Foods liked by Americans and Canadians that most other people hate.

[Streetwise]

this is a statement that is implied, because i put in my opinion. unless you are agreeing with what i already said. I'm sorry, I am unsure how your statement adds to the conversation?

I wasn't agreeing with you

 

[menander]

My experience of american food is limited but what I have tried was all weirdly sweet. The bread, the cheese etc... stuff that isn't supposed to be sweet. Except for Hersheys chocoloate, which tasted like vomit.

Interesting that you mention this. I lived in two different places in the US and in one place, if you ordered iced-tea it would NEVER be sweet. You'd be mad to want it sweet not because of of health reasons, but just 'cuz. In the other place, there was not a place in the whole state to get unsweetened iced tea. They would look at you like you were mad if you asked for unsweetened iced tea. Literally perplexed looks. They did not even know it ever was unsweetened and why in heck would anyone want to drink it unsweetened?

 

[ZebraAutismo]

Probably cheaper to print that on the wrapper than cite 2,073 chemicals that probably killed many a lab rat.

True

 

[Aspychata]

this is a statement that is implied, because i put in my opinion. unless you are agreeing with what i already said. I'm sorry, I am unsure how your statement adds to the conversation?

This is commonly said. You can also say it's all relative. It's difficult to explain the concept.

So l grew up on Italien food. Then lived in Finland and England. Then lived in Hawaii and on a reservation. But l inhale Mexican flavorings, Asian flavors, Hawaiian flavors. And of course l sampled Cadbury at the Piccadilly station in London, but l passed on the meat pies. Did like the fish and chips.

 

[tree]

Never heard of "Quorn" until I saw Post#40.

"Quorn is a meat substitute product originating in the UK and sold primarily in Europe, but is available in 14 countries. Quorn is sold as both a cooking ingredient and as the meat substitute used in a range of prepackaged meals.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prepackaged_meal

All Quorn foods contain myscoprotein as an ingredient, which is derived from the Fusarium venenatum fungus. In most Quorn products, the fungus culture is dried and mixed with egg albumen, which acts as a binder, and then is adjusted in texture and pressed into various forms. A vegan formulation also exists that uses potato protein as a binder instead of egg albumen."
Quorn - Wikipedia

"The main ingredient in all Quorn products is mycoprotein,
a naturally sourced meat-free super protein that is high in fiber, soy-free and non-GMO."
https://www.quorn.us/news/what-is-quorn

"...Quorn foods can contain allergens, such as egg, milk and gluten."
https://www.quorn.us/intolerance

 

[Skeletor]

First, the foods I listed are college student staples, along with Mac and cheese and ramen noodles. Yeah kids like them, but it's like the Marvel Cinematic Universe in that it's origin may have been a children's product, but most of the market today is adults who liked those things as children and still like them as adults. Same for comics and video games. The market today is primarily adults.

Olde tyme root beer did indeed contain extract from sassafrass ROOT hence the name. I seriously doubt any modern recipes for root beer contain it anymore. It also wasn't carbonated and often was mildly alcoholic back in the day. As for doctor pepper, it was invented in 1889 by a doctor as a digestive aid called Doctor Peppers Pepsin Bitters. It contained the enzyme pepsin. The modern version doesn't and it never contained sassafras anything.

 

[Skeletor]

I would add many US soft drinks started as nineteenth century attempts at medicines. Coke a Cola really did contain cocaine and was sold as a brain and nerve tonic. Root beer in its original form was a folk remedy sort of thing. And Pepsi contained pepsin and was also sold as a digestive aid.

 

[Skeletor]

Most of the sweet in American food comes from a food adulterant called high fructose corn syrup. We produce tons of this crap because of farm subsidies that pays slack jawed gun totting otherwise useless farmers in places like Iowa to make high sugar corn good for only that or making ethanol for gasoline mixtures. I'm aware that this slime is illegal in many nations and I think it should be illegal in any food intended for human consumption.

 

[Mary Terry]

I would add many US soft drinks started as nineteenth century attempts at medicines. Coke a Cola really did contain cocaine and was sold as a brain and nerve tonic. Root beer in its original form was a folk remedy sort of thing. And Pepsi contained pepsin and was also sold as a digestive aid.

That goes to show that snake oil salesmen have been preying on ignorant consumers for centuries.

I haven't drunk a soft drink since about 1970 except a little ginger ale (also a digestive aid) when I was sick. Not kidding! I got addicted in high school to the first sugar-free soft drink (called Tab) due to the caffeine, recognized what was going on, and stopped drinking it. My drinks of choice today are ice water, hibiscus tea, and good red wine.

I have a friend who makes his own root beer. He buys the ingredients including sassafras root powder to make it. I have a large sassafras tree in our backyard and he says he wants to dig up fresh roots. It's a beautiful tree, especially in the fall when the leaves turn red and gold. Native Americans used dried sassafras leaves as a thickener and flavoring agent in their soups, stews and gumbos. It is still used today in Creole, Cajun and Native American file gumbo (it's pronounced like fee-lay and I can't figure out how to put an accent symbol over the "e" in file) and it is mildly toxic. I don't like the taste of it and prefer using okra or a flour and oil roux as a thickener when I make gumbo.

 

[Aspychata]

My father made root beer. Every once awhile, the bottle would blow, and you would hear the bottle cap hitting something. In Finland,my Finnish family made a vodka from potatoes and then they could have a naked sauna party, of course nudity is quite normal for saunas. They hid the bottles in the pool area, because it was against the law to have bootleg inhibitions. Finland has a lot of saunas, and spuds. There is now an American vodka proudly made from potatoes and is sold in liquor stores, l have no idea what it tastes like. But Florida now has a rum using pinapples to create the finished aged product. Don't ask, l never tried. But l did try the product called jalapeno honey whiskey from Fort Meyers and it was quite nice. The product brand is Mr Toms should you wish to investigate further.

 

[Mary Terry]

My father made root beer. Every once awhile, the bottle would blow, and you would hear the bottle cap hitting something. In Finland,my Finnish family made a vodka from potatoes and then they could have a naked sauna party, of course nudity is quite normal for saunas. They hid the bottles in the pool area, because it was against the law to have bootleg inhibitions. Finland has a lot of saunas, and spuds. There is now an American vodka proudly made from potatoes and is sold in liquor stores, l have no idea what it tastes like. But Florida now has a rum using pinapples to create the finished aged product. Don't ask, l never tried. But l did try the product called jalapeno honey whiskey from Fort Meyers and it was quite nice. The product brand is Mr Toms should you wish to investigate further.

Your post reminds me of when my brother and husband made alcohol beer from hops and who knows what other ingredients, which blew up in the closet they stored it in to age. They should've let the women do the cookin'

Your family sounds like a lot more fun than my family!

 

[Judge]

Your post reminds me of when my brother and husband made alcohol beer from hops and who knows what other ingredients, which blew up in the closet they stored it in to age. They should've let the women do the cookin'

In the 30s, my grandmother on my mother's side used to brew beer using their bathtub. Legally, supposedly based on limited volume. (?) While their next door neighbor was a Treasury Department revenuer whose job was apprehend, arrest and occasionally kill bootleggers in the line of duty. Awkward!

Luckily much later the Revenuer's son (my father) got together with my grandmother's daughter next door. Who later produced me as their child. All's well that ends well. I'll drink to that.

Though personally I do have fond memories of being at my uncle's home and making homemade ice cream. Lot of cranking by hand required...no motor to spin it. Shockingly good ice cream!

 

[Skeletor]

I've had old fashioned root beer and like it. I go to a lot of historical reenactments and there are often vendors there that make it.

 

[Skeletor]

Mary, I think for the most part it was people who were legit in their attempt to make medicines. Times were very different in the 1880s.

 

[Streetwise]

I would add many US soft drinks started as nineteenth century attempts at medicines. Coke a Cola really did contain cocaine and was sold as a brain and nerve tonic. Root beer in its original form was a folk remedy sort of thing. And Pepsi contained pepsin and was also sold as a digestive aid.

The British didn't even add cocaine to a drink it was just sold as part of a hamper to give to soldiers in the the first world war, if you were a child 16 you got sweets if you are over 16 you got cigarettes as a gift from Queen Mary

 

[Bolletje]

I have to say that whenever I try baking from an American recipe, the pastry turns out WAY too sweet for my taste. Cooking from American recipes generally leaves me with a dish that's a little too salty and greasy for my taste. I've never been to the States, but my friends that have been told me pretty much everything tastes like it has sugar in it and portions are enormous.

 

[VictorR]

Interesting that you mention this. I lived in two different places in the US and in one place, if you ordered iced-tea it would NEVER be sweet. You'd be mad to want it sweet not because of of health reasons, but just 'cuz. In the other place, there was not a place in the whole state to get unsweetened iced tea. They would look at you like you were mad if you asked for unsweetened iced tea. Literally perplexed looks. They did not even know it ever was unsweetened and why in heck would anyone want to drink it unsweetened?

Amen to that! Another observation when in different parts of the US (and to a lesser extent, Canada), is local preference for what to call a "soft drink": pop, soda, or "Coke" (even when it's not Coke)

 

[VictorR]

I've never been to the States, but my friends that have been told me pretty much everything tastes like it has sugar in it and portions are enormous.

In my experience, where there is an option to "upsize" for a small additional amount (as little as 50 cents), you're considered weird to say no when asked. The largest cup sizes can exceed 1L.

You'll find that Canadian portion sizes are relatively similar to European ones (and the supersize / XL fries and drink sizes are prohibited).

 

[Skeletor]

The portions offered in US restaurants are huge compared to elsewhere.

 

[GrownupGirl]

The other week I went to the mall, where they've opened up this store that has all kinds of Asian stuff, including food and snacks. And they have century eggs. How in the world could anyone like eating century eggs? I know what's yucky in culture can be yummy in another, but you'd think somethings would be pretty universal. Like eggs that smell like they've been soaked in horse urine. They haven't been really, but I read that's how they smell.