Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Ben on January 10, 2017, 10:45:44 AM
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The "American food" sections of various grocery stores around the world. :laugh:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/american-food?utm_source=dailywatercooler&utm_term=.yq6LVPo2Wp#.ey53r4pgm7
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Maybe those are the American foods that people in those countries buy, rather than a reflection on what we actually eat. Then again...
I've spent loads of time in stores with names like "World Market," and "Global Foods," and I'm sure some of the offerings there are not perfectly representative of nations in question. The latter store actually is meant for immigrants and guest worker types, but even there, they have gobs of junk food from those countries. Maybe it's just because it ships and stores conveniently.
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Maybe those are the American foods that people in those countries buy, rather than a reflection on what we actually eat. Then again...
What I was thinking is that those are the foods you might find in convenience stores, or the "grocery stores" at larger campgrounds, among other places. I would bet that international visitors, be it reporters or vacationers, spend more time in those kinds of stores than actual grocery stores, hence that's their exposure to "American grocery store food".
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Interesting to see that my favorite pepper sauce, "Louisiana" by Bruce Foods, is in several of those photos.
But, I can't really see that the US does any better. At my grocery story the "Mexican foods" aisle is 90% Old El Paso and some actual Goya products.
Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc., is all lumped together, and 90% of it is again American manufactured.
The British foods is HP sauce and canned pudding.
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I quit thinking about what the world thinks of us.
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Terry forgot to take his anti-grumpy pills this morning. :P :laugh:
On Mike's post, I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't do the same "research" into other countries foods as I hypothesized on how this list came about. I think there is a regional aspect as well. For instance, if you go into the international section of most CA grocery stores, the Mexican food part is pretty extensive and varied. Asian foods as well. There's not much from anywhere else. I would bet grocery stores in WI have a pretty decent German food section.
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I quit thinking about what the world thinks of us.
This isn't so much what the rest of the world thinks ABOUT us, it's what they think are (I'm guessing) traditional American foods.
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There are some areas of St. Louis City/County with a fairly large Jewish population, so the grocery stores there stock a certain amount of kosher items. At the grocery store of the same chain, in my not-so-Jewishy neighborhood, the kosher section is a small, wire rack at one end of the "ethnic" aisle. I was tasked with getting some latke mix, but it was just a potato pancake mix. :lol: (My wife is not Jewish; she is just a foodie.)
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The stores in metro DC do have a decent selection of kosher foods when Kashrut is in effect.
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The grocery stores where I grew up had LARGE kosher sections, one even had an entirely separate kosher meat and kosher seafood counters, from the standard ones. And wasn't a specifically kosher store or anything, just a normal supermarket.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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The Mexican/Hispanic aisles at the local grocery chains and Walmarts around the Milwaukee metro seems to grow a bit every year, and and appears to be getting into things that are more and more "staples" than novelties.
And it's not just an asile. Produce, and the bakery etc. Stuff like bulk dried peppers in bins etc.
I should probably figure out what you're supposed to make with a pound of dried Anchos. Besides boiling and pureeing them as the base for "real" TexMex Chilli.
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I am just going to leave this right here: http://www.junglejims.com/ (http://www.junglejims.com/) You've never seen a grocery store until you have been through this one.
Take a trip around the world at Jungle Jim’s! Our International department holds over 50,000 products from over 70 countries to satisfy just about any craving. Travel through Asia and make stops at China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Venture over to our Hispanic section for products from South America, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Central America.
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I'm sure they stock what sells. I will say I've never met anyone that ate marshmallow fluff or used it as in ingredient. I have noticed about half of the stuff on the "international" aisle of my local grocery store has a layer of dust on it.
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I've used marshmallow fluff a number of times over the years, primarily as an ingredient for making icing for cakes.
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Fudge recipes also call for marshmallow fluff as well as Rice Krispies Treats.
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I have noticed about half of the stuff on the "international" aisle of my local grocery store has a layer of dust on it.
Sort of like one of the stores here that used to include a Kosher section among their ethnic foods. Though I'm sure all six Jews in town appreciated it, it likely would have been better suited to a smaller specialty store.
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It is funny seeing French's Mustard and Canada Dry in the American foods section.
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Got a buddy who works overseas for extended periods...months at a time. When he calls to ask for a package from home, it's often crap like that. Snacks, candy, hot sauce, condiments. Things that he likes from USA, but you can't find and can't substitute for at all. I imagine that shelves like those are aimed at ex-pats and other Americans, sell quickly, and have great shelf lives.
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I notice cake mixes are among the common "American Foods" on this list. (And curse you for making me give clicks to Buzzfeed, btw.)
Do the citizens in these countries make all their cakes from scratch? Or just buy them?
That a cake mix (or brownie mix, or whathaveyou) would be exotic is surprising.
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You're welcome on the Buzzfeed. =D
As to the cake mix, I can only speak to one cross-section of small town krauts, and am probably a bit outdated, but if you're a female kraut, you'd better know how to bake a cake. That actually goes for guys too somewhat, and even the liberals. If you don't bake a cake, then go to the bakery to get one. Same goes for bread. When I was hanging out with the relatives for a Summer many years ago, I got sent to the bakery for fresh bread everyday. And that was living with the Aunt and Uncle who owned a grocery store. You just didn't buy bread and baked goods, other than like cookies and Lebkuchen and stuff, from the store.
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You're welcome on the Buzzfeed. =D
As to the cake mix, I can only speak to one cross-section of small town krauts, and am probably a bit outdated, but if you're a female kraut, you'd better know how to bake a cake. That actually goes for guys too somewhat, and even the liberals. If you don't bake a cake, then go to the bakery to get one. Same goes for bread. When I was hanging out with the relatives for a Summer many years ago, I got sent to the bakery for fresh bread everyday. And that was living with the Aunt and Uncle who owned a grocery store. You just didn't buy bread and baked goods, other than like cookies and Lebkuchen and stuff, from the store.
Wow. That seems so inefficient.
I know how to make a cake from scratch. I know how to make bread from scratch.
I do the latter far more than the former, because I'm not all that happy with the "pre-mix" breads (and they all need time to rise, anyway, so the time savings is negligible, unless we're talking banana or fruit breads which are more like cake, anyway). "Pre-mix" cake mix is enough of a substitute that a from scratch cake is seriously not worth the effort. BUT, I've noticed that many other countries are far more willing to sacrifice time on things that just baffle me.
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In Africa - where many people are illiterate - canned food typically includes a picture of the contents.
Upon its introduction, Gerber baby food - with a picture of a baby on the container - was a source of some . . . confusion.
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I will say I've never met anyone that ate marshmallow fluff or used it as in ingredient.
I always put it in my chili. I just assumed everyone did. ???
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I always put it in my chili. I just assumed everyone did. ???
You might as well put it on your cornbread.
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You're welcome on the Buzzfeed. =D
As to the cake mix, I can only speak to one cross-section of small town krauts, and am probably a bit outdated, but if you're a female kraut, you'd better know how to bake a cake. That actually goes for guys too somewhat, and even the liberals. If you don't bake a cake, then go to the bakery to get one. Same goes for bread. When I was hanging out with the relatives for a Summer many years ago, I got sent to the bakery for fresh bread everyday. And that was living with the Aunt and Uncle who owned a grocery store. You just didn't buy bread and baked goods, other than like cookies and Lebkuchen and stuff, from the store.
We often had to shop on the economy when we lived in Germany. Simply because frequently, the commissary would be out of various (lots) items (especially last few days and first week of the month, and again around the middle of the month). And we learned how to shop like Germans. Grocery stores were for fresh foods; vegetables and fruits, along with canned items. Then the Backerei (Bakery)for breads, finally the Metzgerei (Butcher) for meats and cheeses. Beer/wine from either Class VI on post or you went to Getranke Frank's on the economy. Mostly for a couple racks of beer. Since we lived near so many wineries, we usually bought several bottles from each place when we were out and about touristing...
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I've never eaten marshmallow fluff.
and the last time I had marshmallows involved a campfire longer ago than I can remember. (unless you count Peeps, because I did eat a few of those last Easter during the great Peeps massacre of 2016)
Also, in addition to the whole based on gas stations/convenience stores rather than actual grocery stores, there's also a lot of general food that I imagine is the same from country to country and won't be specifically in the "American" section or sorted by items rather than country.
Most grocery stores I go in that have sections dedicated to "ethnic" food generally have some overlap in other sections or the "ethnic" is group based on a primary item (like Italian gets in with general pasta which also is where the raman noodles are, boxed food like Hamburger Helper overlaps with taco kits, which leads to the Mexican food and on and on) while the aisle that does really specific "THIS IS ETHNIC FOODZ!!!1!" will only have imported items and such.
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I was shocked by the candy mostly. I figured m&m's were pretty global. Along with the soda.
I thought the only place you could not get a coke was North korea.
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I always put it in my chili. I just assumed everyone did. ???
But not in your cornbread?
Heathen.
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Hmmm . . . at least they seem to know even most Americans won't eat Spam. [barf]
(Spam is the reason that while complete animals go into the Hormel meat processing plant, nothing but product comes out. Nothing. )
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"Spam is the reason that while complete animals go into the Hormel meat processing plant, nothing but product comes out. Nothing."
Oh for... :facepalm:
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The British foods is HP sauce and canned pudding.
The water to boil all other flavoring out of your food is on another aisle.
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The water to boil all other flavoring out of your food is on another aisle.
You clearly have never had Beef Wellington.
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You clearly have never had Beef Wellington.
The Brits just copied that from the French. British food isn't know to be flavorful, though they are improving.
At least they put some flavor in Chicken Tikka Masala.
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what I think of the representative food of most countries is even less complimentary than the examples shown of American foods.
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The Brits just copied that from the French. British food isn't know to be flavorful, though they are improving.
At least they put some flavor in Chicken Tikka Masala.
Interestingly, most authentic Japanese food is also very bland.
That's why they have all the dipping sauces. (WASABI!, for example.)
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Interestingly, most authentic Japanese food is also very bland.
Rice, different rice for variety, seaweed and a little fish. Ya think that could be a bit bland?
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Interestingly, most authentic Japanese food is also very bland.
That's why they have all the dipping sauces. (WASABI!, for example.)
Or, if it's too bland, they add more tentacles.
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Rice, different rice for variety, seaweed and a little fish. Ya think that could be a bit bland?
Quote still no work for me.
You've never been to Japan, have you? Lots more variety than that. Beef, pork, chicken, many different vegetables including a lot we don't have here in the US. Some very interesting and tasty marinades for meat dishes. Lots more that could be listed.
In all my trips there, I never had a meal in Japan that was boring or bad.
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As John Cleese said, the reason British food sucks so much is because they had an empire to run.
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Quote still no work for me.
You've never been to Japan, have you? Lots more variety than that. Beef, pork, chicken, many different vegetables including a lot we don't have here in the US. Some very interesting and tasty marinades for meat dishes. Lots more that could be listed.
In all my trips there, I never had a meal in Japan that was boring or bad.
Then you didn't eat traditional Japanese food. Get a bento box? Eat at someone's home?
What they have in restaurants is as representative as going to Texas Roadhouse and thinking that's what most Americans eat all the time.
Their staples are exactly what KD5NRH said + Miso soup.
Mind you, I love Miso soup, but it's not exactly bursting with flavor.
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Then you didn't eat traditional Japanese food. Get a bento box? Eat at someone's home?
What they have in restaurants is as representative as going to Texas Roadhouse and thinking that's what most Americans eat all the time.
This, and same with the Brits: beef wellington isn't exactly what working class folks whip up for dinner every night.
(Though I do wish HEB would stock some mochigome. Six shelves of long grain rice varieties, and a small rack of Asian food including nori, but nothing right to wrap it around. WalMart isn't likely to be any better, and Big Lots is always hit and miss.)
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Then you didn't eat traditional Japanese food. Get a bento box? Eat at someone's home?
Actually, yes I did eat traditional Japanese food many times. Fine dining establishments, akachochin hole-in-the-wall places, and izakaya style restaurants. Cheap and high tone sushi restaurants. Places that specialized in okonomiyaki and little else. Bento boxes, factory cafeteria food, onigiri and other grab and go from mini-marts. Take home from department store basement shops.
And meals at my coworkers homes. I experienced the gamut of food variety and choices the many times I went to Japan. It's not all fish, seaweed and rice. Far from it.