American Food

[Bruce]

I saw how on one trip report thread some posters complained about American food.  Anyone who makes that complaint does not know what they are talking about.  America is the major food producer of the world.  We have the complete varieties of all fresh vegetables and fruit all times of the year.  All types of milk and eggs is available fresh in abundance.  In addition we have the primest, freshest beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey, buffalo, ostrich, duck and other game meets available in great abundance any time of the year.   Anywhere in the USA you can get the best beef you ever tasted in your life ie. a steak right out of the Flintstones, which is so good you just can not find beef like it anywhere else in the world with perhaps the exception being Canada and New Zealand.  If you do not like fresh meat, poultry and produce any and all types of frozen and packed food found in the world is here. 

If you want restaurants everything is in the USA, from small towns to larger cities.  Naturally, the bigger the city the more price variety and type.  Still, great restaurants comprising the full gamut of ethnic foods is found throughout the USA. 

So, how does anyone compete with the USA for food.....................there is no way.  "Try it, you'll like it."

[Elen]

and you are the fatest nation in the world:P

[KenC]

Bruce,

My wife, Lena hates the processed foods here.  She is dead set against all the additives, hormones and perservatives that are abundent in our foods.  It is those things that make our food so unhealthy.  Even the meats and poultry have been tainted with growth hormones.  I think she is on to something with her way of thinking.

KenC 

[525i]

A week ago I arrived from my first trip to USA. It was business trip and lasted three weeks.

I was in Carlsbad, a bit north from San Diego. Mostly we ate Mexican food. We also ate Italian, Chinese, etc. Local usually asked what we would like to eat. After more than one week I said, "What about American food?" So, for the first time we ate American food. I picked hamburger type of food and it was good, althouh the cola was quite lime. On the last day I ate very good "Sea Food Combo" in the same place.

The local Finn wanted to show us one place, "Denny's". You probably know ;-) It was Sunday morning at about 8:30. We did not sleep much on the previous night. My colleague did not sleep at all. I took something I don't remember and I was surprised how big it was and it did not cost much. My colleague ate only half, or less and he's bigger than me. I ate all! I was full. I needed food on the next day at 1 PM !!! I did not want to eat before. I bet many do and it shows in their body. Do you want to see some photos ;-)

Of course we had to go to McDonalds since we were there. It was the same as it's in Finland. I eat that only once in a year or more seldom.

On our one day off we went to tour and one place was Julian and I bought an Apple Pie of course. It was good.

I am sure we did see only small part of American food, because it was so Mexican influenced place.

[andrewfi]

Bruce ~ It is possible to eat very well in the US, but it is also pretty likely that one will eat spectacularly badly.

It is hard for shoppers to avoid buying processed foods, which, if one must eat them are colourful and 'tasty' and chock full of stuff that would make most Europeans blench. American lifestyle militates against eating well. Frankly, most of you are too busy to eat well and the rest are too poor. But, yes, just as in Europe, one can buy good quality meat and vegetables, some meat, as in Europe, even free of added hormones and antibiotics.

So, when a visitor to the US complains about poor food, he/she is probably more accurately railing against a lifestyle that eschews quality in favour of quantity and prefers convenience over taste.

On my visits to the US I have enjoyed much of what I have eaten, but most of my eating was not typical of what most of your country men eat. And also, I did always tend to indulge myself in excess, even as I realise that as a European gourmand I could not equal you guys when it came to portions... A friend of mine came here to live. He imported 'Mac & Cheese'! This is what he eats at home. It is not possible to buy such horrid stuff here. Same guy refuses to eat brown shelled eggs, I have no idea why. He can recognise only Iceberg lettuce as a green salad ingredient. Show him a proper lettuce -  with flavour, or Chinese leaf and he is lost, not even recognising them as food ingredients.

Is my friend typical? Probably of urban, professional, single people yes. By the time he goes home, he will know how to cook and how to recognise food. We have three years...

American chain restaurants are hardly world class eateries and one owuld be hard pressed to manage a balanced and adequate diet dining at them. IIRC the 'average American' eats out more than three times per week. Dining at chain restaurants and fast food outlets is not a route to healthy and good eating. Cheap, yes, convenient, yes, good? Nope!

 

 

[Bruce]

I agree with everything you all have said.  Yes, one can eat spectacularly bad in the USA if one is not educated properly.  However, it comes down to choice.  Any food type one can possibly imagine is here in abundance.  Its up to the individual to choose correctly.

[andrewfi]

A typical new arrival in the US is, by definition educated badly, in respect of American food. You are an educated man, you have lived in your country for almost fifty years. If you do not know how to best 'live off the land' by now then there is something very wrong.

But...

Most Americans are overweight, they eat huge amounts of fat, corn starch and little fresh food. Surely they should know better?

So, if they do not, how does a person who can not read the labels to choose a packaged food with relatively low fat content, or where excess salt is not going to cause a heart attack? When told that the US is the biggest and best as you have just done, what does the new immigrant think when her skin starts going blotchy and flaky? When she is told by her husband that Mac & Cheese is what he likes, she buys it and ignores the relatively small fresh produce section, after all, American stuff advertised on TV is the best Huh?

When she goes to a restaurant and eats what is offered, when she was used to eating out, on average one time per year, how does she control her intake and read the menu to check ingredients?

Then you wonder why after a while people say American food is horrible!

[KenC]

Hey 523i,

You were right in amy neigborhood!  There are many fine seafood restaurants here in San Diego.  Fresh fish is abundent.

Bruce,

Of course you are right, we all can chose correctly.  Lena is a regular shopper at the healthier small grocery stores and is a very picky eater.  If it weren't for our local French bakery, she would be a perfect eater.

Andrew,

My inlaws have visited a few times and they are always amazed at the portions served in our restaurants.  They order one appitizer and one main course and split it.  That seems to be a perfect portion for them.

KenC

[anono]

bruce is right. a lot of good natural foods are available at the local schnuck's. depends what you buy.

look a little more and you can find markets. living in southern IL, i can buy sweet corn right from the field it was grown. i can find fresh hog or cattle, yard bird... we even have fish..:cool:

my brother in law i a gourmet chef and he and my sister found this market in st. louis, they visit once a week or so. i live on two acres and i want to grow a garden if i bring home a lady.

i weigh the same i have for the past 25 years...

[Goombah]

Anono -

My future inlaws "kitchen gardens" are a lot smaller than 2 acres and they manage to grow a lot of what they eat. I doubt their entire planted area is 50' x 100' and they manage to put up about 500 large pickle jars of food a year - enough to feed the parents daily and extended family (two daughter with two granddaughters) often.

Now they WORK that land, have three small greenhouses, etc.  My future MIL is putting in at least 12 hours a day right now in the garden.  That will slow down some once all the planting is done, but not long afterwards some of the early harvesting will start.

Yeah, I'm looking to eat a lot heathier than I do now when Evia arrives - even if its via Schnucks for the winter.  She laughs when I tell her I'm looking forward to eating better, but emphasize LESS, than I do now.  She tells me I will have new ways to burn off fat when she is there... Gotta love a woman like that!

Guess I'll have to use up all my Mac & Cheese and Hamburger Helper before she arrives. <smile>

[anono]

Guess I'll have to use up all my Mac & Cheese and Hamburger Helper before she arrives. <smile>

now that's funny...

most of the two acres is wooded. i have a clear lot size area next door, i envision only a small garden, i'm not that ambitious...lol

 

[Son of Clyde]

Every morning it feels like an earthquake, but no it is only the fat employees walking down the hall carrying their breakfast.

[jb]

Re: American food

I wonder about the super markets in the rest of the country.

The fresh produce section at my local store is filled to over flowing with fresh veggies and fruits.  The seafood section has piles of fresh fish, shrimp, bay scallops, and even a large tank of live lobsters.  Similarly, the meat section has every type and style of red meat, chicken, lamb, and pork.  The dairy aisle has about a hundred different kinds of cheeses, yogurts, and at least six different kinds of milk and cream.

The problem with over weight American is there are also two dozen aisles filled with pre-prepared, "heat-n-eat" junk foods, soft drinks, cakes, ice creams, and candies.

To those who are worried about how well your RW will adapt, if anything, she will be over whelmed by the huge amount of choices available.  Even the biggest markets in Moscow have less to offer than the average market here.  Anyone can eat healthy from just about any American super market.  You just have to learn how to cook the good stuff and not be tempted by the pretty packaging on the junk food.  

[Donna_Pedro]

 

jb

 Even the biggest markets in Moscow have less to offer than the average market here.

For the sake of telling the  truth, let me disagree with you for once. How long ago did you visit   Moscow? you know, I  travelled there last year and there are a bunch of different supermarkets, each of them would make Walmart  look like a poor Uncle Tom's cabin.  "Sedmoy continent"  Perekrestok ", "Ramstore " "Paterson"  are chain brands, that have several stores each opened all over Moscow.   (Ramstore is definately at least 1,5 times larger then Super-Walmart and its even  called Hyper-market,as its like a small town and there are around 10 of those in Moscow). There are others -  Kopeika, Avos'ka,  SPAR etc.   Last year my ex- took me to Auchan  (french chain) - ooooff..24 000 square meters of food!!! http://mega.rbc.ru/en/about/partners/index.shtml?show_item=12

you need to go see for yourself, or you would never believe. You can get lost just in a dairy section, there are milk products from Russia, FSU and all over the world. Its not only about the quantity, its also about the variety of different foods offered. There are milk products americans never even seen, like different types of curds, milk-based drinks etc.  I have never tried anything like this in US. And of course you can buy fresh veggies from all over the world all the year round. Mr.Pedro actually says that he felt that russian food is much healthier then american and he felt better eating in Moscow.

Anyone can eat healthy from just about any American super market.

 Sorry, but your bread sucks. I buy it from a Russian store and travel 40 min. to PCBeach  for that matter. Besides Mr.Pedro got addicted to russian sweet "Sirki", so I buy them to him there for an un-Godly price of 99c each. :cool: I grow tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers  from RUSSIAN SEEDS in my backyard, because I can not stand  slippery watery veggies . I dont know what they do to them, but they all smell and taste the same - ie nothing. I make my own kefir and curds (I have alive kefir fungus that I can share if Etna needs).

[Son of Clyde]

I work for the federal government.

Of course there was a hiring freeze for 20+ years and most of our employees are over 50.

Of the 2,000 employees in my building, over the age of 50,  I would venture to guess 65% are overweight. I am about 12 pounds overweight myself and plan to change this very soon.

Our generation was not as health conscious as the yonger generation. The generation that came of age around 1982 were part of the fitness craze that hit around that time.

 

[groovlstk]

My family lives in the Jersey burbs, where you can find examples of bad chain restaurants everywhere (e.g., Olive Garden, TGIFriday's, Chili's, etc.). I often ask them why they prefer to eat at these places when there are more interesting mom & pop ethnic restaurants in the area that they've never even tried. Their reasoning is that they can safely predict a "decent" meal at the Olive Garden, served within 10 minutes, regardless of whether the Olive Garden is in Manhattan or Muskogee. 

Unfortunately a lot of Americans factor in the convenience + risk of being served something they don't like/have never tried and that =  do the safe, boring thing. But hey, if you want to find good food here you don't need a Zagat's, there's lots of it.

The last time I ate at a chain/fast food place was in Amsterdam at the beginning of the Iraq war. I was at a bar thinking about having dinner at one of the nearby restaurants that were recommended to me.  All that heavy thinking required several Heinekins, and once I'd made my decision a few more Heinekins were needed to stimulate my pallette.  Unfortunately, some of the locals decided to give me a lesson in international relations, the crux of which was why they hated Americans, and my drunken retorts didn't do much to settle the matter. It got so ugly that I doubt even Jimmy Carter could have resisted saying something bad about their mothers. Anyway, afterwards I was mad enough that I had dinner at a McDonald's

[Bruno]

[user=115]Donna_Pedro[/user] wrote:

Last year my ex- took me to Auchan  (french chain) - ooooff..24 000 square meters of food!!! http://mega.rbc.ru/en/about/partners/index.shtml?show_item=12

you need to go see for yourself, or you would never believe. You can get lost just in a dairy section, there are milk products from Russia, FSU and all over the world. Its not only about the quantity, its also about the variety of different foods offered. There are milk products americans never even seen, like different types of curds, milk-based drinks etc.  I have never tried anything like this in US. And of course you can buy fresh veggies from all over the world all the year round. Mr.Pedro actually says that he felt that russian food is much healthier then american and he felt better eating in Moscow.

A French concurrent from Auchen, very big too... virtual visit of a shop at http://www.hypercarrefour.be/Virtualvisit_01.cfm?lang=fr

More little shop but number one in the world,  Spar from Holland : http://www.spar-international.com/nucontroller.asp?portalid=1&navid=13&nuid=27&lcid=en&pagetype=details

And a little Belgium group, very present in USA, Delhaize : http://64.29.208.90/en/gr_glance.asp

Now, everybody can choice good food ingredient... but our active work life don't allow us to have the time to ready it...

Donna, you can find vegetable almost so good that these you grow in your garden in Hypermarket... visit the bio section... they are vegetable from normal seed ( without genetic manipulation) and grow without herbicide, fongicide, of other chimical product... of course, they are very expensive... because not so much productif but have a very good taste... the same with meat... without antibiotic and grow hormone... 

[Donna_Pedro]

There are no hyper-markets in PC, FL.  A small russian food store that we have close by, inspite of being very expensive ($3 for a loaf of not to fresh "black" bread) ,  is  still constantly  running out of things, because of many people from FSU living in this area. We have Walmart, WinnDixie, Publix, Albertson. Thats all. The food  in all of them is the same - only the prices are different. In NC I used to shop in Food Lion and Harris Teetor, in AL it was Kroger - no difference at all.  Food in bio departments.. oh yeh.. 3 times more expensive then the normal one.

[wxman]

In America, the problem is not the lack of healthy food to eat, but the lack of people who will eat healthy food. I love my garden in my back yard. Ton of fresh veggies to eat! Nothing tastes better than freshly picked tomatoes, lettuce, beans, etc.

[mischief]

The beauty of the US is that you can find anything you want... because there are people of so many nationalities live here...  You just have to try harder to find what you like, simply because all the variety here!  There are more than plenty of  greek, russian, italian, mexican, chinese restaurants! There are stores you can get products from all over the world like World Market, Fiesta, Spec's   etc. and russian stores.. .  If you like french food there is cafe LaMadeleine for you (they make excellent bread too!)... or even better - go to New Orleans! There is so great variety of good sausages in WI, not worse than in Austria and Germany...

As for the taste... well,  it's pretty much necessary to use synthetic pesticides, hormones and antibiotics just to feed all population here...  China wouldn't survive without using chemicals!  But for those who care to eat right and have a better taste there is organic food.  Everything taste pretty much the same as I had in Belarus... even milk! As for me, we eat only organic food... it's a bit more expensive but you pay for your health and taste! The reason, why most products are organic on the territory of FSU, is they can't afford chemicals now! For the fresh diary food go to local farms...

And if your wives can and love to cook - you WILL eat right!  Just try and eventually you'll find what is right for you...

What I truly miss is our fresh cottage cheese (couldn't find quite the same here!) and chocolate from Belarus...  the reason, why in Belarus the chocolate better, is we still use cocoa (which is more expensive ingredient) , not cocoa butter... which give excellent taste to the chocolate! But there is Belgian and Swiss chocolate available here - so it's not so bad!

[Bruno]

chocolate from Belarus...  the reason, why in Belarus the chocolate better, is we still use cocoa (which is more expensive ingredient) , not cocoa butter... which give excellent taste to the chocolate! But there is Belgian and Swiss chocolate available here - so it's not so bad!

Belgium chocolate use cacao butter... but we have not accept to use soja oil ( more cheap ) like it is allow in other country in Europa...  I like very much the "Leonidas" praline... From Swiss, the milk chocolate is a wonder...

[mischief]

In America, the problem is not the lack of healthy food to eat, but the lack of people who will eat healthy food.

I'm with you!

Garden in the back yard?  - lucky duck! I can't grow anything down here!  Too bad soil... too hot and too many bugs!

[Donna_Pedro]

In America, the problem is not the lack of healthy food to eat, but the lack of people who will eat healthy food.

Its and easy rule of supply and demand. If nobody demands healthy food, then its not produced in  sufficient amounts and varieties. Nobody demands healthy food   because of the cultural specific here. Its not  shamefull to be fat here. Women in FSU and Europe (I did not see a lot of fat people in UK), if  even fat, try to hide it with cloths and stay on diets at least to keep their weight in borders, women in US do not care, they put "sexy" shorts on 200lbs body and feel proud of themselves. Its not even called "fat", for these people wont feel themselves bad compared to their normal-weighting counterparts.  The politically correct term for such people is - weight challenged. Men are being brainwashed since childhood that they are not supposed to look at outer beauty, but only on inner one.  Its a hypocritical bs that I  hate so badly in this culture.  Change the attutude, start telling people that not to take care of their bodies is disrespectfull to yourself and other people - and there will be a demand for healthy food, as there will be  a better market for it. I think in the South its worse then in the North.

[wxman]

Healthy living all starts in the home. Overweight parents will produce overweight children, because you learn from your elders. Growing up, we always ate as a family, and had many different fruits and vegetables. Junk food was virtually non existent, first because it cost too much, second it was not as widely available, and third, which is the most important, my parents rarely allowed it. A parent's job is to lead by example, but America likes living in the fast lane, which means eating fast food, not having a normal meal with the family, and above all convenience is king. Fewer and fewer people even know how to cook a meal, and I don't see it getting any better, but actually worse, as today's children will be tomorrow's parents, and their lifestyle is atrocious. In many kid's lives, the only resemblence of a vegetable they ever eat, is ketchup with their fries.  

[wxman]

Garden in the back yard?  - lucky duck! I can't grow anything down here!  Too bad soil... too hot and too many bugs!

We are right on the border of Iowa which is known to have one of the best soils in the world. Everything grows well here! My favorites, strawberries, watermelon, and tomatoes grow like mad! Of course, the soil is so good, corn grows just by imagination.