"American" food

pcastagner

I'm from Germany and here we have apple cake (not exactly sure if it's the same as pie) and instead of hot dogs there's Currywurst (basically sausage slathered with ketchup and curry).

I have been to the US several times and while I think some of the fastfood chains aren't bad, I'd choose a basic italian or greek restaurant in Germany over these at any time (I'm not a big fan of german kitchen in restaurants, I rather eat these foods at home). Though the steak places in the US are pretty good and better than most steak restaurants in Germany. What I didn't see there as much as in Germany are the Döner Kebaps, I really love these here, though of course they're not german..

What really annoys me in the US are the plastic dishes and cutlery in the hotels at breakfast. This is just awful! And of course the extremely weak coffee.

Currywurst is disgusting!

We call Döner shawarma or gyros in the USA for the most part. It's definitely around and so are kebab.

Tubbytucka

When I think of "American" food it is products with lots of corn sugar, frozen prepared foods, and hot dogs that are frankfurters in a bun.

When I was growing up a 'proper' hot dog was a battered sausage on a stick or luncheon meat battered and deep fried.

"American as apple pie" is a familiar saying, but we have apple pie and apple crumble over here. In NZ we like pies whether they are filled with fruit, or savoury with meat and/or vegetables.

NZer living in Scotland here, I miss the Hot Dogs dipped in Watties tomato sauce. I think the pies back home are the best as well - steak n cheese or steak n oyster for a treat. And Tip Top banana choc chip ice cream...
Mum always made a great apple pie too.

Hungry.

Lessthanpenguins

Growing up in Texas and being to a few European countries on vacation to watch/play football (soccer for you other americans) my own version of American food is still going to be BBQ and home style Hamburgers.

I have an Uncle who currently lives in Thialand and says while you can get BBQ over there, it comes nothing close to American style BBQ.

Having been to Mcdonalds in England, I will say, McDonalds in Texas tastes exactly the same as a McDonalds across the world...gross and plastic. Nothing beats a hand formed Angus burger done on the grill. Just toss me a Köstritzer and some fries and I am in heaven any time.

Lessthanpenguins

What about ramen noodles? Ick. No one really wants to eat that, it's just for broke college kids.

I disagree. While not a broke college kid anymore, Ramen noodles are still a staple in my diet.

Mumbles83

Dont Hog dogs come from German Origins ? along with the hamburger ? ....

and Apple Pie from Netherlands / England? ...

... i think you will find most american things being influenced from Europe ... except things that are Native American Culture

whatascene

My fiance is Turkish and I've spent about 3 months in Turkey. From what I gathered, no hotdogs, but they have these things they call "sausage" that look like mini hotdogs, and taste like them, they probably just don't have the pork. Also, never saw Apple Pie, but they had a lot of similar desserts. They have a lot of our fast food joints, but it's really expensive. Pretty much this is what I took from the weight differences:

I went to Kroger the other day and paid $8 for a bag of grapes, (about 16 lyras)

In Turkey I bought: a vine of grapes, 1 peach, 1 plum, 1 banana, and 2 apricots for 2 lyra ($1).

^^^That's why America is fat. Our healthy food is stupidly expensive while our unhealthy food is dirt cheap. It's opposite in Turkey.

Buddhasmiracle

I'm from Germany and here we have apple cake (not exactly sure if it's the same as pie) and instead of hot dogs there's Currywurst (basically sausage slathered with ketchup and curry).

I have been to the US several times and while I think some of the fastfood chains aren't bad, I'd choose a basic italian or greek restaurant in Germany over these at any time (I'm not a big fan of german kitchen in restaurants, I rather eat these foods at home). Though the steak places in the US are pretty good and better than most steak restaurants in Germany. What I didn't see there as much as in Germany are the Döner Kebaps, I really love these here, though of course they're not german..

What really annoys me in the US are the plastic dishes and cutlery in the hotels at breakfast. This is just awful! And of course the extremely weak coffee.

I grew up with "Bustelo" Columbian Coffee, a staple in most Hispanic homes, I have had German Coffee I love it, and I have been to Germany it was awesome, great food, great Beer, nice place.

My DH is Cuban and Puerto Rican and introduced me to Bustelo and Cuban coffee. After that, I knew I was in love!

cw_squared

Southern American here from land of the fried chicken. I don't think our fast food chains define our food. We have the availability for quick and easy choices, but most of the items taste nothing like the home cooked kind.

Exactly!! My mom's cooking tastes a ton better than anything you'd get at a fast food chain. I'm not saying it's all healthy but it's definitely better than that processed stuff. When people think of "Southern" food they think of fried chicken but true Southern cooking includes a lot of veggies. The fried part goes back to when there was so much poverty and people fried stuff to get calories. I think a lot of the obesity started with "corporate" foods, not true Southern home cooking.

antxoable

I am Spanish and we have hot dogs and apple pie, well is more an apple tart. To be honest when i was a kid i would have franfurters in baguette but when american chain started to appeard they bring soft buns and classic american hot dogs....
I wont change my mediterranean food anyway! the best ever!and one of the healthiest!

pen2u

When my brother moved to NZ a few years ago he asked me to send him dried chile peppers from New Mexico, dark roast coffee beans, and Arm & Hammer toothpaste. And Levi jeans - frightfully expensive in NZ. When I visited him the food was amazing. We ate kumara (like a yam), fresh seafood, venison, fresh salads, lamb, crumpets, pavlovas and the best cheese & chocolate I'd ever had. Didn't try the mutton bird, though. Better black tea than in the States.

I consider American food to be "native" regionally grown stuff like squash (pumpkins), beans, blueberries, cranberries, chiles, tomatoes, corn, lobster, oysters, clams, bison, venison, turkey, etc., not the usual "middle American" menus of jello and canned-soup casseroles, but I know those foods are called American by most other people.

lenore304

Dont Hog dogs come from German Origins ? along with the hamburger ?

Hot dogs, yes, but theirs are much better. Mmm franks. I miss the German butcher shop I had in my hometown. That was a world away from the usual "hot dog". They have that great "snap" you get from the natural casing and get a lovely char on them.

As for the hamburger, people have been arguing that for ages but "hamburger" doesn't mean the same thing everywhere. The truly American style hamburger was invented as a quick meal for the working men of a town in Connecticut by a place (which is still open today) called Louis' Lunch. Thank you Guy Fieri for that odd trivia knowledge. :P

whatascene

don't start having a go at Angel delight.

Here's what's in an American aisle in Britain http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/browse/default.aspx?N=4294697392&Ne=4294793660

I've never seen most of that in the shops here, lol. On page 1, the only thing I recognised was the Quaker Oats. So weird.

So, considering that, maybe the British view of "American" food may not be all that accurate either. What the average person actually eats in his/her home here in the US is not as disgusting or pathetic as some people seem to believe.

I agree. Usually lower income or college kids eat the worst and it has to do with cost, not this image of the "lazy American" It found it pretty funny in undergrad, I had a lot of international friends, and when they first came over they were really dogging on the weight of every one. After the 4 years, they tripled in size. So I tell my friends now to not dog us about it until you come here with a low income and see if you don't gain some weight. It's not in our "personality" to be fat, it's prices and what's available

Peni_Davidson

What we Germans think about American food:
Burgers. Pizza. Burgers. Pizza. Pumpkin pie.

And I actually do know what S'mores are, but that might be 'cause I spent 6 months in Texas...But since I've lived in both countries...German apple pies are way better. Hot dogs? Don't like them. But love frankfurters! Gotta admit that German sausages are the best

You can't beat a good Cumberland ring :drinker:

runlilyrun

I'm from Germany and here we have apple cake (not exactly sure if it's the same as pie) and instead of hot dogs there's Currywurst (basically sausage slathered with ketchup and curry).

I have been to the US several times and while I think some of the fastfood chains aren't bad, I'd choose a basic italian or greek restaurant in Germany over these at any time (I'm not a big fan of german kitchen in restaurants, I rather eat these foods at home). Though the steak places in the US are pretty good and better than most steak restaurants in Germany. What I didn't see there as much as in Germany are the Döner Kebaps, I really love these here, though of course they're not german..

What really annoys me in the US are the plastic dishes and cutlery in the hotels at breakfast. This is just awful! And of course the extremely weak coffee.

Currywurst is SO GOOD.

Also I agree with someone upthread who said they weren't keen on American farming practices.

Nachise

My fiance is Turkish and I've spent about 3 months in Turkey. From what I gathered, no hotdogs, but they have these things they call "sausage" that look like mini hotdogs, and taste like them, they probably just don't have the pork. Also, never saw Apple Pie, but they had a lot of similar desserts. They have a lot of our fast food joints, but it's really expensive. Pretty much this is what I took from the weight differences:

I went to Kroger the other day and paid $8 for a bag of grapes, (about 16 lyras)

In Turkey I bought: a vine of grapes, 1 peach, 1 plum, 1 banana, and 2 apricots for 2 lyra ($1).

^^^That's why America is fat. Our healthy food is stupidly expensive while our unhealthy food is dirt cheap. It's opposite in Turkey.

Bingo!

I lived overseas and I am always amazed at this disparity. I gladly pay $5 a quart for strawberries in season, because they ones they sell in grocery stores here in the States are crap. Most of my budget is spent on fresh fruits and veg. The rest is on coffee, organic dairy products, seafood and meat, in that order. Industrial farming is the bane of the US because all that acreage goes to making processed food instead of providing inexpensive fresh produce for people.

runlilyrun

OMG I love those! (battered deepfried hotdogs on a stick) I used to get those at the fish and chip shop growing up, but I haven't had one in years. We also have all the other varieties of hot dogs too.

To those outside of the U.S. we call battered hotdogs "corndogs". I imagine because of the fact that the batter resembles cornbread.

Battered hot dogs here don't look like cornbread, they're like this:

bmiller211

The thing I have learned from looking at this thread is that people in different areas of the world like different things. I hail from Wisconsin in the upper midwest of the U.S. We have been influenced by the people who originally settled this area including German Polish Irish and to a lesser degree Italian and eastern Europe. We are known to make good cheese Brats and other sausages, but those are only some special things. We have lots of other thing that are healthful and not healthful but most of the common foods have European origins...I don't feel the need to attack other cultural foods if I don't like them I just don't like some of them but I do like a lot of them....uuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmm food!!

Danilynn1975

American. Specifically Southern American.

Did a tour in the Navy, spent 7 months living in Japan. What I missed most there was Watermelon. I finally found one in Tokyo and it cost about $15 !!! I bought it anyway. It was tiny, nothing like the sweet ones we grew in the backyard growing up.

Never saw a pumpkin either.

Ok what I grew up eating was Crawfish, catfish, deer, chicken roasted with veggies, chicken and dumplings, cornbread, grits, shrimp, bacon used to flavor the mustard/collard/turnip greens, black eye peas, gumbos, soups, stews.

desserts were homemade blackberry cobblers, watermelon ice cream made by my mom, pecan cookies or pies or cakes, strawberry shortcakes. my mom made a pancake like shortcake that was done in bit of butter but no sugar, sliced strawberries in a simple syrup of honey put over it and then she served it with frozen vanilla pudding on the side.

mac and cheese does not come from a box, at least not here in the south anyways.

It's shell pasta boiled to al dente, cooled rapidly with icy water set aside. then the sauce that goes over it is heavy cream in a pan with a touch of salt pepper garlic in it heated with finely grated sharp cheddar, provolone, and gouda melted into it, then mixed over the noodles and put into a greased with butter not margarine dish, then lightly covered with a bit of finely grated parmesean cheese and baked 350 until bubbly, lightly browned and gooey.

very much a Sunday dish for after church. Yeast rolls and a roast with carrots or green beans or greens served with it. Although if you serve greens I'd recommend serving cornbread, just to avoid the whole you might be a Yankee conversation that you get If you serve yeast rolls.

Watermelon. American.

As for the apple pie...bleh. Hot dogs are gross too.

Watermelon is American.

I don't want to live anywhere I can't have watermelon and grits. Just wouldn't be worth it otherwise.

BeckyAnne4

don't start having a go at Angel delight.

Here's what's in an American aisle in Britain http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/browse/default.aspx?N=4294697392&Ne=4294793660

this makes me cringe! this is NOT a good example of "american food". this is what you find in the junk food aisle of the grocery! i found perhaps 2 or 3 things that i keep in my cupboard - peanut butter, steak sauce, hot sauce. those are condiments, not food. i also might have canned pureed pumpkin (plain, not that pumpkin pie "mix" garbage) and some corn syrup around during the holidays (thanksgiving & christmas) for baking. i'm not saying that i'm perfect and have never eaten any of the rest of those foods (obviously, look at the state of me ) but it makes me sad that other parts of the world might think that this is what we eat all of the time. cringe, cringe, CRINGE!

runlilyrun

I agree. Usually lower income or college kids eat the worst and it has to do with cost, not this image of the "lazy American" It found it pretty funny in undergrad, I had a lot of international friends, and when they first came over they were really dogging on the weight of every one. After the 4 years, they tripled in size. So I tell my friends now to not dog us about it until you come here with a low income and see if you don't gain some weight. It's not in our "personality" to be fat, it's prices and what's available

I think that also has to do with the fact that you mainly have dining halls for college dorms, right? In the UK it's split about 50/50 places where you 'self-cater' or have a dining hall - my friends with dining halls have gained weight and those of us who cook for ourselves are mainly the same as we were. Also we move out of dorms after the first year mainly.
OH and the car thing. But yeah.

My mum works in food policy so we have had LONG discussions about these things.