American food

[cherrypiepie]

I've a few questions about America food or cuisine. What is they day to day reality of food for those in the US?

I've just been on a cruise on an American orientated ship.

I read Michelle Obama's autobiography.

I've seen a few things in the internet.

What I noticed is that compared to the uk the food seemed ultra processed, even the same foods eg American Fanta, McDonald's fries (uk is potatoes salt and oil US is much more and lots of chemical additives), sliced bread. Fresh whole foods are not as prevalent in supermarkets so a whole shoe called Whole Foods has this market. I watched a person (wholesome family type) do a few recipes in you tube and they were "cooking from scratch" but they used cake mix for a cake recipe and jarred sauces for everything. Michelle Obama's description of the lack of ability to change the unhealthy school lunches as they are controlled by big business is a contrast to the uk where attempts have been made to address this issue. School lunches are hot dogs and pizza and fruit cup things.

The food on the cruise was nice but lacked the finesse of uk or continental food. And it wasn't as adventurous as a UK based cruise line. So the key lime pie would be similar to what I'd expect from a Pizza Hut type place not a £75 a head restaurant. (Appreciate this might just be this cruise line) The blue cheese salad was just called blue cheese not Roquefort or Stilton etc as it would I the uk. DH Fanta was bright orange (and he loved it!) I've read about people going nuts for American sprite too.

I wonder if any one can add any understanding to this?

I do love American food and we cook many seriously good American BBQ recipes and appreciate that there are some amazing food cultures in the US but wondered what the day to day reality is?

I'm going to my Italian supermarket this weekend and will take some pictures of their ready meals.

One thing I have started doing that I picked up from some American recipes is adding fruit to salad. Strawberries is a stretch too far but peach can work well.

Sbarro, like Domino's is pretty awful. The best pizza comes from small independent pizzerias, not corporate chains.

Also, Dominos supports Operation Rescue so even if their pizza wasn't disgusting I would still boycott it.

But this shouldn’t come as a surprise. The US hasn’t had the same level of South East Asian immigration as the UK has; hence Indian restaurants are relatively sparse and the spice is toned down for a palate which broadly isn’t used to that kind of seasoning; whereas Chinese, Mexican and Thai is far superior to what you typically find in the UK. Compare the vast array of regional Chinese cooking you can find in pretty much any major town or city in the US, to the bland, sweet, syrupy, deep fried stuff served in UK Chinese restaurants which many people seem to love.

*South Asian immigration

Friend a realtor in new York area. The high end properties with fabulous y kitchen where no-one ever used the ovens . She can get decent bread from the Irish shop or makes her own. They entertain a lot her American friends love her home cooking from scratch

I've lived in my high end condo apartment for 25 years and never used the big oven. I have a toaster oven in which I can bake bread, muffins and 8 inch pies, grill or bake fish and cook pretty much anything I like. I don't like roasts so that is not an issue. Most people I know in the US are not big on roasts except at Thanksgiving.

It’s the HFCS - added to everything to prop up the Midwest economy as per my previous post

I've noticed in Florida the food is full of shite even the Crisps are jammed with E numbers and the drinks are very strange colours filled with E numbers.. The food also tastes sweeter it's easier to buy fresh food in the UK. It must cost a fortune to buy fresh food in the US..

We only eat Cantonese Chinese food in the UK. When I went travelling in China it was a big shock when I sampled the various regional cuisines.

140 pounds per person in a year is only around 170g a day. 100g is 1 portion. Uk recommends 5-10 portions of fruit n veg a day...........

I live in the Pacific Northwest and there are tons of great take out food options that are actually fairly healthy... sushi and Japanese and Vietnamese cuisine features heavily... I find the take out and restaurant options here far superior to the UK where, especially where I'm from, it's all very predictable chains and hardly any independent restaurants.

But...I am shocked by the colours of some food and drink as well as the high sugar content. And yes, school lunches are pretty depressing. Also you have to shop carefully for meat because there are huge variations in quality.

I love Trader Joe's though! Some great fresh and healthy food and less expensive than Whole Foods.

I'm on quite a Few groups and sites for food allergies. The American posters seem to feature allergies to chicken, beef and other meats that I've just never come across in the UK.
I assume it's to do with 'farming practices' that we hear horror stories about?

The UK now have a sugar tax on sodas so everywhere has diet options as standard which doesn't seem to be as prevalent in the states right now. Yes the options are there but I'm talking in bars and restaurants etc.

The fda isn't as strict as the EU on additives so there are vast differences in ingredients in items and brands both countries share.

On allergies - the rules in the uk about listing the top 14 allergens in bold make life so much easier. It's a lot harder to work out what is safe and what isn't by looking at ingredients.

Bread and chocolate are the items everyone remarks on.

Butter icing is very different in the US. It's more Swiss meringue butter cream which is richer but has less taste?

Is salad more widely eaten than veg in the states? Or is that a southern 'hotter' states thing?

Isn't it the same now in the UK for Roquefort, after the end of the transition period in January 2021? EU law dictates that only those cheeses aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon may bear the name Roquefort, as it has a protected designation of origin... so these would also incur duty when imported to the UK now that it is outside of the EU and the European Single Market?

Shoot me if this isn't true, but I was watching a US v UK school meals and they said pizza is classed as a vegetable. That just sounds so wrong.

I love watching Masterchef, UK, US, Australian, US Junior, MKR etc. The people on the US shows know how to cook, including the children so it can't all be boxes and packets.

I didn't mean this to be a US bashing thread just hoped that I could clarify my understanding on my very limited knowledge, away from the prejudice and stereotypes.

As for the 'blue cheese' I can't remember a time in the UK when I ordered a something from a menu with a type of blue cheese in it that didn't have the type of cheese in the name of the dish. So "Stilton and walnut salad" or pasta with a "Gorgonzola sauce". (Made those up)

Michelle Obama : I have read a one sided argument from a highly politicised point, but refute the assertion it was a "bit silly". UK is the same but some tokenism in the attempt to improve them. I have now been enlightened enough to read the whole debate.

Big pharma DO make a vast amount of cash from obesity and the co-morbidities- diabetes / heart disease/ cholesterol/ joint problems and so on

The food on the cruise was definitely catering for US tastes. Whether it was good, bad or indifferent it did make me think about how the approach to food is different in the UK. But it is flippant to say I would judge a countries cuisine on the basis of a holiday.

I'm still shocked that the FDA allow so many artificial additives and is not heard of HFCS but that is an interesting.

I eat pot noodles as well as delicious food cooked from scratch, eat in McDonald and Greggs as well as Michelin starred places. I'm overweight. I eat a home much more than I eat out. I don't drink Fanta. I love blue cheese whether or not I know the provenance.

Sorry to those who have taken offence it was not my intention.

I found your post about corn/Midwest very interesting. I had no idea that was the reason for the dominance of HFCS.

In SATC Carrie used her oven to store shoes. I thought that seemed a bit wacky but maybe not so wacky after all!

Um, canned beans ARE a vegetable...

Butter icing is very different in the US. It's more Swiss meringue butter cream which is richer but has less taste?

I'm not sure what type of butter icing you mean, but "American buttercream" (that's its culinary name) is a simple uncooked icing made with butter, confectioner's sugar (which is called icing sugar in the UK I think), and flavorings. It's the standard icing/frosting in the US, but most supermarket bakeries make it with vegetable shortening which is not nice at all. Swiss meringue would be a specialty type frosting and, in my experience, less likely to be made by the home baker.

Of course, there are regional differences as with nearly every discussion about food in the US.

Beans are legumes. A can of sugary sauced baked beans with egg and chips is not a healthy meal, and would not be considered to include a vegetable by nutritionists. But of course believe what makes you comfortable.

I will not shoot you as, despite living in the US, I do not have a gun, but you are wrong. One eighth of a cup of tomato paste is considered a serving of vegetables (as concentrated), and a serving of pizza that contains that much contains a serving of vegetables. Not the pizza itself, and not a slice of pizza that contains less tomato.

There is so much regional difference in food in the US, and poverty comes into play too in terms of what people eat.

But for me, the main difference is the sheer amount of choice of processed food in the supermarkets. It’s vast. So many sugary cereals and and pre-made sauces & seasoning mixed, condiments, things like hamburger helper and packeted Mac n cheese. I’m surprised anyone knows how to cook from scratch!

My in-laws are Southern, middle class professionals. Other family are quite wealthy Californians. Both have similar diets They get takeaways or rotisserie meats & pre-made salads from the supermarket 5 nights a week. When they cook, it’s almost always using a readymade sauce or seasoning mix or some sort of odd processed ingredient. Casseroles that include a can of soup or burgers that include a weird breadcrumb mix etc etc.
They also ‘snack’ a lot more than I’m used to and eat way more processed meats.

I used to work for some very rich Californians in San Francisco years ago, and they did eat well. Beautiful quality fish and meat and veg and fruit, not processed etc. but they fed their kids the biggest pile of sugary shite ever.

Having said all that, if I was on Death Row I reckon an American breakfast with pancakes, crispy bacon, home fries etc would be my last meal request.

We were staying in Bermuda with family we watched an American cruise ship Dock at the fort. Out came the segways,. Then seriously obese Americans did the tourist thing exploring on the segways. Over the course of the fortnight we stayed saw them in St George and Hamilton. They couldn't enjoy the beaches. Now I've no idea if they were an aberration or not. But we did spend time on the beach with some crew members. The amount of food available on board was astonishing. Forget three meals a day

You need the Italian one for sandwiches. The other stuff Makes lovely toast and is probably ok for a PB&J but anything else just tastes weird inside it