Tourists in US: complaining about food

In My Humble Opinion
81

I’ve been in the US numerous times and I’ve commented before (probably on here) that I think US restaurant food is almost universally better than similar fare here in Ireland. It depends of course because the restaurant culture is slightly different, but by and large American restaurant food is superior to Irish in taste, portion, value, and most importantly to my mind, the level of service attached (although that’s hardly germane to this thread). The only universal counter example I can think of is that Johnny Rockets is disgusting versus its Irish knock-off Eddie Rockets.

Conversely, while most things are cheaper in the parts of the US I’ve visited than here, I feel that quality dairy, meats, fresh produce, is cheaper in Irish supermarkets. However, this is a relative thing. While some foods are indeed actually cheaper in a supermarket in Dublin, IRL, than in Dublin, OH, it’s more that relative to other price differences the gap is much narrower, and often, the equivalent product here is better. Saying that, quality of supermarket food, presumably varies enormously across the different chains, and $ you’re willing to spend. I’ve had plenty of quality supermarket-bought food while visiting the US and the array of fare available often beats what’s on display in a typical supermarket here.

(FWIW, I can think of only twice I’ve had meals in a restaurant that were close to inedible. Once in an “Italian” restaurant in Dublin, another time at an American chain restaurant in Niagara Falls, Canada.)

82

I thought complaining about the food was a stereotype for the English tourist-- you know, how they can’t get their tea how they like it. Americans complain about the service, Australians about prices, Canadians about how somebody mistook them for American. Did somebody revise the cliches while I wasn’t looking?

Coffee seems to be the number one consumable people I know complain about when they visit the US. Doesn’t matter if they’re from Brazil or Australia, they all think the coffee sucks. I’m not sure about the Brazilians, but the Australians don’t generally drink black coffee, and that’s the difference IMO. Americano can be drank straight. If you dump Aussie-size portions of milk and sugar in there, you won’t be able to taste it.

What I Love Me Vol I seems to be missing about the availability of cheese in America is demand. Gouda is damn near a national symbol for the Netherlands. It may as well be on the flag. There’s heaps of demand, right? So there’s heaps of producers competing with each other and heaps of informed consumers. Quality will be high and prices low.

Now then, how easy is it to find, say, Pinconning cheese in the Netherlands? Not very, because there are, so far as I can tell, no producers whatsoever in Europe. Bummer, if you like the stuff. Well, how’s the pickled baloney over there? Non existent? What a shame that typical Northern Michigan staples aren’t even available in the Netherlands and that the Northern Michigan tourist is forced to rely on care packages.

Lastly, Yoohoo is not chocolate milk. It’s something weirdos from the East Coast drink because they don’t know better.

83

Stockholm is cheap compared to Oslo.

84

It’s not that. It’s that drip-filter coffee is rare in Australia. People expect espresso when they’re out. Even McDonalds serves espresso in Australia.

85

Those coffeemakers are called “americanas” in Spain. American coffee and café are just different products, even if the dictionary thinks they share a name.

86

True about McDonald’s serving espresso (and cappuccino), but they also serve filter coffee, at least in Brisbane. I go to Mac’s or Donut King for cheap American style coffee.

I don’t see a lot of difference between filter coffee and plunger style-- other than the amount of grounds at the bottom of the cup-- and plunger style is pretty common IME. I still think it comes down to strength rather than method.

87

Oh yeah, the only time I tried Chinese food in Ohio, it was rotten. Irish Chinese food tends to be pretty crappy but nowhere near as bad as the slop I got over there.

88

While this thread took a quite tortuous route to get there, I think this is more or less the OPs original question, isn’t it?

89

Also, it is produced there. The bland, mass-produced stuff might be imported from the US. That’s going to give a cost advantage to the Gouda in the Netherlands.

My general food philosophy when traveling to another country is to look for something that country is known for doing well. I don’t look for what I’m used to having at home. I know it’s probably not going to be the same, and I might not like it as well just because it is not what I am used to. It might also be more expensive than it is at home, because it is imported (I’ve noticed that Coke is a lot more expensive in Europe than it is here, for example). Though, as Dave Barry once said, there are times when every traveler is just looking for a cheeseburger and a Holiday Inn (or whatever the equivalent of those things is for their culture).

I thought it was something kids from the East Coast drank because they don’t know better. I used to like it when I was a kid, but I grew out of it. I liked Circus Peanuts as a kid, too.

90

How is it different? When Americans are abroad, if they complain about the cuisine, most people would probably be polite and accomodating, and then complain when they’re out of the room.

Would it be any different in the USA? If someone walked around bitching about American good I’ve no doubt most Americans would happily show them to something more to their taste - and then once out of earshot say “Jesus, what a big time asshole.”

Some people are just assholes, we all deal with them the same way.

[QUOTE=Magiver]
It’s not just tourists who complain about the food. For me to get a decent meal I have to seek out a one-off restaurant. I’m not talking about a 5-star meal, I’m referring to a meat-and-potatoes place that understands quality over quantity. I don’t want a pizza the size of a car door for $5. I want a good pizza with good ingredients.
[/QUOTE]

This is generally true anywhere, though. I would imagine that in terms of volume of food sold, McDonald’s is the #1 food seller in Paris - they have one or two dozen locations right downtown - and most of the fish and chip places in London sell crap that isn’t half as good as the stuff I get at my favourite F&C place here in Ontario.

Finding good food requires some effort and brains. Tourists quite often don’t have the time or inclination to make that effort; they’re rushing from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre 'cause Dad insists they do them both before 5 PM, so, hey, look, a KFC, let’s fuel up.

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There’s certainly going to be variation in quality of restaurants anywhere. If you don’t put any time or effort into finding good food, you’re probably not going to find good food.

Restaurants with really convenient or picturesque locations don’t have to depend on the quality of their food to stay in business. They’re probably going to cut corners one way or another, for the same reason dogs lick their balls- because they can. If they get most of their business from tourists, they might overcharge, too- again, because they can. This is true of restaurants in Venice with quadrilingual menus (those are usually the tourist traps), as well as being true of restaurants near turnpike exits in the US. The same economic logic applies.

92

I’m having a hard time understanding people who try and defend the position that American food, in general, is of the same quality as what is commonly available in Europe. Sure you can get great food in the United States, but you have to work at it. Go to some small, random town in the United States and France and look at what is available. That French town will certainly have a bakery making excellent bread and a wide variety of beautiful pastries made with butter. You are lucky if the American town has a bakery at all, but if they do it probably has bear claws, donuts with sprinkles, and chocolate chip cookies all made with some crappy shortening.

In the American restaurants the bread will be from a generic commercial bakery, the butter will likewise be tasteless yellow crap bought from the cheapest supplier. In the French restaurant the bread will be from the bakery down the street, but more importantly it will be what would be called “artisinal” in the United States. In France it’s just expected that the bread is good. The butter is going to have taste, it won’t just be something to moisten bread.

The same thing goes on for every course and every ingredient. If you have salad in a small town restaurant in the US it will likely be some pre-prepared dressing smothering iceberg lettuce, in France it will be a variety of greens topped with a dressing made from high quality oil, good vinegar, and fresh herbs: but more importantly, it will be made with some thought and care. Then let’s not get started on the coffee in small town America.

The only place I have seen in the United States where it is just expected that every ingredient in the meal will be high quality is the Napa Valley. But there they make a big deal of it: “our cheese is from Sally the cow who is pastured on clover and is prepared in a Gascony style and wrapped in hazelnut leaves before maturing for three months”.

I think the problem is that people in the United States just aren’t exposed to good food. I remember being served bread, butter, and jam for breakfast in a youth hostel in France. WTF is this I thought until I tasted it. beautiful, fresh, crusty bread still warm from the oven, butter that tasted almost like cream cheese, and jam full of fruit and not as teeth achingly sweet as at home.

When Americans do get good food, they are as passionate as anyone else. Southerners know good barbecue and properly prepared biscuits. In New York people are very discriminating about bagels. But by and large, the bread, butter, cheese, sausages, and beer that are widely available in the United States are just not very good. When good quality food is available, most restaurants don’t know what to do with it.

I’ve traveled a lot, and I am shocked about how passionate and knowledgeable people in the rest of the world are about food compared to the United States.

93

Match, Spar, G-Roby, Kaiser, possibly?

Anyhow, I lived in Budapest for over five years, and I will say that your observation is correct: prepackaged foods are common. Yoo-hoo would not look out of place on a grocery store shelf. That said, in my time there, I found there to be a lot more shopping at local markets than in the US. Sure, we’d go out to the Tesco or Auchan to stock up on stuff, but the majority of my day-to-day shopping was at the local market, and this wasn’t particularly unusual, as every district in Budapest has its own local market. (ETA: Although, I will say, the majority of the average Budapester’s shopping would probably be at a supermarket of some sort, due to convenience and better hours [market hours are generally not favorable with a standard work schedule]).

I personally did find the average quality of staples such as butter, bread, eggs, and milk to be much, much better in Budapest. Same with the pork and the chicken. The beef sucked, though. Tomatoes and peppers were freaking awesome in late summer/early fall and dirt cheap, as the local markets were absolutely flooded with them during the harvest. I have not been able to find tomatoes that good in the US, unless I grow them in my own yard, or pay a premium for them at a farmer’s market.

94

I’m curious as to what this rotten milk is.

95

It’s cheese, isn’t it? Chinese food doesn’t generally include cheese.

96

I assume it’s fermented milk of some sort. Doesn’t have to be cheese. Look at stuff like yogurt/kefir/cultured buttermilk/etc.

97

Makes sense. I didn’t know cheese wasn’t very common in China. The only thing I could think of was sour cream and I do put that on a lot of food stuffs.

98

I love this post, very interesting!

99

Lactose intolerance.
I have not been to France, but is their beer ever considered to be good?

100

In the Alsace region (around Strasbourg) there are some very good local beers brewed…