# what (if anything) do other cultures think is gross in American diets? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 8, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271 "2004-10-08T21:29:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Scarface\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Scarface\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarface_Z)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2004, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/181 "2004-10-16T21:37:22Z")
amorican? give me a break. look at it again, A-M-E-R-I-C-A-N, :smack: geez i thought people could spell around here. sorry about the cut and paste job, it’s not an article per say, i had it stored on my computer. got it in an e-mail from a friend, sorry. (hint for hog bristles: think toothbrush, shrine=bathroom) yikes. am i allowed to post addresses for websites? if so i would be glad to resubmit my post in that form. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2004, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/182 "2004-10-16T22:00:17Z")
> [@Scarface Z](#): > > am i allowed to post addresses for websites? if so i would be glad to resubmit my post in that form. [Musicat looks around for a mod, doesn’t see one for blocks, so…] **Scarface Z** : The “About” Forum “Stickies” are quite useful if you want to learn the ropes and plan to stick around. In general, links to websites are fine – far better than wholesale copying – as long as they[ul][_]Aren’t commercial self-advertising, or[_]don’t violate the 2-click rule, that is, don’t link directly to something you wouldn’t want to pop up on someone’s screen without warning just as the boss walks by.[/ul]If you want more info, find a related thread in the About Forum or start a new one there. Meanwhile, I’m going for a hamburger. A Big-Ass AMERICAN one. Is there any other kind? ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2004, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/183 "2004-10-16T22:12:47Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Meanwhile, I’m going for a hamburger. A Big-Ass AMERICAN one. Is there any other kind? I’m with ya, **Musicat**. Every time I check back on this thread, I git huuungry. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2004, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/184 "2004-10-16T23:31:06Z")
> [@kellner](#): > > Well, here usually you can’t. At a pizzeria you might get away with it, but at most restaurants that’s not possible. I know it’s just a silly matter of tradition, but for me asking for the leftovers would feel very odd. Nor here. I can’t think of any real restaurant where doing that would seem socially acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![Catalyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Catalyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catalyst)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/185 "2004-10-17T02:45:06Z")
I spent yesterday afternoon at the South Carolina state fair, and I encountered a few food items that almost definitely qualify for this thread. One vendor’s wares stood out even among fair, um, fare in terms of outrageousness by selling Oreos and Snickers bars. What’s weird about that, you ask? Nothing, other than that they were **deep-fried**. That’s right, deep-fried Snickers bars. Strange as it was, curiosity demanded that I try one. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed; it just tastes like a melted Snickers bar. ---
**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:** [October 17, 2004, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/186 "2004-10-17T03:09:25Z")
That’s not particularly an American food item. Deep-fried candy bars (in particular, Mars bars) originated at fish and chip shops somewhere in Scotland. They’re reasonably common in fish and chip shops in the U.K. ---
**Author:** ![Catalyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Catalyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catalyst)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/187 "2004-10-17T06:47:00Z")
> [@Wendell Wagner](#): > > That’s not particularly an American food item. Deep-fried candy bars (in particular, Mars bars) originated at fish and chip shops somewhere in Scotland. They’re reasonably common in fish and chip shops in the U.K. You mean someone else gets to take the blame for those grease-laden heart attacks? Wow. They struck me as such an “only in America” sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/188 "2004-10-17T08:50:25Z")
_Ewww_, to deep fried chocolate bars. :eek: **kellner** and **+MDI** , No left-over bags here either. **The Gaspode** I just had a brilliant thought. 😃 We know that people from the Netherlands are the tallest in the world. [there are threads about this, I’m not sure where] We also know that Swedish people come in second place. Scientist aren’t sure _why_. Do you think _licorice_ is the secret formula? Do you think we ought to write our amazing discovery to ‘The Lancet’ ? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/189 "2004-10-17T09:18:13Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > I am in the U.S., but always thought a big ol’ slab of cheese as a dessert is vile…repulsive…gross. The Italians have been doing this for years - ever had tiramisu? That’s made with ricotta cheese. Many other Italian desserts are cheese based. I’d imagine that’s where the habit originated. American cheesecake is sublime. I also like its bizarre cousin, grashopper pie. And the nicest dessert I have ever ever _ever_ tasted was a slice of lemon cheesecake that had been baked. (This was in an English pub, though.) ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/190 "2004-10-17T14:26:10Z")
This thread just made me make a baked lemon cheesecake for my Sunday dinner. I hope you’re happy now. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/191 "2004-10-17T15:14:58Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > And \*\*Larry Mudd \*\* nailed it: the sheer size of a portion. Everything comes in four sizes: Dietpetite, Extra Large, Whaddareyounutsputthreequartersofthatback, and Nauseating. Uh, really. I remember the pancake I ate in a Rotterdam restaurant was so large that it wasn’t served on a regular dinner plate, but on a huge platter . I really take issue with this American portion size bullshit. I was raised on traditional Dutch food in my home, and I always left a restaurant here in Canada feeling disappointed because I was still hungry. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/192 "2004-10-17T15:18:37Z")
> [@Catalyst](#): > > You mean someone else gets to take the blame for those grease-laden heart attacks? Wow. They struck me as such an “only in America” sort of thing. The deep fried Mars Bar originated in Glasgow which is the heart attack capital of Europe , if not the world. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/193 "2004-10-17T15:20:11Z")
> [@Catalyst](#): > > You mean someone else gets to take the blame for those grease-laden heart attacks? Wow. They struck me as such an “only in America” sort of thing. Yes. Scotland is also responsible for deep-fried pizzas. The Scots are very fond of exploring the limits of the deep fat fryer as a means of culinary expression. They also have the highest death rate from coronary disease in the EU, although the rate is supposedly coming down. BTW - sweet potato pie is roughly the same category as pumpkin pie, It’s similar in appearance and texture to pumpkin pie, but has a better flavor, IMO. Some of the confusion may come about because there is also a “sweet potato pecan pie”. Here is a picture with both a plain sweet potato pie, and a sweet potato pecan pie: [http://www.sweetpotatosweets.com/products.html](http://www.sweetpotatosweets.com/products.html) What I customarily call a “sweet potato pie” is the thing on the right, that looks like a pumpkin pie. You can make “pumpkin pecan pie”, too, just to complete the idea of pumpkin / sweet potato interchangeability. Somebody who said something about this said they lived in Oakland. You ought to pick up one of the sweet potato pies flogged by Uhuru House during the holiday season. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/194 "2004-10-17T17:31:05Z")
And there is also a sweet potato cobbler. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/195 "2004-10-17T19:03:40Z")
> [@Rayne Man](#): > > The deep fried Mars Bar originated in Glasgow which is the heart attack capital of Europe , if not the world. I thought the heart attack capital of the world was the Iowa State Fair. (the only place I’ve seen deep fried candy bars) ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/196 "2004-10-17T19:12:18Z")
**jjimm:** _This thread just made me make a baked lemon cheesecake for my Sunday dinner. I hope you’re happy now._ Well, we might have been happier if you had invited us over for a slice. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/197 "2004-10-17T19:43:36Z")
Originally posted by **grienspace** > [@](#): > > \*Uh, really. I remember the pancake I ate in a Rotterdam restaurant was so large that it wasn’t served on a regular dinner plate, but on a huge platter . > > I really take issue with this American portion size bullshit. I was raised on traditional Dutch food in my home, and I always left a restaurant here in Canada feeling disappointed because I was still hungry.\* That is so true. Big plates and **_heavy_** food. A Dutch pancake with bacon and sirop makes your stomach feel like a cement mixer. And **grienspace** , when raised on traditional Dutch food, you know the effect of a ‘stamppot’ on the innards, don’t you? 🙂 [are you familiar with ‘drop’ too, btw?] ---
**Author:** ![bizzwire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/198 "2004-10-17T20:05:55Z")
One word: [Turducken](http://www.thesalmons.org/lynn/turducken.html). Meat packed in meat and stuffed with meat. Nothing say “America” more than this. ---
**Author:** ![MelCthefirst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@MelCthefirst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MelCthefirst)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/199 "2004-10-17T20:06:00Z")
> [@C3](#): > > I must admit that I’ve had trouble adjusting to the food here, so PB&J’s have become a staple of my diet that they never were in the U.S. Just curious - what kind of trouble? ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/200 "2004-10-17T20:59:53Z")
I have a European friend who has lived in the States for a long, long time. I have traveled to Europe with him twice. Both times, I suffered acutely from the food (except when in Italy…), often because everything was _so_ greasy and fatty and salty and rich, it turned my stomach. Even “shrimp cocktail” was equal parts shrimp and mayonnaise, in Switzerland. At the depths of my despair (and nausea), he invariably begins listing the culinary sins of America to me. His most common points are: Salt in sweet things–particularly ice cream and candy bars Sweet and savory being mixed–he admits that some parts of Europe do have this tradition, though American bread–bodiless, textureless, tasteless Far too sweet–pastry, mostly Baked products in general–too fluffy and spongy; resembles the inept efforts of a brand-new housewife Processed foods–he has a love/hate relationship with them, which I think is peculiar to him He _does_ adore root beer and root beer floats, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271.md?page=11)