, I don’t mean “Chocolate pie is generally delicious, and here’s our particular version of it [which is not necessarily delicious]”. Yes, definitely. It’s also clearly puffery and not expected to be believed literally, but it’s not at all a testament to how famous cheese burgers or chocolate pie is generally. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/35 "2009-02-06T14:14:31Z")
> [@imfloating](#): > > Maine Lobsters…New York Strips…Long Island Iced Tea…Digby Scallops…Idaho Potatoes…Florida Oranges… What’s a Digby Scallop? > [@scifisam2009](#): > > ‘World famous’ could just mean that one person in France has heard of this product. It doesn’t mean famous in every country. I mean, I haven’t heard of most of the products in this thread, and I’m in London, England, which isn’t exactly a backwater. I’m agree with this theory, and see my example at the end. > [@Krokodil](#): > > Steaks from Delmonico’s > Pizza from Lombardi’s or the original Pizzeria Uno/Due > Seafood from Fisherman’s Wharf > Kobe beef > > We’re not talking about food that’s well known everywhere from Anatevka to Tierra del Fuego, just well-known by foodies far away from where it’s served. I think I’ve heard or Delmonico’s but that’s getting rarified, in the same way that my example is. My favorite hamburger is [Tommy’s](http://www.originaltommys.com/) who claim to be world famous. Hell, my nephew from the San Francisco bay area never heard of it until he went to UCLA (it’s not franchised, and mostly relegated to southern California). But there are numerous people from each of 100 nations who know what an Original Tommy’s double cheeseburger is, so I can justify their declaration of “World Famous”. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/36 "2009-02-06T14:50:43Z")
One interesting example would be Stilton Cheese. Okay, it isn’t exactly ‘world famous’. However, this particular cheese _is_ exported more or less all over the world and has been for many decades. It does tend to polarise opinion a bit, but in general I think it’s safe to say that it enjoys a good reputation for being a very distinctive and enjoyable kind of blue cheese. What’s remarkable is that there are only **five** small and privately-owned dairies in one small part of England (spanning parts of Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire) that make \*\*all \*\*the Stilton cheese in the world. It isn’t made anywhere else, and there are no ‘local’ licensees. If you go to Timbuctoo and see a slice of Stilton, it has come from one of these five small dairies. Also, the process for making Stilton is one of the ‘closely guarded secrets’ that really _is_ a closely-guarded secret, and not some sort of urban myth. One of the reasons that no-one (apart from the five dairies) makes Stilton or copies it is that no-one else knows _how_ to make it. I’m not even particularly interested in this subject, but years ago I worked for a company that made some promotional videos for the Stilton cheese-makers, which is why I ended up knowing more about it than I really wanted to. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/37 "2009-02-06T14:56:47Z")
[QUOTE=chowder;10791227 Modesty forbids me mentioning New England Clam Chowder[/QUOTE] Good job you didn’t mention it then. I’m a Brit and an experienced world traveller and have to say that many of the American products(Apart from the obvious of course)listed up thread are not only not world famous but are virtually unknown outside of the U.S. One or two of them even I haven’t heard of and I have been an often and extensive traveller around America. I mean that in the nicest possible way. My contributions are Scotch Whisky,Champagne,Sherry,caviar and Borsht. ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/38 "2009-02-06T15:10:54Z")
There used to be a place at the beach that proclaimed their “world famous hot dogs.” Even as a child, I figured that if you had to tell people you were famous, then you weren’t famous. And I would have to go with Coca-Cola for truly world-famous. Their goal has been to have Coke available within a certain distance (maybe a mile or so?) of everyone on earth. I doubt they have made that yet, but they’re working on it. RR ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/39 "2009-02-06T15:19:27Z")
> [@johnspartan](#): > > (the recent “never tasted a whopper ads” notwithstanding). Burger King used to call itself ‘The Home of the Whopper’. A friend had a friend who was a foreign-exchange student from Sweden. One day she (the FES) said, ‘Let’s go to the Home of the Who-per.’ Whoppers have always been Who-pers to me since I heard this story. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606/40 "2009-02-06T16:22:31Z")
Hershey’s chocolate. Ghirardelli’s is fairly well known also, but doesn’t have the global reach of the Hershey bar. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-any-food-drink-really-world-famous/484606.md?page=3)