# When Did Food Prepared by White People Become Synonymous With Bland? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [March 27, 2026, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828 "2026-03-27T22:42:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2026, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/81 "2026-03-30T06:48:56Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Having lived in SoCal, Phoenix, Las Vegas, St. Louis, NYC briefly, and Miami, I have never seen a pierogi in real life, nor noticed them on a menu. I have only a vague notion of what they are, something dumpling or empanada adjacent. That seems strange. Around here even the typical ordinary grocery store will have frozen pierogies, amd my favourite decidedly non-ethnic WASP-ish deli always has fresh prepared pierogies and also cabbage rolls. These traditionally Slavic dishes have pretty much become mainstream. Pierogies are excellent when browned on a skillet in butter with onions and served with sour cream. Alas, the pierogies from even the fine local deli are not the same as Mom used to make, but at least their cabbage rolls are very good! ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2026, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/82 "2026-03-30T06:54:11Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > That seems strange. Around here even the typical ordinary grocery store will have frozen pierogies, amd my favourite decidedly non-ethnic WASP-ish deli always has fresh prepared pierogies and also cabbage rolls. These traditionally Slavic dishes have pretty much become mainstream. Not here in the Pacific Northwest they aren’t. There’s exactly one brand of frozen cheese & potato pierogies in the grocery stores here. We’ve got exactly one restaurant in the county that serves pelmeni and that’s the closest thing I can think of that’s equivalent. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2026, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/83 "2026-03-30T08:36:57Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > That seems strange. Around here even the typical ordinary grocery store will have frozen pierogies, amd my favourite decidedly non-ethnic WASP-ish deli always has fresh prepared pierogies and also cabbage rolls. These traditionally Slavic dishes have pretty much become mainstream. Definitely the case here in western Canada. Pierogies are a popular appetizer in sports bars, and frozen ones are easily available at the supermarket. But a lot of western Canada was settled by Ukranians, and while those early settlers are gone now, their descendants grew up on pierogies. So it makes sense. I don’t mind them. They’re not something I’d typically order, but if a friend who does order them at the sports bar says, “Have one,” I won’t turn it down. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2026, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/84 "2026-03-30T09:03:33Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I had some guy from NYC pronounce burrito as “burr-it-to”. If you meet him again point him to [this video](https://youtu.be/7fvIsdzQyck). ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2026, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/85 "2026-03-30T09:34:04Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > Indeed, I still remember the first time I ever had a taco. I was a teenager visiting California from Montreal, in 1977. I thought it was delicious and exotic. In hindsight I don’t think it was anything special. I think it was from Taco Bell. My first taco was in Los Angeles, in 1980. It was from a taco truck. It was delicious and exotic; we had nothing like it back in Toronto. That trip was a real eye-opener, food-wise. My first experience with _real_ American barbecue, at Stern’s on West Washington Boulevard, in Culver City. I’ve written about Stern’s before. You mean barbecue is more than grilling steaks and hamburgers? Apparently so, and I really enjoyed Stern’s. And other American BBQ in trips to the US since. > [@terentii](#): > > British food in particular got an especially bad rap after wartime rationing produced dishes like parsnip and potato pie, and promoted whale meat as a substitute for beef, lamb, and mutton. If you’ve ever had traditional British cooking, you know it is quite delicious, thanks to the many fresh herbs, vegetables, and other ingredients it uses. Correct. I was the guest of a couple, who were my friends, in Coventry, UK, back in the 1980s. And oh-my-gosh, could she ever produce some tasty food. Everything was typically British, and was it ever tasty. Her roast beef was particularly memorable, as it was better than the roast beef that I had had back in Toronto, at fancy restaurants (And he made sure that I got a good sampling of the local beers). And plenty of fresh veg—I remember going on a trip to the greengrocer, and to the butcher shop with them. I came back with all kinds of cooking tips for my Mom, which perked up our bland white-people meals. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2026, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/86 "2026-03-30T11:46:46Z")
Back in the 60s the availability of food beyond standard diner fare was limited in a lot of places, like Upstate NY. I was in college before I had pizza or Chinese food and even then I first had them while visiting Boston. The first Indian place (started by a guy name Raj, and called the Raj Mahal) started in the 1970s. No spicy food was on the regular menu. I was taken totally by surprise when much later a more authentic place opened and the first bite took the roof off my mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2026, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/87 "2026-03-30T21:17:07Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > That seems strange. Around here… Would people please, when they say things like this, specify where “around here” is? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2026, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/88 "2026-03-30T21:21:13Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Would people please, when they say things like this, specify where “around here” is?   I’ve mentioned it often enough that I figured most regulars would know – southern Ontario, a small town but within commuting distance of Toronto. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2026, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/89 "2026-03-30T22:20:14Z")
No, we don’t magically remember that you live in Ontario, that other person lives in Ohio, while he lives in Queensland and she is in Wales. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2026, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/90 "2026-03-30T22:48:54Z")
Some of us do remember lots of who’s where. But it works LOTS better if most everyone includes their location in their profile. See here for more on that crusade. It’s taking longer than I / we thought. > [@I Locationed - Have you? A thread with a Community Benefit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-locationed-have-you-a-thread-with-a-community-benefit/925454): > > Hi folks - Just like vBulletin, Discourse has a place for you to enter your location. Which will be displayed if somebody clicks on your avatar. Try mine and look just below the big pink/purple L. Back in vBulletin most of us put something in the location in our profile. Some as a joke, most as legit info. During the conversion to Discourse that info was not transferred. So nearly everybody now has a blank location. And nearly everybody doesn’t know that, and also doesn’t know that they can… ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2026, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/91 "2026-03-30T23:01:26Z")
Even better than putting your location in your profile; you could include your location _in the actual post_, especially when you say something like “around here.” ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2026, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/92 "2026-03-30T23:51:14Z")
yes, it is tasty, and also some of most un-healthy, with deep-frying EVERYTHING ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/93 "2026-03-31T00:36:35Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Even better than putting your location in your profile; you could include your location _in the actual post_, especially when you say something like “around here.” Yes, if you include your location in the very few posts where it is relevant, that makes life easier for everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/94 "2026-03-31T12:53:16Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > But it works LOTS better if most everyone includes their location in their profile. I agree with you, but I am South African, Zimbabwean and British, so I instinctively mention to which country to which I refer, because the cultural differences are fairly wide. I worry somewhat that I am being pedantic. To return to topic: I found British food in general somewhat bland. I mean, the most exciting thing I ate there was a pizza with duck on it. My experience as a minimum wage worker obviously precluded fancy restaurants, but I do share the rumoured distain the French have for English cuisine. On the other hand the Scottish invented “deep fried Mars bar”, and I managed to locate on the Waitrose website “vegan haggis” so they are still fairly experimental. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/95 "2026-03-31T14:26:44Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > They also mask the taste of meat that’s gone bad. If you’ve ever eaten at a “Medieval banquet,” you know what I mean. I once had a serving of heavily spiced venison, and, while I’m pretty sure the meat itself had not spoiled, I was still belching sulfur fumes for the next two days. This is a widely held misconception. If you could afford spices during the Middle Ages, you were not worried about how fresh your meat was because you were very high up on the social ladder and rich. At that time spices were held in their own specialty, bejeweled lock boxes. Even plain old black pepper was beyond the means of peasants and more than a days pay for tradesmen for a pound of it. From what I can see about English cuisine, it really looks like the two world wars fucked them up. Considering how long they had to make due, they’re not that bad. And boy did they jump on the spice wagon when Indians (both the India and West varieties) began migrating in large numbers. Luckily for me around here where I grew up, there ain’t nothing but variety! What? You don’t follow my life like it’s a messageboard reality show? Considering I’m from NYC, the greatest place on Earth according to us New Yorkers, I’m surprised even people from boards I don’t frequent don’t know about it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/96 "2026-03-31T18:00:03Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > On the other hand the Scottish invented “deep fried Mars bar”, and I managed to locate on the Waitrose website “vegan haggis” so they are still fairly experimental. Or maybe some US county fair invented it. I have had vegetarian haggis. Not bad. Not great either. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/97 "2026-03-31T18:35:55Z")
It’s enlightening to read this thread, and it challenges some of my own biases. I’m Asian, and have lived in California my entire life, almost exclusively in the Central Valley. I have never _seen_ a real pierogi. I think the first time I saw a picture of one, I thought, “That gyoza seems to have a really thick wrapper.” IMO, ‘ethnic food’ has always meant ‘food of non-European immigrants’, eg Mexican or from various Asian countries. So to answer the OP, White People Food has **always** been synonymous with bland in my mind. And I’m fully aware that the crap I eat is considered exotic to a lot of people. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/98 "2026-03-31T18:58:41Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > When people go on so much about being proud of “Southern heritage”, and “preserving our culture”, and so on, they really should be talking about cuisine, because for all of the South’s other (many) faults, they’ve got some really great food. That’s something that all Southerners can be proud of. Absolutely! When Southern Pride comes up, I’m always, “Hell yes! Buttermilk biscuits, and cheese grits, and pimento cheese, and fried chicken, and fried catfish with hot sauce, and slow-smoked pulled pork with vinegar sauce, and banana pudding, and peach pie? You bet I’m proud!” The food might not be as heavily spiced as restaurant-style Indian or Thai food, but goddamn it’s delicious. > [@terentii](#): > > At first, I found it amusing that macaroni and cheese (perhaps the blandest food I can think of) Sure–but the nice thing about Mac n cheese (and cheese grits) is that they’re welcoming to any spice you want to add. I recommend a mix of smoked paprika, garam masala, garlic powder, and cayenne, but you do you: find a combination and see how it is! ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/99 "2026-03-31T19:25:51Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > And boy did they jump on the spice wagon when Indians (both the India and West varieties) began migrating in large numbers. Curry has been known and popular in the UK since the [18th century](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry_in_the_United_Kingdom). As a side note, the Japanese navy picked it up from the Royal navy, put it over rice and it became a staple. Even today JNSDF ships each have their own recipe. From the navy it leaked out to civilians and curry rice is one of the main comfort foods there. After being filtered through two cultures though, your typical Indian would be hard to recognize it as curry. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828/100 "2026-03-31T19:30:33Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I’m not ever sure what’s meant by bland. Is it bland because it’s not spicy or is it bland because the flavors are dull? The term _bland_ is used by some who don’t appreciate the subtleties of a food’s flavor. And of course in our current “more is better” culture, small portions of foods with subtle flavors are not highly valued by many people. So some call white-people food “bland” because they think that non-whites can’t appreciate subtle flavors or are into conspicuous consumption. > [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Whites have been using salt, pepper, ketchup, and mustard for generations. But note that ketchup is a Chinese import from Southeast Asia. > [@bump](#): > > I assumed everyone ate this sort of thing. Not necessarily as staple foods that were made at-home, but I figured that when they went out to eat, they got the usual Mexican-style and Chinese food that we got. Growing up poor and rural really limits one’s options. My family basically never went out to eat. It was just too expensive. And no “foreign” restaurants came to the area until after I’d already moved out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-food-prepared-by-white-people-become-synonymous-with-bland/1028828.md?page=6)