What is a food or dish that you think Americans do better?

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TheTalkingDonkey07@reddit

As a vegetarian I can confidently say 'nothing'.

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This is so untrue. There's a massive move towards meat replacement which far surpasses UK equivalents in not only quality but range. And this was from a vegetarian who last visited my family 2 years ago so goodness knows what they've come up with since

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TheTalkingDonkey07@reddit

You want to eat soya and beetroot burgers be my guest.

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cazzawazza1@reddit

I mean if you're just talking burgers then I suppose your options are limited. Personally I've only seen things like halloumi burgers with portabella mushrooms, impossiburgers, pulled jackfruit burgers, falafel burgers, seitan burgers, beyond meat burgers, etc 🤷🏻‍♀️ But there are definitely more menu options most places than there were 20 or so years ago for veggies with much more creativity and effort. That's my experience anyway.

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TheTalkingDonkey07@reddit

We grow about 80% of our own food.....but I can get all that at The Fat Cow in Fakenham. Which is excellent by the way.

House of Seitan is ok too

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itssearstower@reddit

Such an ignorant comment. America is more than burgers, you know that right?

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TheTalkingDonkey07@reddit

Worked there for 35 years.

So yes.

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itssearstower@reddit

All 50 states?

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TheTalkingDonkey07@reddit

Nah

Alaska, Hawaii, California, Illinois, Washington, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, NY, Louisiana, Nevada

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edelweiss891@reddit

I have many I know in the US who are vegan and vegetarian and they have so many more options, restaurants and stores for it. Yes the US if the land of excess and they can have excessive junk but they also have a huge variety of healthy food options as well.

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Amazing_Management38@reddit (OP)

Yeah, that's tough

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itssearstower@reddit

Definitely Mexican. UK Mexican is crap

BBQ too. UK BBQ is a thing now but it's far from mainstream and mostly pretentious or no just crap. Real American BBQ is light years ahead

Hotdogs are better. UK hotdogs are still those nasty things in brine or some pretentious stuff

America does mac & cheese better too. Brits have an obsession with cheddar which doesn't really work as a melty cheese. The best mac is made with Colby cheese or other mild cheeses

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Dogsafe@reddit

Obviously the US has much more of a low and slow barbecue culture than we do here but I'd also guess that as a population they're better at "normal" barbecue/grilling than we are. We just don't really have consistent enough weather for most people to either get good at it, or venture much further than burgers, sausages and maybe steaks.

Even then if you look at the back of a pack of lamb koftas or burgers or most things sold as "perfect for the BBQ" you'll see that the cooking instructions are "cook in oven, finish on barbecue".

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edelweiss891@reddit

Agree!

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Environmental_Peak43@reddit

Potato salad. Anything barbecue too.

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BumblebeeNo6356@reddit

Aussies can do much better

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LJ161@reddit

I see your Aussies and I raise you... the south Africans.

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BadBassist@reddit

Braai for life

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LJ161@reddit

I've been very lucky during the influx of south Africans coming to my area of the UK in which I've been invited to a couple by colleagues and my god. So good. Can't go back to s British bbq now. Braai all the way.

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ZedBundy@reddit

Barbecue in US is better than UK. Can’t think of anything else though

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Polish_Shamrock@reddit

And it's definitely not cheese lol. Them mericans don't know what cheese is.

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Amazing_Management38@reddit (OP)

Wisconsin makes some of the best cheese in the world

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generichandel@reddit

It makes some of the best cheese in America.

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Amazing_Management38@reddit (OP)

https://gff.co.uk/world-cheese-awards-2024-super-golds-the-top-14-cheeses/

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srm79@reddit

Anything that says it comes with American cheese is an instant no from me - it's absolutely foul 🤮

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ZedBundy@reddit

Yeah cheese in the US is generally awful compared to UK/EU.

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Sean_13@reddit

BBQ is like a different ball game between the US the UK. BBQ in the UK is poorly cooked sausages and burgers and sometimes chicken if you fancy salmonella with it. I've not tried American BBQ but from what I've heard, it's its own delicacy, where it is cooked properly and it's seasoned and cooked in sauces and served with decent sides.

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ZedBundy@reddit

I’ve never been to or cooked a bad BBQ in the UK and I’ve been to and cooked at many. So I don’t share your position there. Maybe find a better host or do it yourself!

The average US BBQ is just better than the average UK BBQ in my experience. The Caribbean is even better than the US.

A side note: Sausages in the US are awful. Have never had a good one, not in NYC or anywhere else. UK is miles better for sausages. DACH and Eastern Europe are the elite sausage makers though.

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Sean_13@reddit

True, it might be different experiences and it might be more a stereotype as its been years since I've been to a BBQ. But the stereotype I picture is men that can't cook, bbqing whilst the flames are still going sometimes eith single use bbqs and either overcooking or undercooking everything.

But my main thinking is Bbq in the UK is burgers and hotdogs with ketchup or mustard. And Bbq in the US is brisket, ribs, the works, slow cooked with rubs and marinades.

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ZedBundy@reddit

Haha I hear you. Growing up with my family it was always the best cook on the coals, I only ever get invited to BBQ’s by people who want to cook, in my circle that usually means they can.

I also grew up in an area of the UK with a high population of West Indies folks, and their BBQ’s were on par with the stuff I’ve had in the south of the US, but the average UK BBQ isn’t always that good, whereas the average BBQ in North Carolina, Texas, etc is.

Recommend you find out for yourself if you get out there, you won’t be disappointed.

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Amazing_Management38@reddit (OP)

What about poke? I forgot about that one

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ToddleWaddle@reddit

Oh yeah I had tuna poke in the US without knowing what it was, it just sounded interesting. It was absolutely wonderful. We were in a place where the server made fresh guacamole at the table in front of the customers. Ive never seen that before, was pretty impressive.

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ZedBundy@reddit

Nice, will give it another go next time I’m stateside. Wish I could remember the name of the spot I had poke in London, was unreal.

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ZedBundy@reddit

Had some in LA and somewhere in North Carolina, but neither as good as a bowl I had in London, probs not qualified to say! Don’t eat it that much.

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generichandel@reddit

I will be admonished by my fellow Brits for this, but biscuits and gravy with a poached egg on top in the US is absolutely amazing, and beats a full English for me any day.

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edelweiss891@reddit

Seconded!

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generichandel@reddit

The ones downvoting us are picturing bisto on a digestive.

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BaconDerulo@reddit

Consider yourself admonished

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generichandel@reddit

I do. But I swear biscuits and gravy isn't what it sounds like to us.

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its_raining274@reddit

Sandwiches! So much more variety, salads, sauces, and fillings in them.

Also your Mexican food is phenomenal.

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DeliciousCkitten@reddit

Yes!! A NYC deli Italian sub or pastrami Reuben is hard to beat. I’ve tried to replicate at home but haven’t quite got the magic figured out yet.

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Living_the_Limit@reddit

I just love the American style pancakes with plenty of Maple syrup on them. It's a great treat.

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BlueberryLeft4355@reddit

Soul food.

And no, if you're a tourist (or even just an icky white person from the US), you have not tried it.

Real soul food doesn't cater or advertise to tourists, but it has influenced cuisine all over the world.

You're welcome.

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SnooDonuts6494@reddit

Background: English person who has travelled a lot, and lived in many different countries.

In all honesty, in America, I struggled to find any great food. I found a LOT of food - huge portions - but nothing that I would class as haute cuisine. And it wasn't for wont of trying. I went to some very expensive restaurants, and they were all adequate. Fantastic service. Quality food, plenty of it, fair prices. But nothing that was memorable.

I may have been unlucky, or chose the wrong places... but that's my thoughts on the matter.

Don't misunderstand - I had lots of fantastic food. Ribs. Steaks. Burgers. LOTS of amazingly nice, substantial meals. But nothing that seemed particularly special. As a massive generalisation, it seems to be more about quantity than quality.

I know that YouTuber "Gary Eats" had some great experiences there recently, though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vuq_IGaMNw

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AdDifferent1711@reddit

I agree. I got massively downvoted in another sub for saying this. When you go to the US the variety and the size of the portions is somewhat intoxicating. But generally the taste is not there - over salty, over spicy, over sweet, but no real flavor. The sloppiness is also a factor.

The barbecue is great, but better in South Africa or the Caucasus. The desserts are almost uniformly bad. I also hate the salads with a passion. Always overloaded with random fatty bacon chunks, nuts that detract and with grotesque fatty, slimy dressings. In the UK you can get some epically shit foot, some weird food and some scary looking food, but you can always get some fresh, well-prepared tasty food. Not so in the US. I have been all over: Washington, Oregon, California and DC, New York and the South.

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Hulla_Sarsaparilla@reddit

Hard agree, I’m from the UK but visited the US a bunch of times and the main thing with food is there absolutely tonnes of it so you get the wow factor when it arrives but it’s just not that great

I’d rather have a tastier better cooked smaller meal

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Amazing_Management38@reddit (OP)

I will admit I am a sucker for platters of meat too big to finish in one sitting

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barkley87@reddit

Spoken like a true American.

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Fyonella@reddit

I fully agree with this. Have visited several times and have literally no memory of anything I ate. Nothing awful, just bland, heavy, poorly seasoned food. Too much on the plate, too much sloppy food. Didn’t matter if it was a diner in Kingsman or a fancy Mexican restaurant in Phoenix or a crazy priced bar/restaurant in San Francisco.

The only thing I actually enjoyed was a tasty grain & vegetable salad in a restaurant in Napa Valley but then a piece of hazelnut in that salad sliced my gum open so badly I could barely eat the rest of the holiday. It swelled up really badly! 😂

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Amazing_Management38@reddit (OP)

Phoenix surprisingly has mediocre mexican food

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That_Northern_bloke@reddit

Over the top burgers. You lot do those superbly. Mountains of meat and cheese and carbs

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Amazing_Management38@reddit (OP)

Growing up in California, it never took me long to realize how much I missed having an In n Out around whenever I left the West Coast

Nothing really comes close

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Hulla_Sarsaparilla@reddit

I recently had an In n Out in Vegas and it was sadly the most disappointing burger experience of my life, it just tasted of salt, I couldn’t even finish it, bad times :(

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G_UK@reddit

I had my first In N Out in San Francisco last month and I gave it a 7/10

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Amazing_Management38@reddit (OP)

Sound about right, I give it around an 8. But nothing else that costs 5$ comes close imo

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Drewski811@reddit

Yeah, but I'd rather pay more and have a decent burger. It's cheap for a reason.

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Amazing_Management38@reddit (OP)

Different strokes for Different folks, if I'm at a place with a 30$ burger, I'm probably not getting the burger

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Drewski811@reddit

There's a middle ground that's perfectly fine.

I've had In'n'out a few times. Ok, price is good, but it's just a mediocre burger. Which, yes, is fine for that price, but is honestly very similar to most chain places in the UK. It's not 'special', really.

I don't know if there's a particular cultural attachment in the US that we're not familiar with..?

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TheTalkingDonkey07@reddit

Too many religious connotations. How would the owners like it if the printers put 666 or 'Hail Satan's on the packaging instead?

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Amazing_Management38@reddit (OP)

I don't think I've ever once thought about the bible verse they print on the bottom of their basket lol

I go there because what you get at their price point is unbeatable

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mr-dirtybassist@reddit

I wouldn't know. I've never tried American food.

But while I'm here I'll take the opportunity to say. When Americans say British food is either bad or not native to Britain, boy should they take a look at their dishes. Unless they truly believe pizza, burgers, and macaroni and cheese was truly originated in America.

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SnarkyFool@reddit

I would love a mashup of an English breakfast with a Southeast USA breakfast but it would have to literally be two chefs making it. I don't trust either one to get the other one right.

Bread, butter, jelly, sausage, mushrooms, brand, potatoes, tea - British

Eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy - American

Hot sauce - Mexican

With French toast, even though that's probably not really that French.

Just slap it all on one plate and leave me alone for a while, thanks.

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TSC-99@reddit

Nothing really although I did used to like being able to state the preference of the cooking of my fried eggs. Over easy was just perfect. Here we just get fried eggs however they come.

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CharmingMeringue@reddit

Over the years I've visited and stayed in every state in the USA and agree with many comments that often you get quantity rather than quality. However, I've had some excellent main course salads over there and some great steaks and burgers. I quite like the breakfasts too - over easy eggs, bacon and hash browns. I rarely eat bacon in the UK but will have it for breakfast if in the US. Toast is awful - in fact I've never had decent bread over there.

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SugaSyrup@reddit

Sandwiches. I was in LA a few years back and got what can only be described as a brick from Fat Sal's. Nothing has compared since.

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stereoworld@reddit

Some of the sandwiches I've had over there have been so much better than ours. I remember having a Reuben, Cubano and also I'd swim back to Boston for another Sam LaGrassas.

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ExpectedBehaviour@reddit

Mexican food. You can find good Mexican food in the UK but you have to hunt for it, and outside of a big city you'll struggle. Even average Mexican food in California tends to be pretty good.

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weedywet@reddit

If you’ve really good Mexican food (like the serious Mexico City chefs) the. You realise there isn’t anything like that in the UK yet.

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ExpectedBehaviour@reddit

Well I haven't been to Mexico City; my experience with Mexican food in America is confined to California and Virginia (California was, it goes without saying, better). I have had some damn good Mexican food in London, but as I said, it took some finding.

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weedywet@reddit

California Mex is largely okay. But not exceptional.

There are some exceptional places but not the run of the mill inexpensive places

. Mexican food is as deeply regional and complex as Italian.

The problem with most Americans’ idea of it is that it’s tacos and enchiladas and guacamole and that’s about it.

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ExpectedBehaviour@reddit

You know, I really hate people gatekeeping food. For me the most important thing about food is whether it tastes good and I enjoy it.

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weedywet@reddit

No one is gatekeeping by expressing an opinion.

Mexican food in the UK is middling.

I’d rather that than none but it’s not great.

Just like pizza Express. I enjoy it.

But it’s not great pizza by world class standards.

And saying so isn’t “gatekeeping”.

No one is saying don’t eat Pizza Express or UK Mex.

It doesn’t hurt to know what you’re missing.

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ExpectedBehaviour@reddit

Are you going through this thread picking apart everyone's responses or did I win that particular one of life's little informal lotteries?

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Karcossa@reddit

It’s funny, I’ve been to the states quite a lot (easier now I live in Canada), and the only place I recall having amazing food was El Diablos in the hotel next to Ceaser’s in Vegas. Can’t remember the name now, but the food was amazing.

Most other places has had good food, but nothing that makes me want to go back just for that food other than El Diablos.

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DisMyLik18thAccount@reddit

Pizza

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Odd_Championship7286@reddit

Mac n cheese is way better in the US! Obviously not Kraft but when you to someone’s BBQ and their mom made it you know it’s gonna slap

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weedywet@reddit

Anything Cajun or creole.

‘Real’ barbecue.

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secretvictorian@reddit

Your guys bbq is top tier

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flyhmstr@reddit

Australia enters the chat

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secretvictorian@reddit

Lol sorry mate. I've not had any experience with your bbq! I'm sure its also excellent though.

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Klakson_95@reddit

And is swiftly asked to leave

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wildOldcheesecake@reddit

Nah as much as I hate to say it, American bbq is elite! It’s

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zippyzebra1@reddit

Not much really. The odd thing. They put far too much on a plate. It is quite obscene really. Not a fan of their breakfasts which are not a patch on British ones.

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elaine4queen@reddit

NoCal crab soup and sourdough

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Queen_Sun@reddit

American Mac and Cheese knocks spots of any Mac and Cheese I've had over here.

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Queen_Sun@reddit

American Mac and Cheese knocks spots of any Mac and Cheese I've had over here.

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Queen_Sun@reddit

American Mac and Cheese knocks spots of any Mac and Cheese I've had over here.

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naasei@reddit

junk food

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wildOldcheesecake@reddit

I just knew after my visit in the US that I could not live there long term without getting fat. Junk food galore

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snow880@reddit

Warm garlicky soft breadsticks (more like dough balls than what I would call a breadstick). Went to an Italian in California and the taxi driver said how much they loved the breadsticks there so we ordered some and they were lovely (we did take some home for the taxi driver too).

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4me2knowit@reddit

Eggs Benedict

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ONLY_SAYS_ONLY@reddit

Smoked bbq.

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OrganizationOk5418@reddit

Junk

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RickyStanicky733@reddit

Personally for me it's the options for mexican and Korean food, I absolutely love it, you'd literally have to go to London for anything decent in the UK. Plus steaks, brisket and ribs, no one does it like the Americans, so much flavour, so much meat...

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Klakson_95@reddit

BBQ and honestly I think that's about it!

I like food when I'm in the US but couldnt stand it long term I don't think. I find that 'delicate' flavours aren't don't very well

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stay_with_me_awhile@reddit

American here, and I have to agree. We give Brits so much shit for having “bland” food, but that’s only because we put like 27 different spices and 5 pounds of salt on our food. 😅 Y’all have perfected the art of subtle and simple yet delicious comfort food!

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bibonacci2@reddit

Pit BBQ and breakfast pancakes.

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EatingCoooolo@reddit

A Brisket and ribs and steaks loose women.

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erritstaken@reddit

I’ve lived in the states for 23 years now and all I can think of is proper BBQ (not your back garden type) low slow with a good rub is god tier. Most other American food is full of sugar and highly processed with chemicals.

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smileystarfish@reddit

Biscuits. The flaky scone-like kind. Although we don't really have an equivalent, I'd take them over a plain scone anyday, and they're far more versatile.

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ham_rat@reddit

A Big Salad. Brits have 2oz mixed greens as a side dish, I didn't see a lunch-sized option with raw veg mixed in.

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Routine-Cicada-4949@reddit

Korean tacos

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Princes_Slayer@reddit

I think they do slow BBQ meat and sides really well, but it’s something I’d want to indulge in maybe once a month. I don’t like that so much is fried and that the portion sizes are ridiculous. I’d rather pay less and receive less. I went to a mom & pop style restaurant for lunch and decided to order the fried shrimp starter as I didn’t want much and it was still too much of the same thing with not even a small salad garnish to break up the greasiness of the fried breaded shrimp (the menu was a lot of deep fried things or alternatively some of the fish mains were very pricey for a lunchtime).

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cazzawazza1@reddit

Fresh waffles. The round ones from a diner line Eat'n'Park (western PA) With salty butter and proper maple syrup in every little square. And psychotically caffeinated free coffee refills with actual cream rather than milk

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Big_Refrigerator_471@reddit

American barbecue is perhaps the only thing that comes to mind, American style slow smoked meats are insane. Maybe burgers if you like huge over the top stacks of meat and cheese. But not much else.

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Electricbell20@reddit

Steak houses

Although not sure how much of it is due to the stuff which is illegal here.

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shugavery96@reddit

BBQ, Mexican and pancakes

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ToddleWaddle@reddit

I rather enjoyed the places you could go for breakfast when I was in the US like IHOP and Denny's. We don't really have anything to compare to that in the UK so it felt like a uniquely American experience and quite a treat.

Ice cream parlours are fantastic in the US and I've not really seen anything similar over here.

The breakfast buffets in Las Vegas was out of this world.

Also everywhere in the US serves really nice potato hash brown that is nothing like that stuff we buy in frozen bags in the UK. It's done fresh and its really nice.

Clam chowder was amazing and so was deep fried oysters.

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Specialist-Alps6478@reddit

The food in Hawaii was the best food I ever had. Nothing has come close. The burgers. The seafood. Stopped at a roadside cart that was selling a carrot and cashew dip with fresh chips that blew my mind. I’m drooling 😂

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Amazing_Management38@reddit (OP)

Poke bowls might be the most underrated American food

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Amazing_Management38@reddit (OP)

My guess was going to be bbq or anything Creole. Specifically, Texas bbq

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qualityvote2@reddit

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