Are Americans Weaned on Peanut Butter?
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Peanut butter and Americans go way back, if you read the Carver link you will see it.
If you don't like it, don't eat it. Really that simple.0 -
I'm Australian, and my mother is so in love with peanut butter she would have it all the time when I was growing up (like, on toast for breakfast, a spoon or two of an evening), even though, at age 2 I almost died from a spoonful of it, and have maintained my anaphylactic allergy into adulthood. I figure she must really really really love it... Obviously I don't understand the obsession, but people sure seem to go.. Haha... Nuts for it...
I have yet to visit America, and the apparent omnipresence of peanuts is one of the reasons. (Same with most of Asia).0 -
We didn't have Peanut Butter in my country, so I never ate it until I was 18. Then I moved to the U.S. and I could finally taste it.
First time it disgusted me, second time I loved it, third time it became an addiction. Peanut butter and Strawberry jam is so delicious.
Well, now you can find it in every country (I think), but, of course, not as many types as in the U.S.0 -
U.S. could be the only country that considers Peanut Butter as a "protein" vs a "fat." Most other countries look at Peanut Butter as a "fat."
That's not going to stop me from eating my homemade peanut butter cookies
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suziecue20 wrote: »Peanut butter is mentioned in lots of threads and I am wondering why people in US especially love it so much.
I tried it once years ago and it made me gag. I didn't like the taste or the texture and haven't touched it since.
And, here I thought I was the only person who didn't like peanut butter.0 -
We even had a President who was a peanut farmer from Georgia.0
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Yes, peanut butter is a very common early food for kids. Economical, easy to store, doesn't need much chewing so little kids with few teeth can eat it, and a bit of bread with some PB is a reasonably nutritious, filling snack.0
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Here in the American South peanuts grow beautifully. They are plentiful and cheap. Peanut butter needs no refrigeration so that appeals to mom's making lunch. This being harvest time, peanuts and pumpkins are everywhere. Even better than peanut butter, boiled peanuts fresh from the ground. Yum.0
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I live in South Africa and also grew up on peanut butter. Peanut butter is supplied to school kids at the moment in free feeding schemes because it is an affordable protein. I can understand why some people might not like it as we all have our preferences but I find it delicious. I particularly used to like peanut butter and homemade apricot jam sandwiches growing up. My mother also make excellent peanut butter cookies.
I don't eat peanut butter all that often these days as I struggle to accommodate the calorie blow for the quantity I prefer. It is a once in a while treat for me now.
Marmite also rocks of course
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TheopolisAmbroiseIII wrote: »CurlyCockney wrote: »That actually sounds nice. I'll have to look and see if we have it here, thanks! Kraft make Dairylea too, so it might be similar.
I find it a little salty, if it's put on too thick, but I guess that's something it shares with Vegemite / Marmite / Bovril from what I hear. I've never tried those products because I can't bring myself to buy a whole jar of something I'm pretty sure I won't like.
CheezWhiz shares NOTHING with Vegemite/Marmite/et al.
Nothing. CheezWhiz is yummy on crackers, Vegemite/Marmite is just.... ick. : 
{waits for Australians to throw rocks at me... } (but do I get a pass maybe if I tell you my mother is Australian?...I still don't like Vegemite though.)
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Alatariel75 wrote: »I know I grew to love it when I lived in the states, Australia is only now really getting on the peanut butter train.
Really? I'm Australian and have had peanut or 20+ years.
Peanut butter and butter sandwhiches. Crunchy peanut butter on toast.
There was always a jar or two in the house.
I havent had it much lately, I would imagine what I had would be too high in calories.
Is peanut butter really not that popular in Australia?
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suziecue20 wrote: »Peanut butter is mentioned in lots of threads and I am wondering why people in US especially love it so much.
I tried it once years ago and it made me gag. I didn't like the taste or the texture and haven't touched it since.
Heh, I've noticed this too.
I'm American and don't like it -- I like the stuff made just with peanuts and salt okay, but never eat it either. On the whole I don't care for the texture of peanut butter (crunchy or not) and don't get how people mix it into stuff. I like peanuts, though.
I also hate breakfast cereal. When I was a kid I felt like these were all pushed on me all the time. (They never come up now that I am an adult, and I had kind of forgotten how enthusiastic others were for both until coming to MFP.)0 -
I'm American and I don't ever remember considering peanut butter to be "more of a protein than a fat." When I was a kid, peanut butter and jam/jelly sandwiches were very common, because so many pb brands were cheap and easily accessible, and it wouldn't spoil in a packed lunch. But, "healthy?" I don't think many really cared, especially kids. Back then, regular grocery stores didn't even offer any "natural" varieties, all of the choices were loaded with sugar. In my house, it was more of a dessert item, especially when baked into cute cookies with Hershey kisses pressed into the middle. Now, there are a lot more choices of pb in a common grocery store, including without added sugar, etc.
But my kid (who is now 13) has never been allowed to bring anything with peanut butter to school, ever. The school has strict rules, because quite a few children have severe peanut allergies. I'm not sure if this is uncommon in other school districts. I know a neighboring school district will allow stuff with peanuts (including pb) to be brought to school only if it is clearly labeled, and then the child has to eat at a specific lunch table.
As for Cheez Whiz—my opinion is probably very unpopular, I find it revolting in texture and taste. It's like vaguely cheese-laced gooey paste.
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Alatariel75 wrote: »I know I grew to love it when I lived in the states, Australia is only now really getting on the peanut butter train.
Really? I'm Australian and have had peanut or 20+ years.
Peanut butter and butter sandwhiches. Crunchy peanut butter on toast.
There was always a jar or two in the house.
I havent had it much lately, I would imagine what I had would be too high in calories.
Is peanut butter really not that popular in Australia?
How big were the jars?
We've got a jar of peanut butter in the cupboard too ... my Australian husband likes it once in a while ... but it is teensy tiny. Maybe 500 grams. And it has lasted us forever.
The tubs I used to get in Canada were enormous 2 litre things, and before discovering my intolerance, I was motoring through those in no time.
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And still my friends have not heard about it (I live in Croatia), but i loooooove it. Although I have to strugle to find it.
Btw I think pb in USA is something like nutella in Europe.0 -
Cheez Whiz makes for great nachos at a ball game. That is it. No other purpose.0
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BeatriceCroacia wrote: »Btw I think pb in USA is something like nutella in Europe.
I'd agree with that! Although Nutella has finally fully caught on here in the USA, too.
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Monklady123 wrote: »TheopolisAmbroiseIII wrote: »CurlyCockney wrote: »That actually sounds nice. I'll have to look and see if we have it here, thanks! Kraft make Dairylea too, so it might be similar.
I find it a little salty, if it's put on too thick, but I guess that's something it shares with Vegemite / Marmite / Bovril from what I hear. I've never tried those products because I can't bring myself to buy a whole jar of something I'm pretty sure I won't like.
CheezWhiz shares NOTHING with Vegemite/Marmite/et al. Nothing. CheezWhiz is yummy on crackers, Vegemite/Marmite is just.... ick. :
{waits for Australians to throw rocks at me... } (but do I get a pass maybe if I tell you my mother is Australian?...I still don't like Vegemite though.)
I'm with you.
First time I tried Vegemite, I spat it out in the sink. I've been told since you're not supposed to put a thick glob on a wedge of toast.
Second time I tried it, it wasn't too bad. I had it in a sandwich mixed with liverwurst (which I love), and I was really hungry at the time. I inhaled the sandwich and hardly noticed the Vegemite.
I haven't tried it again.
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justrollme wrote: »As for Cheez Whiz—my opinion is probably very unpopular, I find it revolting in texture and taste. It's like vaguely cheese-laced gooey paste.
I'm with you, and wouldn't think that was an unpopular opinion. On the whole it's more joked about than appreciated among people I know (even the ones who love peanut butter!).0 -
BeatriceCroacia wrote: »And still my friends have not heard about it (I live in Croatia), but i loooooove it. Although I have to strugle to find it.
Btw I think pb in USA is something like nutella in Europe.
When my brother and SIL lived in France (1990-91), they had 2 pre-school aged children. They could get PB at a special "American" grocery but it was really expensive. The price of visiting and staying with them was one jar of PB per night of staying. When I went, the guy manning the security scanner couldn't figure out what all the jars and bottles were in my suitcase. I had to explain that I was taking 3 jars of PB and 2 bottles of unscented hairspray to my family in addition to my personal things. This was before the days of 9/11 and the TSA.
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I used to make a dip with Cheese Whiz.
1-1 litre jar of Cheese Whiz
1-1 litre tub of plain (sour) yogurt
Mixed well until sort of dip-like consistency
Then add spices (garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and maybe a few others as desired) + chopped green onions or chives
Serve with a raw veggie platter or bowl of nachos or whatever, and serve up to a group of friends who have come round for the evening.
I tremble to think how many calories that was!!
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Monklady123 wrote: »TheopolisAmbroiseIII wrote: »CurlyCockney wrote: »That actually sounds nice. I'll have to look and see if we have it here, thanks! Kraft make Dairylea too, so it might be similar.
I find it a little salty, if it's put on too thick, but I guess that's something it shares with Vegemite / Marmite / Bovril from what I hear. I've never tried those products because I can't bring myself to buy a whole jar of something I'm pretty sure I won't like.
CheezWhiz shares NOTHING with Vegemite/Marmite/et al. Nothing. CheezWhiz is yummy on crackers, Vegemite/Marmite is just.... ick. :
{waits for Australians to throw rocks at me... } (but do I get a pass maybe if I tell you my mother is Australian?...I still don't like Vegemite though.)
I'm with you.
First time I tried Vegemite, I spat it out in the sink. I've been told since you're not supposed to put a thick glob on a wedge of toast.
Second time I tried it, it wasn't too bad. I had it in a sandwich mixed with liverwurst (which I love), and I was really hungry at the time. I inhaled the sandwich and hardly noticed the Vegemite.
I haven't tried it again.
I have always been curious about Vegemite!
It always makes me think of this:
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When my brother and SIL lived in France (1990-91), they had 2 pre-school aged children. They could get PB at a special "American" grocery but it was really expensive. The price of visiting and staying with them was one jar of PB per night of staying. When I went, the guy manning the security scanner couldn't figure out what all the jars and bottles were in my suitcase. I had to explain that I was taking 3 jars of PB and 2 bottles of unscented hairspray to my family in addition to my personal things. This was before the days of 9/11 and the TSA.
Yeah sad story is that is case over here even today. I buy it just when it's 'American week' every 2 months and it is waaaay expensive. But I am addicted so Ebay here I come0 -
I'm completely obsessed with peanut butter, peanuts, and anything peanut butter flavored! I've had it everyday for years and I've never gotten sick of it. I try to avoid the crunchy peanut butter though... I accidently swallowed my last baby tooth while eating a crunchy peanut butter and jelly sandwich at school in 5th grade, it traumatized me for the longest time and I didn't eat peanut butter for awhile after that. I love peanut butter ice cream and peanut butter cups and anything with a peanut butter flavor in it. The only way I'll eat chocolate is if it has peanut butter or if it's white chocolate, white chocolate and peanut butter is definitely my favorite. Peanut butter can be filling for me, so when I feel like I need something to fill me up and not eat so much I'll usually have a peanut butter sandwich or go for the peanut butter and sometimes eat it out of the jar. haha I like how it makes me so thirsty that I'm unable to sit there and eat too much of it, and it fills me up so I'm not stuffing my face right away when I'm done eating it.0
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I love peanut butter, but Nutella tastes like liquid sugar to me *gag*.
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Yes, from the age of 2-8 American parents are required by law to feed their children nothing but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on wonder bread.0
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Lots of Americans grew up on peanut butter. It was cheap, nutrious and kept well . Despite what one may think many people in the United States grew up in poverty or in families that maintained strict budgets to save money. canning vegatables from their gardens, picking berries, fishing and hunting.0
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And it goes with anything. Bread, apples, celery, oreos, shakes, smoore's....
The list is endless.0 -
I too am confused when different people like different things.0
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MyNameIsNotBob wrote: »Yes, I grew up on it. Cheap, filling, nutritious, doesn't need refrigeration, versatile. Yum. I have some almost daily. I like the extra crunchy kind.
ETA: As to *why* we love it so much, it probably has a lot to do with our country's agricultural history, the Civil War, reconstruction South, and this guy: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Carver
You beat me to it, and thank you. There's a rich history surrounding the peanut. I'm fifth generation Canadian immigrant, itself a rare thing. Most of my ancestors came from Scotland. I have a little of that heritage left but love of oatmeal is certainly featured. Visiting the old homestead with grandpa we found an old peanut butter tin nestled in the foundation which grandpa recalled fondly.
Peanuts, potatoes and oatmeal were the cheap, nutritious miracle foods for the masses back then.0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Z264w9_2Q
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