20 Food-Related Culture Shocks Tourists Had When They Visited The US That I Honestly Can't Blame Them For
We all know by now that how and what we eat in the US can be a bit...surprising to those visiting. My parents moved to the States in the '80s and they are STILL baffled that they have to pay $9 for a coffee. And don't even get me started on my French boyfriend's obsession with free refills.
Tom Hearn / Via giphy.com
After hearing about the culture shocks in my own circle, I wanted to ask the BuzzFeed Community what they found particularly strange about how Americans eat, and I even did a deep dive on Reddit. Here were their responses:
1."I’ve been living in America for four years and I’m still not used to not having a real meal for lunch. My husband is always like, 'Just make yourself a sandwich' and he can’t understand that back at home we ate rice, beans, and red meat for lunch every day. A sandwich doesn’t make any sense for me. It’s one of the biggest cultural differences in our relationship!"
2."People eating on paper plates at home and baking food in disposable foil containers."
3."They drink the grossest thing I've ever tasted: Root beer."
4."I find it sad that many Americans have lunches in front of their computer screen at their desk. Lunch is a communal affair in India where six or seven of us will sit together, share each other's food, and make a meal of it."
5."Most Americans switch their knives from hand to hand depending on whether they're cutting or eating their food; they'll move the knife to their dominant hand to cut, and then transfer the knife back to their other hand so they can hold a fork with their dominant. I just keep my fork in one hand and knife in the other at all times, and all Europeans do the same — they don’t switch when they’re cutting things on their plates. I really don’t understand why right-handed Americans do it that way. It’s so much extra work."
6."How fast the average American eats. They eat like they're trying to beat the clock or win a contest."
7."I find many (but not all) Americans who have grown up eating a lot of processed food won’t try the 'real' version or complain it doesn’t taste the same. For example, boxed mac 'n' cheese is always going to be different than homemade but so many won’t even give it a shot because it isn’t what they’re used to."
8."The high quality of takeout and fast food in some places. I went to some random sandwich shop in Washington, DC and it was just the best. Unfortunately, that was almost 20 years ago. But even many times since then I've gone to grab a quick bite while in the country and have gotten something absolutely delicious. And then there's In-N-Out — that's on a whole other level."
9."Australian here. Lots of people complain about how bland American food is, but in my experience, these are the people who eat McDonald's in America and then wonder why it's no different from back home. America has some AWESOME barbecue. One of the best pizzas I have ever had — probably a close second to the one in Naples — was in a little sports pub in Breckenridge, Colorado. It can be really surprising just how good the food in America is, contrary to popular belief, and you don't have to look very hard to find it."
10."The whole coffee process. Why does it take 20 minutes to make a coffee? Why do Americans (in my experience anyway) not have kettles? The coffee pot is so confusing to me and having to mess around with filters. Also, why do they hate tea? Tea is lovely!"
11."How sweet the bread is. We had to search and search for bread without sugar in it."
12."I found putting butter on popcorn at the cinema to be the strangest thing."
13."My Swedish fiancé was in the US for the second time a few years ago and we went to Olive Garden. We ordered more than we could eat because we wanted to try several things, and I wanted to get a to-go box (also called a "doggy bag") and take the rest home like I always do when I have leftovers at restaurants. He was SO mortified at this that he begged me not to and said it would be so embarrassing. Apparently, asking to take your leftovers home is akin to asking to wash the dishes instead of paying in Sweden."
14."I did a little road trip around California a few years back. We were staying in the Lake Tahoe area and dropped in at this breakfast place to eat. This was about 9 a.m. or so. There were people having full-on steaks and fries for breakfast. It blew my mind."
—Anonymous
15."Drink refills. In the UK, refills aren’t a thing. In the US, a server will swipe your drink off your table without a word and refill it when you reach the halfway point."
16."The color of stuff, like Froot Loops. We have it here in Canada, but it's not as bright and vibrant as it is in the US. The intensity of the dyes is simply astonishing and, quite frankly, a little disturbing. Why do you need to have all the colors of the rainbow on your plate to convince you to eat your food?"
—Anonymous
17."Was served fruit salad and it had marshmallows in it. Really confusing texture and it was far too sweet for me, but after a few spoons I got used to it and thought it was pretty good! Not missing it, though."
18."The first time I went to The Cheesecake Factory I ordered meatloaf and a platter was put before me that I would have served to my family of five. Delicious, but excessive!"
19."The amount of sugar that Americans consume. My cousins live in the US, and it makes me nauseous when I see how they drink coffee — four to five teaspoons of sugar, three to five cups a day, so you do the math."
20."Drinking alcohol in public being frowned upon or forbidden. And the resulting use of paper bags in which the bottles are wrapped."
Is there anything else about food culture in the States that completely shocked you as a non-American? Let us know in the comments!
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
