Laura Corin Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 They opened an American food section at my local supermarket. It's so sad that, with all the excellent American food that there is, this is what we get: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5lVGv27cM2CNXZDUFJQOTF6M0k/edit?usp=sharing I bought Hobbes some Reese's peanut butter cups and some Hershey's chocolate, so that he could express his American side. He said that one Reese's would keep him going for most of the day. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emcap Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 That's sad. As an American, I don't buy a single one of those products. That's essentially just the junk food aisle that I avoid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 That is atrocious!! Other than the canned pumpkin I see nothing but junk. Nothing. They even gave you the HFCS pancake syrup and the peanut butter with sugar.We do have real maple syrup here, and natural PB.Gee whiz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I've never heard of Marshmallow Mateys. "Mateys" doesn't sound American to me. Is this a regional thing, or did they sneak in some Australian food? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Interesting to see what they think of as American food. I wonder how they choose. I'll have to take a picture of our British section next time I'm at the store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I've never heard of Marshmallow Mateys. "Mateys" doesn't sound American to me. Is this a regional thing, or did they sneak in some Australian food? I thought the same thing but then thought maybe it was a generic Lucky Charms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msrift Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I love that the nasty peanut butter/jelly combo was in there. Seriously, what expat above the age of 5 has a hankering for that disgusting nonsense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Yeah, my family is pretty American but we don't eat any of that. Well, the occasional M&Ms... and Reese's pb cups but only the mini dark chocolate kind, when we can find them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 19, 2014 Author Share Posted July 19, 2014 The peanut-butter cups had a special sticker specifying that they contained genetically-modified ingredients. We don't get much HFCS here. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Eww--Goober. Does anyone really eat that stuff? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Interesting to see what they think of as American food. I wonder how they choose. I'll have to take a picture of our British section next time I'm at the store. We found "American Pizza" in Germany - it had tuna and corn on it. I can't think of much that Americans would be less likely to eat on pizza. The British section at the store near where I used to live had Marmite, mint jelly, salad cream, spotted dick, mushy peas, and candy. So basically, sweets and everything that's a college student is likely to pick up for the novelty value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 What would you like to see? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I'm trying to think about the UK section of our local grocery. There may be a few confectionery items but I'm pretty sure most of the offerings qualify as real food although they are specialty products. I am just shaking my head. I wonder if the person ordering imports is from here and a total junk food addict, and found that he couldn't take the deprivation anymore. These aren't to be considered representative of American foods; they are just his favorites. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 19, 2014 Author Share Posted July 19, 2014 The British section at the store near where I used to live had Marmite, mint jelly, salad cream, spotted dick, mushy peas, and candy. So basically, sweets and everything that's a college student is likely to pick up for the novelty value. Yes and no: marmite is definitely something that expat Brits yearn for. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Wow. That's all the stuff I try to avoid (other than the Reese's Peanut butter cups.) Just out of curiosity, what do people where you live think of as American food? As an American I tend to think of the US in very regional terms, so American Food is too general a term for me to work with. There are specific foods I like from and associate with each region in the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 19, 2014 Author Share Posted July 19, 2014 What would you like to see? Me? Now I come to think of it, most of the foods that I love in the US are dishes rather than products: great Tex-Mex and barbecue - that kind of thing. If we are talking products, then probably lots of Trader Joe's. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 19, 2014 Author Share Posted July 19, 2014 Just out of curiosity, what do people where you live think of as American food? Probably hamburgers, pizza and fried chicken. Steaks maybe. Sweet pies. Donuts. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 You know what's funny, my kid thinks Lucky Charms is a foreign food, because the only time she's ever seen it is when we went on a Caribbean cruise. LOL. We shop at a store that doesn't even sell any of those "American" foods in your photo. Makes me wonder what people from other countries think of the "international foods" sections we have here.... It's hard to articulate exactly what "American food" is, though. I've had foreigners tell me that they think it pretty much means hamburgers. (Even though Hamburg is not in the US, LOL.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Me? Now I come to think of it, most of the foods that I love in the US are dishes rather than products: great Tex-Mex and barbecue - that kind of thing. If we are talking products, then probably lots of Trader Joe's. L You forgot Cajun. :drool5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann.without.an.e Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Wow, Pepsi throwback...isn't that hard to find in the US? I have a friend who loves it and often complains that stores don't carry it. I venture to guess there is nothing on that shelf we eat :confused1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 19, 2014 Author Share Posted July 19, 2014 You forgot Cajun. :drool5: I'm sure it's great, but I haven't eaten it. Husband is Texan, so that's the food I've encountered on trips 'back'. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I'm sure it's great, but I haven't eaten it. Husband is Texan, so that's the food I've encountered on trips 'back'. L You have led a very deprived life then. This needs to be rectified. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I'm mortified. It's that I never buy any of those products; I do but rarely. It's that there is so much more. I need to see what is offered in a British section over here. I don't recall ever seeing one in the major grocery stores around here, but I know there is in a smaller specialty store. Very interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Wow, Pepsi throwback...isn't that hard to find in the US? I have a friend who loves it and often complains that stores don't carry it. I venture to guess there is nothing on that shelf we eat :confused1: You can get it in most stores around here if you buy the 12 pack of cans and they often have it in a 20 oz. bottle. It's the only soda we drink anymore since it doesn't have HFCS. I don't think there was much on that shelf that we ever purchase - except the candy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckles Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 The A1 sauce has value. I love it with a nice steak, but the rest is just junk. The pumpkin might be okay. It's hard to tell in the picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I remember when my Indian friend first came and asked if I frequented "KENNt'gy fry-chicken." After I figured out she was trying to say "Kentucky" she then argued that I was misinformed about how to pronounce the state's name. LOL. Oh, and no, we didn't have a KFC anywhere nearby. I have not eaten KFC since I was a kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Maybe they surveyed some travelers/expats and asked them what they liked in the US that they could never find in the UK.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckles Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 The A1 sauce does NOT have value. Especially not if you put it on good steak. I do confess to liking Lucky Charms. okay then, we all have personal preferences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Probably hamburgers, pizza and fried chicken. Steaks maybe. Sweet pies. Donuts. L I imagine you can buy most of the ingredients for those things in the regular aisles of the store though. They did have A1 steak sauce and taco seasoning in your American section. We don't have many British foods in our international aisle, and there are a lot of digestive biscuits in the small selection. But you can buy mint jelly in the sauce aisle and lots of curry ingredients in the Asian section. I've never seen marmite, you might have to use Amazon for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Me? Now I come to think of it, most of the foods that I love in the US are dishes rather than products: great Tex-Mex and barbecue - that kind of thing. If we are talking products, then probably lots of Trader Joe's. L Several years ago my husband and older daughters drove across the SW and South from AZ to North Carolina. (The youngest and I flew.) They sampled BBQ all along the whole 4 day trip each way. It was glorious. It's really a wide range of flavors and a wonderful American culinary experience. Here in the SW people who like Mexican food definitely have their preferences. MexiCali from CA has a fish and veggies heavy fusion approach. Sonoran Mexican food (in AZ) has its own distinct flavors. The hatch chili influence in NewMexican food is its own thing and TexMex, well, I suppose I have to acknowledge it is technically Mexican food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Now youv'e got me thinking what I'd use as a representative selection of American foods: Beef jerky Canned succotash Maple syrup, pancake mix Peanut butter Grits Canned clam chowder Sourdough bread Blue corn chips Dang, I know I am forgetting some obvious items! Hard when trying to avoid fresh or chilled foods, too (I suspect sourdough bread would be impossible). I also tried to avoid foreign-influenced foods like tacos, pizza, etc. Btw, while I recuperate I have had my dd stock up on digestive biscuits for me from the Brit section of the international aisle of the local supermarket. They are lovely glorified graham crackers, aren't they! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I meant to say that when I was in the UK last week, I heard someone ask a buddy if he wanted any "Kentucky." Sure enough, there was a KFC in the vicinity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 How shameful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Wow, Pepsi throwback...isn't that hard to find in the US? I have a friend who loves it and often complains that stores don't carry it. :confused1: ?????? Every supermarket I've ever been in has one side of the aisle loaded with Coke products and the other side loaded with Pepsi products. Every convenience store I've ever been in does too. I'm a Coke drinker myself. When I'm at a restaurant and order one and the waitress asks, "Is Pepsi OK?" I'm tempted to reply, "Can I pay with Monopoly money?" instead of my polite, "Yes, thank you." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I used succotash as a regional veggie dish, isn't it from Eastern American Indians? And grits are pure Southern! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Another thing I noticed in the UK was how many fast food places were combinations of food we always see separate in the US. Like Mexican and Sushi. Or Middle Eastern and Thai. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I liked the beans in the breakfast in the UK. I despised the way they scramble eggs, though. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 19, 2014 Author Share Posted July 19, 2014 I imagine you can buy most of the ingredients for those things in the regular aisles of the store though. They did have A1 steak sauce and taco seasoning in your American section. Yes and no. We don't normally have tinned pumpkin, or pecans. And our steak is different - we don't have the same feedlot system. Now youv'e got me thinking what I'd use as a representative selection of American foods: Beef jerky Canned succotash Maple syrup, pancake mix Peanut butter Grits Canned clam chowder Sourdough bread Blue corn chips Good ideas. I know what exactly is a digestive biscuit? I've seen that too. Is this a biscuit you can count on going down easily? Seriously...no clue. Here's the recipe: The typical digestive biscuit contains coarse brown wheat flour (which gives it its distinctive texture and flavour), sugar, malt extract, vegetable oil, wholemeal,raising agents (usually sodium bicarbonate, tartaric acid and malic acid) and salt.[16] Dried whey, oatmeal, cultured skimmed milk and/or emulsifiers such asDATEM may also be added in some varieties. And here's the Wiki. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I shop the perimeter so I don't buy that junk. Ugh...what a yucky menu of offerings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 19, 2014 Author Share Posted July 19, 2014 I'm amazed at the breakfast in the UK. It's like a 10 course mega meal with beans, eggs, sausages, bacon, tomatoes, etc. I'm sure not everyone eats that, but wow. Yes - most people eat it rarely. I would say that the most common breakfast was cold cereal. I liked the beans in the breakfast in the UK. I despised the way they scramble eggs, though. :p Yeah: I'm not keen on American scrambled eggs - they seem like a not-quite-achieved omelette. Good British scrambled eggs are slow and luscious. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grover Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 that photo would be pretty representative of the "American" food offered in our international section too. We have a company here called "United Sweets" that imports (mostly) candy from the USA (and a few bits from the UK). It seems to be fairly popular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 the only thing I use in that picture are m&m's (at holidays), oreo's (the cookie part only for chocolate cheesecake crust), hershey bars (for s'mores. If I want to eat straight chocolate, there's better chocolate I'd rather eat), and pumpkin. we do get reese's peanut butter cups, but I prefer the minis. they have more chocolate in proportion to the peanut butter. ;p eta: while I do use peanut butter - no way on this green earth would I EVER use "jif". it's loaded with sugar and other garbage to "stablize" it. the only stuff I use is peanuts and salt. nothing else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I showed the picture to my kids. Elder's response: "Wow, except for the steak sauce, it's pretty much all sugar! And what's with the Marshmallow Mateys? Are those fake Lucky Charms? So why would they sell those AND Lucky Charms?" Younger's response: "Is that what people think American supermarkets are really like?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Oh, gotta add cranberries and blueberries! Can we get canned prairie oysters?;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 ?????? Every supermarket I've ever been in has one side of the aisle loaded with Coke products and the other side loaded with Pepsi products. Every convenience store I've ever been in does too. I'm a Coke drinker myself. When I'm at a restaurant and order one and the waitress asks, "Is Pepsi OK?" I'm tempted to reply, "Can I pay with Monopoly money?" instead of my polite, "Yes, thank you." Pepsi throwback has the old logo and no high fructose corn syrup. Our stores sell the regular HFCS Pepsi and the Pepsi Throwback but I don't think all places do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Ok, but ppl to be fair here is a British shop not far from where I live. They just carry junk too. This is shelf stable stuff. What else would you expect really? http://www.britsrus.com/ You've got a point. I guess we have to hope that they know it is not truly representative of how many of us eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Well as my kid once said (in what she thought was a British accent): "We were all British before the Revolution." [Funny to me since her bio heritage is Mayan, but anyway....] At the risk of being drawn and quartered (as almost happened when I ventured this way about Canadians), our food traditions aren't all that different. They aren't going to put stuff that is a shared food tradition in the "international" aisle. But it does make for a fun discussion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 19, 2014 Author Share Posted July 19, 2014 This is shelf stable stuff. What else would you expect really? I like the list that JFS came up with. And Trader Joe's could contribute. There are lots of better shelf-stable British products too. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 This probably looks comparable to the British food section at my supermarket. It contains (from memory) Cadbury drinking chocolate, Heinz beans, digestive biscuits, Lyle's Golden syrup, lots of chocolate bars, some Indian cooking sauces, HP sauce, Bird's custard powder, etc. Here's somebody's photo of it: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ariedana/8371213138/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Personally I do not view Trader Joe's as traditional American food. But that's just me.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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