# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/61 "2004-10-09T17:37:37Z")
As an American, I’ve never liked processed cheese. Fortunately for me, the only thing I’ve ever though of rather suspciiously from the rest fo the world was bird’s nest soup. I’ll eat animal intestines as long as they’re well wahsed through, but I don’t really like the thought of eating baby bird crap and spit, however tasty. I’d probably still get it down, though. I always wanted to try fried mopani worms (carerpilars, actually). Big hit in Africa. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/62 "2004-10-09T17:40:30Z")
> [@Grim Jaa](#): > > Mayo is also mixed with ketchup and put on salad as a dressing. > > . They do that in the States too. It’s called Thousand Island dressing. Tastes exactly the same as ketchup and mayo (or frysauce as it’s called in Utah). > [@Vetch](#): > > Tripe (a cow’s stomach lining) This isn’t totally uncommon in the States. Some of us eat menudo (soup made from tripe and hominy) on a regular basis…though it’s true I haven’t met very many white people who like menudo or even want to think about menudo. ---
**Author:** ![charizard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charizard/32/4166_2.png) [@charizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/charizard)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/63 "2004-10-09T18:00:59Z")
> [@China Guy](#): > > Chinese generally think that cheese is pretty disgusting, but that attitude has changed a lot over the past 20 years. Nothing like McD’s and PizzaHut to make cultural inroads. Not so fast. Though there are McD’s in China, many of them don’t serve cheeseburgers. When I was an a McD’s there, you couldn’t get cheese on your sandwich - even by special order - so strong is the Asian aversion to the stuff. And I had a Chinese friend who had lived in the states for many years, but still couldn’t get the name for “cheese” straight - kept calling it “soap.” He said it was hard to remember which was which because they seemed the same to him. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/64 "2004-10-09T18:14:15Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Yeah, but American cheese is particularly gross. > > I’m a big fan of good cheese, and in Australia and the UK even the generic branded cheddars often have decent flavour. But here in the US the supermarket shelves are piled with that disgusting yellow/orange crap that looks nothing like chyeese and has no flavour at all. > > There is some excellent cheese made in the US, but you have to make an effort to get it. Regular supermarket cheese here is orders of magnitude worse than anywhere else I’ve ever lived. Ya know, I don’t really get why people say this. I live outside of a small town and I can get very good cheese at the market. And as far as American cheese goes - It’s just mild soft cheddar. Go get some at the deli counter. I think It’s very good. I like cheese very much. I’ll snack on a piece of parmesan, so I have no aversion to hard/sharp cheeses. American is just the other end of the spectrum. I like it. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/65 "2004-10-09T18:14:50Z")
> [@Grim Jaa](#): > > Anecdotal but… many Koreans comment that foreigners (westerners) smell like milk. My biology teacher at school said Thai’s said the same of Westerners because of their relatively large proportion of dairy products in their diet. Wasn’t there another thread about how only Caucausians and some Africans are the only humans able to properly digest dairy milk? And in the UK at least, I thought we were fairly familiar with sweet corn. I have it all the time, baby sweet corn, corn on the cob or loose corn. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/66 "2004-10-09T18:38:18Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Yeah, but American cheese is particularly gross. > > I’m a big fan of good cheese, and in Australia and the UK even the generic branded cheddars often have decent flavour. But here in the US the supermarket shelves are piled with that disgusting yellow/orange crap that looks nothing like chyeese and has no flavour at all. > > There is some excellent cheese made in the US, but you have to make an effort to get it. Regular supermarket cheese here is orders of magnitude worse than anywhere else i’ve ever lived. Yeah, but are you talking about the stuff that’s in the dairy section, individually wrapped in plastic? Or the actual, REAL American cheese, fresh sliced from the Deli counter? They are WORLDS apart, my friend! The Kraft Singles and such are disgusting. But the deli stuff is just a very mild cheddar. It has a mild, creamy flavor to it. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/67 "2004-10-09T20:17:35Z")
I just have to say that portion sizes in America aren’t just disgusting to foreigners. I was born and raised in MA and I get grossed out any time I see someone eat a full restaurant meal. I once watched a man eat onion rings as an appitizer, a 32 oz steak, a baked potato with butter and sour cream, a salad, and pie. It was so gross. I wanted to offer him a wafer thin mint but my fiance wouldn’t let me. This guy wasn’t huge. When I eat out, I usually manage to get 2-3 meals out of my leftovers - so 3-4 total. That’s if I don’t have an appitizer. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/68 "2004-10-09T20:18:39Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > I just remembered this one – I had a Kenyan (Masai) classmate in college who was grossed out by uncooked vegetables. Apparently the Masai aren’t big vegetable eaters in the first place, and they certainly don’t eat them raw. She eyed our salad bar with the same suspicion many Americans do sashimi. I got a similar reaction from some relatives visiting from mainland China. The idea of a salad was bizarre enough (“You eat this without cooking it first??”), and the idea of an all-you-can-eat salad bar/restaurant (Souplantation) was beyond the pale. ---
**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:** [October 9, 2004, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/69 "2004-10-09T20:41:14Z")
> [@](#): > > They do that in the States too. It’s called Thousand Island dressing. Thousand Island has relish in it too. I think the mayo/catsup thing without relish is Russian or French. (I’m a blue cheese guy, so I don’t know.) > [@](#): > > Some of us eat menudo (soup made from tripe and hominy) on a regular basis… It’s not as easy to find menudo here in the PNW as it was in L.A. Still, I have two tins of Juanita’s in the cupboard. (_Huge_ tins!) ---
**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:** [October 9, 2004, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/70 "2004-10-09T20:44:51Z")
> [@](#): > > When I eat out, I usually manage to get 2-3 meals out of my leftovers - so 3-4 total. That’s if I don’t have an appitizer. My former co-workers would tease me about my eating habits. There was this one Italian restaurant that had a pretty good prime rib sandwich. I’d have the salad and the (three) onion rings and two slices of bread for lunch, and take the rest home. I’d get one or two prime rib sandwiches (depending on how hungry I was), for another one or two meals. The cole slaw, pickle, and the apple would be another meal. I’d freeze the fries and bake them later. So four or five meals. For nine bucks. Not bad. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Grim\_Jaa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@Grim\_Jaa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grim_Jaa)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/71 "2004-10-09T21:05:24Z")
> [@charizard](#): > > Not so fast. Though there are McD’s in China, many of them don’t serve cheeseburgers. When I was an a McD’s there, you couldn’t get cheese on your sandwich - even by special order - so strong is the Asian aversion to the stuff. It must be a Chinese thing and not an “asian” thing. All the Korean fastfood restaurants have an ample selection of cheeseburgers. Big Macs, Quarter Pounders, Cheeseburgers, Whopper with Cheese, Bacon Double Cheeseburgers, “Mc Feast” (I believe this is the Korean McDonald’s version of the Big Xtra, although it doesn’t taste the same). Koreans like and tolerate processed cheese. KFC even has a special promotional burger on right now, the “Zinger with Cheese”. Its essentially a Big Crunch burger… with cheese… oh and its spicy. > [@](#): > > I have heard that there is something of a bean problem between the US and Japan - there, beans are sweet, and here, beans are savory. They think baked or refried beans are pretty nasty, and we’re weirded out by red bean confections. (Although I’ve had red bean ice cream that I liked, but it’s hard to think of it as a bean.) There, I suppose, the problem is that you’re eating something that you expect to taste one way, and it tastes completely different. Korean’s love red bean too. But its considered a desert or a treat. Its usually the filling of some kind of pastry or during the summer they have “Pat Bing Soo” which is red beans over chipped ice and some other fruit… usually orange slices and strawberry and topped with whipped cream. The only other kind of bean I’ve seen Korean’s eat regularly are bean sprouts… which aren’t beans I guess. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/72 "2004-10-09T21:27:02Z")
I was wondering; for all of the foreign dopers, when you ate American foods that you disliked, did you buy those foods in a typical American supermarket at prices that were rock bottom? In your own country, do you buy your staples with the preference of: best price, best flavor, or wide variety of choice? If you buy a national brand for the lowest price, you’re going to get something that is engineered to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Most food distributors don’t want to market food items that are of highest quality and distinctive taste; they want to market food items that will taste the same in all markets, be inoffensive, have a long shelf life, and not garner too many complaints. If you shop around and try ethnic markets and experiment a bit, you can find high quality food items that might cost a little more. For example, if I buy a bottle of wine at Safeway ( a large chain of grocery stores), I’ll get either white, red, or rose wine at around $5.00 - $10.00. It won’t be from a top flight winery, and it probably won’t taste like anything special. And of course, I’ll take a chance on buying it that I won’t like it when I get home, because you can’t sample the wine before you buy. If I go to a place like Total Beverages (an unusually large beverage store), I can choose between aisles and aisles of whites, reds, roses, champagnes, foreign, domestic, etc. I can also buy unique sodas and beers as well and the prices are quite good. I also get to sample wines, but this is limited to large wineries who can support their product far away from their home. If I buy wine from a winery, I can sample all of their products, get knowledgeable advice from my salesman, and I’ll get a bottle (or three) for about $10.00 - $20.00 each. I’ll get a superb bottle of wine that is distinctive and is something I’ll remember fondly. You can extrapolate from that for different items. I know this message was long winded, but I feel I have to defend American foods. You gotta know where to shop. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/73 "2004-10-09T21:42:45Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > It’s not as easy to find menudo here in the PNW as it was in L.A. Still, I have two tins of Juanita’s in the cupboard. (_Huge_ tins!) The Safeway I shop at here in town (around 11,000 people) has plenty of cans of menudo and other Mexican stews and it’s in the generic “International” aisle along with the Thai, Chinese, Italian, et al foods. ---
**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:** [October 9, 2004, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/74 "2004-10-09T22:02:55Z")
**Aesiron** : Oh, I can get Juanita’s at the market; but it’s just not the same as going down to the place next to Tito’s Tacos in Culver City, or another convenient Mexican restaurant, and getting some that’s not from a tin. There are Mexican restaurants in Bellingham; but that’s 22 miles away. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/75 "2004-10-09T22:14:51Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > As a Brit living in the US my feeling had been that Americans have a very conservative set of food in that there is nothing that I find “gross”, yet Americans get grossed out by food I am used to, e.g. kidneys. Well, you know, when you think about the purpose of the kidneys (and liver) in the body, is it any wonder that people find it disgusting to eat either? I mean, the heart is one thing, it’s just muscle, even tripe (as foul as it is) is at least a “clean” body part, but eating the organs that filter wastes? When you can afford better? Why? I’m also dubious about the claim that it’s difficult to get good cheese in the U.S. I am in possession of no fewer than six varieties of very good cheese at the moment, all purchased at my local grocery store. Maybe in some tiny mountain niche town it’s harder, but not in any real urban area. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/76 "2004-10-09T23:28:20Z")
> [@Grim Jaa](#): > > Mayo is also mixed with ketchup and put on salad as a dressing. We do that in America, too. Oddly enough, it’s called Russian Dressing. Add some sweet pickle relish, and you have thousand island. ---
**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 10, 2004, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/77 "2004-10-10T01:14:43Z")
TeaElle writes: \> I’m also dubious about the claim that it’s difficult to get good cheese in the U.S. \> I am in possession of no fewer than six varieties of very good cheese at the \> moment, all purchased at my local grocery store. Maybe in some tiny mountain \> niche town it’s harder, but not in any real urban area. Let me also chip in about this. I live in one of the least affluent suburbs of D.C. The supermarket half a mile away has about 80 varieties of cheese. That doesn’t include the boring varieties that are next to the butter and yogurt. I stopped at another place 8 miles away today and discovered that they had about 200 varieties of cheese. Certainly in many areas of the U.S. it’s easy to get good cheese. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/78 "2004-10-10T01:26:19Z")
I am aghast at the idea of putting jam in grits. I can’t fathom it. There is way too much sugar in a lot of American foods. Even in things one would think wouldn’t have sugar in them. When you think about it, dairy products are somewhat bizarre, but I love them. They don’t love me though. Mayo is also rather odd when you consider what’s in it. If I let myself think about what eggs are, I couldn’t eat them. My lunch of hard-boiled eggs would have been inedible. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/79 "2004-10-10T01:52:15Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Yeah, but are you talking about the stuff that’s in the dairy section, individually wrapped in plastic? Or the actual, REAL American cheese, fresh sliced from the Deli counter? They are WORLDS apart, my friend! The Kraft Singles and such are disgusting. But the deli stuff is just a very mild cheddar. It has a mild, creamy flavor to it. No, i’m not talking about individually wrapped, processed slices. I’m talking about that vile yellow-orange crap that gets passed off as cheddar. Even mild cheddar is supposed to have _some_ flavor to it. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/80 "2004-10-10T12:21:06Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > No, i’m not talking about individually wrapped, processed slices. I’m talking about that vile yellow-orange crap that gets passed off as cheddar. > > Even mild cheddar is supposed to have _some_ flavor to it. I’ve never had anyone try to pass it off as cheddar. Where I live, often, the choice for a cheese burger is either Cheddar, Pepper Jack, Swiss or American. Good American cheese (from the deli) has wonderful flavor. I guess we will have to agree to disagree. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271.md?page=5)