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 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!
