# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/141 "2012-02-16T20:30:56Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Other things I found weird - how much soda adults down with their meals in restaurants. That’s what I was going to mention: the enormous cups of soda, and the number of people who drink soda all day long (not just at restaurants, but at work, at home, etc.). ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/142 "2012-02-16T20:39:04Z")
> [@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. Here in Philly we get [Cooper cheese](http://www.ehow.com/how_7803232_order-cooper-sharp-cheese.html), which is a sharp American cheese (bet you thought that was a contradiction in terms). It seems strangely difficult to locate the company on the 'net. ---
**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, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/143 "2012-02-16T20:40:30Z")
I have to say, the first time I’d ever heard of deep-fried twinkies, and deep-fried mars bars, etc. they were the product of a Festival stall in Scotland. Then it became sort of a “thing” to find really outrageous things to deep-fry for sale at Fairs in the American Mid-West. The whole thing basically jumped the shark when one particularly entrepreneurial chap found a way to freeze and then deep-fry a stick of butter. There are some absolutely wonderful American Cheeses; “American Cheese” just isn’t one of them. It’s something people buy to make grilled cheese sandwiches - pure comfort food to soothe the inner toddler. ETA: Dang, now I really want a grilled cheese with basil tomatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/144 "2012-02-16T20:52:08Z")
> [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > 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. It is a cheese\*, at least it begins life as an honest to goodness cheese, made with real cheese methods, then gets melted, mixed with a few ingredients, pasteurized, and sold as a block of American cheese. This is in contrast to many American Cheese style individually wrapped cheese slices that are mostly emulsified fats and separated milk products styled to emulate a regular slice of American cheese. \*It’s generally a rather bland cheese, you wouldn’t eat a chunk of it with a glass of wine. It’s a sandwich cheese, really, adds cheesiness without overpowering the other ingredients, and melts like a dream. ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/145 "2012-02-16T20:53:38Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > 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. I’m not about to defend the pre-made junkfood that many people eat and I’ve never even seen a Wegman’s, but plenty of US supermarkets have non-processed decent quality domestic and imported cheeses, just not the really good $30/lb artisanal stuff. This includes those bastions of middle-American mediocrity Super Target and Super WalMart, even in culinarily backward places like Oklahoma. ---
**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, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/146 "2012-02-16T20:57:31Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > 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). I find that I can’t get enough fluids in general with my meals outside the United States. If I’m having lunch or dinner, I can’t eat without sips of fluid in between. I generally down at least a liter of fluids with a meal. If I’m at home, it will almost always be entirely water. At a restaurant, it’ll be a combination of water and soft drinks. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/147 "2012-02-16T21:05:10Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Main thing I noticed was that Americans have a vast array of restaurants to eat out at and seem to eat out more than people do here, however they also have much bigger fridges than almost any I’ve seen here. I would have thought eating out more regularly would have led to smaller fridges being prevalent. I know that eating out regularly isn’t a universal trait but still. You gotta have someplace to put all those leftovers from the restaurants! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/148 "2012-02-16T21:07:08Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > 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. We do have more than one type of bread. A lot more. > [@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! I am actually surprised that you found them in Bodegas since they usually have a limited selection. I have lived in quite a few states. I have never seen a supermarket that didn’t have a large selection of canned tomatos of many types. > [@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? > > Chitlins. I just can’t imagine someone actually eating this. > > ETA: Diet Coke with Bacon. Two great tastes that don’t go great together. I like American cheese. Not the individual slice stuff or Velveeta. Those are cheese products not cheese. Real American cheese that you buy at the deli counter. Is very good at its job. Which is not to eat alone but to be used in sandwiches and on hamburgers. The mild flavor compliments but does not over power. ---
**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, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/149 "2012-02-16T21:12:56Z")
It’s also important to remember that those ginormous cups are filled almost completely with ice before the soda is poured. The amount of actual soda in one of them is surprisingly small. From: [http://www.foodservice.com/articles/food-cost/Costing-Out-Soda-Free-Refills-in-Foodservice-How-to-Price-Soda/](http://www.foodservice.com/articles/food-cost/Costing-Out-Soda-Free-Refills-in-Foodservice-How-to-Price-Soda/) > [@](#): > > Now lets consider ICE! If you fill your 20 oz cup with ice to the brim, you will only be pouring about 8.75 oz of soda into the cup. ---
**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, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/150 "2012-02-16T21:16:15Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I like American cheese. Not the individual slice stuff or Velveeta. When you say slice stuff, which do you mean? Individually wrapped slices, or the big blocks that are sliced but not separated by any other material? There’s a huge difference. ---
**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, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/151 "2012-02-16T21:16:30Z")
> [@Furious\_Marmot](#): > > I’m not about to defend the pre-made junkfood that many people eat and I’ve never even seen a Wegman’s, but plenty of US supermarkets have non-processed decent quality domestic and imported cheeses, just not the really good $30/lb artisanal stuff. This includes those bastions of middle-American mediocrity Super Target and Super WalMart, even in culinarily backward places like Oklahoma. I have to agree, **Duke** ’s post is in error. When I lived in a rural, agricultural town of 9,000 in central Virginia, you could get a variety of popular cheeses at either of the 2 local supermarkets. For example, Feta, Emmanthaler, Muenster, Chevre, Gouda, etc. These were sold by the vacuum sealed block or pre-sized container. They were expensive compared to local incomes but definitely available. You could also get homemade farmers cheeses at the Mennonite store, and Mexican varieties of cheese at the 2 small Mexican markets. ---
**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, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/152 "2012-02-16T21:29:13Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > I have to agree, **Duke** ’s post is in error. When I lived in a rural, agricultural town of 9,000 in central Virginia, you could get a variety of popular cheeses at either of the 2 local supermarkets. For example, Feta, Emmanthaler, Muenster, Chevre, Gouda, etc. These were sold by the vacuum sealed block or pre-sized container. They were expensive compared to local incomes but definitely available. Was someone under the impression that the only cheese you could get in America is American cheese? Because I’m pretty glad that I don’t have to go all the way to Switzerland to get swiss cheese. ---
**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, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/153 "2012-02-16T21:35:52Z")
> [@Dr.Righteous](#): > > I’m wondering, where were you that this happened? I’ve been to bad diners even around here but, as I said, they’re usually gone pretty quickly. My memory is a bit fuzzy as it was back in 1996. It was on the road to Northern Carolina, coming from Vermont. So it could have been North Carolina, Virginia or Maryland. It seemed like a trucker stop. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/154 "2012-02-16T21:50:04Z")
> [@Cosmic Relief](#): > > There’s a reason for this… most people don’t know but actually a Hershey bar was good chocolate once upon a time, then recently they started using inferior ingredients to save money. there was a thread about in GQ recently I think, but I can’t be arsed to find it. The Hershey bars I ate last week were every bit as good as they’ve ever been. Haters gonna hate, but it’s still definitely the best milk chocolate around. What I recall about inferior ingredients was how some manufacturer (not sure if it was Hershey or a competitor) was going to be using some “fake” chocolate, but not in their main chocolate bar, just the coating on stuff like “chocolate” covered nougat with nuts or whatever else you might normally cover with chocolate. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/155 "2012-02-16T22:04:42Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > It’s also important to remember that those ginormous cups are filled almost completely with ice before the soda is poured. The amount of actual soda in one of them is surprisingly small. > > From: [http://www.foodservice.com/articles/food-cost/Costing-Out-Soda-Free-Refills-in-Foodservice-How-to-Price-Soda/](http://www.foodservice.com/articles/food-cost/Costing-Out-Soda-Free-Refills-in-Foodservice-How-to-Price-Soda/) That’s why I always ask for “no ice”. It’s almost always plenty cold enough out of the fountain anyway, and that way it lasts longer (less refills) and doesn’t get watered down when the ice melts. ---
**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:** [February 16, 2012, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/156 "2012-02-16T22:41:54Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > When we visited Scandinavia we were gobsmacked by the lack of salt in everything. It took several days for us to get used to the flavor of food with only half the amount of salt it would have been prepared with in America and when we mentioned it to one of the locals he said that when he came to the US our food was excessively salty to him.. And in Germany I was served more than one dish that was so salty I couldn’t eat it. This thread is really rubbing me the wrong way. I’ve been served plenty of disgustingly salty, greasy, over-processed, unexcusable foods all over the world. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/157 "2012-02-16T22:51:05Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > The Hershey bars I ate last week were every bit as good as they’ve ever been. Haters gonna hate, but it’s still definitely the best milk chocolate around. > > What I recall about inferior ingredients was how some manufacturer (not sure if it was Hershey or a competitor) was going to be using some “fake” chocolate, but not in their main chocolate bar, just the coating on stuff like “chocolate” covered nougat with nuts or whatever else you might normally cover with chocolate. Yeah I like Hersey too. Nothing wrong with milk chocolate. I like the darker stuff more expensive stuff too. No reason you can’t like both. ---
**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, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/158 "2012-02-16T22:51:21Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > And in Germany I was served more than one dish that was so salty I couldn’t eat it. > > This thread is really rubbing me the wrong way. I’ve been served plenty of disgustingly salty, greasy, over-processed, unexcusable foods all over the world. Peoples’ different palates are not an indictment of your personal character. I’d chill out a bit. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/159 "2012-02-16T23:22:58Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > Huh, most of those countries have peanut butter. In the Netherlands and Germany it’s not really sweet, more savoury. In Portugal it’s sweeter, like I think it is in the US. In the UK it’s in between, and you can get sweeter versions. US peanut butter is too sweet for my taste, but maybe you have different kinds too? (Confusing stuff, this peanut butter business.) The major brands have sugar added (and stabilizers and oil). But you can get natural peanut butter, made with nothing but peanuts, and it’s not nearly as sweet. That’s what I buy. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-unusual-thing-about-the-american-diet-to-people-of-other-nationalities/612980/160 "2012-02-16T23:32:46Z")
Not exactly something that you’d notice immediately, but high fructose corn syrup is largely used in place of sugar. Almost everybody else uses sugar but the U.S. has an import tariff on sugar and production quotas on domestic sugar, and big subsidies on corn (see [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-fructose_corn_syrup)). And as already mentioned, the amount of sodium in many foods (I try to eat low-sodium food, not that I need to for medical reasons, plus they usually use potassium to replace some of the sodium, and some say that the Na:K ratio is more important, and they still taste good to me). That, along with too much sweetener (IMHO, HFCS and sucrose/sugar are basically the same), may be one factor in the U.S. obesity epidemic (i.e. makes food taste better so you eat more). Oh, portion size is another thing I almost left out, directly tied to the above (people wanting more tasty food). [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=7) [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=9)