# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/121 "2012-02-16T17:44:22Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > ETA: Diet Coke with Bacon. Two great tastes that don’t go great together. Er, that was a photoshop joke. It’s not a real product. I’m curious at the number of Brits in this thread who complained about greasy American fast food. You could probably heat your home for a day off the grease in your food from the average chippy! Most of the chippies I’ve been to in various parts of the UK were far, far greasier than any food I’ve ever eaten in the US…almost inedibly so in some cases. (Yes, I know I should have learned the first time, but no…) That said, I too was shocked when I came back to the US by the large portion sizes in restaurants, the salt and sugar in the food, and the general lack of taste in food. One other thing I noticed that I haven’t seen here in this thread is that in the US one generally doesn’t go to specialty food sellers. In England or France or Spain I’d go to a butcher’s for meat, a cheese shop for cheese, a fishmonger’s for fish, or a vegetable seller for veg. If I wanted Indian spices I’d go to the Indian shop on Cowley Road which was about the size of my current office. I wouldn’t be going to the “big supermarket” (which was about half to a quarter the size of even the supermarket in my little suburb of ~20,000 here) unless I needed things like cleaning supplies or other miscellaneous items, or some fast cheap takeaway lunch. What it means mainly is that the quality of food you got was better all around. If the cheese shop owner was going to make a living, he better be selling some damn good cheese, and if the “big supermarket” was even going to compete with that, they’d have to improve the quality of their own cheese. In the US what you get (outside of Wegmans, the size and quality of which awes everyone) is going to be all of a sameness, where you can’t even tell one kind of cheese from another. Yes, we do have specialty sellers here, but sadly they’re dying out. I try to go to the local butcher shops as often as I can, but even they are falling down on quality. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/122 "2012-02-16T17:47:44Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > I. > Also. > Mentioned. > Finding. > Them. > In. > Bodegas. > > Seriously, people, do you guys read beyond the first line? I’m glad I don’t have to send emails to you at work! Yeah, actually I do. Maybe bodega means something different to you, but in NYC , it does not mean anything as large as a supermarket and I would be surprised if you went to an actual supermarket in an Italian neighborhood in Philadelphia and couldn’t find a large variety of tomato products including peeled , crushed, pureed,paste and sauce . It would not surprise me if the supermarket in an Irish or Slavic neighborhood had less of a variety. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/123 "2012-02-16T17:54:17Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Yeah, you shouldn’t be able to “cut” pieces of scrambled egg. It should have a texture more like grits. sez who? > [@Ximenian](#): > > If NZ is like the UK, and in matters culinary it often seems to be, you get sunny side up, yolks still runny. I suppose you could ask the person to cook them a bit harder or on both sides, but we don’t really have names for that, I guess because not many people want them that way. [edit] Obviously, you can have scrambled eggs or omelette too. I’m talking about plain fried eggs. > **[Fried egg | United States and Canada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fried_egg#United_States_and_Canada)** > > The name "toad in the hole" is sometimes used for this dish, particularly in the U.S., though that name more commonly refers to sausages cooked in Yorkshire pudding batter. This dish is usually made by cutting a circle or other shape out of a slice of bread, often using a drinking glass or biscuit cutter. The bread is fried until brown on one side and then flipped, and an egg is broken into the center and seasoned, usually with salt and pepper, and sometimes herbs. The pan is then covered, a > [@doreen](#): > > Yeah, actually I do. Maybe bodega means something different to you, but in NYC , it does not mean anything as large as a supermarket and I would be surprised if you went to an actual supermarket in an Italian neighborhood in Philadelphia and couldn’t find a large variety of tomato products including peeled , crushed, pureed,paste and sauce . It would not surprise me if the supermarket in an Irish or Slavic neighborhood had less of a variety. no doubt. “Bodega” is used so infrequently where I live that I can’t recall ever hearing anyone use the word. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/124 "2012-02-16T17:57:58Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > I. > Also. > Mentioned. > Finding. > Them. > In. > Bodegas. > > Seriously, people, do you guys read beyond the first line? I’m glad I don’t have to send emails to you at work! Its your assertion you could not find them in supermarkets that is absolutely incomprehensible to me. I suspect the issue was that you were not seeing familiar packaging, or the size you were expecting, or something like that. Bcause it is impossible that you went into a fullsize supermarket that did not contain any can of crushed or diced or whole peeled tomatoes. And yes, to me a “bodega” is a corner store, which usually doesn’t sell a wide variety of groceries. It’s more a place to get beer and cigarettes, ice pops and candy. They might have a small selection of non-perishables. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/125 "2012-02-16T17:58:34Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > Er, that was a photoshop joke. It’s not a real product. > > I’m curious at the number of Brits in this thread who complained about greasy American fast food. You could probably heat your home for a day off the grease in your food from the average chippy! You do understand that a chip shop isn’t a major dietary staple, right? That it’s a type of fast food? I eat from a chip shop a couple of times a year, at most. You can’t compare everyday meals to chip shops any more than you can compare everyday meals to Big Macs. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/126 "2012-02-16T18:04:23Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > “Real” American Cheese is a very mild cheddar type cheese blended with an emulsifier and pasteurized. The processing gives it a smooth texture that melts very evenly. Huh! I had no idea there was actually such a thing. I always thought “American Cheese” was just the generic name for Kraft Singles-style processed-cheese-food-product. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/127 "2012-02-16T18:23:17Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Not really, but I occasionally like a decent [port wine cheese spread](https://www.wisconsincheesemart.com/item/port-wine-cheese-spread-rdA/). It can be very nice as a cheese ball rolled in slivered almonds as a party contribution with some nice [stone ground wheat crackers](http://www.amazon.com/Back-Nature-Organic-Crackers-6-Ounce/dp/B00283A9H6). Now I’m hungry for a port wine cheese ball. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/128 "2012-02-16T18:31:03Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Now I’m hungry for a port wine cheese ball. 🙂 They’re pretty good, but I feel like I’m getting gout just looking at one. Weird fried foods (candy bars, bananas, whole sticks of butter :rolleyes:) can be found in some US fairs, but I believe many of these are originally products of Scotland. Or Wisconsin. And nobody eats fried PB & banana sandwiches except Elvis. And maybe Paula Deen. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/129 "2012-02-16T18:36:10Z")
> [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Huh! I had no idea there was actually such a thing. I always thought “American Cheese” was just the generic name for Kraft Singles-style processed-cheese-food-product. Aren’t they the same thing? Except companies other than Kraft make them too. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/130 "2012-02-16T18:37:06Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > Er, that was a photoshop joke. It’s not a real product. Oh thank God. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/131 "2012-02-16T18:49:25Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > I’m Canadian. > > I’m befuddled by: > > American Cheese - I thought this was just cheddar made in America, but I think this is wrong - it’s actually a processed food stuff - is that correct? I’ve always imagined American cheese to be like [Kraft cheese slices](http://www.gourmet.com/images/food/2009/09/fo-ode-to-american-cheese-608.jpg) - but those are very soft. Is the default cheddar here in Canada the same as American cheese? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/132 "2012-02-16T18:54:00Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > Oh thank God. Sorry to shock you back into a coma, but [Mitch Morgan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_Morgan) and Bacon Martini exist. Don’t worry, they’re something for hipsters or people who want to say they’ve tried it once. Not widespread, and unlikely to happen any time soon. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/133 "2012-02-16T18:55:33Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > I’ve always imagined American cheese to be like [Kraft cheese slices](http://www.gourmet.com/images/food/2009/09/fo-ode-to-american-cheese-608.jpg) - but those are very soft. > > Is the default cheddar here in Canada the same as American cheese? No, I don’t think so. If I sent my husband to the store and said ‘Buy Cheese’ he would come home with a [block of cheddar cheese](http://www.frogcitycheese.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Cheddar-Cheese.jpg). If he came home with a weird, [Velveta type block](http://www.walnutcreekcheese.com/v/vspfiles/photos/100011-2T.jpg), which is what I think ‘American’ cheese is (or sort of is) I would be confused. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/134 "2012-02-16T19:41:43Z")
> [@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)… I suspect you were in the wrong aisle. Most grocery stores around here will have have a tiny nod to the canned tomato selection in the canned fruit aisle where (IMHO) they belong. but the real variety and breadth of selection is hidden over by the pasta and the canned marinara sauces. The same is true of canned olives and mushrooms. I’ve heard it said that Asian people are utterly disgusted by our consumption of “rotten milk”. Cheesemoe than anything, but also yoghurt and sour cream. Skim milk and low-fat anything dairy. My Irish cousins were bowled over with laughter on that one. These are folks who have jobs, but also a few cows each to care for, so it may not be universal. Me: Well it lower calorie, i s the idea. Them: But you’ve _ **taken the food out of it!!!** _ ---
**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:** [February 16, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/135 "2012-02-16T19:48:31Z")
The portion sizes, definitely. Another one for the frozen cookie dough. That people seem to actually _prefer_ foods with HFCS over sugar? Or what seems to pass for chocolate there (granted, I’ve only had Hershey’s and See’s candy) > [@Koxinga](#): > > I’m American, and there are things that I find strange now that I’m living abroad.[…] > (3) Things like [this](http://media.fakeposters.com/results/2009/08/10/kgwcf448v3.jpg). Oh my dark gods! I thought that was a joke link, so I searched, and that’s a real product line! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/136 "2012-02-16T19:48:33Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > You do understand that a chip shop isn’t a major dietary staple, right? That it’s a type of fast food? I eat from a chip shop a couple of times a year, at most. You can’t compare everyday meals to chip shops any more than you can compare everyday meals to Big Macs. Thing is, chippies are even greasier than American fast food, by a long way. And, at least when I traveled in Scotland, in some locations they’re the only places open at certain times of night. ---
**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:** [February 16, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/137 "2012-02-16T19:52:20Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > You do understand that a chip shop isn’t a major dietary staple, right? That it’s a type of fast food? I eat from a chip shop a couple of times a year, at most. You can’t compare everyday meals to chip shops any more than you can compare everyday meals to Big Macs. You do realize that for many Americans, Big Macs _are_ everyday meals. ---
**Author:** ![Jasper\_Kent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@Jasper\_Kent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasper_Kent)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/138 "2012-02-16T19:57:35Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > American Cheese - I thought this was just cheddar made in America, but I think this is wrong - it’s actually a processed food stuff - is that correct? Yes, that’s correct. It’s quite disgusting. Not at all “cheese,” and only “food” in the broadest sense of the word. Basically just oil and chemicals. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/139 "2012-02-16T20:02:58Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Aren’t they the same thing? Except companies other than Kraft make them too. Well, **Cheesesteak** was drawing a distinction between “real” American cheese (mild cheddar with an emulsifier, and pasteurized), and > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > products called American Cheese that emulate the real stuff, but are really processed cheese-like foods, \ usually in a single serving wrapped slice. The latter sounds like Kraft-style singles to me, so I took that to mean that a) Kraft singles aren’t “real” American cheese, and b) I’ve never encountered “real” American cheese. But looking at that again, I’m not sure why adding an emulsifier and pasteurizing don’t count as being “processed”, and [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_cheese) seems to agree - American cheese is, by definition, processed. It does note under “Modern varieties” that some American cheeses can be very much like unprocessed cheese, while others with more additives are decidedly less so. Anyway, the point is that I don’t really think of “American cheese” as, well, cheese, so I was surprised to learn there might be an _actual_ variety of cheese called “American”. But apparently, there really isn’t. And for the record, **alice\_in\_wonderland** , if I asked my husband to buy cheese, I would likewise expect him to bring home a block of cheddar, or maybe colby-jack. If he bought American cheese instead, I’d still eat it, but I’d say, “Next time, get _real_ cheese, please.” ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/140 "2012-02-16T20:10:05Z")
> [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Anyway, the point is that I don’t really think of “American cheese” as, well, cheese, so I was surprised to learn there might be an _actual_ variety of cheese called “American”. But apparently, there really isn’t. I think that there is. It’s not American vs not-American, it’s more of a continuum. Some of it’s pretty good, and some of it’s unpalatable, and some of it’s somewhere in the middle. [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=6) [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=8)