# Misconceptions about USA **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 19, 2003, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510 "2003-09-19T00:33:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/241 "2003-09-25T18:40:13Z")
Ugh. I have never heard of eating marshmallows on sweet potato until reading this thread. I repeat: ugh. ---
**Author:** ![CaptBushido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@CaptBushido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptBushido)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/242 "2003-09-25T18:43:49Z")
> [@](#): > > Is Lubbock still in a dry county? Or am I thinking Oddessa? Man, I’ve done so many jobs all over Texas (home and restaurant remodel), I sometimes get mixed up. The city is dry, but not the county. Bars and restaurants can serve alcohol, but you can’t sell it retail within city limits. Naturally, this created “The Strip”, a highway just outside of town packed with stores that supply the entire city. Kind of silly, really… …or wait…you didn’t mean, like, dry as in “no rainfall”? Did you? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/243 "2003-09-25T19:19:23Z")
No, I meant alcohol. I seem to remember having to “join a club” for like $3.00 or so, so we could order liquor at the restaurant in which we were dining. That may have been Leveland, though. Now that you describe it, I do remember The Strip. I also remember some amazingly pretty girls in that city. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/244 "2003-09-25T22:50:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by friedo \* > \*\*Yeah, but it’s OK, because we all have our own personal jetpacks. > > [sub]just kidding[/sub] > > Depends a lot on where you are. It’s virtually impossible to get anywhere in LA without driving or taking the bus, \*\* Not always true. We do have a few pedestrian friendly areas in L.A., one of which I’m fortunate enough to live in. Within a mere 15-minute walk we have: a grocery store. a liquor store. the local branch of the L.A. public library the local branch courthouse a very decent coffeehouse an art supply store one of the few remaining traditional ‘coffeeshop’ restaurants an Italian deli, to which is attached, the best restaurant in the area Too many other cafes and eateries to mention my usual barbershop hair and nail places too numerous to mention a Swiss bakery Mexican and Kosher markets Two art movie houses Granted that list doesn’t cover all the necessities of life, and I do have to drive to my job. I also need to drive, or take a bus, to get to the museums or the beach. But it’s definitely not true that everyone in L.A. has to get in their SUV and drive to the market when they run out of bread. ---
**Author:** ![Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krisfer_the_Cat)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/245 "2003-09-25T23:18:46Z")
Speaking of dry, Most peopl outside of Utah assume that there is no booze here. Nothing could be further from the truth… you just have to be more creative here.😃 Hard liquor can ONLY be bought in liquor stores or in private clubs. Most clubs have guest memberships. I am told the alcohol content here is lower… so drink more… just don’t drive okay? Every convenience store packs in plenty of beer tho… ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/246 "2003-09-26T03:45:31Z")
The booze situation in my town in Texas is pretty weird. There are liquor stores scattered all over town, within the city limits, yet to drink in a club, you have to make it a “private club” and offer memberships (which are usually free, and serve only the letter of the law). I don’t get it. There’s a pretty shoddy-looking strip club on the US highway that bisects the “suburban” part of town from the old downtown; it has “WE SERVE” painted on the side, and underneath somebody crossed out what must have been beer and liquor, and left just “SET-UPS,” which I assume means you bring in your own gin and they provide the tonic. Guess they couldn’t get a license even as a “private club.” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/247 "2003-09-26T09:41:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kyla \* > \*\*Ugh. I have never heard of eating marshmallows on sweet potato until reading this thread. I repeat: ugh. \*\* I was trying to avoid saying it but it’s a fine example of White Trash Cuisine, along with jello salad, tuna casserole and chocolate sheet cakes with condensed milk. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/248 "2003-09-26T09:47:55Z")
I have to know - what the hell is jello salad?!! ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/249 "2003-09-26T09:50:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jennyrosity \* > So to get back to the OP (sort of), do you guys get really sick of turkey in the winter? I mean, you have this huge turkey based meal in November, and then, before you’ve barely had time to make the left-overs into curry, it’s yet another huge turkey based meal. I’d be suffering from like, turkey fatigue or something Actually, it’s the turkey smoothies that get to be a real drag… :eek: _just kidding, folks_. Seriously, though, only Thanksgiving is the Big Turkey Day meal. Although some folks do a turkey for Christmas, ham is also quite popular. Also keep in mind _a significant portion of Americans aren’t Christian and therefore do not celebrate Christmas_. Sure, we get the day off from work and we’re happy for it, but that doesn’t mean we’re celebrating a holiday, at least in the religious sense. Also, it’s traditional to eat some of these “turkey meals” in large gatherings of either family or friends or both. So the leftovers aren’t as much a problem as you’d think. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/250 "2003-09-26T09:50:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jennyrosity \* > \*\*I have to know - what the hell is jello salad?!! \*\* **Jennyrosity** , prepare to laugh yourself stupid: the [Gallery of Regrettable Food](http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/). ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/251 "2003-09-26T10:04:44Z")
OMG. I had no idea jell-o had such a formative role in the making of American civilisation. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/252 "2003-09-26T10:04:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jennyrosity \* > I have to know - what the hell is jello salad?!! It’s flavored gelatin with bit o’ stuff floating in it - usually fruit (one hopes those lumps are fruit…). Real traditionalists use either strawberry or strawberry/banana geletin. A large dollop of whipped cream is also frequently seen on each serving. The variations are endless, though. ---
**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:** [September 26, 2003, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/253 "2003-09-26T12:01:35Z")
My mom makes Jell-O salad. 1 packet Lemon Jell-O 1 Packet Lime Jell-O 1 red apple, chopped 1 green apple, chopped Walnuts Cottage cheese Mayonaise. Water (for the gelatin) Mix it all up, and let it set in the fridge. It’s green. Sort of that mint toothpaste green. And lumpy. And unlike what most people think of as Jell-O salad, you can’t see through it. It’s actually pretty good. But it _looks_ nasty. My mom got the recipe in the 1950s from my aunt, who got it out of a magazine. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/254 "2003-09-26T12:17:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Broomstick \* > \*\*Also keep in mind _a significant portion of Americans aren’t Christian and therefore do not celebrate Christmas_. Sure, we get the day off from work and we’re happy for it, but that doesn’t mean we’re celebrating a holiday, at least in the religious sense. > \*\* That’s not really true. Non-Christians only number about 10-12% of the population. And a really good chunk of those (5-7%) are atheists, a good chunk of whom will likely celebrate Christmas if only for the cultural aspect or because the rest of their family does and it’s nice to get together. My guess is you’re only really looking at (5-6%) of the population that doesn’t celebrate it. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/255 "2003-09-26T12:43:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by racinchikki \* > \*\*There’s a pretty shoddy-looking strip club on the US highway that bisects the “suburban” part of town from the old downtown; it has “WE SERVE” painted on the side, and underneath somebody crossed out what must have been beer and liquor, and left just “SET-UPS,” which I assume means you bring in your own gin and they provide the tonic. Guess they couldn’t get a license even as a “private club.” \*\* It could be that there is legislation similar to in parts of Atlanta - a place cannot serve alcohol if it has nude dancing. Presumably they are not allowed just to ban nude dancing, so they try find ways to make it unprofitable. ---
**Author:** ![tanookie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/48db29/32.png) [@tanookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanookie)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/256 "2003-09-26T13:08:46Z")
We used to make jello salad when I was a kid but we made different pans of jello (some with fruit like strawberry) and then cubed the batches and tossed them together with coolwhip. I also liked how my nana would take her funkiest glasses and set them at a tilt in the fridge and make jello treats in them (layers of jello and coolwhip) it took forever but was pretty and made a little kid really happy. Not everywhere has such odd alcohol rules… heck in NH you can buy beer and wine in the grocery although their liquor stores sell only the hard stuff. Kinda odd to me from MA where the liquor stores sell everything (Even on Sunday during the holiday shopping season) and the bars and restaurants and strip clubs all serve alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/257 "2003-09-26T13:08:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \* > \*\*My mom makes Jell-O salad. > > 1 packet Lemon Jell-O > 1 Packet Lime Jell-O > 1 red apple, chopped > 1 green apple, chopped > Walnuts > Cottage cheese > Mayonaise. > Water (for the gelatin) > > Mix it all up, and let it set in the fridge. > > It’s green. Sort of that mint toothpaste green. And lumpy. And unlike what most people think of as Jell-O salad, you can’t see through it. It’s actually pretty good. But it _looks_ nasty. > > My mom got the recipe in the 1950s from my aunt, who got it out of a magazine. \*\* I cannot even begin to express my disgust at this. Johnny L.A, does your mother not like you or what?!! ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/258 "2003-09-26T13:21:43Z")
While we’re talking about strip clubs and alcohol (Yaaa!!!) check out the situation here. In clubs that are topless only (the girls get down to g-strings) they can sell anything. Nude clubs, however, are BYOB! Makes sense, right? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/259 "2003-09-26T13:29:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \* > \*\*My mom got the recipe in the 1950s from my aunt, who got it out of a magazine. \*\* I betcha that magazine was sponsored by Jell-O. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510/260 "2003-09-26T14:58:57Z")
It could’ve been an ad. I have some old 1940s and 50s Better Housekeeping type mags that were in a box of classic cameras I picked up at a garage sale. The ads were the most interesting things! Very detailed, really small print in some of them, stuff you don’t see ads for now. Durkee’s Onions had an ad with a greenbean casarole recipe. Do you furriners have garage sales? (Garage is a fancy frenchyfied word for car hold) Is an explanation of “Garage Sale” needed? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misconceptions-about-usa/202510.md?page=14)