# What is the most unusual thing about the American diet to people of other nationalities? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 15, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980 "2012-02-15T23:44:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/61 "2012-02-16T07:47:24Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > This is very common. Management jobs tend to pay well enough to afford fast food or delivery on a daily basis, in exchange for 10-12+ hour days. When people get off a shift like that, the last thing they want to do is cook. > > I don’t even get paid that well (I’m not a manager of anything, just a typical office job), and I usually eat fast food 5+ times a week. More when the weather is bad and I don’t feel like going to the grocery store. You’re right. I had heard that about poorer people in urban areas. I’d heard it’s one of the reasons people in inner cities have a higher than average tendency to be overweight. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/62 "2012-02-16T08:00:22Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > The idea of cooking something “from scratch”. Here, that’s known as “cooking”. Reminds me: there’s a lot of “mid step” things which I was used to in Spain but which couldn’t find in supermarkets when I was in Miami or Philly. I did find some of them in bodegas, and they may be perfectly normal in other places. Canned, peeled tomatoes; canned tomato-for-sauce (not tomato paste, this is more liquid)… And many things are available in different varieties - for every variety of vegetables or fish which I could find on both sides of the Atlantic, there were dozens I could only find in one. I swear even your potatoes are sweeter than ours! > [@rachelellogram](#): > > This is very common. Management jobs tend to pay well enough to afford fast food or delivery on a daily basis, in exchange for 10-12+ hour days. When people get off a shift like that, the last thing they want to do is cook. Yeah but in Spain the solution to that is the Saturday Morning Cooking Frenzy. Plus our heavy meal is lunch: dinner is likely to be an omelette, a fried egg or a couple of pieces of fruit. Calling Telepizza is more work than whipping up an omelette. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/63 "2012-02-16T08:00:33Z")
All these mentions of peanut butter and nobody’s mentioned peanut butter AND JELLY? Dear God, why? Apart from that: The existence of a “dollar menu” Jello salad. Blue Cheese dressing. Eating crackers with soup. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/64 "2012-02-16T08:03:44Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Reminds me: there’s a lot of “mid step” things which I was used to in Spain but which couldn’t find in supermarkets when I was in Miami or Philly. I did find some of them in bodegas, and they may be perfectly normal in other places. Canned, peeled tomatoes; canned tomato-for-sauce (not tomato paste, this is more liquid)… > > And many things are available in different varieties - for every variety of vegetables or fish which I could find on both sides of the Atlantic, there were dozens I could only find in one. I swear even your potatoes are sweeter than ours! > > Yeah but in Spain the solution to that is the Saturday Morning Cooking Frenzy. Canned tomato products are pretty ubiquetous in grocery stores. :dubious: I live near Boston ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/65 "2012-02-16T08:14:59Z")
I did find canned tomato products in supermarkets but a) they were not the kinds I was used to, and b) I did say myself that the kinds I was used to might be common in other places. Last I checked, the distance between Boston and Philadelphia was considerable, to Miami it’s a tiny bit further. All I found in supermarkets were canned unpeeled tomatoes and tomato pastes that were a lot thicker than what I’d use for sauce. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/66 "2012-02-16T08:16:33Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > The existence of a “dollar menu” > . But it’s not a “dollar menu”, is it? You have to pay tax. So all of those commercials with the guy rushing in the MacDonald’s with a dollar bill, he better have another 15 cents or whatever in his pockets, because otherwise, he ain’t gonna eat. God, I used to hate that shit. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/67 "2012-02-16T08:23:30Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Ok, this one stumped me for a bit but I’m guessing it was the hideous strawberry version of Marshmallow Fluff ™. It’s marshmallows made spreadable. You might ask “why god why” but its the same spirit that put a man on the moon: because we can. 😃 **gracer** do [these jars](http://www.marshmallowfluff.com/pages/order_by_credit.html) look familiar at all? > > A sandwhich of peanut butter and plain-style Marshmallow Fluff™ is called a Fluffernutter (yup) and is something no adult would admit to enjoying, but many secretly do. And its the sort of thing Elvis like to eat before being a huge fat slob killed him. > > Its not like Fluff™ is a household staple for many, but most people know what it is and have eaten it at least once; it’s super kitschy and evokes the nutritionally-alarming-yet-nostalgic 1950s, when processed foods were very much the rage and people probably ate this crap non-ironically. We have a winner! Sugary gloop was “Fluff”! Hmm, it was weirdly yummy though… in a gross way… and food that makes you laugh 😃 I remember another thing: little packets of raw pre-cut out biscuit (cookie) dough, that you put in the oven to say that “you made cookies”. We were in stitches! **Cat Whisperer** , bring on the champagne cheese & cheese champagne! ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/68 "2012-02-16T08:56:07Z")
In Florida, as a teenager in about 1990, I found it very hard to get a meal that didn’t include meat. This was not at high-end restaurants, obviously, but visiting again in 2001 I still found it very difficult indeed and was glad that this time I was staying with friends. Other than that, in other parts of the US I haven’t noticed much that would be difficult to adapt to. Even biscuits and grits aren’t that weird. Some culinary terms like gravy and casserole (and biscuits, but most visitors would know that already) are different, but the foods themselves are not weird. But this is true: > [@jjimm](#): > > How sweet everything is. Fast food also tends to be even greasier than what I’m used to in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. > [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Yes… I know. > > But that’s the point. Sweet corn is an American phenomenon, and to them it looks like we’re eating animal feed. Corn-on-the-cob is common in the UK. Not so much that everyone eats it weekly, but it’s at KFC and most supermarkets carry it. It’s definitely not thought of as animal feed. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/69 "2012-02-16T09:17:30Z")
Something that prevents me from responding more substantially to this thread is that I have no idea what the standard American diet is. I was always under the impression that there isn’t one. > [@Koxinga](#): > > There’s all sorts of food theories about when you shouldn’t eat or drink “cold” things, not always necessarily cold temperature-wise but somehow classified as “cold.” There are other things that are classified as “hot” for which there are times you’re not supposed to eat or drink. If you’re ever married to a pregnant Chinese woman, you’ll hear aaaaallll about it. These food theories exist in India also. Nuts are ‘hot’ for instance, and are advocated during winter. Watermelon is cold and has to be consumed in summer. Mangoes are hot, only grow in summer but are too good to pass up, so you must ration it out! I have no clue where it’s all coming from. Seems to have some correlation with the calorific density of the food though. > [@Aspidistra](#): > > All these mentions of peanut butter and nobody’s mentioned peanut butter AND JELLY? > > Dear God, why? I was introduced to peanut butter jelly sandwiches (with milk) by an American friend last year. It’s beyond awesome. At least 4-5 of my meals each week for the last year have been PBJs with milk. A godsend for someone who doesn’t cook. ---
**Author:** ![Norse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/70 "2012-02-16T10:02:31Z")
Generally, it’s the bigness of the American cuisine. Not only the portion size, but also the previously unimaginable combinations of fat, sweet, fat, sweet and rich. And fat. Like: [ul] [li][Peanut butter chocolates](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reese's_Peanut_Butter_Cups)[/li][li]Deep-frying anything and everything, including [cheese sandwiches](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2009/11/jack-bishop-on-family-dinners-fried-cheese-sandwiches-and-endless-recipe-testing.html) and even [plain cheese](http://allrecipes.com/recipe/fried-mozzarella-cheese-sticks/)[/li][li][Fried peanut butter banana sandwhich with bacon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_butter,_banana_and_bacon_sandwich)[/li][/ul] Also, [cinnamon flavored chewing gum](http://www.americansweets.co.uk/american-gum--mints-30-c.asp) and that I had to search to find bread that doesn’t have [the consistency and shelf life of foam rubber](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_Bread) or real, not processed cheese was weird. Perhaps more typical for the South but still weird to me was grits and [white gravy with fried meat products](http://allrecipes.com/recipe/super-sausage-gravy/). OTOH, the sweet/sour cranberry sauce you serve with turkey felt almost like home; on the Scandinavian peninsula we routinely serve [lingonberry jam](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingonberry_jam) as a condiment to meatballs, meat in brown gravy, roast leg of lamb or reindeer (which I often like to call “Rudolph” if I’m having an American dinner guest 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/71 "2012-02-16T10:40:05Z")
A few years ago, on the radio, I heard the commanding officer of a contingent of Aussie soldiers being interviewed. They were about to have an Australia Day BBQ and he was talking about how much the soldiers were looking forward to it. He was asked why it was such a big deal and he explained that the kitchen was run on a rotational basis by all the counties with troops in the area and, at this time, the US was providing the food. He said that the Aussies complained a lot but only about the US food because it was all too sweet. He said they particularly hated the bread because to them it was like cake. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/72 "2012-02-16T10:57:09Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Ever increasingly at fancy restaurants (think the $40 burger places in Vegas) or hip restaurants (the try hard kind of hip), I’ve been noticing that they all say that their standard hamburger is cooked medium rare and if you’d like different, you have to request. This just horrifies me, because I’ve always been taught that ground beef must be cooked through (even if I do like my steaks medium rare). The reason for the instruction to cook ground beef well is due to the E.coli problem in factory farms from factory feedlots. The “fancy” burger, premium priced places are likely using locally sourced beef that was grass-fed, and so E.coli is not a problem with that beef. Your patty is also far more likely to be entirely from the same cow. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/73 "2012-02-16T11:02:35Z")
I haven’t been to the United States for quite a while: worked as a waiter in Denver for 6 months. Presentation of the salad as a separate pre-main dish on its own, to be eaten before the main, is one thing I found odd. Elsewhere salad is part of the main meal, sometimes being on a side plate. **The choices!!!** Dang. It was like learning a whole new language: "how would you like your eggs - [ul] [li]Sunnyside up[/li][li]Over Easy[/li][li]Over Medium[/li][li]Over Hard[/li][li]Scrambled[/li][li]Basted[/li][li]Boiled[/li][li]Omlette…??[/li][/ul] Then there are the salad dressings: [ul] [li]Blue Cheese[/li][li]Mayonaisse[/li][li]Roquefort[/li][li]Thousand Island[/li][li]Vinegar and Oil[/li][li]French[/li][li]Italian[/li][li]Caesar…??[/li][/ul] No doubt I’ve forgotten some. Then there are the different bread types…which we can leave aside. The amount of choice is staggering but I dont miss it. Eating out is a small luxury in NZ so the company and the experience are important. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/74 "2012-02-16T11:35:26Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Corn-on-the-cob is common in the UK. Not so much that everyone eats it weekly, but it’s at KFC and most supermarkets carry it. It’s definitely not thought of as animal feed. I think it’s a generational thing. My 84 year old father looks upon it as animal feed, but we young 'uns never have. It’s common in BBQs. I concur with what others have said about everything being really sweet though. It really struck me as weird when I first visited the states (mid 90s) - even the bread and butter seemed weirdly sweet. On the same trip, I had dinner at a friend’s cousins house. We were served Spaghetti Bolognese (all normal so far…), but in the middle of the table was a big bowl of fruit salad. All 4 Brits at the table ignored this, assuming it was for dessert, until our host prompted us to pile some fruit salad on our plate with our spaghetti. Really?? Other things I found weird - how much soda adults down with their meals in restaurants. Here, adults would usually drink wine and/or water (still or sparkling). Also, how much processed food was about - I recall staying in a Marriott in Chicago where the chef making omelettes to order poured ‘egg mixture’ out of a carton. What, it’s too much trouble to crack an egg? ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/75 "2012-02-16T11:38:35Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > But it’s not a “dollar menu”, is it? You have to pay tax. So all of those commercials with the guy rushing in the MacDonald’s with a dollar bill, he better have another 15 cents or whatever in his pockets, because otherwise, he ain’t gonna eat. > > God, I used to hate that shit. Slightly related: As a Scandinavian, I’m used to paying for things what it actually says on the damned menu, especially for something like fast food or a cup of coffee. When I visited the U.S. a while back, I quickly lost all comprehension of what anything actually cost. There’s the price on the menu, sure, but then there’s tax on top of that, and then you have to tip… so I was constantly confused, because nothing actually cost what I thought it did, and getting the actual price apparently involved applying some bizarre set of equations every time that I could never get right. Especially if I was distracted or in a hurry, it would just make my brain melt. After a while, I was reduced to just handing over a pile of dollar bills with a hopeful look on my face, then wait to see if I got some change back, and if none seemed to be forthcoming, hand over some more bills. How you guys do it, I don’t know. So, if you think tourists are all idiots… I can sympathize. ---
**Author:** ![DarkFire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@DarkFire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarkFire)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/76 "2012-02-16T11:49:19Z")
Peanut butter itself is not much of a surprise. We have that here. If it tastes the same and/or if the American variety is comparable depends on the brand and type imo. But… I’ve noticed that a LOT of candy items come in a peanut butter variation. Basically every chocolate bar has a peanut butter filled version. Same for many cookies and snacks. That’s something I haven’t seen or heard about in other countries. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/77 "2012-02-16T11:52:26Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I can’t vouch for the other countries on your list but peanut butter is widely available in the UK (and Ireland). There seems to be a myth that it doesn’t exist here. Indeed. I’m 37 and I grew up eating the stuff out of the jar. For me it is purely about the portion sizes. The actual food itself seemed familiar. Oh apart from a white pizza, I’d never had one of those before. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/78 "2012-02-16T12:03:02Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > We have a winner! Sugary gloop was “Fluff”! Hmm, it was weirdly yummy though… in a gross way… and food that makes you laugh 😃 That was my guess as well. Don’t judge the whole US by it, though, it’s a regional product, produced in the northeast. There are a great many people in the US outside the east coast who have never gotten to try it and have had to rely on the Kraft’s vastly inferior “Marshmallow Creme” instead. So sad, no one ever raves about fudge made with marshmallow creme. I mean to add that the raspberry kind you tried is much worse than the plain, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/79 "2012-02-16T12:05:10Z")
I don’t understand and will never understand how anyone could enjoy a bar of Hershey’s. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/80 "2012-02-16T12:12:15Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > I don’t understand and will never understand how anyone could enjoy a bar of Hershey’s. That is a very, very good point. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980.md?page=5)