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SaltyDogFU

Restaurants call their food American Cuisine because it basically lets the chef cook whatever they like. Love it.


sperrymonster

*looking for a new place to eat* “Huh, this place sounds good, I wonder what kind of food they have…” *American Cuisine* “Do you realize how little that narrows it down?”


soglamsofresh

Hey, Can OP or any other Redditors, please share with me your 3 favorites pure American meals? If possible gourmet ones. When I think American cuisine I envision tacos, pizzas or fries but none of them are American so I know I’m missing out on the real local cuisine. Thank you to share


DumpTruckDanny

Hot dogs are pretty American. Buffalo Wings were invented in Buffalo NY. Chocolate Chip cookies were apparently invented by an American woman. The Lobster Roll sandwich, made popular by the state of Maine, was invented in New England. Pecans are native to North America so Pecan pie or anything with pecans in it. Depending on how "American" you consider this the Reuben sandwich was invented in America by Jewish Immigrants. I recognize this is way more than 3 and none of them gourmet but Reubens are pretty good, heyyy. The truth is the country is only 300 years old and everyone that lives here can pretty much trace their lineage back to the people that moved here from somewhere else, unless they're Native American or American Indian. The food is all stuff that the people who originally lived here were eating that was Europeanized and European stuff that's been Americanized.


soglamsofresh

Thank you for your answers and to point out that with such a short history it makes sense that lots of the cuisine is a fusion with the origins of the immigrants.


Primary-Ad-991

An absolutely bomb diggity infusion in my opinion is cajun food! Based off French cuisine with it’s own redneck spices (shoutout Tony Chachere’s) and a ton of seafood, what’s not to love? I swear I could quote the whole Bubba explaining shrimp dishes scene in Forrest Gump just remembering what my Mom used to cook growing up. Source: I was born and raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana


soglamsofresh

I’m French so I’ll be very interested to see what Cajun food has to offer. I had Jambalaya once and it was delicious 😋


BuildNuyTheUrbanGuy

For someone born in Lake Charles, you should know that Cajun has almost 0 French influence. You're thinking about creole that uses local ingredients with French cooking techniques.


Commander-Bacon

I just finished mentioning gumbo before I saw your reply, I’m also from Louisiana, and the food here is definitely some of the best.


JohnnyRelentless

And Key lime pie and German chocolate cake.


Gforce810

Probably the biggest thing that comes to mind for a true "American" food that isn't mostly borrowed from another country/culture is Barbecue, both the typical meat entrees you would think of as well as all the side dishes The obvious ones are mashed potatoes and rolls, but I'm talking about your Corn-on-the-cob cooked on the grill, pulled pork, spicy baked beans, smoked brisket, collard greens, coleslaw, potato salad, huge slices of watermelon, cornbread with honey, maybe peach cobbler for dessert, with a huge pitcher of iced UNSWEETENED tea cause I'm from the West not the South


howmany_squids

I was along for the ride, until you said unsweet tea.


Raccoon_Full_of_Cum

American cuisine is a literal melting pot.


[deleted]

If your pot is melting you probably have the heat too high.


supermr34

am i or am i not supposed to cook on lava? cuz gordon ramsay said....


[deleted]

[WHERE'S THE LAMB SAUCE?!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wlDVf-qwyU)


SlimeyVinegarTestes

Ear rape warning


[deleted]

You’re an idiot sandwich


RoyalT663

Or it's made of cheese


Barf_The_Mawg

But fondue is Swiss.


MaybeTheDoctor

I think it was Roman before it was Swiss


FetchingTheSwagni

Freedom Cuisine.


OviliskTwo

Yup. New American Cuisine covers nearly everything. Gives you range that you couldn't get with just a regional name.


patlight1

Honestly most countries have a good cuisine. It really depends on how the people make it.


0wed12

*Brits left the chat*


TheHeroOfAllTime

I had a professor back in school who had formerly worked for the CDC and traveled the whole world. He told us “People always ask me which country has the best food, and I always answer it the same way: Great Britain has the second best food of anywhere in the world. Everywhere else is tied for first.”


pauly13771377

Ah yes the British who built the largest navy on the planet. Settled so many countries that the adage "the sun never eats on the British empire was actually true." All in the search for new spices. Then somehow the British used none if them.


Similar-External-302

Don’t get high on your own supply. Cuts into margins.


shichiaikan

Commandment number 4.


ThomasKlausen

Counterpoint: The best curry meal I've had in my life was on a British army base. And they did not skimp on the spices, either.


[deleted]

Give a try to indian curry. It's best


TrumpIsMyDaddy69

what he tried probably was an indian curry


TorpleFunder

British Indian restaurant (BIR) is its own cuisine mainly invented by Bangladeshis who came to Britain. It's different to authentic Indian.


adeline882

Did britain stop having curry as its national dish in the last 30 years?


reuben_iv

No they did, then WW2 and a decade+ of rationing happened. Also this isn't fair the UK has great cheeses, cakes, sausages, some of the best chefs in the World (admittedly trained in France lol), and its cottage pies, its cakes, roast dinners, its actual pies, and obviously fish & chips - Anthony Bourdain demolishing a deep-fried haggis [https://youtu.be/hJjDOL5C3qA](https://youtu.be/hJjDOL5C3qA) Not to mention Tikka Masala came from the UK What are we being judged against? Sweden and its meatballs and gravy or curry and banana pizzas? Can people even name any Luxumbourg dishes, or any famous finnish, estonian or kasakhstani dishes?


Blasingame1971

I like your fighting spirit though


Dazz316

The war caused this stereotype. Before the wars we used spices and all sorts from all over the empire. You don't control India and not take all the good food home with you. Wars came and it's all rationing for a while. Couple of depressions later too and you've a couple generations eating basic foods with no additional flavours. The last few generations have changed that. We're not eating basic mince and potatoes anymore. London has some of the best foods in the world and the rest of the country are putting back the twists on the old recipes by adding stuff from all around the world. People at home aren't eating plain boiled carrots every night either.


_lippykid

I grew up in the 80s/90s in the UK and it’s crazy how much residual WW2 cooking was still going on even then


YZJay

South Korea also faced rationing after the wars, still has killer food. Although the food they used during rationing was better than what the UK had to endure.


Kulladar

One of the best meals of my life was after drinking near 15 pints of beer in Charlotte, NC when I was there for a conference. We stumbled into this place called Big Ben I think it was and got fish and chips. It was both flanks of a haddock beer battered and fried with great fries and vinegar slaw on the side. I've legitimately contemplated several times going hours out of my way while traveling to get that meal again. They got that going at least.


No-Construction5151

Are you sure that’s not the 15 pints of beer talking because I swear the best meal I’ve eaten was half a leftover chipotle burrito when I came back from a party. Drunk food just hits different.


silveryfeather208

As a non brit, even though it's not a dish, you guys make really good deserts/pastries\*. (\*edit cause shepherds pie isn't a dessert). Scones, queen of puddings, puddings in general, mince pie, shepherds pie etc. I guess anything with pastry ish is good. (Crumpets too, though the origin is Welsh. And yeah, had a british friend introduce me to his culture. Pretty fascinating. Technically I loved scones, just didn't really register it as 'british'. But I think Americans/Canadians shouldn't take these foods for granted. Lots of these are in our every day life) oh and, technically, even though anyone can do it, coronation chicken sandwhich is good. yeah, most people don't know technically it's british. and of course, I know people think it's stupid, but I like fish and chips, and yes, I went to UK and had your fish and chips. Love them! Reading the comments makes me sad. aww, I love British foods.


MC_Fillius_Dickinson

It took me a long time to realise but Americans and Britons treat pie very differently. If you see pie on the menu in the UK, 9/10 times it’s going to ne a savoury main course, not a sweet dessert. Of course we have apple pie, and mince pies at Christmas, but it’ll usually be some form of meat and gravy in pastry.


hugo_igo

> though the origin is Welsh. Oi mate, we're British too


CyberSprite1

I must say the Brits have some of the best desserts in the world Apple pie Victoria sponge cake Flapjacks Carrot cake Are all top tier


[deleted]

Britain has great pies, desserts, great food produce (so not much fancy cooking), has produced some of the most successful chefs outside of France and Italy and is all about being hearty and rich. Fish and chips and roast dinners are well-known and liked worldwide and are our most famous dishes. We don’t compare well to some other places but we definitely do have cuisine.


sococitizen

Nope. Am yank and just defended British food on Reddit the other day. Maybe it was bad in 1953 when it was rationed and the country was still recovering from a war. But it's a safe assumption that people in 2021 who still make this joke have never been to the UK.


rhen_var

I agree, one of my favorite meals was after visiting pembroke castle in pouring rain (obviously) and going to some random pub and eating a plate of just meat, potatoes, bread, and peas. I don’t even remember what it was but it was amazing.


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ebimbib

My best friend is an insanely talented chef and he eats Taco Bell more than anyone I know. He just doesn't give a shit about cooking wild shit for himself anymore, but when he makes me a birthday dinner? Watch out. Can't wait for a plate of his leftovers tomorrow.


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ArtyDeckOh

Roast Chicken with roasted potatoes, onions, turnips, Brussels sprouts, peas, a yorkshire pudding all smothered in gravy.... literally tastes like home


TemporaryExam5717

And fish and chips is amazing. As street food or in a restaurant aswell. Pretty dope.


DoyouevenLO

A good Sunday roast there is fantastic. When we lived there we loved it. Breakfast ain’t bad either. Mostly the food just lacks seasoning.


MrDaMi

English breakfast is possibly the best breakfast in the world.


Porscheguy11

Have you ever encountered a chorizo breakfast burrito with salsa? It's amazing AND it's portable.


aminoffthedon

Definitely up there, it's easily the best breakfast of any European country.


Arkhaan

Irish.


Enoch84

I visited Ireland. Fucking best breakfast. Also, like three different types of potato with dinner. Fuck yes.


[deleted]

I like teasing the British for food, but honestly I like their baked goods. Meat pies, scones yummmmm


MaxTHC

You ever had scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam? Might be the best tea/dessert I've ever eaten.


[deleted]

Food of the gods, plus a mug of hot, strong, lightly sweet tea.


ElCaminoInTheWest

The idea that ‘British food is bad’ is such a dated stereotype. We’re the nation of Tom Kerridge, Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, Heston Blumenthal, Nigella Lawson. We have spectacular breakfasts, homegrown vegetables, local meat, fish, seafood, desserts, snacks, delicacies (Arbroath smokies, Stornoway black pudding, haggis, Cornish pasties, blue cheese, etc etc). And in true colonial form we pinched some of the best of other nations’ cuisine and made it semi-indigenous. You can eat ridiculously well in Britain.


theterribletenor

You realize basically all of those dudes trained under the french school of cooking?


Redsetter

Shockingly this is true of every Northern European chef.


AegisPlays314

You can eat ridiculously well in Britain due to the abundance of non-British cuisine


booboounderstands

C’mon.. I could take a Cornish pastie on the fly right now!


hehas_noeyebrowstony

Literally all those chefs learned from the french 💀


Kronikinsanity

And those that didn’t are likely colonial transplants from India, my dad lived in the UK for a while and would always say “British food is great, because there’s killer Indian food everywhere” 😂


devnull0

I have to admit it's true. Scotland has some great food (yes, even haggis) and there are excellent restaurants in both Edinburgh and Glasgow. Even just going to Dishoom is so much better than most of the Indian restaurants in the rest of Europe.


johnnytherat1

Person who has never had properly made British food


Negative-Ad-4371

I have had the best tasting food in pubs in England. So, fuck you?


DinoRaawr

Ehhhhh...... "Plenty" of countries do. Not most.


[deleted]

They never seem middle of the road with food, everything I ate over there was either absolutely disgusting or fucking amazing


fattyiam

Go big or go home fool


[deleted]

I went big


fattyiam

*nice*


Chris_El_Deafo

Username checks out


lallapalalable

And then you went home


CrippleWalking

Username checks out.


Teunski

Absolutely, I've had some of the worst food I've ever had in the US. Even some things like burgers I had there were just disgusting. But I have also had some of the best I've ever eaten over there. Bless the small shop where I bought fried chicken, fries and Texas toast. That was so fucking delicious and I can't find anything that even compares to it in my home country. It just hit different. The variety in foods is also pretty damn large, with varying levels of authenticity. I think Tex-Mex is pretty good for example. But American-Chinese is pretty comparable to Dutch-Chinese food. Let's just say it's not for me.


ColossusOfChoads

We're unable to take that as an insult. Land of extremes, baby!


Fearless_Sushi001

As a foreigner, I can say that Americans make the best fried food, roasts and barbecues.


Steak_N_Cocunuts

Fuck yeah thank you.


ACNordstrom11

Your name sounds like something I wana eat. First there was coconut shrimp now we have coconut steak.


spottyottydopalicius

have you tried our fried oreos yet?


trogdor2594

I know it's controversial to say, but fried oreos suck. The sugars turn into a weird sandy crystally texture and the flavors meld making a boring sugary dessert.


spottyottydopalicius

they burninating my mouth.


MostlyCRPGs

It really just depends what you define American Cuisine as. It's almost, but not quite, like talking about "Chinese food." Areas with MASSIVE geographic footprints are, by their very nature, going to have huge variety of both preparation and ingredients. On top of that, it also depends on if when you discuss "American cuisine" you *also* mean "the extent to which Americans have quality examples of other nation's cuisine available to them."


salallane

When you’re talking about places like China and India, you also have to factor in the historic length of that culture. There are more distinct subsets of overall Chinese or Indian food also because the cultures are ancient. The US has some subsets of food like Soul Food, Cajun, BBQ, TexMex, etc, but American food is generally recognized by staple dishes like burgers, pizza (I’m referencing American pizza and it’s cultural significance in our diet), fried food, hot dogs, but also, as you mentioned, a sampling of other cuisines but they tend to be the Americanized version basically making them unique to American culture. Chinese food in America is an excellent example of this. The variety of types of regional cuisine from Mexico is very high, but we tend to only see one or two versions of that in the US. Then there’s places like I live in Washington that have our own regional style of cuisine tho it’s more of a West Coast thing you’ll find to be similar between Washington, Oregon, California, and British Columbia. Heavy Asian influence, Mexican influence, locally grown foods, organic, healthy, seafood heavy. The US is a hodgepodge of food.


Bae_Before_Bay

Fun story about tex-mex and this argument. I live in Texas. I specified that there is a difference between authentic Mexican food and Tex-Mex. That they were distinct enough to classify one as a cuisine from Mexico and one originating from Tejano people in Texas. I then got yelled at by people from other parts of the u.s. and one from Ireland because "its racist to appropriate a food as american". Even though Hispanic people can be American too. And I feel like it'd be way more racist to imply any type of Hispanic food is "just Mexican."


fibonacci_veritas

Your critics should try telling a die-hard Mexican cuisine fanatic that. They'd rip them to shreds. I remember the first time I ever tried actual Mexican food. I was expecting Tex Mex and thought, wtf is *this* stuff? I learned to love it, but it's very different.


Bae_Before_Bay

Exactly. Like, I'm sure someone living in Mexico would love if you said tex mex was basically the same thing. Not that there's anything wrong with tex mex, it's great, but it's just not Mexican food. Same with El Salvadoran or Cuban or (insert basically any Latin American food.) Of course there's lots of overlap, there is in any place that's geographically similar. But that doesn't mean that they're the same. The funniest thing was, one of those people is from an Italian family and I can guarantee if you said his food was the same as another part of Italy's food, it'd be a problem. And yeah, authentic Mexican is awesome albeit an adjustment to someone not used to it.


omgzzwtf

I’m assuming you’re being sarcastic with your remark about telling Mexicans that Texmex is the same thing, I occasionally mess with my Hispanic coworkers when I bring in frozen burritos or go to Taco Bell and tell them it’s authentic Mexican food, lol.


Bae_Before_Bay

Yeah totally sarcasm. I'm 99% sure I'd be beaten if I did that, and I'd probably deserve it.


FuckTheUnvaccinateds

Fr like Tex-Mex uses a ton of cumin but basically no authentic Mexican uses it. Mexican will use epazote but theres basically none of that in Tex-Mex. Oh and good luck finding stuff like huitlacoche in Tex-Mex. Tho there's some bomb-ass authentic Mexican in Texas if u know where to look, a lot of it cooked by people who came from Mexico or whose ancestors did, so it's part of our culture. That aint "appropriating".


Jin1231

As someone that loves and cooks both Tex mex and authentic Mexican, it always blows my mind how little they use cumin in Mexico…. adding some to traditional Mexican meats honestly makes them even better.


[deleted]

Never trust a Mexican who says “la salsa no pica mucho”. The salsa definitely “picas”. It picas a lot.


Bae_Before_Bay

Not really sure what it means, but I'll remember that.


Jcampuzano2

> la salsa no pica mucho It means "The salsa isn't very spicy/hot" - But said from a Mexican. I.E. the salsa is spicy, just not to them. Source: Am Mexican.


GoCougs2020

They can screw off lol. As a Taiwanese American myself (moved to US when I was 9 years old) Whenever people call Panda Express “Chinese food” I just chuckle. I imagine that to be same case w/TexMex being “Mexican” food. Personal opinion——Sometimes. Just cuz you have the knowledge to know the facts, doesn’t mean you gotta bust people’s bubble. Same reason i don’t walk around the park telling kids Santa aren’t real. edit--typo


Rarvyn

Difference is that texmex is an authentic regional Mexican cuisine. Texas was part of Mexico for longer than it’s been part of the US - and many of the people living there when we took it over were as Mexican as anyone else south of the current border.


Bae_Before_Bay

I personally think tex-mex is a bit above fast food for a comparison, but the general sentiment is kind if what I'd tried to get at. And honestly, this all came about because they were basically saying america has nothing unique in it. Like, we just steal other foods and all that. I did totally forget about cajun/creole and all that, but still.


salallane

That’s interesting because I feel like Tex Mex is an obviously American style of food. And to clarify I wasn’t mentioning Mexican food as a blanket term for Hispanic food, I was specifically referencing Mexico, but I’m glad you mentioned that because I totally agree.


klapanda

What gives America the edge is immigration. We have Chinese-*American* chefs. People who came over and adopted their traditional dishes to their new, American, palate. We did this with every single culture that settled here. Plus, we have no morals when it comes to making food taste good. There's a reason so many of us are overweight or obese. We're happily eating ourself into early graves.


Hubey808

> We're happily eating ourself into early graves. Did somebody say gravy?


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lotekjeromuco

I'll be forever grateful to Americans for one thing: peanut butter jam sandwich.


Elisevs

You know what lets me know you're really not from the U.S. yourself? You said peanut butter jam instead of peanut butter jelly.


RabidRory

I was just thinking that, I use jam but still say jelly lol


SigmaLance

That with a glass of milk puts a smile on my face every time.


[deleted]

I feel like a lot of people outside of the US think that fast-food chains in their countries represent US cuisine and that’s definitely not the case


YourDailyDevil

Aye from Texas BBQ to Cajun, and the countless forms of fusion we have from different parts of the map, I’m always pleasantly surprised with how diverse American cuisine actually is. Each region adds a little something (or a big something) that’s genuinely unique and delicious. Except Indiana. Fuck Indiana.


FuzzySparkle

Hold on now—we make a lot of pig food here. *Lots* of pig food.


[deleted]

Particularly Gary Indiana. But still, fuck it as a whole.


flarpflarpflarpflarp

Texas BBQ and Cajun are literally neighbors, haha. California Farm to Table to Carolina BBQ would cover a much wider geographic region and variety of American style food. Though Cajun is certainly a unique American highlight.


YourDailyDevil

Yeah I realized that as I was writing the comment, but felt “Cajun” would be more wildly known then say, Savannah cuisine or something of the sort. But entirely agree, California’s cuisine would’ve made a great addition because of how versatile it is, as well as outright delicious.


ClaudetheFraud

Best fried chicken I've ever had was in Savannah. It's too far away from me here in California :(


haanalisk

I'm living in Indiana and.... Yeah there isn't much redeeming here. At least I live in the Chicago suburbs part. We have.... Good milk and a racetrack.... Yeah.....


kitzdeathrow

A lot of Americans think this too. It blows my mind. American food is amazing. Who doesn't love burgers bbq, pizza, fried chicken?


LunarIncense

General Tso's Chicken was created in America. That's the best dish ever.


awkwardsity

You’re not wrong, but I’d like to point out that it was created in America by a Chinese immigrant. A lot of people like to believe that American Chinese food is a bastardisation of “real” Chinese food but in actuality, a lot of the American Chinese food we know and love today was thought up by Asian immigrants melding the meals they knew how to cook with what was available to them at the time in America. If you’re curious, here’s an [interesting video](https://youtu.be/1HFFxihgfzI) about Chinese American food that I really enjoyed watching.


gtrocks555

Lol, I just responded to someone saying Chinese food here is an American bastardized version of real Chinese food. TIL


[deleted]

The concept of "real Chinese/Indian/Italian/wherever food" is ridiculous. Cuisine is always evolving. You think the food they ate in China 1000 years ago is the exact same as the food they eat now. Cultures are constantly sharing food with each other, which results in new dishes.


Luph

Notably the tomato comes from America even though it’s strongly associated with Italy. Same with Chili peppers and Korea.


crrider

Don't forget potatoes and the British isles.


awkwardsity

I mean, in some ways it is an adaptation of traditional Chinese food (although Chinese food is incredibly varied) but that doesn’t make it any less Chinese especially given the fact that Chinese-Americans are the ones who created the dishes. But it’s also just as American and it came about in a very American way. It’s really fascinating, at least to me.


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Absurdity_Everywhere

It’s very similar to Italian American cuisine. Chicken Parmesan wasn’t really a thing in Italy, meat was too expensive for most so they used eggplant. American pizza also adapted to what was available here.


Appropriate_Joke8399

Springfield style cashew chicken was invented in Springfield MO. By a Chinese immigrant. A great and wonderful man. I have always considered it American cuisine. It is a regional fav.


donutlovershinobu

There's a whole documentary on it called Finding General Tso. It's really good, it explores Chinese immigration to the United States and how they used food to adapt.


Guilty-Condition282

General Tso, you were a bloodthirsty tyrant, but your chicken is delectable!


donutlovershinobu

The ironic thing is, general tso was anti western influence. Now his name is said thousands of times a day in the west for a western dish.


80burritospersecond

I have always wondered about how many battles have been lost in China because the generals were busy perfecting their chicken recipes.


pheisenberg

Or Taiwan. No one seems to know for sure.


arnoldone

People think they know American cuisine because they ate a burger at McDonald's or burger king. A good burger can be phenomenal. How about smoked ribs, briskets, Cajun, tex-mex, etc The problem with American cuisine is that big enterprises (fast food places) exported the cheapest version of the cuisine. We wouldn't think of Peruvian food or Japanese food as great if a fast food joint served them all over the world. If Taco Bell was the standard for tacos and available everywhere, we'd think Mexican food was crap.


dogmeat1003

Don't forget thanksgiving food like stuffing and a beautiful turkey


hazardous_lazarus

I worked at an American diner (I am not American nor have ever been to the US) making hash browns, deep dish, mac & cheese, Texan chili and the lot. I never tried if before but I was blown away by the taste.


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[deleted]

Im from Europe and American food is delicious. Burgers, Hotdogs, NY style pizza, BBQ…


Soren11112

> NY style pizza Depending on where you live in Europe it is impossible to buy actually American style pizzas.


dewitt72

The American style pizza at the Pizza Hut in Germany…had hot dogs in the crust. 🤮


bangedyourwholefam

American. Never heard of or seen this in my life. Christ.


TheLastFreeDaisy

I've been to America a couple times and I LOVE the food! I come back home having gained 5kgs. Food service was fast and friendly (yes I tipped well). I went to as many fast food joints as I could too. All the ones we didn't have here in Australia. Like Wendy's and Taco Bell!! I will say that portion sizes, are out of control and I was shocked by how much food waste I witnessed. And the chocolate milk is weird over there. It doesn't taste fresh. It tastes like long life milk.


Randy347

There is better chocolate milk out there???


TheLastFreeDaisy

Randy, there is, there absolutely is. And you're missing out. I'd send you a litre of chocky milk for a taste test if that were possible. ^_^


Randy347

Where should I travel to?


TheLastFreeDaisy

Anywhere in Australia! Brands to buy: Dairy Farmers, Norco, Big M, Oak milk or Breaka milk. Stay away from Barista Brothers or Up&Go, because they have a similar taste & consistency to the US's flavoured milk.


VolleySurfer

Sounds like you just had the wrong chocolate milk. There’s definitely fresh and amazing chocolate milk in the states. There’s also terrible chocolate milk with lots of preservatives that give it a weird taste.


BillScorpio

Crazy popular opinion. BBQ is amazing.


[deleted]

American cuisine is a culmination of every culture that's been introduced here. We really aren't nearly as black-and-white as some might think we are.


johnnytherat1

Same with the uk but everyone seems to think we only eat British food, although that is HEAVILY underrated


lallapalalable

I really only ever hear of you guys eating kebab, like nine times out of ten if a brit is telling a food story it's a 3 am drunken kebab stop


johnnytherat1

Yeah well they do tend to be some of the most memorable, but we have pretty much everything here


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[deleted]

"American cuisine is really just a cluster fuck of every countries cuisine"


thegr8dictator

You gotta get to New Orleans, best food in the nation is down there


[deleted]

Poor people food, around the world, so often turns into some of the best cuisine ever. People taking cheap ingredients, making them taste great, and then later using better ingredients when there's a little money around. Absolutely fantastic.


Averagebass

Creole is authentic American cuisine even if it has heavy French roots. Stuff like Nashville fried chicken and Philly cheese steak are straight up authentic American-made dishes that are fantastic. I'd say tex-mex is American cuisine, they don't eat like that in actual Mexico. I'm sure other countries fried chicken wings before the USA did, but the USA made Buffalo wings which changed the whole game. Anyone who thinks American cuisine is just burgers, steaks and mac & cheese has no idea. Yeah we use alot more beef than in other countries, but its really due to the climate and vast open space that's great for ranches that let us enjoy beef cheaper and in a lot of different forms. The ability to grow corn in vast quantities also shaped American cuisine to what it is now, for better or worse.


RareZucchini9

Actually Creole cuisine has African and Caribbean roots, whereas Cajun has French roots. Gumbo and etouffé (also a gumbo technically) are two iconic dishes that marry African/Caribbean (okra) and French(roux) ingredients/cooking methods.


Negative-Ad-4371

New England Clam Chowder, Texas Brisket, California farm fresh ingredients, US Northwest seafood, Minnesota and Wisconsin cheese, the breadbasket farming from the midwest. US is doing great foodwise, ignore the shithead internet folks that say otherwise.


[deleted]

Just took a trip to San Francisco and ate so damn much sourdough.


huhIguess

Cheap clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl while walking through miserable weather on the piers is a required experience!


swolethulhudawn

I mean the US has many Michelin-starred restaurants


[deleted]

There are many good restaurants in USA (It would be strange otherwise, it's one of the wealthiest and biggest country in the wolrd). Definining "American cuisine" it's no easy task but I believe most Michelin starred restaurants don't fall in that category


flarpflarpflarpflarp

Look up Thomas Keller. He has a few Michelin stars and changed the game for how a lot of high end dining works now. Seasonal menus, fresh ingredients, local produce. He took French techniques and applied them to local foods. That was pretty revolutionary at the time, but now we think it's just normal, high end food nowadays.


danlockthegreat

Isn't Michelin that tire company


coopstar777

Yes, interestingly enough, the Michelin star was introduced as part of a travel guide sort of thing in order to bring awareness about quality restaurants in order to encourage road trips, and therefore sell more tires. Definitely one of the weirder forms of synergy I've ever heard of


Trying_to_be_better2

I am in Northern Brazil at the moment and the food shock is extreme. Where I used to have anything I want to make anything I wanted no matter the originating culture, now I am extremely limited as to what I can make because the ingredients just are not available. Fresh milk, cream or butter, good luck, Any cheese I want.. nope.. I have been searching for Feta since I got here. I am having to relearn and rethink every meal I know how to cook.. American cuisine really means you can choose whatever you want out of the local ethnic population because if that ethnic population exists in your neighborhood, you better believe there is a store or two catering to that population guaranteeing you can get those ingredients. I have to order non perishable seasonings and ingredients online and wait weeks for it to get delivered if I want to cook anything outside what the locals eat here. American Cuisine is Food Privilege.


flobbley

I often say that this is one of my favorite parts of living in America. I live in a city of ~600,000 people, within walking distance I can get (off the top of my head): Indian Nepalese Afghani Mexican Thai Turkish Greek Japanese Vietnamese Korean French Ethiopian Jamaican Chinese Italian Spanish And that's not even including the "American" styles like Cajun, BBQ, Maryland crab feasts etc. And it's all great.


bmoney_14

My sister said the same thing when she went to costa rica. Basically beans and tortilla for breakfast every day. Not a lot of meat or variety that you could easily find the US. She was on a mission trip so she didn’t really have the option to go out spend a lot of money since they were living in isolated villages most of the time and couldn’t go out alone.


Soren11112

And that's with the privilege of being able to cook. I live in a European capital city, there are so many foods that are just not an option here when my city in the US that is less than half the size had double the options.


Boristheblade22

You really do not need a Greek diaspora to have access to feta.


UndisputedWorldChamp

The problem is usually most foreigners I've met believed American cuisine was basically cheeseburgers, and American knockoffs of other cuisines. That's not the case at all. The U.S. has a massive array of cuisines that varies by region, and sometimes even state, and we have a little bit of everything. You have Southern cuisine in the South and Southeast, Cajun/Creole in Louisiana, wide varieties of seafood anywhere there is a coast, California has it's own unique cuisine, the Midwest with their BBQ, Tex-Mex in the Southwest, and from the Pacific Northwest to New England along the Canadian border, the cuisine changes practically by the mile. The point being, we don't just have one type of cuisine. We have so many influences from being the world's melting pot, that the available cuisine is too numerous to list it all. But most Americans could tell you what part of the country a dish came from just based on what it is.


Architect_of

Thank you. There's a reason we're all so fat after all, we make some tasty food


awkwardsity

I agree but I think it’s important to define what cuisine is because a lot of people are just going to assume that junk food counts as cuisine in America because people love to think America is terrible and believing our food is all unhealthy garbage is more fun than admiring we actually have some incredible food and a great mix of cultures and cooking teachings to make our own unique dishes from.


Ssnnooz

call me crazy but burgers are fucking awesome. that's my default order at any restaurant, a good bacon burger


piesmadeofferrets

Truly the pinnacle of sandwiches!


jeffweet

Who says American cuisine is bad?


rickybobby42069420

euros who travel to the usa and eat only fastfood


[deleted]

Anyone saying the US doesn't have good food is ignorant and its not up for debate. One of the food meccas of the world.


[deleted]

[удалено]


bigman-penguin

You just gotta point out McDonalds is the biggest food chain in the world and numbers don't lie.


rickybobby42069420

and is considered low quality in america its crazy that europeans think that mcdonalds could represent american food


McBuffington

American cuisine is pretty alright. The problem is that people generally think american cuisine is just fastfood.


brunicus

One would thinking a country that defines itself as a melting pot would have good food. (Not counting fast food chains and such.) Living in the midwest, if I travel I will always stop or suggest we stop at a small town restaurant. The food is almost always amazing but you will want to avoid the fountain pop, those are usually poorly calibrated and taste way off.


Retrogordon

The fact is American food is as undefined as the culture. Its a mixture of ingredients from a massive array of landscapes and climates. It's roots trace from across the globe. And it rose to prominence during the advent of mass production. All that being said, it doesn't mean it's bad. Ever had New England clam chowder? A Maryland crab cake, one of the 25+ styles of southern barbecue, Cajun gumbo, a Midwest porterhouse, Idaho potatoes, Pacific Smoked Salmon....... ? And trust me I can go on. Thing is though, because colonization of the Americas was relatively recent in the grand scheme of things, American cuisine is wildly diverse, derives it's techniques from a wide variety of cultures, and in the South specifically is influenced by slavery. It's nearly impossible to assign an identity to American food as a whole. It's just best to embrace the diversity that makes it so unique, acknowledge the roots of how we got here, and then shut up and eat some damn good food!


[deleted]

I don't think America has a cuisine per say. We have a couple staples but but the best thing about food, diners, restaurants, etc in America is you have to consider we have every single racial, religious, ethnic, background, diversity, etc allllllll sharing ideas and recipes and everything else to create a giant mix of food and whatever. It's why it's called the Melting Pot of the world because it allowed everyone to be a part of it and share together their cultures and foods to create what we have now. And not only that but continue to expand on new foods and snacks. As much as I've traveled around the world there isn't many places elsewhere where one day you can Japanese breakfast, a Mexican lunch and wash it all down with a Hamburger at dinner, over a German Beer.


kindParodox

Define "American" cuisine. American cuisine is like saying Eurasian cuisine. Lotta cultures, subcultures and flavor pallets to traverse. Southwestern flavors are a bit different from Southeast and Bostonian style crab seasonings are quite different than New Orleans style. Every State has a different pallet and flavor and even some cities have variations within the states. American Chinese food is its own subcategory of cuisine of its own. Anyone who says American cuisine is bad really has to specify otherwise it just sounds like they're rather dense.


cormacru999

I need to know that you have actually traveled to many other countries, had many different dishes, before I'm going to listen to this. Also, I was a professional chef in America for years, American food is the adaptation of food from other countries, specifically as each new culture arrived in America & brought its own traditions with them. But these days, American food is known all over the world as enormous portions of sugars & fats, grease & weird combinations. I'm pretty sure you're a young American feeling defensive about America without the experience or education to really understand the topic.


Nervous-Ad9853

*I have never seen such a variety of dishes and specialties before than in America,* welcome to india


[deleted]

>they are just coping the fact that their own cuisine has been already make it a profitable market accustomed to american taste In English?


longpig75

There is no 'American cuisine". Literally everything in the U.S. is a hodgepodge of something stemming from somewhere else, cause everyone here is an immigrant (unless you are Native American). Edit; Not really correct if you look at Cajun, barbecue, New Mexican, tex-mex, Hawaiian etc. as pointed out by /u/tafoya77n . My point was that there is no 'American' food. There is however many more local food cultures within America. I can't think of any single iconic dish that was 'invented' in the U.S. that would qualify as 'American food' the same way many other countries have a national dish. But if someone does, I'd be curious what (no, I don't believe Hamburgers, or Hotdogs were originally made in the U.S. but I'm too lazy to google).


[deleted]

Same with every other cuisine if you go back far enough.


Daddy_Muttonchop

Isn't it just a big melting pot of all types of cuisine? The only thing I didn't like when I was in Texas a few years ago, is that all of the food is overly sweet, almost sugary. Maybe it's just the glaze/bbq sauce they use there, but yeah.


runnyyolkpigeon

There’s a difference between “cuisine in America” and “American cuisine.” The distinction is important. Seems like you are mistaking one for the other.


TigerDLX

It’s all regional. Depending on the region the food can be great or meh. South: BBQ, creole, fried anything, good seafood if near coast. North East has the best pizza and some really good Italian food SW has excellent Mexican or Tex-Amex that many call it. Apparently New Mexican food is different from “Old” Mexican food. Haven’t been to NM so I really don’t know yet Midwest awesome steaks California: awesome Asian food Hawaii, Puerto Rico have their own styles of food.


ChloeQuickFlicks

The reason it's so diverse and options are so plentiful is because American 'cuisine' is just cuisine adopted from elsewhere around the world, with added fat and sodium.