These Are the American Culinary Preferences Which Are Totally Confusing For Non-Americans
If you have ever been to another country, chances are you’ve found yourself intrigued by its cuisine and food preferences. And there’s no doubt that the rest of the world feels a whole bunch of emotions — from intrigued to baffled by — American eating habits. I decided to browse through the responses on the subreddit. r/askreddit The BuzzFeed Community. Here are some American culinary practices that can be confusing to the rest.
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1.“Sweet potato-marshmallow casserole with brown Sugar and Butter. What is the ….?!”?
“I only saw it on American TV so it may not be real but Americans have seen it.” Actually What about sweet potatoes with marshmallows? Do you not feel sick if you eat sweet potatoes with marshmallows?
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2.“Ranch dressing. It is so strong. Why are Americans not able to taste the salad and not just the dressing?
3.“Southern grits are a horrible thing for my European friends and family. I have trouble convincing anyone to try it.
4.“Processed cheese. There are so many wonderful options. real Cheeses are delicious, so why would you eat fake cheese?
“That horrible, orange, and plasticky American cheese. I spent a year living in North America, and I miss good British cheddar so very much!
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5.“Multiple Europeans that I have met are baffled at root beer’s popularity in America,” says one of them. It tastes almost like medicine, as they say.
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6.“Not just the peanut butter-jelly combination, but the sheer amount of peanut Butter that Americans eat.”
7.“They love to mix sweet and salty foods such as honey-baked Ham, pineapple on pizzas, corn bread, chili, and so on. … I have lived in the States for 17 years. It still baffles and puzzles me.
8.“My German brother-in law lost it over American ‘all-you-can-eat’ buffets. He was like All of it…All one price All of it? It was a surprise to him.”
9.“I met some Swiss men at a house party. They couldn’t believe we were actually all drinking from red Solo cups. It was amazing to them. They kept taking photos and exclaimed, “It’s like the movies!”
10.“The fact that they use mayonnaise to cover everything except French fries is the only right use of it!” You savages, butter!
11.“Boxed macaroni & cheese. My partner is Swiss, and he is appalled by Kraft Mac & Cheese. He was shocked to hear that I was looking forward ingesting orange powder and noodles.
12.“Pineapple on pizza. It should not be a topping that people order. It is just plain disgusting.”
13.“It is not so much the American cuisine that I find odd, but the size of the portions. My family is from Australia and I was taught to eat whatever I put on it. That mentality I brought to the US led me to gain 5kg in a little over a month. It is ridiculous how much food you can eat. I couldn’t finish the meal without feeling sick.
“I’ve traveled quite a bit and the US has been the only place where leftovers are stored and given to the diner at the end. Although it is a good idea and I believe it is a good idea to not waste food, it is really odd to get three meals worth of food served on one plate and then have the remainder boxed up and given to you at the end so you can eat them later. Make the portions smaller.
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14.“Deep dish pizza. This is not pizza. It is disrespectful to Neapolitan culture and Italian culture. Deep-dish is a complete ruination of pizza as it was meant to be.
15.“American bread. I was in America for six months. Shortly after I moved, I purchased a loaf bread and made a sandwich. I was surprised at how sweet the bread tasted. I told my housemates that I accidentally bought dessert bread, but nope — it was just regular bread in America.”
16.“Those Midwestern fruit salads’ that have half the ingredients being marshmallow fluff or mini marshmallows and Jello, whipped topping, etc. I can tolerate American food well, but cannot eat them or understand why they exist.
17.“American desserts. I lived three years in the USA, and the amount sugar Americans add to their desserts is staggering. They were gorgeous to look at but were also sweet as honey.
18.“I find it unnerving that deep-frying is a constant obsession. While there are some great deep-fried foods, I think it’s best to avoid putting anything in batter.
“Americans are superhuman at frying almost everything. Deep-fried butter was my first experience with deep-fried butter. It’s simply fat wrapped in carbs, fried. Also, I saw deep-fried Oreos, jellybeans, and sugar cubes coated in batter and fried with chocolate. It was all delicious, and I didn’t care what anyone thought.
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19.“Mint-flavored candy, such as York Peppermint Patties. I now live in Japan and I hate mint-flavored foods. I gave one to my friend and he said it was the worst thing he’d ever eaten. It tasted almost like eating toothpaste.
20.“Pumpkin spice lattes. The one I tried tasted just like very sweet coffee. I’m not a fan of the American craze.
21.“I cannot get over the weird fusion foods that America is so famous for, such as burgers with deep-fried mac and cheddar for buns, sushi burritos or taco pizzas.
22.“Those hot dogs coated in chocolate served on sticks. They look weird, I’ve seen them in movies.
23.“A friend brought back loads of American sweets on holiday. I thought the Hershey’s chocolate Kisses were the worst thing I’ve ever eaten. I was afraid I’d get sick.”
24.“Casseroles with cream of any soup. Green bean casserole, tuna casserole, mushroom casserole. I have a taste for Campbell’s soups. They are delicious. The idea of adding them to a main dish makes my stomach churn. This is a sodium bomb! Think about those casseroles with crushed chips …”
25.“Americans take their coffee to-go. My Italian mother cannot get over the sight of people holding coffee cups. Americans are the only ones who don’t enjoy their coffee while seated at a café.”
26.“The sugar content of American cereal. I couldn’t tell if there was a layer or solid sugar on those Froot Loops.
27.“The way they eat apple syrup. One would eat a small amount of it with some pork here in the UK. It’s a condiment. It’s a condiment. Americans eat a lot of it, and they eat spoonful after spoonful. It can be used as a snack or meal by itself.
28.“The fact that I ordered a pound of corned meat hash, three eight inch pancakes with butter maple syrup, four scrambled eggs with ketchup (six strips of bacon), four sausage links, and endless coffee for $12 at the diner. It was my breakfast in the USA. America is my favourite place on earth.
29.“A friend came to visit me from Italy and wanted Krispy Kreme donuts. He took one bite, and then said, “Now you understand why Americans are so fat!” He demanded that I take him back two more times.
30.“The cereal selection. It’s my favorite dessert in America.”
