"American" food

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RobynMWilson
RobynMWilson Posts: 1,540 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Just curious...

So, being the US we always hear phrases like "As American as apple pie" and I just saw a Ballpark Frank commercial where dude said "you don't get more American than Ball Park franks!" So, I wanna ask my non-US friends...do y'all have apple pie and hot dogs where you live? Please tell us where you're from when you respond.

I really did grow up thinking we were the only ones who had apple pie lol
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Replies

  • cristynfaye
    cristynfaye Posts: 88 Member
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    The Brits have apple crumble with custard, which is wayyy better than apple pie in my opinion. :)
  • kae_blah
    kae_blah Posts: 180 Member
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    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.
  • hdlb
    hdlb Posts: 333 Member
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    I live in Canada, Northern British Columbia.....we have both apple pie and hotdogs lol. But apple pie (or pie in general) isn't a big thing, at least in our town. You can buy it at the grocery store, and you can buy it as dessert at 1 or 2 restuarants. I never hear anyone talk about pie though....its not in high demand.

    And hot-dogs are pretty common. Especially in the summer for bbq'ing and camping.
  • mz_grim
    mz_grim Posts: 58 Member
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    I live in Australia and we have Hot Dogs and Apple pie
  • summerfly413
    summerfly413 Posts: 12 Member
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    I'm from the US, but I have some friends overseas who didn't know what s'mores were. I think those are a good example of an American treat
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    US food has to have a brand name and is generally yellow or beige - that's an impression from the UK.

    Apple (and other) fruit pies probably went to America from the UK or Europe back in the day. I doubt it was a Native American thing. I have no more idea what a s'more is than a sophomore. Sounds like a genetic mutation or a body shape.

    Hershey's candy can't be sold here as chocolate as it has too little cocoa in it. It also tastes and smells like sick to us.

    We now have Subway, but nobody knows WTF a "sub" is - to us it's an underwater warship. While Subway may be about the healthiest thing you can find in Florida it's about the opposite here.

    McDonalds is the most obvious manifestation of "American Food", I went to the first (and then only) McD nr Leicester Sq in London in about 1978, but now they're everywhere.

    Hot dogs are here, but aren't especially popular. We have whole streets of fried chicken joints waiting to serve greasy yellow food to people falling out of vertical drinking establishments in the town centres, but we can't really blame them on the US even if some of them put "Southern" in their name and have Stars & Stripes emblems.

    Finally, I always laugh to myself when I hear McDonalds or KFC described as a "restaurant" LOL. Here a restaurant is a place that serves propoer food, what US might call "fine dining". McDonalds is a burger joint. Cheap food is sold in a cafe or "greasy spoon".
  • corneredbycorn
    corneredbycorn Posts: 267 Member
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    Hershey's candy can't be sold here as chocolate as it has too little cocoa in it. It also tastes and smells like sick to us.
    This pretty much made my day. Calling Hershey's chocolate is just absurd. If only the US would get on that.
  • VBnotbitter
    VBnotbitter Posts: 820 Member
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    I tend to think of a hot dog as something bright pink and sausage shaped in a crappy bread roll and very American style. Here in Australia a more meaty sausage in a similar roll would be a snag in a bun. Put then same sausage between two slices of bread and my English side would call it a sausage butty. Same food different names. Having lived in all three countries I'd say apple pie was universal.
  • chickenz
    chickenz Posts: 101 Member
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    Didn't realize this thread was a american food bashing thread, are the Brits in any position to criticize, really now!
  • emseedubya
    emseedubya Posts: 15 Member
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    As an American living in Australia, I actually think cherry pie and especially pumpkin pie are much more American than apple pie. There is apple pie everywhere here. Also, meat pies. Gross. But apple pie is one of the only fruit pies I ever see. You see a lot more "tarts" here.
  • iggyboo93
    iggyboo93 Posts: 524 Member
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    Looked up what truly American food could be:
    1. corn dogs
    2. reubens
    3. philly cheesesteaks
    4. smores
    5. buffalo wings
    6. cobb salad
    7. chocolate chip ice cream

    Not sure if these are "American" but I sure love them:
    1. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup
    2. A really juicy hamburger hot off the grill
    3. BBQ
    4. A stack of hot cakes with eggs and bacon.

    I'm really hungry right now and I've eaten all my allotted calories...
  • SrJoben
    SrJoben Posts: 484 Member
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    As an American living in America...

    Hot dogs are fairly common. I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe because children like them for some reason then nostalgia takes over occasionally and adults eat them at cookouts and while watching spectator sports. About the best most adults say about them is that with the right condiments they're inoffensive. Oh and they're cheap. So if you want to pad out the menu at a party there you go.

    Apple pie is pretty ingrained in the culture, or at least the eastern states, both as a symbol of home life of sorts, and a desert people actually like. Made properly it's basically magic. And I have great memories of my mom making it when I was little, and sometime of helping her. Definitely an iconic food. And one that's actually good.
  • louloulou
    louloulou Posts: 64 Member
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    I am in New Zealand.

    We have apple pie. We don't really have pumpkin pie though.

    What you call a hotdog we would probably call an 'American hotdog', here a hotdog usually refers to a battered sausage on a stick.

    My perception is that America has alot more processed / packaged type foods than we do. Although that could just be my perception as a foreigner.
  • nomena
    nomena Posts: 165
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    I'm from Germany and we invented apple pie! But you see brats more often than hotdogs here.
  • MySlimGoals
    MySlimGoals Posts: 753 Member
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    I live in New Zealand too, and we have everything you have, just sometimes with different brand names. We also have nearly all of your chain fast food places. We're pretty multicultural here - we seem to have all sorts of foods from all around the world both in supermarkets and in resturants and fast food outlets.
  • Delicate
    Delicate Posts: 625 Member
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    UK we have apple pie/tart (depends who's selling it) and apple crumble recipes passed down from generations, i love them with rhubarb in them

    Hot dogs arent popular until bbq season, then its still mostly a normal sausage in a bun rather than a brined thing. or bratwurst in a bap (tastey)

    I tried herseys and almost threw up, i used to love green and blacks until kraft took over then they started to change tastewise.
  • Elleinnz
    Elleinnz Posts: 1,661 Member
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    LOL - I was born in South Africa, and now live in New Zealand - and yes - both places have apple pie and hot dogs.....

    Here in NZ they have a hotdog on a stick - sausage on a stick, dipped in batter and then deep fried.....you then dip it in tomato sauce (ketchup)
  • iggyboo93
    iggyboo93 Posts: 524 Member
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    I'm from Germany and we invented apple pie! But you see brats more often than hotdogs here.

    That and the authentic frankfurter. The pop that comes from biting down on a natural casing frankfurter is heaven. I love hot dogs but crave the frank. I believe there is a difference but others may beg to differ.
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,453 Member
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    I'm in the UK, and yes, we have apple pies, including delicious home made ones, tarte tatin, apple turnovers and Mr Kipling individual ones (which I wouldn't recommend). Pies are usually savoury. I don't know if it's because I'm in the north of England, but there are an awful lot of bakers shops, sometimes almost next door to each other, selling mostly individual baked goods. There's a reality TV series about one of the big bakers here on TV at the moment, called "Greggs: More Than Meats The Pie" I believe. Whereas I've heard people in the US talking about McDonalds when they talk about obesity, here they'll sometimes talk about Greggs!

    We do have hotdogs, particularly at the cinema and at fairgrounds!
  • MySlimGoals
    MySlimGoals Posts: 753 Member
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    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.

    In countries that are made up from people from all around the world you get all types of food - everyone wanting their favourite food ensures that.

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