What differences do American tourists notice between food in American restaurant chains and U.S.-made food products and their counterparts in foreign countries?
Posted by TheShyBuck@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 226 comments
Do you like foreign branch of American restaurant chains and U.S.-made food products? or you think in the USA they are better?
ContributionLatter32@reddit
I live in Europe and "American" food here is laughable. What they showcase as American food is quite inaccurate and stereotypical. Now as far as large food chains, those taste very similar
Icy_Consideration409@reddit
Works both ways though.
The “fish & chips” you find in America is horrific.
ThatKaleidoscope3388@reddit
There are a handful of good fish and chips places, but at least the dish isn't wildly off its original.
Icy_Consideration409@reddit
Have to disagree.
The “chips” are totally different in the U.S.
The batter is mostly very different.
The fish is often different.
And I’m yet to see anything like the mushy peas, gravy, or curry sauce that I might see on the UK or Ireland.
ThatKaleidoscope3388@reddit
To be fair, that really depends on where you get it. If you’re in a state like Colorado, you’re definitely not going to get anything similar…
the_cadaver_synod@reddit
I wonder if this is a regional thing. In the upper Midwest it’s on almost every pub menu and is usually good. Same in New England.
Hey-Bud-Lets-Party@reddit
You really do have to search for good fish and chips in the U.S.
Background_Humor5838@reddit
In what way?
Nomahs_Bettah@reddit
I have beef with how some Europeans are fine with considering fish & chips a British (or sometimes Irish) dish, despite it having its roots in Sephardic Jewish cuisine, but will start really pedantic fights over American dishes that have their roots in immigrant or diaspora cultures.
Adorable-East-2276@reddit
A quirk of living in the US is that all of our corporations go global, but our people are very unlikely to migrate. This leads to a situation where you can get American fast food globally, but American home cooking or restaurant style food isn’t commonly seen.
Because of that, I’ve never seen anything that even reminds me of Soul Food, Tex-Mex, Cajun food, or all the other American dishes I would actually eat most of the time, outside the US.
Unless it’s Texas BBQ, American food in foreign countries pretty much blows.
SpaceFroggy1031@reddit
You don't know what real TX BBQ is, if you're saying that. As a New Mexican, with the all appropraite deep seated animosities toward that state, I will hands down proclaim their BBQ is uniquley blessed by the gods. Accordingly, as no other state in the rest of the US has managed to replicate it, I'm very skeptical foreigners can. Also, it f#cking "Mexican." Tex-Mex is a f#cking disgrace against tortillas and all that is holy! See how objective I am. Texas good. Texas bad. Depends on what they are making. Also, Cajun is not Creole, and Soul is not precisely the same thing as Southern. One is a product of the Great Migration and is thus an evolved approximation of the other, as the required ingredients were not readily available.
jezzarus@reddit
And the country is incredibly varied! In Chicago, about a quarter of the metro's population identifies as Mexican, but there is no TexMex at all even though there are taquerias all over the place. Overseas it seems like the idea that people have of Mexican food is basically just Taco Bell.
mercurialpolyglot@reddit
No Tex mex, but to be fair those Chicago taquerias where you walk in and there’s a language barrier is some spectacular food
Ill-Lou-Malnati@reddit
Yeah, if you have a hard time communicating with the cashier, you know you about to eat some good shit lol
jezzarus@reddit
Oh I totally agree, and I actually prefer central Mexico influence/street style food. But a lot of people (especially from the southwest) are very surprised by Chicago Mexican food because there are few Sonoran/Baja style places and almost zero Tex Mex.
The complexity is more of a compliment to Mexico but a lot of people overseas really do conflate Mexican food = TexMex (and by extension Taco Bell), and it's funny that it's not even an agreed-upon designation in the Unitd States.
Realistic-Golf5095@reddit
Agreed. One anecdotal exception is this one bar near my apartment in Bogotá that makes a gumbo that tastes just like my mom's. I go about once a week or whenever I miss home.
RedSolez@reddit
Yeah, this!!
Every time I've spent time in Europe I eat the local cuisine 99% of the time but there always comes a time where I just want something different. So I'll try a restaurant that serves American food and it never tastes right.
ToumaKazusa1@reddit
Funnily enough I went to a random Mexican restaurant when I was in Japan and it turned out to be a pretty solid tex mex place (I grew up in Texas).
Apparently the guy who started it was a Texan who'd joined the military and been stationed in Japan, and when he got out he moved there and opened a restaurant.
I went there expecting something strange but it was basically an average Mexican restaurant from DFW, just in Japan.
pgm123@reddit
What's the place? I'll be in Japan next month?
Florida__Man__@reddit
Hell yeah, that’s kind of cool
HorrorAlarming1163@reddit
Walking in to a restaurant in Japan and hearing Norteño playing from the radio would be such a shock 😂
ForestOranges@reddit
Some of them do American fast food better just because their menu has cool options we don’t, but not all countries. McDonald’s in England was pretty basic.
PlatinumElement@reddit
McDonald’s in England is the one place that consistently does it worse than McDonald’s in the U.S., although shoutout to the pretty awful downtown Sapporo, Japan location (which is a shame because Japanese McDonalds is usually amazing.)
hail_to_the_beef@reddit
I had some sesame garlic nuggies at McDonald’s in Japan and I can’t believe they never made it to the US.
DonktorDonkenstein@reddit
Years ago, I went to a McDonalds in a small town in Bavaria (Parsberg, maybe) and it was nothing like an American McDonalds. It was clean, for one. But it also just felt classier, almost like a legit restaurant, and I'm pretty sure there was fresh-baked pastries and fruit.
It was the first time I've ever experienced a McDonalds I wasn't embarrassed to be seen in.
quitealargeorangecat@reddit
I’ve actually had some really good Tex Mex and Americanized sushi in Canada. Probably just because they’re so close to America, I haven’t found good American food anywhere else.
Ill-Lou-Malnati@reddit
When abroad I typically try to eat the local fare and don’t go to American branded restaurants. There was one occasion though, when I went to the UK with my first wife’s family for a funeral. My exes sister was freaked out by the local food, I mean to the point of crying. In fairness, we were there for a beloved grandmothers funeral, so emotions were running high. We finally found a Hard Rock Cafe in London which had American style food. It was godawful lol. I never realized you could fuck up a cheeseburger and fries (ok, chips) so badly. But the bangers and mash at the pug down the street from their uncle? Sublime! lol
jakerooni@reddit
Spice level
YungEconomist@reddit
There's something fascinating about visiting Starbucks and McDonalds in other countries. As an American, I love seeing local cuisine and food preferences interpreted (read- chewed up and digested) through a standardized fast food vernacular.
Some favorites I've tried:
I don't want to encourage anyone to travel abroad just to hit up an American chain, buuuut honestly? The only time I go to McDonalds is when I'm overseas.
Djinn_42@reddit
Large chains like McDonalds have food distribution that every store has to order from so the burgers etc. should be the same. But I've heard of chains adding menu items for specific countries so that would be interesting. But if I'm in a foreign country I'm not there to eat McDonalds so I will probably never know what it's like.
Many_Pea_9117@reddit
American food in other countries is sometimes similar but sometimes incredibly different. I was in UK recently and saw they had a burger at McDonalds with 4 patties. I understand why thry think we are all fat. The representation of American cuisine is a caricature and is really not what we typically eat.
People overseas think their local versions of "American" food is what we eat, and they think that what they see on TV is how we are, but I am pretty well traveled both within the US as well as in countries in Europe, Middle East, and Asia, and I think many people have strong opinions about what they think Americans are like without much of an understanding of how it really is.
GlassCommercial7105@reddit
I think many people have been to the Us too though. So it is not all just an assumption. Of course people have stereotypes and talking bad about US Americans is a favourite past time activity of Europeans too- but you are also assuming that nobody has actually made their opinion through experience.
Most chains try to adapt to local tastes and so Mc D has different stuff in different countries. Just like Lindt has peppermint chocolate in anglophone countries and green tea in Japan. I think people are aware of that.
Many_Pea_9117@reddit
I don't totally disagree with you. Many people outside of the US have a very good understanding of it. But even though I dislike many things about my country, I do like it here, and I find many nonAmericans are very negative about the US and have a very simplistic understanding of its culture or they confuse politics and media with the larger culture.
Where I live around DC is also more unique, so my experience is also very biased. My area is majority immigrant, particularly Asian and Latino, which is unlike most of the US. We also have a very large African American population and Indian community. Our Middle Eastern community isnt large, not that it is anywhere, but it has an outsized impact due to the presence of many diplomats and embassy families.
I have traveled to poor rural areas for work and I see the two Americas. I know how all white, uneducated poor communities look like, and I know how diverse wealthy or mixed economic ones look. The US is hard for most people to capture in a simple trip or two, and its not accurate usually to form an opinion from media. This is especially true for young people.
I agree with you. "Many" people do understand, as I do. But my experience here and overseas with foreigners is that they dar more often do not have a very complete picture and have very biased judgments based on very limited experience. Thats all I am speaking to.
GlassCommercial7105@reddit
Yes, I agree with everything you said but I did write ‚many‘ and not the majority of the world.
It seems to me that many people here cannot fathom just how common traveling continents is to Non Americans. People don’t have student debts and more vacation days. I‘m not stupid and think that a farmer in Ivory Coast regularly travels to Switzerland.
But Pakistani travel to the UK, Colombians move to Spain, Chinese visit Arizona, Japanese Hawaii, Germans to Florida,…
Many_Pea_9117@reddit
I think youre fixating on how big the number is in an absolute sense, but youre either oblivious or disregarding the statistical difference my dude. But its not to say youre wrong, just that I think it should be very obvious to you why people take issue with how youre framing things. Your statements are very apples and oranges - you are comparing fairly unlike things in your statement, and that is a classic issue i find with nonAmerican redditors. Luckily, in the same way Redditors in the US are not how people typically are, so it is the same for the people in other countries.
Limp-Plantain3824@reddit
On what are you basing your belief that a lot of people have visited the US from other countries?
It’s as hard and expensive for them to get to us as it is for us to get to them.
Fine-State8014@reddit
Is it though? A lot of countries get considerably more paid time off than you do.
ogjaspertheghost@reddit
It still cost money
Fine-State8014@reddit
But you're not losing money from not being at work along with spending money on holiday.
And looking at Skyscanner it's 540 pounds to do Heathrow to LA return but 715 LA to Heathrow return for the same dates.
ogjaspertheghost@reddit
A round trip would be the same price regardless. Paid vacations are a thing in the US too…
Fine-State8014@reddit
There's no mandated paid vacation though. We get 20 days minimum. So both parents are getting paid to take their kids to Disney or whatever if they're not self employed.
With the same airline, Virgin Atlantic, it's more expensive to go la to London and back than the other way around.
ogjaspertheghost@reddit
But if you’re taking a round trip it comes out the same. And it doesn’t matter if it’s mandated. Paid vacation is almost universal in the US for full time employment.
Fine-State8014@reddit
A return is a round trip. It's 540 to fly from Heathrow to LA with virgin Atlantic and then back to Heathrow and it's 715 to fly from la to Heathrow and back to LA. On the same dates, same airline.
ogjaspertheghost@reddit
You would have to return if you traveled somewhere else for a trip…
GlassCommercial7105@reddit
We don’t have debts
ogjaspertheghost@reddit
There’s no country in the world without debt
GlassCommercial7105@reddit
It is more common for people to have debts in the US because of college and credit cards.
ogjaspertheghost@reddit
Ok and? That doesn’t mean you don’t have debt lmao
Fine-State8014@reddit
Don't forget medical bankruptcy
GlassCommercial7105@reddit
I‘m not American and more than half of my friends and family have been to the US for vacation, often more than once and also for work. Even people I met abroad have often been to the US.
When I was in the US I also saw and heard lots of foreign tourists.
Right now, there is a boycott. Airlines have been rerouting flights to Asia and South America, as many flights are empty and your numbers of international tourists have been going down for the last year or so.
wind_moon_frog@reddit
Your comment is good-natured but reeks of economic privilege. Less than 1% of the world’s population outside of the US has traveled there. The amount of people whose understanding of the US comes from media and advertising dwarfs those who have personal experiences from visiting. And a huge % of those who do visit don’t gain any real understanding of daily life here. The country is too large and their visits are too short. Having half your friends and family visit the US is anecdotal and not representative of the world as a whole.
GlassCommercial7105@reddit
Look up how many people own passports in other countries vs the US. Of course people in developing countries often don’t have the means to travel and of course the people I know are not representative but I think you guys are underestimating just how normal it is for middle class people and students to travel in other countries.
I have also met dozens of Asians and South Americans backpacking.
Traveling can be super cheap if you hitchhike, get flight deals, sleep in dorms and tents.
Also many people from poorer countries look for work in richer countries and thus also might end up in the US.
The Us gets lots of international tourists. Are you saying you have never met any or only rich people?
xnatlywouldx@reddit
I want to point out a major difference here that I think you're kind of overlooking -
Most European countries are SMALL. The United States is BIG. It has many states which are larger than a lot of European countries; Texas alone is the size of like 5 or 6 different European nations. It takes 3 days to drive Interstate 10 through Texas if you account for bathroom breaks, eating, needing to sleep 8 hours etc whereas you can drive through a lot of European countries in a matter of a few hours. Of course EU citizens go to more countries than U.S. citizens do. When you're 3 hours from the border of 4 or 5 other countries as opposed to a 4-day drive from one, and you share the EU citizen privilege of porous borders between them and don't have to go through long customs and border lines or have to cram all your stuff into one searchable suitcase every time you enter another country, you will of course travel to other countries a lot more. The United States is a giant country that shares land borders with only two other large nations - Mexico and Canada. Just to get to another country here almost always requires an expensive flight, on top of that. Furthermore, driving across the border in Mexico to go anywhere other than some border destinations isn't really recommended - the border area between these two countries is notoriously difficult, many roads are controlled by cartels and corrupt federales, and many an adventurous tourist has regretted their decision to drive. A lot of people in the U.S. from Mexico won't even make that drive over land and consider Americans who do so to be deeply foolish.
As to your question: I live in a US tourism destination where tourism is our biggest economic driver (New Orleans). Trump's crappy policies have certainly driven down international tourists to where I live, but if your question is "are the international tourists you have met only rich people?" I would say a resounding YES THEY ARE. They are mostly lovely, and I like meeting them, and I enjoy their curiosity about where I live, but I have only, solely met tourists from the upper middle to hugely wealthy classes. Are they the only international people I have met here? Of course not. The US is full of immigrants, many of them here for work, and a lot of them undocumented. But those are not tourists. Those are part-time or full-time resident workers - they aren't here to check out American culture, for leisurely or study purposes - they're here to work and get an economic leg up.
GlassCommercial7105@reddit
Aussies and Russians also travel overseas a lot.
xnatlywouldx@reddit
Roughly 12-13% of Indian and Chinese people have traveled abroad from both India and China. Both India and China, of course, have a HUGE amount of people - Roughly 1/4th of the entire world lives between the two countries - so that 12-13% certainly might translate to looking like a lot of Indian and Chinese people are traveling. But no, most citizens of those countries do not travel internationally, and those who do are obviously from the more economically privileged classes.
70% of Russians do not have a passport. For obvious reasons, the international traveling that the most economically privileged Russians do engage in is down since the war on Ukraine. Although certainly some have sought to escape the impacts of that war by traveling to various Asian countries.
Aussies do travel internationally quite a bit, this is true. But not more than Europeans, and about the same as US citizens do.
ogjaspertheghost@reddit
There are oceans dividing the US from the vast majority of the world. I think you’re overestimating how common it is for people, not from Canada or Mexico, to travel to the US
GlassCommercial7105@reddit
People also travel to Bali and New Zealand and it’s much further.
I get what you mean but it’s also more common than you think. Maybe you don’t live in a touristy area.
In my own country I see thousands of people from different continents who cross oceans to be there.
xnatlywouldx@reddit
NYC is the top destination for international travelers and for what I think would be fairly obvious reasons - its a financial and industrial capital a lot of people travel to for work; Its also an immigrant stronghold and a lot of people in New York have family across nations and continents. Its got some touristy things (people love Broadway or whatever, sure) but those are the primary reasons, not just photo ops with the Empire State Building or a pressing international desire to see the Lion King musical.
Its followed by L.A. (very similar to New York - most likely to attract international visitors from across the Pacific in Asia, however, not Europe or Africa), Florida (similar as a destination for international travelers from Latin America), and then there are two places in particular that international tourists come for largely leisurely purposes - Vegas, for all of its casinos & gambling (and whatever opportunities tend to go hand in hand with those, legal or otherwise) and Orlando, because of Disney World, "the Happiest Place on Earth".
These are the top international destinations in the U.S. 3 global financial capitals with a ton of international residents (NY, LA, Miami), a gambling capital, and Disney World. Other places in the US may attract international travelers but for more niche purposes, like higher education (lots of American universities have a lot of international students, but those aren't really touristic trips? Lawrence, Kansas is a nice college town, but its not drawing international people for its cultural attractions) or niche cultural interests (I, personally, love Graceland, and have seen a huge amount of international tourists when I go, but while Elvis might be a global icon, only his most hardcore fans are making the trip to Memphis to see his house).
ogjaspertheghost@reddit
The US has enough touristy areas for most people. It’s not as common for people to travel to the US as you think
Squindig@reddit
Did you know that 40% of EU citizens have never left their home countries (which are tiny). Vs. 37% of Americans who have never left the US?
wind_moon_frog@reddit
No of course not - but I think rather than us underestimating how many people travel here, you’re overestimating.
GooGurka@reddit
What do mean? It's cheap to fly to New York from my country. Only about $500 usd. Cheaper than other countries I usually travel to.
Cerulean_IsFancyBlue@reddit
It seems like you’ve set the two sides as nobody (a straw man since the person said many), and most people.
Annual German visitors to the US is around 2 million, likely down thank to recent geopolitical event. Assuming none of those people repeat the trip, that means over the course of 21-ish years, you’d cross the halfway line of Germany’s population, entering the legit territory of “most”.
Although you can defend your claim, it doesn’t invalidate the assertion that many people from Germany have never visited the US. It only invalidate the strawman that you decided to fight.
Squindig@reddit
Many European visitors shop at 7-11s and gas stations and eat only fast food. Also, far more Americans have visited Europe than Europeans have visited America.
Zizi_Tennenbaum@reddit
It’s so funny when they do an “American pizza” that’s covered in corn or french fries.
HerrDrAngst@reddit
Corn on pizza is a hate crime French fries on pizza is a deconstructed fatcat
VegetableSquirrel@reddit
I saw an "American cookie" in Sweden. It looked like a small Frisbee! The local Swedish cookies were all small thumbprint sized.
Background_Humor5838@reddit
Wow so they're just clowning us for no reason 🤣
Deep-Novel-1851@reddit
Omg I just told my friend I saw an “American” pizza in Portugal that was ham, onions and boiled eggs??
OkArmy7059@reddit
I keep seeing people misunderstanding this. It's not because they think that's a type of pizza Americans eat, but because those are typical American ingredients.
It's like if a place sold a "Mexican pizza" topped with carne asada and cilantro. Nobody thinks that's eaten in Mexico, it's just that those are Mexican ingredients.
John-Dune-Awakening@reddit
Ran into this in Poland, I was aghast.
Dogs_Are_Just_Better@reddit
That might be a hate crime
HerrDrAngst@reddit
4 patties and they think we're all fat?? Americans don't go to England to go to McDonald's so who were the customers they were selling that to🤣
quitealargeorangecat@reddit
When I visited the UK, I was actually shocked by how fat people are in cities there. In America, the obesity problem is mostly in rural areas at least in my experience. I haven’t really noticed any fat people in New York City.
Meanwhile in London, there were fat people everywhere!
mst3k_42@reddit
We didn’t eat there, but the McDonald’s we walked past every day in Madrid had combo meals with beer. Also everything was crazy expensive.
Amockdfw89@reddit
Swanky.
My ex wife was from Morocco and in order to work at McDonalds there you had to be fluent in French since it was mostly like upper class elites who ate there, and it was seen as like a status symbol to go to these western chains
Additional-Software4@reddit
McDonald's in Mexico is similar. The food is basically the same, but the clientele is upper middle class and above
Icy_Consideration409@reddit
Burger King at Dublin airport sells Guinness.
kitty_cat_man_00@reddit
I grabbed some pastries in barcelona McDonald's. Was pretty decent
Grombrindal18@reddit
I’ve seen a double Big Mac in Canada too. Of course, with the size of those patties it’s still less than half a pound.
Now the Wendy’s quad burger- that’s a lot of meat. And they have a triple on the regular menu, so you only need to add one patty.
MichigaCur@reddit
I generally tried to avoid American foods while In Germany but the kiddos voted to go to McDonald's twice... There was some cool stuff on the menu I wish we could get here. However they absolutely smothered the burgers in sauce.
hail_to_the_beef@reddit
I usually hit a McDonald’s in foreign countries if it’s hot outside. It’s like the only place I can get a soda pop packed with ice.
JustAnotherDay1977@reddit
I’m blown away by all the responses from Americans who actually go to “American” restaurants when they travel overseas. If I’m in Paris or London or wherever, it would never occur to me to pop into a McDonald’s or Wendy’s.
No-Profession422@reddit
American fast food is on a whole different level in Asia.
DreamsAndSchemes@reddit
Not good but drink. Dr Pepper in England is really similar to the original ‘Dublin Dr Pepper’ that you could pick up at some really local places in Texas until a couple years ago.
meenadu@reddit
When I lived in Australia I was shocked that I had to pay for Ketchup at Maccers.
Rudyjax@reddit
No. we don’t notice it when the menu or taste is different because we are stupid.
tibearius1123@reddit
Depending on the country, fast food is usually better due to food regulations in developed countries even in developing countries.
The ingredient list between Mexican and American Frosted Flakes is insane.
Trialbyfuego@reddit
Mcdonald's in foreign countries is usually made with higher quality ingredients so it tastes better than normal. I fell in love with McDonald's while serving in the national guard in Jordan. We would get it delivered to our gate while on duty. Good times.
PlusEnvironment7506@reddit
Do yourself a favor and don’t eat at chains. There are so many other options! Eat local.
PhilTheThrill1808@reddit
Why would I eat at American chains I can have at home when I’m abroad?
pandymen@reddit
1000%.
I lived in Germany for some time, and we only went to McDs to get Togo beer from the counter they have set up just for that purpose. Grab two cheap beers and jump on the tram.
I did go to Burger King once since it was the only thing open that early that I could find, and it was better quality than we are used to in the US.
MoronLaoShi@reddit
They generally have different menus according to local tastes. Like Spanish McDonald’s has Serrano ham sandwiches. Chinese McDonald’s has way more spicy chicken options than US McDonald’s. Sometimes it’s small differences, sometimes they’re huge.
PhilTheThrill1808@reddit
I understand that. That’s still significantly less interesting than whatever food is actually local.
ForestOranges@reddit
Maybe it’s because I go abroad at least once a year (usually more) but why not try both? I love trying local dishes wherever I go, but I like seeing what their fast food is like too.
PhilTheThrill1808@reddit
That’s fair. I’m also out of the country frequently, but would personally rather stop and grab something from a local fast food place than anything from American fast food. No judgments for those who do go, I get it, theres a reason McDonalds and the like have expanded worldwide.
ForestOranges@reddit
I’ve spent a lot of time in Latin America, I really like the Guatemalan chain Pollo Campero, but there aren’t a ton of fast food chains that originated in that region. I do really like the Mexican restaurant VIPS but it’s more of a sit-down place. I usually describe it as “Mexican Denny’s” to people.
MoronLaoShi@reddit
It is less interesting, but it is more interesting than the American version. I don’t understand why people go to McDonald’s in the US. It’s the last place I would go to for a burger. Living abroad or traveling somewhere, I would definitely go to a McDonald’s to use the toilet, use the WiFi, look at the menu, and maybe grab a snack or a drink. “Chinese McDonald’s has pineapple or taro pies instead of apple? Huh, pineapple sounds good, taro not so much.”
PhilTheThrill1808@reddit
That’s true. People like safe and familiar.
kit-kat315@reddit
They're usually open earlier than local places. And they're guarenteed to have clean bathrooms.
Those are my main reasons.
Sad-Macaroon9067@reddit
Three weeks into a fairly aggressive trip through the Baltics, my 8-year-old son was having a full-on "I'm exhausted" meltdown, and his 5-year-old sister was on the verge of joining. We spied a McD's down the street, pulled out the last of our Estonian kroner and asked "What will this get us?"
One small fry and twenty minutes later, we were ready to go again. First and last time I've eaten at an American chain overseas, but I'm sure glad it was there at that moment.
PhilTheThrill1808@reddit
Totally valid, I hope it placated them haha
AccomplishedGur5890@reddit
Because they’re familiar. I’ve never traveled internationally but I’d intentionally stick to American chains for meals if I did. I do not like trying new foods, and of the authentic international cuisine I’ve had, I haven’t liked it (it wasn’t from some Americanized restaurant, but made by someone from said country who I knew). So far this holds true for every cuisine outside North America, and even at that I don’t like most Mexican.
PhilTheThrill1808@reddit
That’s a lot of words to say you’re an absurdly picky eater.
glitterlok@reddit
I have limited experience with this, since I tend not to eat at big chains when I’m traveling, but in the experiences I have had — places like Five Guys, Chipotle, etc — there is little to no difference.
McDonald’s stands out as being remarkably consistent around the world (a Big Mac will always be a Big Mac) but also having wildly varied menus from place to place with lots of locally-focused specialties.
Grombrindal18@reddit
When I lived in Spain a Popeyes opened up two blocks from my apartment.
Ingredient quality, especially for the chicken, was definitely better. However, no one at Popeyes España ever took the time to figure out how to make biscuits. They weren’t even on the menu at first, and when they were added they were just not quite right.
Also, no one told the staff that it is traditional to call the customer ‘baby’, regardless of age or gender.
AndrastesDimples@reddit
Oh man I wish I had been able to try Popeyes when I lived there. I got a kick out of seeing what franchises did differently. They opened a Papa Johns near us and it was a definitely comfort food during the initial culture shock.
xnatlywouldx@reddit
I thought Popeyes over there was sad! No red beans, no mashed potatoes, no dirty rice, no Cajun Sparkle seasoning, no Mardi Gras Mustard, none of the stuff I like at Popeyes. Popeyes in the EU is just a chicken sandwich and hot wings chain.
szayl@reddit
Yeah but KFC in Spain doesn't have all the fixins and until recently didn't even have biscuits. Sacrilege!!
bojackho@reddit
I travel a lot and love McDonald's. Almost any McDonald's outside of the US is going to be better than the US locations, often by a wide margin.
Deep-Novel-1851@reddit
McDonald’s outside the US is waaayyy better. I also like to try 1 or 2 things off their local menu when I travel
LikelyNotSober@reddit
I always check out the local McDonald’s when I’m in another country to see what the different menu items are. You’re right though, the quality and service is always better.
xnatlywouldx@reddit
Most Americans are well aware that some fast food chains like McDonald's are notoriously better in Europe because EU countries in general just have better food regulations, and also better in Asia because McDonald's tries a lot harder to make their menu appealing in such a huge market there. That said I went to the Popeyes (my fave US fast food chain and the only one I truly, really like) in London just to see what it was like and I was disappointed - they didn't have whole pieces of spicy bone-in chicken or any of my favorite sides, seasonings, and sauces, just a limited menu of chicken tenders and a few other things. I started feeling bad that people in London don't get The True Popeyes Experience. It really depends.
I will say that "American food" - actual American regional foodways, not just burgers and hot dogs or whatever - usually does not seem to translate to a lot of countries. You can get a lot of okay versions of these things in foreign countries that share a border (like Mexico or Canada) but not many other places. A Mexican friend of mine who went to Europe came back making fun of "French tacos", which didn't resemble the tacos eaten in the US or Latin America at all. I went to Trinidad once and ended up in a sandwich shop serving "Cajun turkey" which gave me a chuckle - it was just a loaf of turkey cold cuts seasoned with pepper on the outside, not very much "Cajun" about it - "Cajun" in this context clearly just meant "slightly more spicy than usual". There are exceptions to this, and some big cities have enough Americans living in them to have, say, a decent soul food restaurant or a place that might specialize in "Chicago deep dish pizza" or something, but no, I don't think the more regional American foodways have much of a remarkable presence in other places. Its not really about US-made food products vs. foreign food products in terms of quality though, just about the fact that we prepare ingredients a bit differently to make the food we do, and the demand in other places isn't really high.
saturnui99@reddit
Depends. Hungry Jack’s is better than Burger King. McDonald’s is slightly better in Australia but different options. Subway a bit worse, kfc is… different. Taco Bell is worse. It’s more about the quality in Australia is better but they don’t like spices as much :|
ForestOranges@reddit
Never been to Australia, but Taco Bell in most countries I’ve been to has been about the same or slightly better just because of the options. I think the only other country I’ve had Subway in was Mexico and it’s pretty good there, but a few small things are different and they don’t carry roast beef down there.
DirtzMaGertz@reddit
Choosing to eat subway in Mexico is insane to me.
ForestOranges@reddit
I was at a Mexican university. We had both a Subway and a Domino’s on campus. I actually cut out all fast food except those two while I was there and then started having stomach pains when I came back to the US and started regularly eating fast food again.
iamkme@reddit
I live in Australia right now and I agree with all of this. Definitely a lack of spices.
Maccas is a bit better though. I also like that they hire lots of teens, which gives them work experience.
saturnui99@reddit
I’m in Australia right now too but the fast food deals here are insane 😂
VegetableSquirrel@reddit
Is fast food less expensive in Australia?
It seems to me that fast food here is expensive enough now that people should just go to a regular restaurant.
saturnui99@reddit
With deals, pretty good. Without it’s almost the same but USA definitely more expensive
cheesusmoo@reddit
Idk how subway could possibly get worse. I would eat gas station mystery meat over any subway.
shammy_dammy@reddit
I live in Mexico, not border...not resort, within easy walking distance of a plaza with a Denny's and a KFC. The KFC is exactly like the US one except for the desserts (and the price). Right now the dessert on offer is Big Kreme Canelitas, which is soft serve ice cream with mini sized canelitas (cinnamon) cookies piled on the top.
ssk7882@reddit
Why are non-Americans so obsessed with our worst restaurants?
I don't eat at US chain restaurants if I can avoid it, either at home or abroad.
ucbiker@reddit
My experience is that they’re usually better abroad.
BlameDaJuice666@reddit
American chains in Asia are generally better run. The food comes out looking like the pictures.
Calor777@reddit
I don't know about other Asian countries, but I know that food presentation is important in Japan. My Japanese friend told me that Japanese "eat with their eyes."
BlameDaJuice666@reddit
True. Korea is the same.
oremfrien@reddit
Almost every time, without fail, if I find a US restaurant chain outside of the United States, the menu is better, the food is higher quality, and the place is more expensive. In Morocco, for example, Pizza Hut is an actual date-night restaurant with dishes costing about twice or three times what you would pay at a local Moroccan eatery. The pizza and pasta dishes are made fresh by chefs using well-treated ingredients.
Several_Celebration@reddit
Regarding being more expensive. I just went to a Japan Airport McDonald’s last week. A meal with fries and a drink was about $6.50
wwhsd@reddit
I think I paid almost that much just for a large order of fries last night.
Tillandsi@reddit
I’m guessing partly because some of what we serve in the US is not legal to serve in other countries.
When your food is made from food it tastes better.
Alert-Algae-6674@reddit
These chains become a more premium version of themselves abroad because in many other countries, and charge higher prices, because those foods are not as common to those countries.
In many countries, especially ones less developed than US and Europe, chains like McDonald's are a food destination instead of being fast food like in the US
TheShyBuck@reddit (OP)
I wish we had Macdonald and Pizza Hut in Algeria.
snmnky9490@reddit
Lmao no you don't. They're total crap and McDonald's is stupidly expensive for how bad it is
apokrif1@reddit
"The pizza and pasta dishes are made fresh by chefs using well-treated ingredients" ?
nous-vibrons@reddit
I’ve discovered this to be the case even in fairly close countries. I went to a mall food court KFC in Canada and it blew every other KFC I’ve had out of the water. Though usually in Canada, I prefer to hit up Canadian chains. I’ve yet to try Canadian McDonalds, but according to my best friend’s little brother the sundae fudge they use in Canada is much better, to the point he REQUIRES we take him to McDonalds for a sundae if we take him to Canada. Canadian Wendy’s is the only place I was disappointed in, but that’s because they use a different barbecue sauce and it was actually the grossest barbecue sauce I’ve encountered.
FriendlyEngineer@reddit
Had some German colleagues visit us. We are in an area known for its pizza. First night they asked for some recommendations for pizza places.
The next day they come in with an absolute shit ton of left over pizza. They said “In Germany, one pizza is for one person”
And we immediately started laughing because here, a Pizza is meant to to be shared by 2-4 people.
They were expecting small personal bar pies, but they each got a full size 18” pizza.
VegetableSquirrel@reddit
Pizzas have gotten pretty expensive in the last couple of years. They must've wondered why it was so expensive.
Saltpork545@reddit
Hi, I'm a food nerd.
https://youtu.be/7Xgd79wuriQ
This is a great video talking about the foods other countries see as American, even if that's not entirely true. JJ brings up the term exoticization correctly.
Icy_Consideration409@reddit
Often less salt overseas compared with what you’d find at a U.S. location of the same chain.
Fecapult@reddit
I avoid fast food in America whenever possible - why would I want to try it overseas?
HidingInTrees2245@reddit
I’d never waste my travel money on American fast food overseas. I want to try as much local food as possible.
anypositivechange@reddit
You are a superior human being. We all are in awe of your tasteful way of being in the world.
Meanwhile, ima get me some chicken nuggies and a vanilla ice cream cone and enjoy myself.
ForestOranges@reddit
I guess I’m just a fatass, I try a ton local food and at least 1-2 chains. It might just be a specialty burger we don’t have at McDonald’s or a random snack and dessert at Taco Bell we don’t have here.
Limp-Plantain3824@reddit
For fast food it’s usually just adjustments to flavors or some ingredients based on local preferences.
McDonald’s breakfast is about the same anywhere except for chicken sausage in the Middle East.
Some sauces are different on sandwiches. Drink sizes noticeably smaller and ketchup can be hard to come by. Quality is generally no better nor worse than at home.
I remember one trip to Yokohama that had a lot of delays and when I finally arrived at my hotel I decided to be a bad American and just go next door to TGIF Fridays. It was completely indistinguishable from being in the US except for the name of the baseball teams on tv.
cb630@reddit
Besides the obvious changes for food taste preferences in the country you’re in, the food is always better. They don’t have chemicals. They don’t have dyes. They’re not allowed to use a lot of things that we put in our food.
Bulocoo@reddit
McDonalds had a terriyaki burger in Japan.
Disgustingly awesome.
goblin_hipster@reddit
I think my affinity for US-made fast food is probably purely based in nostalgia and familiarity.
SnooWalruses7243@reddit
Yeah, and convenience.
KagakuNinja@reddit
When I am traveling, the last thing I want to do is eat food from an American chain. I don't think I can answer the question. I guess I went to TGI Friday's once when visiting England for a work event.
Futurewolf@reddit
Chinese Pizza Hut uses a LOT of mayonnaise. Didn't see that coming.
TessOfLesJoueurs@reddit
When I am overseas I always notice the lack of salt. Also, hamburger in the UK especially is blended far more than we do here in the US (pub food, not fast food). The texture is quite different.
PseudonymIncognito@reddit
McDonalds in China have a stand-alone McCafe counter where you can buy milk tea and cake.
MrLongWalk@reddit
I don’t eat at American chains when traveling, what’s the point?
I had McDonald’s a couple times while living in Europe but I was too drunk to notice a difference
ForestOranges@reddit
Because their menus have cool things we don’t have. If I’m abroad for a week or two I definitely have a chance to try American food. And when I briefly lived abroad I did a 2-1 split. I’d typically have 2 local meals a day and 1 American meal a day.
HxH101kite@reddit
Their entire culture has cool things we don't have. Crazy to me someone would waste a meal traveling on some type of Mcdonald (or adjacent chain) overseas.
I'll give a pass on if you live abroad because then your permanently in their culture.
I mean I would just advise people to not eat at fast food chains at all, they are all terrible and overpriced in America
ForestOranges@reddit
I’ve been to about 15 countries. Every country I’ve been to I either speak the language or speak a language similar enough that I can get the gist of the menu, so I’m never just gonna walk into a restaurant and pick a random dish.
I’ve seen foreigners who don’t speak Spanish just walk into a restaurant in Mexico and point to a random item on the menu even though they have no clue what they’re getting, I’m too picky of an eater for that, if I’m spending money on a meal it has to either be something I know I’d like or something not expensive so I can just try a little.
I usually research what local foods I’m interested in before I go to a place. I went to Montreal last summer and the border agent recommended me an awesome spot for Poutine that I went to for dinner, but I still stoped by a fast food place later that night after I went out drinking.
Maybe if I was sitting down and having $20 meals at restaurants when traveling abroad I’d feel more full from what I ate and wouldn’t have room for a cheeseburger but usually I do. The exception is sometimes in some Latin countries I can get a super filling meal for $2-$5.
MrLongWalk@reddit
You know where else has cool things they don’t have? Every other restaurant.
ForestOranges@reddit
I’m a budget traveler, so I’m mainly eating street food and small family restaurants. The nicest sit down restaurant I went to in Portugal was a ramen place. In Spain I didn’t even have paella because it’s apparently a tourist meal and extremely overpriced. Call me a fatass, but I have room in my stomach to grub out on local foods and grab a random cheeseburger at McDonald’s we don’t have here.
notacoolkid@reddit
Have you been to the International McDonald’s in Chicago’s West Loop? It’s the best McDonald’s, I love them.
It’s attached to McDonald’s Hamburger University and they have special items from other countries.
PotentialAcadia460@reddit
I have found McDonald's to be better and more interesting in other countries.
One of the most interesting restaurant experiences I've had was eating at a Pizza Hut in China. They had no concept of a pepperoni pizza, which is interesting because in the US that's one of the top two or three pizza toppings, but the atmosphere of the restaurant was like that of a fancy restaurant, with genuinely nice plates and silverware, a far cry from the indifferent mediocrity of the last time I ate at a Pizza Hut in the US.
I imagine the number of American chains that are genuinely better in the US is quite small.
happyfirefrog22-@reddit
You cannot get good Mexican food in Europe but they are getting better at pizza
GoldenAngeli@reddit
What I noticed in the US is that you guys LOVE your sodas. To me it was all way too sweet for my taste (although I’m not a big soda guy). But I did like all the variety there was and the taste was good, so I’d get soda, drink some and then put some water in it
blooobolt@reddit
They sell gluten free options in fast food restaurants overseas that they don't bother with in the US. Sad.
ForestOranges@reddit
I eat tons of local foods/dishes when I’m abroad, but will stop in to McDonald’s or Taco Bell for a snack and they usually have cool stuff.
I briefly lived in a major city abroad. We had a huge mall nearby with tons of American chains. I’d normally eat 2 local meals a day but oftentimes once a day I’d have a meal that was more “American.”
jaethegreatone@reddit
I find American food in Canada & Mexico suck. I prefer to eat the local foods.
El_Culero_Magnifico@reddit
When I have travelled to foreign countries, the last thing I would want is "American "food.
Plastic-Ad-5171@reddit
Foreign made - “American” food tastes better! Looks better! And they actually have real food in and on them. In Japan, a Quarter pounder with cheese looks exactly like the picture. It tastes fresh, because the lettuce and tomatoes are fresh not sad little wilted half rotten things. The standards are higher for food quality and content over there.
TheBimpo@reddit
When I travel, I eat what the locals eat. I can't imagine traveling all the way to Portugal or wherever and eating a Whopper, what a waste of time.
I might grab a burger or a pizza, but those foods are universal. Pizza was ubiquitous in Iceland (and quite good).
ForestOranges@reddit
I spent 6 days in Portugal, I had plenty of local foods. I really enjoyed the bifana sandwiches. I went to a ramen restaurant. This little cafe/bakery near where I was staying had all these random little snacks I tried that I don’t even remember the name of. Pastries with like fish or meat inside. But maybe I just eat a lot, but I wasn’t so full that I couldn’t have a snack at McDonald’s when I walked right past one.
balthisar@reddit
Well, McDonald's in India is indescribably worse than McDonald's in the USA. Like, dude, they don't even use beef! On the other hand, Pizza Hut is better than in the USA, because we've raced to the bottom in the USA.
KFC in China is freaking fantastic. I like KFC chicken domestically, but the sides all suck. Every, single one of them. Chinese KFC has mostly different sides, including the Portuguese egg tarts invented in a bakery in Macau.
Burger King that I've had in Germany and Thailand are pretty much the same as the "good" ones in the USA. The problem in the USA is that Burger King is so inconsistent from location to location that I usually don't even both anymore.
McDonald's (in cow-eating countries) are pretty much the same everywhere I've been. I'm talking the standard fare, of course, not local-specific variants, and not counting pies (baked vs. fried). A Big Mac is a Big Mac. This type of consistency on a global basis is admirable, even if you joke about McDonald's quality or taste. Consistency is quality, and McDonald's does an amazing job.
Chinese Pizza Hut is also better than American Pizza Hut, again, due to America's pizza race-to-the-bottom.
Chi-Chi's no longer exists, but when it did, the Chi-Chi's in Hanau, Germany was every bit as good as American Chi-Chi's were!
Domino's in Mexico is pretty good. I'm going to get flamed, but Mexico doesn't really do very good pizza. Oh, they try, and you can find pizza everywhere, but it's just not my favorite, thus my claim that Domino's is pretty good is relative. I do want to shout out to Lupillo's and their invention of the yellow, creamy-style chimichurri sauce, though. It's spread everywhere in the region, but Lupillo's invented it.
If you want to consider Canada "foreign," then their A&W is a bit better than ours, mostly due to consistency issues. American A&W is one of the best, underrated fast foods there is if you find a good one. The only bad one I've ever found, regrettably, is a super-popular one at an OnRoute. On the other hand, I don't usually expect good things at rest areas. Oh, and until a few years ago, their KFC's didn't have extra crispy. Oh, and their Timmy's suck just as much as our Timmy's.
Athrynne@reddit
This one is a little subtle since it's Canada vs the US, but I find that Popeyes north of the border is way better (especially if it's a halal location) but oddly Tim Hortons (synonymous with Canada for some) is better in the US than in Canada.
ShiftyShaymin@reddit
The Starbucks I frequent in Japan in Ueno Station always makes it perfect, meanwhile I never got it tasting as good in US branches. I can’t go to an American once because of it anymore.
Other chains like fast food is usually presented cleaner there. Like a Whopper isn’t a sloppy mess.
tawzerozero@reddit
As an American, KFC is my go to thing to try when in a different country - because they use local chicken meat, it is ALWAYS better and more flavorful than the same items in the US.
The cheapest chicken meat in the US is cheaper and lower quality than the cheapest chicken in most other countries, and that translates to fast food (which I assume uses the cheapest available ingredients everywhere).
pinniped90@reddit
The restaurants are cleaner, the service is better, and the food is usually of higher quality.
MH_75@reddit
Thai KFC is on a whole other level
InfidelZombie@reddit
I've been to many American fast food chains across the 60 countries I've been to. They aren't noticably different than the domestic ones, other than some different menu items.
kit-kat315@reddit
I was delighted to find that McDs in Paris sell macarons.
Also, I noticed that Domino's in London had sausage stuffed crust pizza. Crazy.
hastduetwas@reddit
European Macdonalds is much better and has much better ingredients.
Other cheeseburgers I had in italy were good but were different somehow. I guess less greasy, different cheese, and also it didnt seem like getting them rare was an option.
ashsolomon1@reddit
Puerto Rico Burger King’s (even though they are in the US) are night and day better than the mainland Baka
MoronLaoShi@reddit
Dominos in China has a lot dessert pizzas that you would never see in the US. Also they have a bunch of weird gimmicky pizzas to try to attract attention.
Pizza Hut in China is a mid tier sit down chain that is open for breakfast and has steak on the lunch and dinner menu.
TheDangerist@reddit
I think you will find that the likelihood of foreign travel for an American is inversely proportional to the likelihood of an American eating fast food overseas.
gummibearhawk@reddit
I always check out the McDonald's. Even if I don't eat there, I want to see what's on the menu.
TheDangerist@reddit
Yeah, I think McDonald’s might be the exception because it’s basically an informal type of US embassy and Sense it appears in virtually every other foreign country or at least seems to. It’s more of a tourist attraction for Americans to visit overseas than it is a true meal option.
gummibearhawk@reddit
The biggest reason to visit McDonald's overeas is that have at least one menu item that's unique to each country they're in. In Canada they have Poutine. In Austria or Switzerland they have the Rosti burger. And so on.
kit-kat315@reddit
I think a lot of US travelers eat at some chain restaurant overseas. Fir convenience: the same reason to eat those chains in the US.
When I was driving from England up to Edinburgh, all the restaurants at the travel plaza were US chains (Starbucks, KFC and McDs).
I've gotten fries, soda, and a macaron at a Paris McDs to get the bathroom code, and gotten early morning breakfasts in Paris, Rome and Prague when all the authentic local places weren't open yet.
Several_Celebration@reddit
I always go to McDonald’s overseas and I’m abroad 3x a year. At least once in each new country.
notacoolkid@reddit
Have you been to the International McDonald’s in Chicago’s West Loop? It’s the best McDonald’s, I love them.
It’s attached to McDonald’s Hamburger University and they have special items from other countries.
Several_Celebration@reddit
I work about a ten minute walk from there yeah. It’s always cool to check out. Right now they have the Ghost pepper McChicken from Canada and the Philly Cheese Stack from the UK. Also the mango curry mcwrap from Germany.
notacoolkid@reddit
I need to try that Mango Curry Mcwrap!
My favorite has been the winter fries from France.
cargonzabeans@reddit
I like popping into a MickeyDs when abroad. It's fun to compare the menu options. We treat it as more of a quick snack than a full blown meal.
Several_Celebration@reddit
Right. I’m not going there to eat what I can get back home. I’m splitting that Basil Cream Cheese McSpicy from Korea McDonald’s with my wife
BipolarSolarMolar@reddit
So what's your answer to this question?
Several_Celebration@reddit
I’ve had McDonald’s in maybe 25 countries now and I don’t think the quality is necessarily better in the US or other countries. There just seems to be a lot more interesting menu items in foreign countries. For example I just had this teriyaki pork sausage burger with an egg on the dinner menu in Japan last week. And they had a giant fried chicken nugget that you shake cheese powder on. Amazing. The Shaka Shaka fries need to be here on the regular menu though. Not sure why they can’t do that.
CliffGif@reddit
Yeah that’s an ignorant comment
TheDangerist@reddit
Oh, and I think the big exception of this is if you were travelling with children then often a visit to a familiar American chain would be in order.
GuadDidUs@reddit
Disagree. McDonald's was a reset for our stomachs after a few days of foreign food.
To answer OP's question, McDonald's was the only American fast food place I ate at abroad. The food tasted pretty similar, but I had also been eating abroad for a few days at that point and likely wouldn't notice minor differences.
I do remember getting ketchup in a container like a barbecue sauce container instead of the packets and I really liked that. My husband bitched that we had to pay 10 cents for it but I was on board with that for a nice little ketchup container to dunk my fries in.
No-Contact6664@reddit
The only time my daughter has been to McDonalds was in Singapore. Strictly because we had to get her some food before we went to this Mookata place that she wouldn't have eaten anything at when she was that age. She played with the happy meal toy for our entire dinner. Was worth it.
frickenfantastic@reddit
For me, the US version is more predictable location to location. You don’t see very much variation all across the US. If you order a two cheeseburger meal on the East Coast or the Midwest or the West Coast, the fries is pretty much taste the same. The burgers taste the same.
The local variations that are added to the non-US franchises seem to cause their to be a significant variation in the quality or taste of what you will get. I’m not a fan of the variation because the only reason I would be eating at a fast food restaurant based off of a US franchise is to try to get something that’s predictable.
This seems to be true of brands like McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell Domino’s Pizza Hut, Kentucky fried chicken
Calm_Pollution7649@reddit
I feel like European versions of American fast food slather everything in barbecue sauce lol
spike31875@reddit
I went to the UK last year and thought I'd try Starbucks. There was one near the British Museum so we went in there for some coffee and a little something to eat.
Now, I love Starbucks flat whites. My normal order is a Venti flat white made with oat milk and an extra shot of espresso (a quad).
For those who might not know about Starbucks coffee, the Venti is the largest hot coffee they have at 20 ounces. The Short is only 8 ounces.
Well, my desire for a quad Venti flat white was not meant to be that day. They only had flat whites in one size: Short. The cup was so small the cardboard sleeve that keeps you from burning your hand on the hot coffee cup wouldn't stay up.
It was kind of pathetic.
Just_Coffee3718@reddit
McDonald’s- clean bathroom and WiFi for the price of a coffee and a place to sit down and regroup, no matter where in the world. I’ll usually get a kids meal and take the toy home as a souvenir for a child in my family. Other treats? The lack of dye. I would compare this to American M&Ms vs British Smarties or American Sour Patch Kids to Taveners gummies.
No_Masterpiece663@reddit
The food we had in Germany was so bad that on the 10th day we broke down and went to McDonald’s there. It may have been the nostalgia, but those were the best fries ever. They also don’t process their food as much as we do.
tara_tara_tara@reddit
I would cry with joy if we had 7-Elevens like they have in Japan. I would fall to my knees and weep.
Nilpfers@reddit
I do occasionally like to pop into American chains when abroad specifically to see what's different, but it's not something I do often. Usually I'm looking for decor and menu differences. I never order something that's available to order at home, so sometimes the differences are hard to spot because I'm not comparing it to the same exact thing at home. I love trying American-themed things.
Biggest differences I've seen so far though other than just the menu being different is Burger King in Turkey definitely uses some different meat in the burger patties than they do in the US. The patty is very noticeably different. Also I went into a KFC in Kosovo and they had a map that marked Kentucky..... but it was nowhere near where Kentucky actually is.
skaliton@reddit
oddly it is better at least from what I've seen. But shockingly...it has more to do with the US allowing places to sell basically one step better than garbage and other countries have actual standards.
so yes subway in japan is better, and 'not mcdonalds' in korea. Before anyone judges it isn't like I was there for a week and decided to eat just american fast food. I did a month long trip and figured to see how different they wluld be
AdamOnFirst@reddit
You can tell they still use beef tallow in the fires on McDonald’s.
It’s most interesting out of Europe where the fast food chains have totally different formulations and recipes. Like lots more pepper in the chicken in the Caribbean and things like that.
SaintsFanPA@reddit
You can? Given they haven’t used tallow in decades they might want to clean their fryers.
Outlaw_Josie_Snails@reddit
For fun, I know some Americans, when traveling overseas, will try American fast food chains to explore the differences.
When I travel overseas, I have no desire to eat at any American chain restaurants. I prefer to explore the local offerings.
manicpixidreamgirl04@reddit
idk I don't eat at chain restaurants.
justattodayyesterday@reddit
I only try other McDonald’s if they have something specific to their country. Japan has deep fried apple pies. Hong Kong has fried chicken.
cathemeralcrone@reddit
Not all of us eat at chains, and I would never go to an American chain in another country.
Belgara@reddit
I usually try to avoid being the obvious American in a McDonald's abroad, but I will unashamedly visit one in Japan at least once while I'm there. The teriyaki burger is absolutely delicious.
I won't touch McDonald's burgers in the US. They're disgusting.
notacoolkid@reddit
Japanese Denny’s is magical. They let you smoke inside so it smells like nostalgia.
SabresBills69@reddit
im not eating at McDonald’s overseas. I grew up in Buffalo so I have eaten some chains in Canada
TrainElegant425@reddit
I always try to eat at McDonald's once because there's always a difference, usually in actual menu offerings. I don't even eat American McDonald's often, it's just cool to see different iterations. Like that they serve beer in Portugal or godly garlic cheesy sticks in the UK.
Plastic-Sentence9429@reddit
We stopped at McDonald's on the way to the airport in Ireland, and the fries were noticeably better.
Xylophelia@reddit
Foreign countries get better dessert options and generally better ambiance (even if the most disgusting public toilet I’ve ever seen in my entire life is the McDonald’s toilet in Edinburgh near princes street gardens).
France with McDonald’s macarons for example. And drinks and food are served in cups and on plates.
The UK has doughnuts and fried pies still. They also have curry dip for nuggets that’s delicious.
JolyonWagg99@reddit
The food quality and flavors are better in the foreign locations. That’s been my experience. On those occasions when I wanted a taste of junk food from home, I would go to Burger King, McDonald’s or Pizza Hut to get a fix.
Maybe it tasted better because I was a little homesick in those moments, but I don’t believe that’s why the food was better.
Main_Insect_3144@reddit
I stopped eating at chains many, many years ago. I would not visit them in a foreign country, either.
liffey1@reddit
I eat mcdonalds once on every trip just to experience the difference. The food quality is significantly better and tastes better outside of america. Here, it's about how much they can produce and sell, not about how it tastes.
Freedum4Murika@reddit
Supply is coordinated by the company corporate office so unless it’s been adapted for local culture (Rice bowls at McD’s) what’s off is usually a texture, or something in the prep. KFC in England soggy as hell.
No-Contact6664@reddit
The urban ramen in Belgium was roughly the same as in the US.
The Vietnamese ladies in France were roughly the same as the Vietnamese ladies in the US.
What do you think the difference is?
Live_Ad8778@reddit
Size. When I went to Japan I got McDs, yes I did eat Japanese cuisine but sometimes you want something familiar, and the large meal was closer to what we would call a small.
maxman1313@reddit
The major successful chains all cater their menus to local customers. I always at least check the menu out of IS chains abroad to see what they've got.