# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![Merkwurdigliebe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@Merkwurdigliebe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merkwurdigliebe)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/141 "2004-10-13T18:36:11Z")
OH man! So many responses come to mind, I think I’ll respond to them all! **Crandolph** , You would be surprised about Bimbo-style bread. I have seen it everywhere I went in Europe. Even in places where traditional bread is really popular. Sure, there aren’t just shelves of the stuff, but the is usually a selection. In German it’s called toast bread. Yeah, I know, I always wanted to tell them to quit using our words wrong, but that’s the way languages work, i guess 😉 Try getting used to the word “Handy” as a noun describing a cellphone. Where I come from handy is an adjective. Corn seems to be grown in Europe and eaten a little less than in America. I am pretty sure I have seen cornfields in Germany, but I am pretty sure that it is from the new world. But try going anywhere in Europe and NOT finding corn in a salad. It is pretty unusual. I never liked it. I just don’t like my salads to be sweet. But as far as I can tell they never boil corn. This probably has to do with a continental distaste for boiling vegetables in general. **Voodoochile** : You should definitely consider opening a Mexican restaurant in Sweden if you get the chance. Europeans love experimenting with new foods, but in most smaller towns it seems like there would certainly be a market for American-style foods. Judging from my personal experience of cooking cajun food for my European friends they love it and never knew that American cuisine was so diverse. I bet they would love it. Oh, and please don’t get me started on the idea that foreigners think our coffee is crap. If one more German tells me that I’ll be in for a treat when I have their coffee, I have had coffee since I was 4, and I like it strong. So strong in fact, that I often put in whipping cream so it doesn’t cool so much as opposed to using milk. We have never been weak coffee drinkers in my family. **Aesiron** : I find your comments about grits a little offensive being from the south 😉 No, but it can’t be offensive. Grits are good, and especially for breakfast. For my mornings, I am a little irritable, and I don’t like things that I am not used to or things that are very flavorful. Grits just do the job right. You eat them, they taste okay and you are ready to go! We Americans do put sugar in everything. You don’t notice it so much untill you go abroad and eat a pie or salad dressing. Sugar gets into a lot of our stuff. Oooh! I’ve got a good list coming up. Macaroni and cheese Marshmellows Peanutbutter (Peanutbutter cups) Grape Jelly (I have never seen this in Europe) Applesauce? Don’t know about that one S’mores ( I always thought they were gross and the name annoys me) Sassafras Tea (I haven’t seen a European drink it, but I know they’d think it would be gross if they don’t like rootbeer) **Gum** : You think Peanutbutter with Jelly is gross? Try mixing the two together into a homgenenous mixture. Or better yet! Try Peanut butter cake! I gagged the first time I saw one because it looks like a cake covered in Peanut Butter! It is mixed in with something else to make it more like an icing, but it is still gross to me and I used to eat PB&J like it was going out of style I made fried chicken once for some friends in Europe and they were horrified when I ate the liver! In my family there were fights over who got to eat it! **The Gaspode** : You think cream soda is gross, try a ROOTBEER FLOAT! That’s a rootbeer with icecream in it! ITs mainly for kids, but it would probably be one of the grossest ideas for a European out there. But that salty licorice crap is gross. A swedish friend once tricked me on that and I nearly thew up. You’d also be surprised at American beer. In some places it is kind of hip to drink Budweiser in Europe. The American Budweiser I mean. It tastes better than ours though, as does their Corona. You know it is hard to make a beer made in Europe and one in the US taste the same. I would also guess that Mountain Dew would be gross to a European if Dr. Pepper is. It can’t be found on the Continent as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![MelCthefirst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@MelCthefirst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MelCthefirst)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/142 "2004-10-13T21:18:16Z")
> [@TeaElle](#): > > In Japan, where very sweet things aren’t part of the cultural norm, Nabisco sells Oreos without the filling. A Japanese friend chose not to even try a sample of my wedding cake, covered in buttercream frosting with roses and leaves and whatnot, When she saw it, her eyes bugged out of her head. Japanese love sweet things, sickly sweet things. I think the difference is that they like their sugar products without the animal fat, whereas westerners like to combine them (making them rich in taste?). Red bean paste and all the products they make with it, is sickly sweet, as are things like the sweets you get with tea ceremony. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/143 "2004-10-13T21:21:40Z")
I like Coca-Cola float, so why not root beer. Isn’t Mountain Dew just Pepsico’s version of 7up or Sprite? With caffein? Oh - I know another: Flavored popcorn. Ewwwwwww and :eek: Popcorn is made with butter and salt is added. Pouring butter on is gross. And I once ordered nachos and the guy just took some corn chips and poured some cheese goop from a tap. Double-ewwww. Or W. ---
**Author:** ![Merkwurdigliebe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@Merkwurdigliebe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merkwurdigliebe)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/144 "2004-10-13T21:36:08Z")
> [@The Gaspode](#): > > I like Coca-Cola float, so why not root beer. > > Isn’t Mountain Dew just Pepsico’s version of 7up or Sprite? With caffein? > > Oh - I know another: Flavored popcorn. Ewwwwwww and :eek: > Popcorn is made with butter and salt is added. Pouring butter on is gross. > > And I once ordered nachos and the guy just took some corn chips and poured some cheese goop from a tap. Double-ewwww. Or W. Nope, Mountain Dew isn’t like 7up and Sprite. Firstly its green, it has about 60 percent more cafffeine than coke, and it tastes like… Well, its difficult to describe. Imagine something sort of like Fanta. I am not sure if Fanta has a lemon-lime flavor. Its probably similar. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/145 "2004-10-13T21:42:55Z")
> [@](#): > > what (if anything) do other cultures think is gross in American diets? Taco Bell (face meat taco’s…yuck, how can you guys EAT that crap???) Actually the ‘american diet’ is so varied you could probably find something offensive to someone in the world for any of it…and find people in the same culture that wouldn’t bat an eye. Thats what we get for having such a wide variety of different cultures all mixed together. I’ll tell you some things I found ‘gross’ when I moved to America from Mexico though: 1. Portion sizes. Floored me, and this was YEARS ago…its worse today. 2. Sweet! Gods, everything is so SWEET! 3. So MUCH cheese. Cheese on EVERYTHING. Mexicans use cheese in a lot of things too, but gods. 4. Store bought vegatables. I was used to fresh vegatables…the ones I buy in the store seem pretty tasteless (though they LOOK good). 5. Grits and some other dish I had down south (scrapple? scramble? something like that)…disgustingly nasty. And of course most of the fast food places which are a bane on society IMO. What passes for food in most of those…yuck. 🙂 -XT ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/146 "2004-10-13T21:54:28Z")
> [@Merkwurdigliebe](#): > > Nope, > > Mountain Dew isn’t like 7up and Sprite. Firstly its green, it has about 60 percent more cafffeine than coke, and it tastes like… Well, its difficult to describe. Imagine something sort of like Fanta. I am not sure if Fanta has a lemon-lime flavor. Its probably similar. Yeah, Mountain Dew is kinda hard to describe. One time I was at a bar and this guy was trying to be charming and wanted to order me a drink. Playing hard to get, I ordered something I knew the bar wouldn’t have - a Mountain Dew. Undeterred, he pleaded with the bartender to make something like Mountain Dew, which ended up being sweet & sour mix & 7-Up I think. Still didn’t taste exactly like Mountain Dew, but we became good friends anyway. 🙂 May he RIP. ---
**Author:** ![MelCthefirst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@MelCthefirst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MelCthefirst)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/147 "2004-10-13T22:17:47Z")
I agree to a point with the posters who are defending US food, by stating that you can get the best tasting food in America, even though there is a lot of crap around. The thing that I noticed when I have been to the States is the sheer amount of crap and it’s availability when compared to Australia and NZ (possibly UK as well) -I have lived in all three countries. When in the States, I was hard pushed to find much fresh and non-processed food when I went to the supermarket, whereas here, supermarkets have a lot of fresh food. We don’t have the really crappy spread on cheeses, or white fluffy breads in any quantity and in some supermarkets, not at all. In restuarants, I noticed that food was often really bland and I’m not one for condiments or spices. My American cousins reckoned that the food here, was more tasty, especially the meats. I think this may be the difference between grain fed and grass fed beasts? I also noted a difference between the portion sizes on the East and West coasts and my Californian friends introduced me to pancakes, maple syrup and bacon - there is NO going back. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/148 "2004-10-14T05:20:03Z")
> [@MelCthefirst](#): > > Japanese love sweet things, sickly sweet things. I think the difference is that they like their sugar products without the animal fat, whereas westerners like to combine them (making them rich in taste?). Very true, and point taken. I knew it wasn’t just sweet that was the problem, but sweet and rich. A pox upon my inprecision! ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/149 "2004-10-14T07:47:33Z")
> [@Merkwurdigliebe](#): > > Mountain Dew isn’t like 7up and Sprite. Firstly its green, it has about 60 percent more cafffeine than coke, and it tastes like… Well, it[’]s difficult to describe. Imagine something sort of like Fanta. I am not sure if Fanta has a lemon-lime flavor. It[’]s probably similar. Mountain Dew has a grapfruit flavor (although no grapefruit juice), not a lemon-lime flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/150 "2004-10-14T07:50:06Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > Taco Bell (face meat taco’s…yuck, how can you guys EAT that crap???) What in the world is a “face meat taco”? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/151 "2004-10-14T08:19:45Z")
\Mountain Dew is spruce flavored. Yes, _spruce_. A type of evergreen tree.\ ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/152 "2004-10-14T10:23:08Z")
> [@swannguy](#): > > **Maastricht** - refresh my memory here…is it common for folks “below the rivers” (ie us Limbos) to use ‘curry’ instead of ketchup? or viceversa? Iremember there being a divide in preference… I was just about to jump in and correct **Maastricht** to say that it’s curry not ketchup. In Venlo anyway, it’s “friet speciaal” and it’s curry, majo and onion. Had no idea that was regional. Me, I like the “frikandel speciaal”. As above, but a type of saugage instead of chips. “Patatje oorlog” is a northern term which no one in (my part of) the south would use, btw. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/153 "2004-10-14T10:29:09Z")
> [@ntcrawler](#): > > And let’s not forget putting sweet, maple syrup all over your pork sausages. in fact, they now sell sausages flavored on the inside with maple syrup. And I’ve know people who ordered pancakes with bacon, and um… yes, put pancake syrup all over those. > > I think most Europeans and Asians would be disgusted by that. Heck I know Texas who couldn’t bear to watch! > > :eek: I’m a European and I love the pancake, syrup and bacon thing. I would also question the assessment that it’s un-European. I have a Norwegian friend who has her pancakes with bacon and sugar and says that’s a traditional Norwegian thing and that sweet and salty at the same time is popular in Norway in general. Any Norwegian people who can confirm that? I like it anyway. Count me in with the rootbeer haters, though. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/154 "2004-10-14T13:38:19Z")
Mountain Dew is not grapefruit-flavored, nor lemon-lime. It’s something indeterminate, although I think “spruce” is a good description. If you want to a really disgusting soda, try diet Mountain Dew. That is the most vile beverage on the planet. Also, Fanta is not a flavor; it’s a brand. There’s Fanta Orange, Lemon-Lime, Root Beer, etc. That peanut butter cake someone mentioned was almost certainly not frosted with peanut butter. It was frosting perhaps with peanut butter in it. The frosting will taste like frosting that is flavored with peanut butter instead of chocolate or vanilla or lemon. No reason you still can’t think it’s gross but it’s not like you’re being served cake covered with PB. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/155 "2004-10-14T13:42:13Z")
I used to think carrot cake was the most disgusting thing around. A cake made from _vegetables_??? Revolting. That is, until I tried it. Now I think carrot cake is delicious. Not sickly sweet, moist, spicy, with smooth rich cream cheese frosting. Yummmm. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/156 "2004-10-14T13:59:29Z")
What’s the deal on Cheesecake? I am in the U.S., but always thought a big ol’ slab of cheese as a dessert is vile…repulsive…gross. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/157 "2004-10-14T14:11:34Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > What’s the deal on Cheesecake? > > I am in the U.S., but always thought a big ol’ slab of cheese as a dessert is vile…repulsive…gross. The thought of it is, but it’s not really cheesy, is it. I love cheesecake. And carrot cake. Yum. Oh, and banana cake. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/158 "2004-10-14T14:17:27Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > What in the world is a “face meat taco”? 😕 But it is surprisingly descriptive. Won’t stop me from eating them once in a long while, though. Don’t touch my face meat. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/159 "2004-10-14T14:34:44Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > What’s the deal on Cheesecake? > > I am in the U.S., but always thought a big ol’ slab of cheese as a dessert is vile…repulsive…gross. The thing is, it’s not “cheese” like Cheddar or Monterey Jack. It’s cream cheese, which, when mixed with sugar, tastes divine. Cream cheese is more like cream than cheese. I actually used to think the same thing. I knew what cream cheese was and I knew what cheesecake was but I had no idea that a “cheese Danish” was made with cream cheese. I thought it was made with Cheddar or Gouda or something, and could not understand how someone could eat Cheddar with flaky dough and sugar icing. I had this misconception well into adulthood; until about 8 years ago, when I worked near an Au Bon Pain and finally tried a cheese Danish. Boy did I get a shock. ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271/160 "2004-10-14T14:41:24Z")
As a friend of mine once put it, “Taco Bell - it’s cheaper than food!” When I was in Japan I got care packages sent from home; on of my neighbors was an Englishwoman who found the whole idea of Pop-Tarts disgusting, and likewise, Cream of Wheat. I didn’t even try Malt-o-Meal, since I think that’s just a regional thing even here in the U.S. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-other-cultures-think-is-gross-in-american-diets/268271.md?page=9)