Misconceptions about American Food.

[Dr. Nick]

Striker, all of it? I doubt it...

To begin with, you can say "we eat barbecue" but an asado is far from your heathen roasting over a live fire. Secondly, do you eat cow's intestines? Kidneys? The white tissue around the heart, lungs and throat? Sausage and black pudding I imagine yes.

Another thing, do you even recognise yerba mate? Dulce de leche? Empanadas? Locro? Carbonada (which has nothing to do with carbonara)?

I doubt it.

[mactbone]

So what, you like New York style pizza? It's all greasy and thin... I like Chicago Style, it's like three times as thick as a normal pizza with TONS of stuff on it.

On a wierd note, there are three Italian restaurants in my town all owned by first-generation Italian immigrants... At one, he even grows his own vegeables and makes his own sausage

Antonio's, Columbos, Da Vinci's, how I miss thee...

Then we have one of the best Tex-Mex places around, Hacienda. Mmmmm, free chips, made right there. Get a Wet Burrito, a side of ranch (also homemade, for the chips) and you're set. A Margarita if you're old enough.

Anybody else been to one of the Japanese retaurants where they cook the food right in front of you? Ahhh, Honi Yori's, and the Onion Volcano(e?).

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by CB2034
Grits, Cornbread, CollardGreens, Fried Green Tomatoes,
SweetPotato Surprise, BrunswickStew,Hash, PeachPie, Barbeque

Yummy!!
(except for grits they suck)

Grits are good if prepared properly.

My mom use to make them, I admit I always use butter and often use cheese.

Jon Miller

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Mark L


Fattening. I stayed in the US for two months, and in that time I gained 12 pounds. Three months after I was back my weight was back to "normal".

Are you sure that this is not just a result of being in a place where the food actually tastes good for once?

Jon Miller

[chequita guevara]

Bah! We invented pizza. Before us, the Italians just had some sauce on a bread crust.

[ThePantaloonDog]

One thing I did notice about Europe is that their portions are a lot smaller than what you would get in the US. You pay about the same for food but it seems like they don't give you the sometimes massive portions that US restaurants give you. Most of the times I can just barely finish a dinner at a restaurant inn the US but in Europe I had no problems finishing.

I have to say that the number of Indian, French, and Italien restaurants found in England, I and pretty much the rest of England, agrees that English food is awful. I can't really comment on breakfast since I'm not a big breakfast guy but lunch and dinner in England is best spent in an Indian restaurant. English food is full of odd puddings, weird organs, and plent of steamed vegetable.

American food is a mixture of regional food. Unfortunately much of this regional food is dominated by evil globalized junk food. A lot of American food is based on red meat and while a little red meat is fine, Americans seem to overdose a little on it as evidenced by all the fat in AMerica. I usually don't find a lot of red meat in Europe except in England which also has a major overweight problem.

[Ted Striker]

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[Imran Siddiqui]

american food is hamburgers. Hamburgers are sh!t. Thus american food is sh!t.

Hamburgers ****?!! What are you, devoid of any taste at all! Oh, right! You are Greek!

Well, Americans certainly managed to butcher the concept of a pizza and export it all over the world. If people think a pizza should look like the stuff they sell at Domino's -they're sadly mistaken-

Um... most Americans don't think a pizza should look like Domino's crap. The best pizza in the world is the greasy New York/New Jersey pizzaria pizza... yummy! Deep dish pizza is utter crap.

Of course American cuisine is the best. Southern fried chicken and Texas chili, not to mention Louisiana Cajun food, is amazingly good!

[Seeker]

There is a facinating history to this sort of thing, the Rise and Fall of national cuisines...

For example, during the 30s in Sweden there was a very self-conscious attempt to revive the traditional Swedish smorgasbourg (which was not originally just a buffet).

In Russia, Communism essentially ended the native 'haut Cusine' that had grown up under the Romanovs. Only a variety of Easter delicacies survive, plus a few peasant foods.

In the German countries the old high cuisine has virtually disappeared due to changes in society and the work day. The various 'mittel' meals (extra lunches) dissappeance, the end of the Hapsburgs, and the fact that women no longer stayed home cooking for 6-8 hours meant an end to many traditional meals.

America as Ted recognized has several food traditions: 1) regional foods 2) American versions: chop suey, hamburger, pizza (Chicago and New York style pizzas evolved from 19th century) 3) the tiny native American high cusine, largely the product of fabulously wealthy New Yorkers during the turn of the century: Baked Alaska, Oysters Rockefeller, etc.

Italian cusine is regional and interesting because the good stuff, and the native stuff, are all peasant dishes intended to stretch resources...

Compare that to Scandinavia were the peasant foods are awful and revolting (Head Cheese?)

English cusine is also very split along class lines historically.

Interesting Fact: Henry VIII and his male court lived almost exclusively on Beer and Beef (he died at 400 lbs). Contrary to popular opinion, the 16th century peasant ate a much, much more healthy diet than the aristocracy and this can be confirmed. Peasants kept their teeth, while almost all aristocrats lost theirs.

[Dr. Nick]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
Wannabe Eurocom,

Every culture eats animal organs. You can't claim those as Argentine.

Ah ah ah! It;s the preparation that counts.

In any case, that's a Spanish restaurant, I couldn't see anything of what I mentioned except a couple of things "a la Parrilla"

[Ted Striker]

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[Ted Striker]

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[Makeo]

I'd kill for some real butter. You can't buy anything over here except sweet cream butter. Also the honey tastes funny. The chocolate isn't as good either. Nor is the bread, too artificial. As a generalisation I would say that american food is too processed.

I definately like the mexican influence here.
Thanksgiving is the greatest holiday ever. Pumpkin pie and Pecan pie are excellent and i'd never had them before.

Peanut butter seems to be in everything.

[Ted Striker]

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[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by Makeo
I'd kill for some real butter. You can't buy anything over here except sweet cream butter. Also the honey tastes funny. The chocolate isn't as good either. Nor is the bread, too artificial. As a generalisation I would say that american food is too processed.

Missing fresh Australian food?

I've heard Americans get huge helpings of food. Australians going to the states are always commenting about that.

Believe it or not, many Australians recommend asking for children's size servings when in the states.