# Non-US restaurants that fail at "American cuisine" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 25, 2009, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559 "2009-09-25T19:27:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/41 "2009-09-27T15:15:38Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I’ve been to and lived in more countries than I can count, and I have never had a decent hamburger outside of the U.S. I’ve had them mixed with pork or egg or all manner of odd ingredients. I had a “burger with the lot” at Porky’s Takeaway in Bicheno, Tasmania. It was topped with a fried egg…and a thick beet slice. Once I got rid of those, the burger was quite delicious. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/42 "2009-09-27T15:37:59Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I had a “burger with the lot” at Porky’s Takeaway in Bicheno, Tasmania. It was topped with a fried egg…and a thick beet slice. Once I got rid of those, the burger was quite delicious. Both are fantastic on a burger. There’s a good number of American places that I’ve seen fried egg on the burger. Not on the average 1/4 lb or less fastfood style burger, but on the big pub burgers, you’ll definitely see it around. Beetroot, I don’t see so much (but I like quite a lot.) ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/43 "2009-09-27T16:08:28Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Both are fantastic on a burger. There’s a good number of American places that I’ve seen fried egg on the burger. Not on the average 1/4 lb or less fastfood style burger, but on the big pub burgers, you’ll definitely see it around. Beetroot, I don’t see so much (but I like quite a lot.) Yep, in America you can get a fried egg on a hamburger at Fatburger. It’s actually pretty good! ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/44 "2009-09-27T16:38:10Z")
> [@spoke-](#): > > Many years ago (late 70s) I went to an American-style pizza place in London. The “pizza” was square. Cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella. Ketchup instead of tomato paste. (No oregano.) Ground beef instead of sausage. And to complete the disaster, the crust was soggy. I had a pizza in Norway that was . . . very different. It actually wasn’t bad, but flavor-wise it only marginally matched my typical expectations for pizza. Unfortunately I don’t remember what was on it anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/45 "2009-09-27T16:43:18Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > In the building where I work in Korea, there’s a CHEERS bar (a licensed franchise somehow connected to the TV show). All the food and most of the beer is Korean. Families bring their children. And there are no seats at the bar. So much for a place where everybody knows your name! Hey, it’s Korea! They only _have_, like, six or seven names, right? ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/46 "2009-09-27T17:47:00Z")
In a pub in Prague several years ago I ordered a cheeseburger. It turned out to be simply a large chunk of mozerella cheese, breaded and deep fried, in a hamburger bun (with tons of mayo, of course). Rather a literal interpretation! ---
**Author:** ![Estilicon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Estilicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Estilicon)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/47 "2009-09-27T19:30:19Z")
I once went to a restaurant in Puerto Madero (Buenos Aires) call Friday’s. I understand its supposed to be an american chain. Also supposedly it serves american food. I ate the worst hamburger ever in that horrid place. But of course our hamburgers are way better than american ones. After all, the secret is in the meat and your’s (americans) suck 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/48 "2009-09-27T23:50:34Z")
You know, a lot of the posts in this thread seem to be saying, “Hey, I tried some food item in a foreign country that was supposed to be a typically American item, but they really missed it up. Boy, they must really be stupid there if they can’t make that item right.” This assumes that they want the item to be just like the American version. On the contrary, I suspect that the restaurant owners tried the item in the U.S. and said, “You know, this is almost a good idea, but I’m going to have to make some changes in it.” So when they serve it in their restaurant in the foreign country, they changed it by adding or deleting things in it, changing the spices in it, and changing the way it was cooked. They know perfectly well that their version is much different from the typical American version, and they prefer their version. Their customers in the foreign country probably also prefer their version. This isn’t to say that either the original American version or the foreign adaptation is better, just that they are different for good reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/49 "2009-09-28T01:33:58Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > You know, a lot of the posts in this thread seem to be saying, “Hey, I tried some food item in a foreign country that was supposed to be a typically American item, but they really missed it up. Boy, they must really be stupid there if they can’t make that item right.” This assumes that they want the item to be just like the American version. On the contrary, I suspect that the restaurant owners tried the item in the U.S. and said, “You know, this is almost a good idea, but I’m going to have to make some changes in it.” So when they serve it in their restaurant in the foreign country, they changed it by adding or deleting things in it, changing the spices in it, and changing the way it was cooked. They know perfectly well that their version is much different from the typical American version, and they prefer their version. Their customers in the foreign country probably also prefer their version. This isn’t to say that either the original American version or the foreign adaptation is better, just that they are different for good reasons. From the OP: > [@](#): > > I’m wondering if anyone has ever come across a restaurant outside the US purporting to have “authentic American cuisine” but utterly failed at the execution. Has anyone encountered such a thing? Now, back to the bitching about Japanese food: MY GOD can they screw some shit up. Mayo, corn, tuna and hotdog pizza! Yum. Lots of hotdogs where you would not expect them, in fact, like in the ubiquitous bland brown curry. The worst thing we’ve gotten here, though was at a Mexican restaurant. Everything was awful, but the cheese dip (which I think is more of a tex mex concept than authentic Mexican) was a bowl of lukewarm cheese wiz (no additional spices) and six stale corn chips. It was completely inedible. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/50 "2009-09-28T01:59:37Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > In Japan, “American Style” pizza was pizza with corn and mayonnaise on it. This is just what I came in here to mention. Since I don’t eat red meat I’ve never experienced a Japanese hamburger or hot dog, so I can’t comment on their quality. I was amused to learn that a corn dog is known as an “American dog” in Japan, presumably because corn is involved. I did get some decent frozen burritos in convenience stores in Japan. They weren’t fantastic dining or anything, but they tasted like I expected a frozen burrito to taste. I also remember seeing some very sad looking sandwiches for sale, but I never bought any. What is that dish with the ketchup rice and egg? I got the impression that was inspired by American cooking, although it’s totally unlike anything you’ll find served in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/51 "2009-09-28T03:32:03Z")
> [@Tanaqui](#): > > chocolate chip cookies–turns out chocolate chip cookies can come in a surprising variety of flavors, including pumpkin and strawberry. > Curry that only comes in one flavor–brown > The Japanese even fuck up apple pie. A pie is not the same thing as a cookie, Japan!!! lmao. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/52 "2009-09-28T06:25:08Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > What is that dish with the ketchup rice and egg? I got the impression that was inspired by American cooking, although it’s totally unlike anything you’ll find served in the US. オムライス, Omu-raisu. From “omelette” and “rice”. Delicious! > **[Omurice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omurice)** > > Omurice or omu-rice (オムライス, omu-raisu) is a Japanese dish consisting of an omelette made with fried rice and a thin layer of scrambled eggs, usually topped with ketchup. It is a well-known dish also commonly cooked at home. Children in particular enjoy omurice. It is often featured in Japan's version of a children's meal, okosama-ranchi (お子様ランチ). > With omu and raisu being derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the French word omelette and the English word "rice", the name is an example of was... ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/53 "2009-09-28T07:46:59Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > You know, a lot of the posts in this thread seem to be saying, “Hey, I tried some food item in a foreign country that was supposed to be a typically American item, but they really missed it up. Boy, they must really be stupid there if they can’t make that item right.” This assumes that they want the item to be just like the American version. On the contrary, I suspect that the restaurant owners tried the item in the U.S. and said, “You know, this is almost a good idea, but I’m going to have to make some changes in it.” So when they serve it in their restaurant in the foreign country, they changed it by adding or deleting things in it, changing the spices in it, and changing the way it was cooked. They know perfectly well that their version is much different from the typical American version, and they prefer their version. Their customers in the foreign country probably also prefer their version. This isn’t to say that either the original American version or the foreign adaptation is better, just that they are different for good reasons. You give people, even professional chefs and restaurant owners, too much credit when they try to make food that falls outside of their area of expertise. They have BBQ and Louisiana food all over the country and all over the world for example and places outside of the region screw it up 95% of the time. That isn’t a subjective judgement. They simply don’t know what they are doing because it requires specialized skills and equipment to make those things correctly and they usually don’t have them. They may not even have access to the proper ingredients. There is such a thing as good and bad food of any style. It can be done though but it often costs time and money to make great food and restaurants are businesses first and foremost so they may not care about top quality as long as they are successful. ---
**Author:** ![Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ec9cab/32.png) [@Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/54 "2009-09-28T12:34:55Z")
Sometimes its just very hard to reproduce food from different countries, due to a lack of, or a difference in, ingredients. British Pork Pies are difficult to reproduce in Canada as Canadian pork has a different fat content to British Pork. I know this through talking to a British butcher here in Canada. So to get the pork right it was necessary for the butcher to raise his own pigs. Not everyone has this dedication and so many just “make do” so the final product is different. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/55 "2009-09-28T13:44:47Z")
Let’s look at it the other way. Chinese food in the U.S. is frequently quite different from what’s served in China, especially if it’s in some town where there are no other Chinese than the owner of the restaurant. I suspect that if you asked the owner why he makes the food that way, he would say, “I tried making it in a more authentic way, but the customers didn’t like it. So now I have adapted it to my customers’ tastes. I make it more authentic when I cook for myself.” I suspect that in many cases, the reason that restaurants that serve American-style foods outside the U.S. make rather inauthentic versions of it is that they tested the authentic versions on their customers and discovered that they don’t like it. ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/56 "2009-09-28T20:03:53Z")
In Taiwan I saw a “Mexican” place where the pictures of the burritos looked like kung pao chicken wrapped in a tortilla. I avoided eating there. Singapore does a lot of the cheddar cheese, corn and such on pizzas too. ---
**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 28, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/57 "2009-09-28T20:39:02Z")
> [@](#): > > Singapore does a lot of the cheddar cheese, corn and such on pizzas too. Cheddar Cheese on Pizza isn’t necessarily a “getting it wrong”. There used to be a restaurant in Boston (Warburton’s) whose specialty was “cheddar cheese pizza”. In a city full of Italian (and Greek) pizzerias, they definitely stood out – they certainly knew what a “real” pizza ought to be, and varoied the recipe to create something new. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/58 "2009-09-28T20:47:14Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Yep, in America you can get a fried egg on a hamburger at Fatburger. It’s also the signature burger at Red Robin: you can of course order a mushroom-and-swiss easy as get a double cheeseburger topped with pickles and onions and relish – or you can just ask for the Royal Red Robin Burger, which comes topped with a fried egg and strips of bacon. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/59 "2009-09-28T20:51:38Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > It’s also the signature burger at Red Robin: you can of course order a mushroom-and-swiss easy as get a double cheeseburger topped with pickles and onions and relish – or you can just ask for the Royal Red Robin Burger, which comes topped with a fried egg and strips of bacon. And is a SERIOUSLY guilty pleasure. 😃 I was embarrassed when the Simpsons picked out that burger specifically…I think it was the last straw that gave Homer a coronary. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559/60 "2009-09-28T22:44:51Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Let’s look at it the other way. Chinese food in the U.S. is frequently quite different from what’s served in China, especially if it’s in some town where there are no other Chinese than the owner of the restaurant. I suspect that if you asked the owner why he makes the food that way, he would say, “I tried making it in a more authentic way, but the customers didn’t like it. So now I have adapted it to my customers’ tastes. I make it more authentic when I cook for myself.” I suspect that in many cases, the reason that restaurants that serve American-style foods outside the U.S. make rather inauthentic versions of it is that they tested the authentic versions on their customers and discovered that they don’t like it. Well, yes, but it’s common enough in the US to discuss why the Olive Garden is not like real Italian food, why Domino’s is not like the pizza one gets in Italy, why most bagels are inauthentic, why most Mexican food on offer is too bland, etc. This thread is just looking at the other side of that coin, and I for one have been entertained (and educated). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-restaurants-that-fail-at-american-cuisine/511559.md?page=4)