# Ugly American cuisine **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 16, 2013, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812 "2013-04-16T04:18:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/201 "2013-04-17T23:58:23Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I’ll grant you, just plain grits are **not** good eating. But absolutely nobody I ever seen eats them that way. I hit them with butter, salt, pepper, butter, hot sauce and butter when I eat them. I always liked them as a breakfast dish dosed liberally with butter and a touch of something sweet- typically sugar, but if my grandfather and I were heading out fishing in the bay, I’d use cane syrup from louisiana. ---
**Author:** ![Skypist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skypist/32/169_2.png) [@Skypist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skypist)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/202 "2013-04-18T00:03:33Z")
I’m American and DESPISE root beer. I have a special resentment for it since one time when I was in first grade we got taken to a pizza parlor as a treat, and the teachers decided that all of us had to drink the same thing - Coke or root beer (probably to make it easier for the servers). Root beer won the vote from my classmates. Why? I hate, hate, hate root beer! Why would anyone want to ruin their beautiful pizza by allowing such a sharp, bitter so-called “drink” to accompany it? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/203 "2013-04-18T00:29:36Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > You can? I’m booking a ticket! I can crash on your floor, right? 😉 Won’t take me long to polish off my haggis, neeps and tatties and I’ll be on my way! Mi casa es su casa! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/204 "2013-04-18T00:45:03Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > You mean crackling? A great bar snack. It’s Southern food and you are about as far south as you can get, so it makes sense that you’d like it. > [@simple\_homer](#): > > I have spent the past four years in China, and all the large supermarkets have a large selection of milk, cheese, and yogurt. Milk and yogurt are so popular that they are found in almost all small convenience stores. That’s because, in my experience and hypothesis, lactase production is just cranked down in adult mammals. I found after years of not drinking milk that it didn’t take much to trigger the full panoply of symptoms of lactase deficiency. I started easing back into milk and milk products and found after about six months that it no longer made me sick–I had restarted lactase production. I suspect that is what happened to those Chinese folks. And anybody who says that other adult mammals cannot process lactose is talking through his hat. Dogs and pigs, for instance, happily eat milk and digest it fine. > [@pulykamell](#): > > The edges are the best part! … let the normal folk fight for the edges. 😉 Huzzah! I’m NORMAL! > [@silenus](#): > > Perhaps you are thinking about _sweet_ potatoes with marshmallows? Absolutely sickening. Then when it’s made with bourbon you are wasting good sweet potatoes, marshmallows, and bourbon, which is a sin. > [@Sattua](#): > > What about the weird Midwestern category of “salads”? These dishes are always based on cream cheese, Cool Whip, and fruit. > > This is just American, right? Specifically, states where milk is a big part of the economy, like Wisconsin and Vermont. There are state laws that require all dishes contain a minimum amount of dairy products. [(only slight hyperbole)](http://host.madison.com/news/local/are-restaurants-in-wisconsin-required-to-put-cheese-on-apple/article_f6490062-bc20-11de-a56b-001cc4c03286.html) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/205 "2013-04-18T01:53:39Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > Hush your tantalising cruelty! ☹ I know. I can’t get it around here either and now I want some. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/206 "2013-04-18T01:54:55Z")
> [@Skypist](#): > > I’m American and DESPISE root beer. I have a special resentment for it since one time when I was in first grade we got taken to a pizza parlor as a treat, and the teachers decided that all of us had to drink the same thing - Coke or root beer (probably to make it easier for the servers). Root beer won the vote from my classmates. Why? I hate, hate, hate root beer! Why would anyone want to ruin their beautiful pizza by allowing such a sharp, bitter so-called “drink” to accompany it? Hmm… that reminds me. I just bought a four-pack of Virgil’s diet root beer today. I’m going to go crack one open. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/207 "2013-04-18T02:52:26Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Hmm… that reminds me. I just bought a four-pack of Virgil’s diet root beer today. I’m going to go crack one open. I bought some Virgils at Trader Joe’s last night because of this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/208 "2013-04-18T02:56:33Z")
> [@XT](#): > > And just to further gross out non-Americans, especially those with a religious bent, I’ve had some good results with adding cooked, thick cut bacon, cubed up and mixed in as well…though usually I just make my Mac and Cheese with just the necessary basics. Another good variation is to add some lobster (although I use imitation lobster). ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/209 "2013-04-18T03:12:21Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > “Turnip” is a modern English expansion of the Middle English “neep,” rather than “neep” being a contraction of “turnip.” So, you’re saying they’re both derived from the same root word. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/210 "2013-04-18T03:25:38Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Another good variation is to add some lobster (although I use imitation lobster). Wasting lobster, even imitation, on macaroni and cheese is sinful even for atheists. Burn him! Heretic! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/211 "2013-04-18T03:25:55Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > What about the weird Midwestern category of “salads”? … This is just American, right? Those are definitely Midwestern. I sometimes think the word “salad” has unbounded meaning here. Consider the following: [Tuna Macaroni](http://www.mrsgerrys.com/our-products/macaroni-salads/tuna-macaroni/), a “macaroni salad”. [Roasted Garlic Pasta](http://www.mrsgerrys.com/our-products/pasta-salads/roasted-garlic-pasta/), a “pasta salad”. [Cowboy Caviar](http://www.mrsgerrys.com/our-products/marinated-salads/cowboy-caviar/), a “marinated salad”. And of course we have traditional potato salad, all those [weird jello salads](https://www.google.com/search?q=weird+jello+salad&client=firefox-a&hs=TCM&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=HmdvUYegK8WMygH2mYHwDA&ved=0CDcQsAQ&biw=1920&bih=956) and salads with whipped cream plus orange and / or apple slices, and salad salad (with, like, lettuce and stuff). ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/212 "2013-04-18T04:45:58Z")
Well, a lot of that, plus casseroles, can be traced to our ingrained suspicion of raw food. Causes tuberculosis, y’know. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/213 "2013-04-18T04:59:31Z")
> [@Skypist](#): > > I’m American and DESPISE root beer. I have a special resentment for it since one time when I was in first grade we got taken to a pizza parlor as a treat, and the teachers decided that all of us had to drink the same thing - Coke or root beer (probably to make it easier for the servers). Root beer won the vote from my classmates. Why? I hate, hate, hate root beer! Why would anyone want to ruin their beautiful pizza by allowing such a sharp, bitter so-called “drink” to accompany it? I had experiance when I was a kid, except I hated all soda so I was the weird kid that kept asking for water. My tastes have changed, but I still don’t drink alot of soda. I do like root beer though, and I _love_ ginger beer. ---
**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:** [April 18, 2013, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/214 "2013-04-18T06:08:36Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > I had experiance when I was a kid, except I hated all soda so I was the weird kid that kept asking for water. My tastes have changed, but I still don’t drink alot of soda. I do like root beer though, and I _love_ ginger beer. What about birch beer? I love it, but I imagine other cultures find it as off-putting as they do root beer which it is similar to. Regarding ginger beer, I’ve already let my feelings be known regarding that swill. 😛 > **[Poll: Ginger Beer: Nectar of the gods, or vile brew from the outer darkness?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=619394)** > > While at the supermarket yesterday I saw a display of sodas from the “Appalachian Brewing Company”. What caught my eye were the root beer and the birch beer, both of which I am a fan of. Plus, the “real cane sugar” statement caught my eye. I’m not... ---
**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:** [April 18, 2013, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/215 "2013-04-18T09:04:21Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > It’s Southern food and you are about as far south as you can get, so it makes sense that you’d like it. Although the deep-fried kind isn’t quite as good as the crackling off a pig that’s been spit-roasted for a whole day and then doused with spadefuls of salt right at the end to crispen the skin. A plateful of crispy, salty crackling and strips of belly right off the spit is good eats. ---
**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:** [April 18, 2013, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/216 "2013-04-18T09:07:38Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > So, you’re saying they’re both derived from the same root word. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/217 "2013-04-18T10:55:57Z")
All the hate for casseroles id obviously from people who never had good ones. I make them now, with fresh ingredients and they’re damn tasty. My Steak and red wine casserole with mushrooms and some root veg served over buttered spiral pasta is to die for so my kids tell me. On the other hand, IMO there’s a special place reserved in hell for anyone who considers mac and Cheese to actually be food. In relation to the topic, can you get a decent salad in America? A staple pub food here is a Steak or Parma with chips (that’s hot ones, like fries but thicker) and salad. Salad basically some iceberg lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, cheese, beetroot with a light oil based dressing. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/218 "2013-04-18T11:14:49Z")
> [@BlackKnight](#): > > Those are definitely Midwestern. I sometimes think the word “salad” has unbounded meaning here. > > Consider the following: > > [Tuna Macaroni](http://www.mrsgerrys.com/our-products/macaroni-salads/tuna-macaroni/), a “macaroni salad”. > > [Roasted Garlic Pasta](http://www.mrsgerrys.com/our-products/pasta-salads/roasted-garlic-pasta/), a “pasta salad”. > > [Cowboy Caviar](http://www.mrsgerrys.com/our-products/marinated-salads/cowboy-caviar/), a “marinated salad”. > > And of course we have traditional potato salad, all those [weird jello salads](https://www.google.com/search?q=weird+jello+salad&client=firefox-a&hs=TCM&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=HmdvUYegK8WMygH2mYHwDA&ved=0CDcQsAQ&biw=1920&bih=956) and salads with whipped cream plus orange and / or apple slices, and salad salad (with, like, lettuce and stuff). All that stuff is so nasty. Even though it isn’t midwestern, Waldroff salad might be the origin of all that gross food. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/219 "2013-04-18T11:32:01Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > In relation to the topic, can you get a decent salad in America? A staple pub food here is a Steak or Parma with chips (that’s hot ones, like fries but thicker) and salad. > > Salad basically some iceberg lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, cheese, beetroot with a light oil based dressing. Most restaurants in America have some version of this, usually called a “garden salad.” Beets are not too common on salads that are prepared in the kitchen. ---
**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:** [April 18, 2013, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812/220 "2013-04-18T12:29:58Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > In relation to the topic, can you get a decent salad in America? Yes. There’s often a whole section of the menu devoted to salads, and not of the jello or noodle kind, but of the “salad greens” kind. > [@](#): > > Salad basically some iceberg lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, cheese, beetroot with a light oil based dressing. Wait. I thought you said “decent” salad. What’s iceberg lettuce doing there? 😉 \<-This indicates that I am kidding, lest anyone get offended, but iceberg lettuce has a bit of a declassé reputation in the US, for the most part, often being associated with typical, bland American meat & potatoes food, and used more as a vehicle for salad dressing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugly-american-cuisine/655812.md?page=12)