As an American and a foodie, one of my favorite things to do when visiting different countries is try local cuisine. Some foods, such as butterscotch ice cream, are more readily available -- and more delicious! -- in other countries.
However, there are some dishes that are just plain questionable. Personally, I never got why certain countries serve beans as part of their breakfast.
Of course, we're not the only ones that find certain foods questionable. People from other counties find some American foods questionable as well.
Redditors were only too happy to share their experiences with this topic.
It all started when Redditor HurtHurtsMe asked:
"Non-Americans, what American food do you find questionable?"
American Desserts
"My parents are immigrants, they always say the desserts (grocery store cupcakes and stuff) has so much sugar it feels too gritty and uncooked to them. Also soft baked things, like chewy chocolate chip cookies they thought were weird in the beginning, like the cookie was undercooked. I love soft baked cookies though so I baked them all the time, they’ve come around to liking them haha."
"Another one I hear a lot is the food coloring. My mom is often perplexed and grossed out by very saturated unnaturally colored foods. (Usually frosting or candy) She tells me it just LOOKS unhealthy and is unappetizing."
"Also, my mom is low key traumatized from twizzlers LOL. She said the first time she saw it she wondered why people were chewing on plastic. She then tried it and said it also tasted like plastic. Haha."
– DaburuKiruDAYO
Unaptly Named Restaurant
"As an Australian, I would like to know what in the flying firetruck a "Bloomin' Onion" has to do with anything, let alone the rest of Outback Steakhouse's menu."
– weyamav220
Not Just Lemonade
"Four loko. It’s banned here in Canada and I can understand why."
– AT1787
"Four Loko is a Canadian brand of lemonade. It originally had alcohol(~11% by volume)and caffeine. This mix was banned in Canada around 2010 so they dropped the caffeine and kept the alcohol."
– yeahmaybe2
"I turned 21 a year or so after they made the change...but my dad saved a box of 9 cans and sent them back to college with me. They were no f*cking joke"
– TurboShartz
Thanksgiving Food
"Sweet Potato Casserole recipe topped with pecans and marshmallows “traditional side at Thanksgiving table”"
– pixgarden
"I saw a youtube video of people trying traditional american thanksgiving food and I was convinced the potato marshmallow casserole was a joke. surely it's not for real ?"
– RonaIdBurgundy
In Days Of Yore
"Anything from the 50’s. Especially if it includes jello, mayonnaise or raisins"
– bakedmaga2020
"I will not be convinced that 50s cuisine was anything other than angry housewives taking revenge on society."
– Straight-faced_solo
"I remember a lime jello tuna salad ring made in a bundt pan by a distant relative. We told her with her work schedule she shouldn't bother with bringing food to pot lucks"
– DefrockedWizard1
Definitely A Werid One
"Corn candy or whatever the name is."
– le_krou
"Candy corn. It's good in small doses, anything more is too much."
– Freodrick
"To be fair, a lot of Americans find candy corn to be questionable"
– singleguy79
Ick.
"I feel a lot of our more unique foods were beaten out of the culture by the post-WWII obsession with frozen processed food pushing out traditional “poor” food."
"Kidneys, liver, beef tongue, chitlins, and other offal used to be staples of the American diet."
– DavidPuddy666
"My grandmother was born in 1936 and she is delighted that no one eats those things anymore lol"
– ibbity
Not A Staple Everywhere
"Pb&j had me confused for a while but when i took a bite i loved it. Not judging any other non-americans for not trying this because peanutbutter and jelly aren't put together in most countries outside of America."
– mastercubez
"I keep seeing this reference, and I am just gobsmacked that pb&j is mentioned so often. It's so ubiquitous in the US, that I have never even considered it would be considered odd by non-Americans."
– TesticularTentacles
Not Sure That's Even A Salad
"Minnesota salads 🥲😬 like WTF America! crushed pineapples and marshmallows are not ingredients that belong near a salad"
– Yalaeinhorn2704
"Majority of Americans share your sentiments lol"
– YoureHereForOthers
"I'm from Pennsylvania and I never heard of Minnesota salad. Just Googled it and YO WHAT THE F*CK'S GOING ON IN MINNESOTA"
– stealthbeast
Not Real Cheese
"I'm sorry but those slices of American cheese have always tasted so fake and plastic to me personally."
– weyamav220
"Slices of cheese product often are not cheese, so that's why."
– ooooooooooooolivia
"They are designed to melt quickly, which is why they're popular for burgers at cookouts or maybe a grilled cheese sandwich (though you really should pair it with other cheeses too). It's not "good" cheese by any stretch, but Americans really love convenience!"
– phantommoose
Double Tea
""Chai Tea""
"For anyone don't know - Literally means "Tea Tea""
"BTW, it doesn't taste like Chai"
– puripy
""What is this? Hot leaf juice?""
– Beowulf1896
Not For The Current Environment
"Hershey's Chocolate"
– SuvenPan
"100% agree. If I recall correctly it was supposed to be cheap affordable chocolate back in 1905 and really caught on as something the military would send with soldiers to help with morale since it lasted a long time and wouldn't melt as easily as other options."
– Dingo_Winterwolf
Kraft And Cheese
"Kraft Mac and cheese. It tastes nothing like real Mac and cheese"
– Rosieapples
"My Indian friend finds Kraft Mac and Cheese to be incredibly questionable. Honestly, I gotta agree that sh*t a bit too bright yellow to be normal."
– Incomingfenderbender
In A Can
"Spray… cheese??"
– spudboy226
"My mind is boggled by the amount of comments saying spray cheese. I’ve lived in the US my entire life (40 yrs) and worked in a grocery store for many years. I’ve never had it, and I’ve rarely seen people buy it."
"I think it is a niche thing. Definitely not flying off the shelves. It’s just so interesting seeing so many comments about it. Is that how we are advertised in other countries?"
– InspectorRatched
"I don’t know anyone who actually eats it either, but the vet clinic I work at goes through the stuff like crazy. Put a little on the exam table and it’s great for distracting dogs and some cats during vaccinations and minor procedures like nail trims."
– RoseFeather
What Witchcraft Is This?
"Orange circus peanuts. What are they? How do they have so much sugar but taste so horrible? What science experiments created them?"
– me047
"My dad loved them. I think he was the only one."
– Redditisgarbage666
I have the same questions!
Try as I might, I will never understand how some people enjoy Sloppy Joes.
They're nasty and goopy and taste horrible. It is a minced meat mess—which is a shame because minced meat can be wonderful—and that red sauce takes it to a different infernal level.
I grew up eating these in the school cafeteria. I quickly tired of them and would not touch them. Just the sight of them is discomforting.
Oh, and you haven't even gotten me started on the topic of Ambrosia salad!
I'm American and I have strong opinions, so you can imagine what some non-Americans might think about American cuisine.
We heard some of their thoughts after Redditor ergogthathis asked the online community:
"Non-Americans, what is the nastiest American food ever?"
"Some of..."
"Some of the savoury Jello recipes from the 50s and 60s look grim."
TimGJ1964
They make up for it by also tasting grim. Thankfully those meals have gone out of fashion.
"I have a high tolerance..."
"Those Midwestern "fruit salads" where half of the ingredients is marshmallow fluff or mini marshmallows, Jello, whipped cream... I have a high tolerance for American food, but I cannot handle these, or even comprehend why and how they exist."
CecilPalmer
A friend of mine made one once and it was basically a giant sugar bomb. I could barely stomach more than a couple of bites.
"Your cheese-like..."
"Your cheese-like substances. Cheesewiz and Kraft singles for instance."
[deleted]
Just here with an obligatory reminder that processed cheese is a European invention we just made it more processed.
"Those cakes..."
"Those cakes that have large amounts of fondant on them. The time and talent it would take to make one of these cakes is unreal but fondant is just nasty tasting in my opinion. That was not meant to offend anyone."
OrphanSandwich
Oh, don't you worry. No one is offended, though I'm of the opinion that too much fondant just feels gooey and unappealing.
"Fake..."
"Fake smoked bacon sprinkles in a bottle."
Diamonds_n_dirt
You see, actual bacon is crazy expensive these days but I still wouldn't eat these anymore. I used to years ago and now I am filled with regret.
"I'm going to provoke..."
"I'm going to provoke a lot of proud Southerners with this. Sweet tea is sugar water with a hint of tea."
astrangeone88
Sweet tea isn't for people who like tea. You've learned a valuable lesson.
"My wife loves them..."
"Boiled peanuts. My wife loves them and every time we drove through South Carolina we had to stop and buy them. The stench was so bad I would have to roll the windows down. Those peanuts and Lindsey Graham are on my top two hate list for that state."
[deleted]
Boiled peanuts can be nasty for sure. I had them once... wouldn't mind trying again, but I'm a sucker for punishment.
"I had..."
"I had a deep-fried Mars bar at a festival in America the first time I ever visited and I'm reasonably sure it's going to give a few of my descendants diabetes."
InitialSchool7286
That's a Scottish food - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep-fried_Mars_bar
You take that back!
"That bright orange plastic..."
"That bright orange plastic that you call "cheese.""
The100thIdiot
It's perfect for melting and is used in more places than you think. Much to your horror, I'm sure (and mine).
"They were very, very sugary..."
"Aussie here. I tried Hershey's Kisses once. They were very, very sugary and the chocolate flavour wasn't great. I wouldn't say it was nasty, just not ideal. I'd encourage any American who has the chance to try Aussie, European or British chocolate."
"Basically everywhere outside the USA higher concentrations of cocoa are used, along with less sugar and different, often less fatty lipid sources."
Eriphone
Hey, we don't blame you for feeling that way. Hershey's is pretty bottom-of-the-barrel for me but for many people, it's all they know. Have you heard of Hershey Park?
Thankfully, food in the United States is quite varied. The food scene in the Northeast for instance is profoundly different when compared to the South. If you're a foodie, the U.S. isn't a bad place to be!
Have some suggestions of your own? Tell us more in the comments below!
Being in the U.S., us Americans tend to take our food for granted. You can get cheeseburgers and hot dogs left and right here, but they aren't quite the same when you go outside the states. Here are some of the best American foods, chosen by people foreign to the United States.
u/Two_Cigarettes asked: Non US Redditors, what is your favorite US food?
Waffle House is the restaurant for the gods.
I went to the US for a course once, and then after we closed for the day we went drinking, and after we were rather happy we ended up at a 24/7 place called Waffle House.
It is my spiritual home. When I die and go to heaven, that is where you will find me.
I'm stoked about peanut butter, and I'm American.
GiphyIdk if it's American, but peanut butter.
I brought peanut butter to my host family in Argentina and they were STOKED.
The correct answer.
Barbecue, proper low'n slow brisket, beef ribs etc etc. Fried chicken and waffles close second!
Canada has some good stuff too.
Anything that Canada doesn't have. Walking into a grocery store in the US gives me so much happiness lol.
American here, can you give some examples of things we have in grocery stores that you don't? I'm curious.
A lot of health food surprisingly, you can't get in Canada. My wife does keto and when we just go shopping at like Target or Walmart, there are tons of specifically keto foods, where in Canada you have to either go to a specialty store at a higher price, get a limited selection, or buy online.
In general though, it's mostly variety. Like you guys will have a ton of pop flavours, chip flavours, or cereals that we don't get. Energy drinks too, we mostly only get Monster and Rockstar here, I haven't seen Bawls or Jolt cola in years.
Not a grocery thing, but fast food is vastly different as well, even for chains we do have. I would say though, that sometimes ours is better, or at least just as good but just different. KFC is probably the biggest example, it tastes vastly different, and there are so many sides available in the States. It actually blew my mind when I realized most KFCs I've been to in the States don't even have fries, it's like biscuits or maybe potato wedges (we don't get either).
And then the variety of fast food restaurants in general. We get all the major ones, but there are some other franchises we don't have like Shake Shack, Carl's Jr/Hardees, any Taco franchise except Taco Bell and Chipotle, and there's no such thing as a cheap BBQ joint up here, we have some, but they're always considered like on the same level as craft breweries.
Denny's is the best.
GiphyWhen I went on a family holiday to San Francisco (we stayed with some friends of my dad in Oakland), we went to Denny's for every breakfast for 2 weeks.
Every morning I would have American pancakes stacked up, bacon and sausages, all covered in like a gallon of syrup.
I put on a stone in those 14 days.
Edit: Lol quite a response! It was my first ever trip to the US from the UK. I'm 30 now and it was 15 years ago. We went to Denny's every morning because it was just round the corner from our motel. I don't remember where we ate for lunch and dinner but Denny's was only for breakfast and I ate a lot! Just to clarify, the Denny's breakfast was not the sole contributor to me gaining a pound everyday lol, at lunch and dinner I ate loads too.
But you'll be pleased to know that since then, I have been back to the Bay Area 3 times where I stayed in Berkeley and never had a breakfast in Denny's again or a big chain diner.
With great power comes great bacon.
A Wendy's baconator I believe it's called...that's a powerful burger.
Anything that sounds like it's gonna travel through time to save the world's beef must be a hell of a burger.
Great tip!
Honey Buns. Good lord! They're so sweet, but PERFECT. I like them slightly squished. But, I'm not sure if that's because they've always come out of a suitcase, squeezed between clothes. I could eat 6 with a coffee.
Microwave it for like 7 seconds.
Really!!! I just had to take a second and steady myself, what have you done? Lol
Meatloaf can be amazing.
GiphyHamburgers, no doubt. There's tons of foods that I consider even more American that we just don't have where I live, like meatloaf and corndogs. I'm really curious about those.
Me too, tbh.
Not really a food bit I have a mighty Reese cups habit.
Have you ever had the Big Cup? It is like a bigger Reese's Cup but with a higher peanut butter to chocolate ratio.
Deep fried Oreos are the BEST.
GiphyCorn dogs, or fair food, last time I was in the US I tried a deep fried Oreo, holy crap I was skeptical but totally worth it.
Same.
Reeses, no joke. love those buggers.
I was in the US when I was 17 and honestly, microwaved pizza is gross, why do you have that? But REESES, God help me, Reeses make me weak.
Those burgers are heavenly.
GiphyIn-N-Out burgers for sure.
Also creamy peanut butter. It's not a common food in France!
Chicken makes me cry too.
Fried chicken... idk if it's a US food or not but when I tried KFC for the first time I almost cried.
People Outside The United States Explain What They Stock In Their 'American' Food Aisle
Grocery stores in the US often have an interesting mix of foods from other countries, but those foods are definitely a limited selection of what is available in the original country.
They offer a tiny peek into the cuisine of a particular country.
Reddit user GlyohFrost wanted to know which American foods made it into other countries' stores, so they asked:
"Non-Americans of Reddit, what's in your 'American' Aisles?"
Cookies
When I lived in Germany there was a little American food section in my store that had "American cookies" (chocolate chip), "American ice cream" (cookies and cream), and the most expensive Oreos ever. All of the packages had US flags on them.
Also around July 4th they had packages labeled "American drinking game" and it was several Solo cups and 2 ping pong balls.
Not Health Food
Twinkies, Gatorade, Lucky Charms (ridiculously expensive for some reason) american varieties of Pop Tarts, A1 sauce, Hershey chocolate, Nerds and a few other American sweets. The only thing I ever buy is the pop tarts.
Cool American
Here in the Netherlands, I've seen more and more American products appear in the normal supermarkets, but never in an "American" aisle. We just don't have the space for a dedicated aisle like that.
Used to be (quite some years ago) that oreos weren't sold in the Netherlands, only in special import stores. Now they're pretty much everywhere.
Jelly beans also have started making it here. Cliff bars are also starting to appear the past couple of years.
Also interesting note, Doritos Cool Ranch are called Cool American here.
Scent Memories
No American aisle but we do have a chain of American importation stores: https://www.tasteofamerica.es/
We have overpriced cereal (10€ for a box of Froot Loops), beef jerky, Reese's Cups (my personal favorite), doctor pepper, vanilla coke, and for some reason Yankee Candles, among other things.
I like to buy there occasionally.
Cheesy Poofs
Donuts, and those cheesies that are in ball form in that giant plastic container with the red lid.
Candy, Candy, Candy
Candy, candy and more candy. When what I want is Triscuits, which are obscenely expensive over here in the UK. You don't know how lucky you are to be able to get Triscuits so easily. I have a box and a half now ( boyfriend treated me) and allow myself one at a time. How sad is that?
Right Next To Poland
We don't have a whole aisle, but there is a three-foot section of weird-looking sweets and biscuits that I've seen on US TV. It's next to the Polish section, which is about eight feet of horrible pickled things.
What would you stock in an aisle of quintessential "United States" food?
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