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30 ‘American’ Foods That Are Nasty According To Non-Americans
Interview With Author
When it comes to food, it seems like pretty much everyone has a strong opinion. It’s difficult not to be picky about what goes in your mouth and stomach. And when it comes to other countries' cuisines and the quality of ingredients, you’ll find that many folks are incredibly vocal about their likes and dislikes. Mainly the latter.
Redditor u/ergoegthatis asked non-Americans to share what American foods, in their opinion, are the ‘nastiest.’ We’ve collected some of their posts to show you the range of opinions others have about US food. Scroll down and be sure to voice your own thoughts in the comments, Pandas. What American food do you love the most? What do you absolutely hate? There are a lot of options to choose from.
Oh, and just to be completely open and honest with you, Pandas: we absolutely looove having a cheeky American meal… from time to time. Pretty much every country has its culinary stars and kitchen disasters—and a lot depends on personal taste and the lifestyle you enjoy leading. So take everyone’s opinion with a grain of salt. Usually, the issue isn’t with the food item or dish itself, so much as the low quality of the ingredients, the portion size, and whether you gobble everything up or eat slowly. Enjoying. Every. Single. Bite.
Bored Panda reached out to redditor u/ergoegthatis, and we had a friendly chat about the wide range of American food, what dishes they did and didn't enjoy at home and abroad, and why they definitely recommend traveling and broadening one's horizons.
"I was traveling outside the US and tried the cheeses there and they were a world of difference from the cheese-like substitutes we have in the US, which look and taste disgusting now compared to authentic cheeses. I look at them and think, 'Am I the only one grossed out by these fake cheeses?' A few days later, I came across an old news story about a famous donut company that turned its signature glazed donut into a drink, which also sounds nasty and not just because of how horribly unhealthy it is," they explained what drove them to create the thread in the first place. (We have to agree, cheese elsewhere is far better!)
Remember: everything in moderation; even food critiques!
This post may include affiliate links.
In redditor u/ergoegthatis' experience, American cuisine is "radically different" from what they've seen around the world.
"The emphasis in American food is on taste and speed. This doesn't mean all of American food is like this," they pointed out.
"The US is huge with a lot of different foods such as jambalaya, chili, gumbo, Kentucky burgoo, shrimp and grits, Brunswick stew, and many other dishes with history. But there is definitely a characteristic that has been influencing a lot of American food which is speed and taste," the author of the thread shared with us.
"This also affected how we eat: quickly, in massive portions. In other countries I traveled to, I noticed many eat slowly and enjoy the food while making conversation. They also have much healthier food, more plant ingredients, and less sugar/flour/additives."
#2
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.
Benita Valdez 2 years ago
I'm with you on that. I don't see it around much these days so hopefully people got the hint it's gross and that we shouldn't abuse fruit like that
However, it's not like everything is automatically delicious abroad. "Dishes I didn't like abroad were some super pungent cheeses in Europe, sheep tripe in the Middle East, and excessive use of coconut in Asian countries," they opened up to Bored Panda. "I'm used to this being part of desserts but there it's added to even savory dishes."
The redditor has a lot of favorite American dishes, too, and it's going to be very relatable to most of you Pandas. "My mom's cooking of course! Nothing greater in the whole world. Brown rice and seasoned chicken/lamb is her specialty. Other American dishes I love are Philly cheesesteak (with real cheese only), grits with butter, and Texas barbecue." There's absolutely nothing like a homemade meal, prepared with love.
"I'd like to add some advice to everyone, especially Americans: travel! Get a passport and travel. There's a whole world out there of culture, art, history, relaxation, and of course, food. The US is large and diverse but that is not enough. If you don't travel to many other countries, you have not lived," the OP urged.
#4
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.
#5
The prevalence of high fructose corn syrup in EVERYTHING. Unfortunately, being in Canada, it's bleeding over the border as a lot of products here are manufactured in the USA.
Benita Valdez 2 years ago (edited)
I hate this soooooo much. Fortunately, they're putting out more products without high fructose corn syrup. I really wish we'd stop putting that cráp in everything
#6
American bread. I'm sure you can get good bread somewhere in the US, but the generally available, sugary, long-shelf-life bread is so appalling.
Now, of course, your export of fast-food restaurants has nothing to do with haute cuisine, but any burger would be so much better if at least you used acceptable bread.
Be honest, Pandas, are we the only ones craving artisanal cheeses with a side of junk food? It’s perfectly fine to have a cheat meal once in a while. But if your entire diet consists of sugary snacks, meals dripping with saturated fat, with no fiber to be seen anywhere, you’re probably wrecking your health.
Unfortunately, the cold hard truth is that the people living in the United States have pretty awful dietary habits. Far from everyone; but most. The CDC found that 73.6% of all American adults over the age of 20 were either overweight or obese. Meanwhile, 41.9% of adults are considered to be obese. Nobody deserves to be body-shamed. However, obesity shouldn’t be celebrated, considering the health risks it poses.
Obesity leads to a far lower-quality life and increases one’s health risks. It can lead to serious health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, clinical depression, and others.
Though there are various other factors to consider when it comes to health and obesity (e.g. genetics, eating disorders), the general tendency is that Americans eat poorly, live more sedentary lives, and simply don’t exercise enough. However, this health crisis isn’t a purely American one. For example, the NHS reports that in the UK, two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese.
#7
That Thanksgiving dish Americans love with marshmallows on top of sweet potatoes — it sounds and looks disgusting.
#8
Some of the savoury Jello recipes from the 50s and 60s look grim.
#9
the chocolate out there is FOUL
RyanRyanRyan 2 years ago
unfortunately true. I'm so glad I moved to Panamá and live on a chocolate farm. Totally serious; suck on cacao seeds all the time for a snack.
Chrys Ophaes 2 years ago
Butyric acid was added during WWII I think as a preservative for combat rations. US guys acquired the taste, but to the rest of the world their Chocolate, especially Hershey's tastes like vomit mixed with cocoa.
Rose the Cook 2 years ago
Friend brought back Hershey's so called chocolate from a trip, it was vile now I know why.
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Karl Baxter 2 years ago
I worked at a Uni in the UK and the US exchange students would go mad for even our cheapest chocolate (E.g. Cadbury’s) and take huge boxes home with them. Ordinary Americans deserve much better than the taste abomination that is Hershey’s.
Alicia M 2 years ago
Cadbury chocolate is much smoother and creamier than Hershey's. I don't blame the students.
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BobTDG 2 years ago
Because Aldi is a German brand and knows what chocolate should taste like.
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Tams21 2 years ago
In the US, a chocolate bar has to contain a minimum of 10% cocoa, in the EU it's 20%. No wonder it tastes so crappy.
Patrick Linnen 2 years ago
In the early 00's, under Bush II, US chocolate manufacturers petitioned the government to reduce the cocoa butter to zero and still be able to legally call the result chocolate. (I forget what they wanted to replace it with) This petition did not die soon enough.
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Benita Valdez 2 years ago
Yes! It's waaay too sweet and you can't really appreciate the chocolate flavor. Luckily, there are a few specialty stores near me that import international foods and treats so I can get some good sweets
BeepBeepBoopBoop 2 years ago
oh sounds like fun! We have a candy store in our mall and they have a whole section for international candy and it's so interesting. They also make their own candy, just not in the mall. I'd assume they have another location hah
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morticia_b85 2 years ago
I've never tasted Hersheys but I have tasted other chocolate and treats from America that my sister brought home. Holy mother Mary was it gack! Never tasted anything so horrible other than NZ chocolate because of that additive they put in it to stop the chocolate melting in the heat. 🤢🤢
Kitten Mew 2 years ago
Yesssssssss!!!!! It's AWFUL!!! My sister lives in the states and buys chocolate from here to take back with her!
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 2 years ago
Yup. Chalky and chemical tasting. Cadbury over Hershey any day.
Sapna Sarfare 2 years ago
Not sure of USA but in India, we are now having some lovely home grown brands that are fabulous in terms of flavours and are also sourcing good cocoa locally.
Mia D 2 years ago
Actually not anymore, there are a lot of small American brands that make awesome chocolate and available almost anywhere.
Karl Baxter 2 years ago
I know you can get good chocolate in the US but you have to pay a lot for the quality. The problem is that the standard of “everyday chocolate” is so poor compared to the same in other countries.
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Asphalt Bubblegum 2 years ago
This is one that never made sense to me as an American... *Why*, in Hades name, do we add stuff to our chocolate that literally tastes and smells like vomit? What brought tears to my eyes as a member of the older generation discovering internet global markets was the power to buy my chocolate from Belgium! Madagascar chocolate is seriously good too!
Daniel North 2 years ago
I was quite excited to try hersheys after seeing it on TV so many time, but it is literally the worst thing i have ever eaten. Had the taste of vomit in my mouth for hours afterwards.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
I found that american "chocolate" tasted more like nutella or peanut butter, it definitely was minimal on the cocoa side.
Pandalea 2 years ago
To have good chocolate, the only fat in it must be cocoa butter. The more "vegetal fat"
Pandalea 2 years ago
Oups the more " vegetal fat" in it that doesn't come from cocoa beans, the yuckiest.
Load More Replies... Frank Hassler 2 years ago
Totally. Hersheys Kisses taste like chalk. Tried some M&M’s at Halloween and couldn’t even finish the snack-sized bag. I feel sorry that many people never get to taste good chocolate.
Toaster Bath 1 year ago
Hershey's tastes like it's made from what baby vomit smells like. Anything European like Lindt or Ferrero Rocher or Cadbury's from Australia is so much better. When I moved to America back in 2001 I had to get Mum to post blocks of the stuff to me on the regular. The most expensive Cadbury's on the planet at about $50 just for postage but better that than having to put Hershey's in my mouth more than once.
Juliane Maxwell 1 year ago
I am used to European chocolate, American chocolate tastes grainy to me. Often too sweet to be enjoyable 😮
Captain Panda 2 years ago
My wife was a pastry chef and would make us amazing things. I can no longer eat regular candy or chocolate as my taste has changed; cant stand the cheap stuff
Hakitosama 2 years ago
The only tolerable non-Belgian chocolate is tony's chocolonely and that's it.
Marie Dahme 2 years ago
I love Lindt chocolate bars that have 70% dark cocoa. But when I’m hard up and need chocolate, I definitely go for those extra big Reese’s peanut butter cups or even those chocolate bars with the peanut butter in them that Reese’s makes! Hersheys blah…Reese’s pure love ❤️!
Scott Bullock 2 years ago
butyric acid is added to American chocolate, it's the same flavor as vomit. apparently Americans have gotten used to it and don't notice.
Doctor Strange 2 years ago
I’m American but half Swiss(Swiss expat) and I easily prefer Swiss chocolate because it’s WAY BETTER. Especially dark chocolate.
Michelle C 2 years ago
That depends. The darker, the better, and we do have some excellent dark chocolate here!
Dizzie D 2 years ago
Out of curiosity does Hersheys just own the entire chocolate industry in America and woe betide anyone that challenges their corporate greatness? In the U.K., there are so many varieties available by different companies and even other European influences like Ferrero Rocher and Toblerone. We have Cadburys here as a big brand but there is Nestle too. Hersheys just seems to stick to an outdated recipe that tastes like vomit.
Joey Marlin 2 years ago
https://www.jenniferearle.com/irish-british-chocolatier-directory Try a proper British Chocolatier, beat the large brands by miles. Anyone seriously into chocolate should look for Chocolatiers in their country, expect most have them.
Load More Replies... Barong 2 years ago
I love chocolates, and often go looking for chocolate shops when I travel. For larger easy to find producers in the USA, Ghiradelli, Scharffen Berger, and Guittard, are all decent and produce nice chocolate for eating and cocoa and baking chocolates cooking. For chocolatiers, there is See's candies which is regional to the West Coast but decent. There are some nice boutique chocolate confectioners too like Recchiuti in San Francisco, Kreuther Chocolate in NYC, Codinha Chocolate, Los Angeles, and many others I've tried. Lastly, while not strictly US, (but there is a store in the US, where I order from), there is my favorite, French based, La Maison du Chocolate
Hyde and Seek 2 years ago
Seattle chocolates is good but see's is meh at best
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Amber The bear 2 years ago (edited)
I lived in Italy for a few years and we were regulars at a certain chocolate shop to the point they gave us an insulated bag and when I moved back, the first bar of chocolate I had tasted like hot garbage that melted too quickly
Spittnimage 2 years ago
Where is "out there?" Make it sound like America is floating somewhere in space.
kitteh floof lover 2 years ago
the best chocolate i've had is french broad chocolates from paris
Toaster Bath 1 year ago
They have to load it with sugar to mask how much more vile it would taste if they used less. This is because of the fact that they use butyric acid in toxic waste like Hershey's for some reason. It tastes like how baby vomit and rancid milk smells. European chocolate or stuff made by smaller chocolatiers use less sugar because there's nothing vile to mask. It's why I love European stuff like Lindt, Ferrero Rocher and Toblerone or Cadbury's from Australia.
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Ed Brandon 2 years ago
Pretty much all of it if it's American! Chocolate really needs to be from Belgium, Switzerland, or UK to be any good.
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idrow1 2 years ago
The only chocolate I've tried that I found disgusting and inedible was Cadbury and that's England's chocolate.
Joey Marlin 2 years ago
Was England's. The recipe was altered when another country's manufacturer bought them. It is no longer the same. Though was only the cheap and cheerful chocolate and never claimed to be the UKs best. Though at least it doesn't have that ingredient that tastes of vomit like the US allows in some. Try a proper Chocolatier to get the real stuff... in any country they will be better. UK has some excellent ones thankfully.
Load More Replies... Christos Arvanitis 2 years ago
Of f*ck off. We have some amazing chocolatiers here. I mean some amazing stuff. There is good and c**p chocolate around the world. My uncle was a candy maker and I can tell you that this is once again BP bs.
In the US, the FDA has a reactive approach to food standards inspections. What this means is that food additives are allowed, unless they’re proven to be harmful. Meanwhile, in Europe, the exact opposite happens: regulations are stricter. Additives must be proven to be unharmful before they’re allowed to be used in food items.
According to Politico, the FDA is pretty much a hot mess. “Food is not a high priority at the Food and Drug Administration. [...] Over the years, the food side of FDA has been so ignored and grown so dysfunctional that even former FDA commissioners readily acknowledged problems. There’s a long running joke among officials: The ‘F’ in FDA is silent,” writes Helena Bottemiller Evich.
Overall, this means that food grown and manufactured in the US is more likely to have growth hormones and chemical preservatives in them. This isn’t good news for someone who wants to lead a healthy and happy lifestyle! Compare the food that the US is known for with that from, say, Italy, Spain, or Japan. The cultural difference, when it comes to the culinary arts, is massive: quality local ingredients and smaller portion sizes (among other important factors!) result in a higher quality of life. And the life expectancy speaks for itself.
In the US, the average life expectancy is 74.5 years. Compare that to 81.6 years in Japan, 80.1 years in Italy, and 79.7 years in Spain. The difference is staggering. However much we might like that fake orange cheese, it really isn’t good for us.
#10
I once had a pizza in America and it had ranch dressing on it. Ranch dressing doesn't really exist in Europe and it's this weird salty fatty mayo-like sauce and it certainly does not belong on a pizza. Or inside a human body for that matter.
#12
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.
Richard Anderson 2 years ago
I think I would eat boiled peanuts before I would eat Lindsey Graham.
#13
Chinese Canadian. I'm going to provoke a lot of proud Southerners with this. Sweet tea is sugar water with a hint of tea.
My first experience of sweet tea was at a Floridian McDonald's. I ordered iced tea and I got the question of "sweet or unsweet?" I'm dying of the heat and humidity (Canadians don't do well in hot weather) and I wanted slightly sweetened tea and I didn't know the history of sweet tea (sugar was expensive so people showed off by mixing diabetes inducing amounts of the stuff into their tea) so I was expecting anything but a sugar syrup in a cup.
I went back and bought a bottle of water. If a 12 year old with no easy access to sugar thinks it's too sweet to drink, it is.
Also, any mayo based salad! Ewww.
#16
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 ancestors diabetes
#18
Twizzlers, I found some in a shop in London and decided to buy some, they were the nastiest things I'd ever tasted and for the price I paid for them, I'm disappointed
#19
When they introduce me chicago pizza something in me died, that should not be called pizza is just a devil fat pie.
ATM 2 years ago (edited)
You know the expression “There’s no such thing as bad sex or bad pizza” your pizza is like sex with a corpse made of sandpaper. LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING! THIS IS NOT PIZZA! THIS IS TOMATO SOUP IN A BREAD BOWL! THIS- IS AN ABOVE GROUND MARINARA SWIMMING POOL FOR RATS! Let me tell you something about your f**k!ng NOT PIZZA! I wanna know when I get drunk and pass out on my pizza that I’m not gonna drown. Let me tell you something! I look at this-! MMMARGH! YOU SONOFAB!TCH! I LOOK AT THIS! MEEEAUGH! GABBA-GOO! I look at this— When I look at your deep dish f**k!ng pizza I don’t know whether to eat it or throw a coin in it and make a wish. AND IF I MADE A WISH IT WOULD BE THAT I WISH FOR SOME REAAAL F**K!NG PIZZA!
#20
Their dessert. I lived there for 3 years and the amount of sugar they dump into their desserts are mindblowing. Beautiful to look at but holy s**t were they sweet as hell.
Benita Valdez 2 years ago
And that's the reason I learned how to bake. Everything you buy here is too freaking sweet and I can't handle it; sometimes it makes me gag when I try a dessert
#22
The felt obsession with anything deep-fried is unnerving to me. There's a good few things that are excellent deep-fried, don't get me wrong, but putting literally anything in batter and frying it seems... self-destructive at best.
BeepBeepBoopBoop 2 years ago
sometimes I think it's just curiosity! Like I see something I love that's deep fried... I wonder what it'll taste like ngl. Especially at fun events like festivals. It's not like we're eating it all the time
#23
I tried a big-name American chocolate brand once but couldn’t eat it due to the vomit smell and taste.
Gustav Gallifrey 2 years ago
At this end of the galaxy-scale: Belgian chocolate. At the other end: American chocolate.
#24
I find biscuits and gravy to be absolutely disgusting. But I'd like to counter-balance that by adding how crazy delicious corn bread is and why on earth hasn't it become a staple here in Europe? It's SO yummy!
Benita Valdez 2 years ago
I love fresh homemade biscuits and gravy. I do find that in restaurants the gravy is usually too salty, has too much flour or is a congealed glop so I'll only have it if I make it. Also, cornbread with a little maple butter is heavenly
#25
I hate scrapple. There's a reason the word 'crap' is in the middle of it.
#27
American here, absolutely DESPISE pre-packaged frosting. It’s either as hard as a rock or a liquid. Don’t know what they put in that stuff but it’s just awful.
Laura Jackson 2 years ago
My son and I may be considered weird here but we're ok with it. We both despise frosting/icing. Nope, not gonna eat it on cake, not gonna like the frosting knife or stick our finger in the bowl to taste. It's mostly lard/shortening and a touch of flavor with food coloring. Fondant? Oh, hell no. We will scrape a cake until it crumbles to get it off so we can eat it. If I make cake or cupcakes at home I leave about half unfrosted for us to enjoy. We do actually like the frosting made with whipped cream (real, not the Cool Whip c**p in a bowl) but we eat it in a thin layer. I also will sometimes bake cakes with chocolate or caramel chips, different fruits, or even pudding in the mix if we want a little more flavor at times. To each their own, I suppose!😉
#29
Ghirardelli, Guittard, Dove, Scharffen Berger, and hundreds of smaller companies are fine. Pretty much just avoid anything you would find near the register at a grocery store
BeepBeepBoopBoop 2 years ago
dove chocolate - 10/10. Their dark chocolate is perfect if you don't want something too sweet
#30
Corn dog
What do you think ?
Agfox 2 years ago
At the risk of having Americans, & perhaps others, grab tar, feathers & pitchforks, oreos are highly overrated!
Aisling Raye 2 years ago
I'm an American and fully agree that they're nasty.
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love u 2 years ago
Im an American and j think the only thing I've had on this list is pancakes, pop tarts, and maybe one more i forgot lol, ive never met a sane American whos touched one of the more vile items on thjs list (canned whole chicken)
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
we've had a lot of these here in south africa due to watching americans eat it on TV. we always regret it. lol.
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Aisling Raye 2 years ago
For people calling out the "America bashing" on BP. I love these posts. I don't think the inability to take a step back and laugh at the country as a whole (or even regionally) is a healthy way to go about life. Overblown "patriotism" or the whole "America is the best" concept doesn't make you cool or edgy, it just furthers the stereotype that Americans are stupid and self obsessed. Personally, these types of posts are a humorous little escape from the current state of the country. Also, of all the posts to complain about, why are you choosing to complain about the one based on food? SMH.
similarly 2 years ago
I loved reading this topic, and it doesn't irk me personally, but I think what gets some people, maybe, judging by the comments, is that BP frequently celebrates this country or that country, but when it comes to bashing what's bad about a country, it always seems to be The US. While this isn't really always true (I've seen other countries get bashed), it's not completely untrue either (since, yeah, it's usually the US).
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Christos Arvanitis 2 years ago
Good root beer is amazing but I grew up on it. Good root beer float (root beer + vanilla ice cream) is amazing. But to me Vegamite is foul while Aussies love it. It's what you're used to.
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Auntriarch 2 years ago
I would like to downvote this entire post. I'm bloody fed up with US bashing.
Remi Flynne 2 years ago
It would be far more effective to not comment altogether. if we all stopped commenting and completely ignored these lists then Bored Panda would get the message far more quickly. They rely on comments and clicks to sell the advertising. The problem is that it generates a LOT of attention and comments normally and it doesn't matter very much from the advertising point of view if they're all condemning the article. Even my writing this comment adds to it all.
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Ali Kovach 2 years ago
Why does bored panda continue to call out Americans on different subjects? I’m British and there are some gross foods eaten in our country.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
yes, you do have haggis and blood pudding, but that's the scots.
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Edgar 2 years ago
From an European point of view, none of the American food is considered as food.
atlas 95 2 years ago
what the f**k is your guys problem with Americans? I get that some of our stuff is weird to other people but you dont see entire articles dedicated to dunking on other nationalities like the Chinese or Brazilians or anyone else!
Marie Dahme 2 years ago
And let’s not forget the Chinese have a festival where they eat DOGS!!!! You can watch the whole process on YouTube if you can stomach it.
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Grace X 2 years ago
American colon cancer survivor here. Pretty sure the food here caused my cancer. 5 years in remission. Just had my 5th reconstructive abdominal surgery (I'm literally stuck in bed on my back healing rn) Planning to move out of the US asap. I'd like to survive to old age thanks. Eff the FDA.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
try france. They smoke and don't get as much cancer.
Load More Replies... meh 2 years ago
I’m American, and I agree with this list, except for 32, 33, and whatever number ranch was. There’s too much c**p in our food that shouldn’t be there in the first place, and nearly everything has added sugar. This is a decent chunk why the majority of the population is overweight.
Kiwii Stone 2 years ago
A lot of this stuff is a matter of taste. The main exception is the savoury jello
XenoMurph 2 years ago
No one is saying that no-one likes them. It's just the rest of the world is disbelieving that ANYONE likes them. But we all like things that we grew up with no matter how terrible. People in the US do seem to like sweet things more than most, or at least their palates have been normalised to more sugar/sweetness.
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Liz 2 years ago
The issue with lists like these is that they ignore the deeper sociopolitical factors that contribute to the existence and creation of these foods; namely poverty and ignorance. It’s sad to make fun of these foods while making sweeping generalizations about Americans, ignoring that a lot of these are eaten out of necessity, accessibility, and lack of education—factors that are out of many people’s control. High quality foods exist throughout America, especially in big cities where you can get pretty much any kind of food from any cuisine around the world.
Marie Dahme 2 years ago
Let’s not also forget some people live in food deserts and fresh produce for a family of four is wildly expensive with inflation.
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DAVE 2 years ago
The straw man is strong in this one. Most Americans think this stuff is trash too, with a few exceptions that require cultural context. Stop conflating novelties, generic knockoffs, carnival confections and cheap c**p foisted upon Americans with stuff we actually want or value.
Christos Arvanitis 2 years ago
Good grief... again. Some American stuff is gross. This just in- there is gross stuff from around the world! Also, there is lost of amazing food in the US just as there is in... Every. Country. On. Earth. Most of us American don't like most of the stuff on this list. Some of this items are just not true, some are extremely uncommon while others are subjective. My wife loves biscuits and gravy while I don't care for it. Why not have this list for I dunno, every country on earth. FFS BP...
Anony Mouse 2 years ago
I wouldn't exactly call this an interview with "the writer", unless you're using buzzfeed standards (writer is someone who can copy and paste). Also, you've published this same article dozens of times - why again?
Bob La Capra 2 years ago
I think there is really just one post of things non-Americans think are gross and they just rearrange the order
Mimi M 2 years ago
And to think I had the impression that BP was done with US bashing posts. Oh well.
XenoMurph 2 years ago
Most people in the US are great. But then SOME people say "The US is number one! We are the greatest!" and we have had US tv show propaganda, all the way from the black and white Lone Ranger telling us how great the US is. So occasionally we push back.
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Jacqueline Pie Francis 2 years ago
Yeah, most of us don’t eat this stuff either. Except biscuits & gravy, I love biscuits & gravy. But look, every country has foods that foreigners think are gross.
Ruth Hempsey 2 years ago
Is it funny that biscuits and gravy are great but poutine isn't? It's almost the same thing, gravy on a carb, but instead of biscuits it's fries.
Load More Replies... CatScratch Beaver 2 years ago
It was a trip to Germany that I discovered this myself. Thank goodness for Aldi!
Leo Domitrix 2 years ago
While I agree many "American foods" are "nasty", I can say the same of foods I've had on other continents. And that counts Europe. Examples just from Europe: Nutella; liverwurst; any blood soup; eels (jellied or otherwise). (Examples from USA: orange-colored anything that isn't in the produce section; some hate peanut butter; breakfast cereals that are designed to create a market for insulin). From outside my native US, also poutine (sorry, Quebec, but no); and queen ants. ( I did try those. Oh. My. No.) The idea, however, that the US is the only center of c**p food is silly. Plenty of high-fat/sugar/etc. all around, and often as "snacks". So, please, relax and stop the judging.
Rens 2 years ago
I can't understand why Americans take perfectly good food and absolutely ruin it for example cheese, chocolate, coffee, bread and meat to name a few
Christos Arvanitis 2 years ago
Rens, I've never cooked for you. I can assure you that I serve good cheese, chocolate coffee and bread. You would be happy with what I served you. You are making sweeping generalizations. I'm Greek American and while I love Greek food, in Greece they put instant coffee and sugar on cold water, stir it up and call it a frappe... and people love it while to me it tastes like bad instant coffee from the 1960s! But I would never try to pin "disgusting coffee" on the Greeks... because they also have amazing coffee just like we have amazing, cheese, chocolate, bread, etc.
Load More Replies... BeepBeepBoopBoop 2 years ago
I think towards the end it's more of "you haven't had the right one". Like the sweet tea. Who f*****g judges all sweet tea from McDonald's??? Someone who doesn't understand sweet tea I'd say.
Fuxxy89 1 year ago
A message to BP from America... Eh hem. Go f*** yourselves. That will be all. Thank you.
Mystery Egg 2 years ago
I have noticed that in American recipes for savoury dishes, there is sugar in EVERYTHING! A tiny pinch a tomato dish to cut through the acidity, sure. But 4 tablespoons in a curry? (legit recipe I made a couple of weeks ago from the Food Network site) WHY!?! NO!
pico diablo 2 years ago (edited)
Bookmarking Rannveig Ess's (don't / care) Reply: Yes, Andrew...wouldn't that be interesting? I'd love to hear what everyone ELSE in the world also finds disguting in their countries. Wouldn't it be great if this was just put out there as a topic for everyone to contribute to, instead of the usual US bashing? There are entire YT sites showing people from other countries eating the foods from other countries and the wild disgust of it. But nooooo. BP has to cut and paste it about food now? How about : Shirako in Japan. Dried pig blood tofu in China. Kangaroo in Australia. Tuna eyeballs in Japan. Balut, developing duck embryo boiled in its shell, in the Philippines. Fried tarantulas in Cambodia.White ant eggs soup in Laos. Jellied moose nose in Canada. Boshintang in Korea.Gummy salmiak candy flavored with ammonium chloride in Finland (lived there..this stuff is horrible) Mimolette cheese in France that has cheese mites on it. How about Goose Blood Soup (Juka) from Lithuania? but no ... it's Americans.
Deanna Crichley 2 years ago
These things are available, but no one I know eats them. I cook every single day. Make my own sauces. Make my own stocks. Of course I'm an American, so I must eat disgusting things because I simply have no class.
firecrackershrimp 2 years ago
Didn't see chipped beef on toast on the list. Grew up watching my parents eat that. Nicknamed it sh!t on a shingle.
OmBoyGanesh 2 years ago
The only thing I’ve had on this list is pancakes. I know of less than half of them. These aren’t staples of American food anymore than Haggis is if the UK. TBH, as someone who’s 1/2 Dutch & 1/2 American, having lived in both places, I’m equally as appalled by both nations’ unique dishes. Having lived in Hawai’i for the better part of 30 years, I’m even more grossed out by some of the traditional food here no matter how much o respect it’s history.
Chris Jones 2 years ago
Haggis is definitely not UK, that is Scottish. A considerable amount of traditional food came about because of people being poor.
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Jay Kethley 2 years ago
you can buy canned creamed possum in gravy in the US... MEGA-REVOLTING!!! canned-pos...b149ef.jpg 
Chris Osborn 1 year ago
You can also buy jelly belly jelly beans that taste like skunk - again a gag gift.
Load More Replies...
Mariele Scherzinger 2 years ago
I lived in the USA for a year as an exchange student. Some things I could not stomach: American chocolate. Ice cream. Yoghurt. Frosted cakes. Bread. Most fast food places. Some things I loved: donuts, bagels (a good alternative to bread!), Chai tea (perhaps it was a fad in those years...), diner food, and lots of regional New Mexican cuisine.
similarly 2 years ago
I'm really glad I have low standards. I love most of this stuff ... though, I don't know, maybe it's because I haven't lived in the US for over 20 years and most of it has changed? Or maybe it's because I grew up poor, and we didn't always have a lot of food, or a lot of choice, so we learned to like what we got. Either way, I think I'd much rather have low standards and be happy with what I eat.
Ingrid Smith 2 years ago
as an American I agree with most of these, except biscuits and gravy, which is amazing when made well, with lots of pepper and butter, and the sweet potatoes with marshmallows has to have pecans on top. Or no marshmallows and just pecans. Pancakes with just butter are fine
XenoMurph 2 years ago
You have the marshmallows and sweet potatoes, as part of the meal, not as a dessert?
Load More Replies... Jay Kethley 2 years ago
you can buy cooked canned possum in the US.... mega-revolting!!!! canned-pos...29abcb.jpg 
Agfox 2 years ago
At the risk of having Americans, & perhaps others, grab tar, feathers & pitchforks, oreos are highly overrated!
Aisling Raye 2 years ago
I'm an American and fully agree that they're nasty.
Load More Replies... love u 2 years ago
Im an American and j think the only thing I've had on this list is pancakes, pop tarts, and maybe one more i forgot lol, ive never met a sane American whos touched one of the more vile items on thjs list (canned whole chicken)
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
we've had a lot of these here in south africa due to watching americans eat it on TV. we always regret it. lol.
Load More Replies... Aisling Raye 2 years ago
For people calling out the "America bashing" on BP. I love these posts. I don't think the inability to take a step back and laugh at the country as a whole (or even regionally) is a healthy way to go about life. Overblown "patriotism" or the whole "America is the best" concept doesn't make you cool or edgy, it just furthers the stereotype that Americans are stupid and self obsessed. Personally, these types of posts are a humorous little escape from the current state of the country. Also, of all the posts to complain about, why are you choosing to complain about the one based on food? SMH.
similarly 2 years ago
I loved reading this topic, and it doesn't irk me personally, but I think what gets some people, maybe, judging by the comments, is that BP frequently celebrates this country or that country, but when it comes to bashing what's bad about a country, it always seems to be The US. While this isn't really always true (I've seen other countries get bashed), it's not completely untrue either (since, yeah, it's usually the US).
Load More Replies... Christos Arvanitis 2 years ago
Good root beer is amazing but I grew up on it. Good root beer float (root beer + vanilla ice cream) is amazing. But to me Vegamite is foul while Aussies love it. It's what you're used to.
Load More Replies... Auntriarch 2 years ago
I would like to downvote this entire post. I'm bloody fed up with US bashing.
Remi Flynne 2 years ago
It would be far more effective to not comment altogether. if we all stopped commenting and completely ignored these lists then Bored Panda would get the message far more quickly. They rely on comments and clicks to sell the advertising. The problem is that it generates a LOT of attention and comments normally and it doesn't matter very much from the advertising point of view if they're all condemning the article. Even my writing this comment adds to it all.
Load More Replies... Ali Kovach 2 years ago
Why does bored panda continue to call out Americans on different subjects? I’m British and there are some gross foods eaten in our country.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
yes, you do have haggis and blood pudding, but that's the scots.
Load More Replies... Edgar 2 years ago
From an European point of view, none of the American food is considered as food.
atlas 95 2 years ago
what the f**k is your guys problem with Americans? I get that some of our stuff is weird to other people but you dont see entire articles dedicated to dunking on other nationalities like the Chinese or Brazilians or anyone else!
Marie Dahme 2 years ago
And let’s not forget the Chinese have a festival where they eat DOGS!!!! You can watch the whole process on YouTube if you can stomach it.
Load More Replies... Grace X 2 years ago
American colon cancer survivor here. Pretty sure the food here caused my cancer. 5 years in remission. Just had my 5th reconstructive abdominal surgery (I'm literally stuck in bed on my back healing rn) Planning to move out of the US asap. I'd like to survive to old age thanks. Eff the FDA.
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
try france. They smoke and don't get as much cancer.
Load More Replies... meh 2 years ago
I’m American, and I agree with this list, except for 32, 33, and whatever number ranch was. There’s too much c**p in our food that shouldn’t be there in the first place, and nearly everything has added sugar. This is a decent chunk why the majority of the population is overweight.
Kiwii Stone 2 years ago
A lot of this stuff is a matter of taste. The main exception is the savoury jello
XenoMurph 2 years ago
No one is saying that no-one likes them. It's just the rest of the world is disbelieving that ANYONE likes them. But we all like things that we grew up with no matter how terrible. People in the US do seem to like sweet things more than most, or at least their palates have been normalised to more sugar/sweetness.
Load More Replies... Liz 2 years ago
The issue with lists like these is that they ignore the deeper sociopolitical factors that contribute to the existence and creation of these foods; namely poverty and ignorance. It’s sad to make fun of these foods while making sweeping generalizations about Americans, ignoring that a lot of these are eaten out of necessity, accessibility, and lack of education—factors that are out of many people’s control. High quality foods exist throughout America, especially in big cities where you can get pretty much any kind of food from any cuisine around the world.
Marie Dahme 2 years ago
Let’s not also forget some people live in food deserts and fresh produce for a family of four is wildly expensive with inflation.
Load More Replies... DAVE 2 years ago
The straw man is strong in this one. Most Americans think this stuff is trash too, with a few exceptions that require cultural context. Stop conflating novelties, generic knockoffs, carnival confections and cheap c**p foisted upon Americans with stuff we actually want or value.
Christos Arvanitis 2 years ago
Good grief... again. Some American stuff is gross. This just in- there is gross stuff from around the world! Also, there is lost of amazing food in the US just as there is in... Every. Country. On. Earth. Most of us American don't like most of the stuff on this list. Some of this items are just not true, some are extremely uncommon while others are subjective. My wife loves biscuits and gravy while I don't care for it. Why not have this list for I dunno, every country on earth. FFS BP...
Anony Mouse 2 years ago
I wouldn't exactly call this an interview with "the writer", unless you're using buzzfeed standards (writer is someone who can copy and paste). Also, you've published this same article dozens of times - why again?
Bob La Capra 2 years ago
I think there is really just one post of things non-Americans think are gross and they just rearrange the order
Mimi M 2 years ago
And to think I had the impression that BP was done with US bashing posts. Oh well.
XenoMurph 2 years ago
Most people in the US are great. But then SOME people say "The US is number one! We are the greatest!" and we have had US tv show propaganda, all the way from the black and white Lone Ranger telling us how great the US is. So occasionally we push back.
Load More Replies... Jacqueline Pie Francis 2 years ago
Yeah, most of us don’t eat this stuff either. Except biscuits & gravy, I love biscuits & gravy. But look, every country has foods that foreigners think are gross.
Ruth Hempsey 2 years ago
Is it funny that biscuits and gravy are great but poutine isn't? It's almost the same thing, gravy on a carb, but instead of biscuits it's fries.
Load More Replies... CatScratch Beaver 2 years ago
It was a trip to Germany that I discovered this myself. Thank goodness for Aldi!
Leo Domitrix 2 years ago
While I agree many "American foods" are "nasty", I can say the same of foods I've had on other continents. And that counts Europe. Examples just from Europe: Nutella; liverwurst; any blood soup; eels (jellied or otherwise). (Examples from USA: orange-colored anything that isn't in the produce section; some hate peanut butter; breakfast cereals that are designed to create a market for insulin). From outside my native US, also poutine (sorry, Quebec, but no); and queen ants. ( I did try those. Oh. My. No.) The idea, however, that the US is the only center of c**p food is silly. Plenty of high-fat/sugar/etc. all around, and often as "snacks". So, please, relax and stop the judging.
Rens 2 years ago
I can't understand why Americans take perfectly good food and absolutely ruin it for example cheese, chocolate, coffee, bread and meat to name a few
Christos Arvanitis 2 years ago
Rens, I've never cooked for you. I can assure you that I serve good cheese, chocolate coffee and bread. You would be happy with what I served you. You are making sweeping generalizations. I'm Greek American and while I love Greek food, in Greece they put instant coffee and sugar on cold water, stir it up and call it a frappe... and people love it while to me it tastes like bad instant coffee from the 1960s! But I would never try to pin "disgusting coffee" on the Greeks... because they also have amazing coffee just like we have amazing, cheese, chocolate, bread, etc.
Load More Replies... BeepBeepBoopBoop 2 years ago
I think towards the end it's more of "you haven't had the right one". Like the sweet tea. Who f*****g judges all sweet tea from McDonald's??? Someone who doesn't understand sweet tea I'd say.
Fuxxy89 1 year ago
A message to BP from America... Eh hem. Go f*** yourselves. That will be all. Thank you.
Mystery Egg 2 years ago
I have noticed that in American recipes for savoury dishes, there is sugar in EVERYTHING! A tiny pinch a tomato dish to cut through the acidity, sure. But 4 tablespoons in a curry? (legit recipe I made a couple of weeks ago from the Food Network site) WHY!?! NO!
pico diablo 2 years ago (edited)
Bookmarking Rannveig Ess's (don't / care) Reply: Yes, Andrew...wouldn't that be interesting? I'd love to hear what everyone ELSE in the world also finds disguting in their countries. Wouldn't it be great if this was just put out there as a topic for everyone to contribute to, instead of the usual US bashing? There are entire YT sites showing people from other countries eating the foods from other countries and the wild disgust of it. But nooooo. BP has to cut and paste it about food now? How about : Shirako in Japan. Dried pig blood tofu in China. Kangaroo in Australia. Tuna eyeballs in Japan. Balut, developing duck embryo boiled in its shell, in the Philippines. Fried tarantulas in Cambodia.White ant eggs soup in Laos. Jellied moose nose in Canada. Boshintang in Korea.Gummy salmiak candy flavored with ammonium chloride in Finland (lived there..this stuff is horrible) Mimolette cheese in France that has cheese mites on it. How about Goose Blood Soup (Juka) from Lithuania? but no ... it's Americans.
Deanna Crichley 2 years ago
These things are available, but no one I know eats them. I cook every single day. Make my own sauces. Make my own stocks. Of course I'm an American, so I must eat disgusting things because I simply have no class.
firecrackershrimp 2 years ago
Didn't see chipped beef on toast on the list. Grew up watching my parents eat that. Nicknamed it sh!t on a shingle.
OmBoyGanesh 2 years ago
The only thing I’ve had on this list is pancakes. I know of less than half of them. These aren’t staples of American food anymore than Haggis is if the UK. TBH, as someone who’s 1/2 Dutch & 1/2 American, having lived in both places, I’m equally as appalled by both nations’ unique dishes. Having lived in Hawai’i for the better part of 30 years, I’m even more grossed out by some of the traditional food here no matter how much o respect it’s history.
Chris Jones 2 years ago
Haggis is definitely not UK, that is Scottish. A considerable amount of traditional food came about because of people being poor.
Load More Replies... Jay Kethley 2 years ago
you can buy canned creamed possum in gravy in the US... MEGA-REVOLTING!!! canned-pos...b149ef.jpg
Chris Osborn 1 year ago
You can also buy jelly belly jelly beans that taste like skunk - again a gag gift.
Load More Replies... Mariele Scherzinger 2 years ago
I lived in the USA for a year as an exchange student. Some things I could not stomach: American chocolate. Ice cream. Yoghurt. Frosted cakes. Bread. Most fast food places. Some things I loved: donuts, bagels (a good alternative to bread!), Chai tea (perhaps it was a fad in those years...), diner food, and lots of regional New Mexican cuisine.
similarly 2 years ago
I'm really glad I have low standards. I love most of this stuff ... though, I don't know, maybe it's because I haven't lived in the US for over 20 years and most of it has changed? Or maybe it's because I grew up poor, and we didn't always have a lot of food, or a lot of choice, so we learned to like what we got. Either way, I think I'd much rather have low standards and be happy with what I eat.
Ingrid Smith 2 years ago
as an American I agree with most of these, except biscuits and gravy, which is amazing when made well, with lots of pepper and butter, and the sweet potatoes with marshmallows has to have pecans on top. Or no marshmallows and just pecans. Pancakes with just butter are fine
XenoMurph 2 years ago
You have the marshmallows and sweet potatoes, as part of the meal, not as a dessert?
Load More Replies... Jay Kethley 2 years ago
you can buy cooked canned possum in the US.... mega-revolting!!!! canned-pos...29abcb.jpg
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