# What Mainstream Food Item have You Never Tasted? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 29, 2018, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463 "2018-08-29T12:53:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/141 "2018-09-01T13:04:34Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > There are some American foods I’ve heard of. I’ve never seen them on the menu in my travels, but I’m curious to try them. If they are available over here, it’s under a different name. Offhand I can think of: > > - Graham crackers > - Clam chowder > - Biscuits and gravy. > > I’m sure there are others. I’ve never had grits either. I’m not fond of breakfast cereal generally, but I’d try them if I saw them. Thanks for the explanations about the other items. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/142 "2018-09-01T13:19:16Z")
Grits = cornmeal (maize) mush = polenta. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/143 "2018-09-01T13:25:59Z")
Borscht is two wildly different things. The cold stuff is Ashkenazi Jewish. It’s basically beet water with a little seasoning and some grated beet. Served ice cold with a cold boiled potato and some sour cream, it’s very refreshing in hot weather. Eastern European borscht is a thick beef soup with meat and grated or finely chopped root veggies — potato, turnip, carrot, cabbage, and beetroot — seasoned with paprika, very hearty and definitely a winter dish. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/144 "2018-09-01T13:27:03Z")
I’ve never eaten egg salad. I have eaten both hard-boiled eggs and mayonnaise on occasion, and I really, really do not need to try the experiment to know that I would like them even less if they were mixed together. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/145 "2018-09-01T14:18:09Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Borscht is two wildly different things. > > The cold stuff is Ashkenazi Jewish. It’s basically beet water with a little seasoning and some grated beet. Served ice cold with a cold boiled potato and some sour cream, it’s very refreshing in hot weather. > > Eastern European borscht is a thick beef soup with meat and grated or finely chopped root veggies — potato, turnip, carrot, cabbage, and beetroot — seasoned with paprika, very hearty and definitely a winter dish. And the Polish version is usually a clear broth, sometime slightly sour from fermented beets, served either with _uszka_, a Polish tortellini, so the net effect is like a tortellini al brodo, or with meat-stuffed croquettes. This is the borscht I grew up with. This is also often served simply in mugs and drank. It’s been years, but I remember it being served at the end of the gondola/cable car at the top of the mountain in Zakopane. We do the cold one, too, which I love, but we call that _chłodnik_, which means something like “cooler/that which cools.” There’s a Lithuanian restaurant by my house that does their version of it (name I forget) and served with with a couple small roasted potatoes on the side, which go so perfectly with it. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/146 "2018-09-01T17:16:58Z")
Grits are like a white cornmeal, aren’t they? Very bland, like a porridge? I’ve had grits made into cakes and deep fried, with shrimp in a white sauce poured over, at a wedding - just wonderful! But mostly I’ve had a big bowl of white grits as part of breakfast at Denny’s, or a diner. Not much taste, though I understand you can dress them up or dress them down. I consider them a good base for holding a good sized piece of butter, with salt and pepper. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/147 "2018-09-01T17:21:29Z")
\*Okroshka \*is delicious and refreshing as well. I first had it in Riga back in 1975. It clearly made an impression on me: > **[Okroshka](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okroshka)** > > Okróshka (Russian: окро́шка) is a cold soup of Russian origin and probably originated in the Volga region. > The classic soup is a mix of mostly raw vegetables (like cucumbers, radishes and spring onions), boiled potatoes, eggs, cooked meat such as beef, veal, sausages or ham and kvass, which is a low-alcoholic (1.5% or less) beverage made from fermented black or rye bread. Okroshka is usually garnished with sour cream (smetana). Later versions that first appeared in Soviet times use light or dilu... ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/148 "2018-09-01T17:26:03Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Grits are like a white cornmeal, aren’t they? Very bland, like a porridge? I’ve had grits made into cakes and deep fried, with shrimp in a white sauce poured over, at a wedding - just wonderful! But mostly I’ve had a big bowl of white grits as part of breakfast at Denny’s, or a diner. Not much taste, though I understand you can dress them up or dress them down. I consider them a good base for holding a good sized piece of butter, with salt and pepper. Grits are ground hominy, aren’t they? That’s why they’re white. They’re delicious when cooked with milk, butter, and lots of grated cheddar cheese, the sharper the better. Serve with ham, eggs, fried taters, and redeye gravy. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm! :o ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/149 "2018-09-01T17:48:51Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Graham crackers taste a lot like digestive biscuits; I assume you (Peter Morris) know what those are, being British. Digestive biscuits sound to most Americans like something people eat when they’re sick; I love them. The origin of the Graham cracker. It was meant to keep you master of your own domain/lord of your manor/queen of your castle: 😃 > **[The Origin of Graham Crackers](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/graham-cracker-origins/)** > > Were graham crackers named for a man who believed unhealthy diet led to sexual excess? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/150 "2018-09-01T17:49:48Z")
Never had lobster or clams. I’m not a fan of seafood or fish except for shrimp. I have reluctantly gone to family fish fries and eaten. The best part of the meal is the coleslaw and hush puppies. 😉 Never had lamb. I’m not a fan of pork loin roast. I will eat it to be polite. I do like sausage and ham. There’s dozens of International dishes I’ve never had the opportunity to try. I’m not an adventurous eater. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/151 "2018-09-01T17:51:44Z")
There’s white borscht, too. My impression, likely wrong, is that Polish beet borscht broth tends to be vegetarian while Russian or Ukrainian versions start as a bone broth. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/152 "2018-09-01T17:57:44Z")
The absolute best American breakfast sausage: [https://tysonscore3.azureedge.net/assets/media/jimmydeanv2/products/categories/jdcategory\_fresh-sausage.ashx](https://tysonscore3.azureedge.net/assets/media/jimmydeanv2/products/categories/jdcategory_fresh-sausage.ashx) :o ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/153 "2018-09-01T18:03:39Z")
For one brief, shining moment, Jimmy Dean piloted a Habanero breakfast sausage. Was delicious, but they dropped the idea after about 6 months. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/154 "2018-09-01T18:50:01Z")
Speaking of borscht reminded me that I don’t believe I’ve ever eaten a beet. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/155 "2018-09-01T19:59:23Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > Speaking of borscht reminded me that I don’t believe I’ve ever eaten a beet. I hate beets - but somehow my mother transformed them into something tasty when she made borscht. Wish I had her recipe. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/156 "2018-09-01T21:03:48Z")
Cold _pickled_ beets and onions make a nice side dish on a hot humid day. And you can drop shelled hard-boiled eggs into the leftover liquid to make pretty purple pickled eggs. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/157 "2018-09-01T21:15:44Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Was it made by somebody southren who learn the recipe from their grandma? Cuz that makes a difference. (It also helps it you are a bit of a heathen and add more than a couple of dashes of Crystal or Louisiana sauce.) The right mayo makes a difference, too. Gotta be Duke’s or Blue Plate. > > As for Spam - love the stuff. Fried with breakfast eggs is a campfire staple. It wasn’t a family heirloom recipe, that is for sure. I’ve got 3 different types of spam in my cupboard right now. Hickory, Jalapeno, and regular. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/158 "2018-09-01T21:36:32Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Viewing the intact fish, [I could tell them apart](https://sciencing.com/difference-between-sole-flounder-5841071.html), but in a [blind taste test](https://www.chowhound.com/post/flounder-9-sole-16-282291), or viewing a tray of fillets, I’d be lost. > > Your palate is more discerning than mine. No, I know it was sole because mom went to the fishmonger and said “I want some sole”. As opposed to flounder or other flatfish. I agree, it’s pretty generic tasting. ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/159 "2018-09-01T22:37:36Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > I’ve never had grits either. I’m not fond of breakfast cereal generally, but I’d try them if I saw them. I thought grits was the same as polenta, but obviously not. I wonder where I could buy it here? Anyway, grits aren’t just for breakfast, are they? I was sent a Louisiana cookbook and I think there was a main meal recipe in it that was “grits and something”. I remember thinking it sounded nice and that I might try making it. (don;t have the book handy to look it up right now, obviously) I’ve never tried a lot of “mainstream” American things that I hear about on TV/in movies. Things like Twinkies and Moonpies and other “stuff” like that. You can get American sweets/candies here, but to be honest the look of those Twinkies on the packet has never enticed me to try one. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463/160 "2018-09-01T22:54:37Z")
Watch [Alton Brown.](https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/good-eats/episodes/true-grits) Grits and polenta are the same thing, and they aren’t. Grits are milled finer, and generally from hominy (nixtamalized dent corn). Polenta is ground coarser and uses yellow flint corn. Both are milled corn products. Grits should be served with butter, salt, pepper, butter, cheese, hot sauce, pepper, butter, crumbled bacon, cheese, butter and some more pepper. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mainstream-food-item-have-you-never-tasted/820463.md?page=9)