[Hadden]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer /img/forum/go_quote.gif "mainstream" America does not care about anything deeply. This is not to say individuals don't have their own passions/depth, but as a whole our society really has no "roots." Of course, this is partially due to being a melting pot society with a relatively short history, but also due to much of that history having taken place in the industrial age, where decisions were based more on economics and the bottom line than anything else. The only big thing in America is "the next big thing" and what we enjoy presently, we generally discard and forget just as quickly.

This applies to Canada as well. It has something to do with the Protestant pleasure--hating work ethic. Food as fuel. Time should be spent in endeavor. "What do you do", "where are you working" when getting to know someone at a party etc--these tend to be the first questions.

 

[ingwe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spareribs /img/forum/go_quote.gif True. But I see in other countries where the food is amazing, the people are thin. In America, a lot of the food is not that good but the people are fat. This is the irony that perplexes me. Logic would make me think that Americans should be thinner since most of the food is mediocre. But it's the opposite. This America phenomenon was really noticeable after traveling abroad.

correlation != causation

 

[laxx]

Don't know about you, but I get some good food for a few bucks.

 

[analogbox]

People are thin in other countries because their main transporation is thru walking most of the time. They spend more time walking and standing up than lying in the bed and getting comfy at the sofa watching TV. That's why city people are usually more thiner than suburban people even though they have better food in the city because they walk alot. I used to be real thin when I used to live in city but now that I've moved to suburban area I gained more than 60lbs.

 

[Spareribs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redo /img/forum/go_quote.gif The food is incredible here in the Chicago area, so long as you don't stick to the familiar big name establishments.

Chicago and the major cities in the states are definetly above average. There is good food in America but you have to know where to go. But when I have visited other countries, I would be clueless and easily find good food everywhere without even thinking about it. Plus it would be relatively cheap.

In my opinion, this can be a big problem in America because of the health concerns. Where i live, almost everyone has a big belly and it is normal. I notice in the major cities, people are thinner but in my surrounding small towns, the food is very mediocre and somewhat expensive, plus the people are oversized. A lot of guys are wearing oversized t shirts to cover up their huge bellies and this seems to be the fashion in my area. Coming back from a recent trip to Europe, this became more noticable to me. When I go out and run my errands, there are no authentic ethnic restaurants or quality places to eat. It's mostly restaurant chains, mediocre pizza places and greasy Chinese food that people think is real Chinese food. There's a couple good sushi places but it's expensive and not really great compared to the west coast.

I really have to search in my area to find a good meal. I'm not complaining because I like where I live but if it is affecting the health of Americans in my area, this should be of concern since diabetes is increasing.

 

[carlosgp]

I'm reading a lot of elaborate arguments that seem excuses to me

. Paranoid of bacteria? Come on! It's a cultural thing. In Europe we have more regulations than anybody in this field and still have great cuisines. It's simply that we understand cooking as a form of art, it's part of our culture and social life. We like eating, but eating well. In Spain you put together a few friends and they will start talking about football, politics... Or food. And then they will go out to visit some bars, drink a glass of wine and eat some tapas. It is the same in other european countries, specially in the mediterranean ones. Everybody likes to go out and have lunch with family or friends. This is why we do this, this, this when we celebrate meets instead of eating pizza

.

For those curious you can see some new restaurants from my area, in northwest Spain.

 

[Contrastique]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaron313 /img/forum/go_quote.gif One word: dishes.

I've always wondered where that word "Stereotype" came from but I think I got it finally

 

[papomaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia /img/forum/go_quote.gif Time, convenience, money, and not knowing better. I eat mostly mediocre food because it's more cost-effective. I wanted to learn how to cook awhile back, but I'm holding off because it's more expensive from a personal standpoint.

I can't tell about the US, but here in Montreal, which is a fairly big north-american city, processed food will, in any way, be more expensive than the same thing home-made. Of course, if you get your food in mainstreem groceries (except CostCo), the prices will quickly match up those of processed meals, but there are plenty of places to get your vegetables, fruits, meat, seasoning, desserts and drinks.

Vegetable and Fruit : follow the seasons and go to open markets, where you can (most people, including I, don't) bargain your prices at some point. Also go to foreign markets. Usually they have a wide selection of cheap exotic fruits because it's the season back there.

Meat : foreign markets, judicious use of Costco (use-and-freeze), butchery schools (this is my best pick, as they do great cuts of meat, reducing fat on some parts by up to 20% and give low prices) and last-day deals - if you have a -20 degrees freezer, put it in there and take it out right before you use it, it can last there for up to a year depending on the meat.
The difference between fresh steaks and directly frozen steaks is pretty small if you get some regular grade meat.
Again, most premade meals have so much salt that you will take an extra 100-200 calories a day drinking more.

Desserts: Don't buy them. Cook. Less calories, less saturated and trans fat, less salt, better flavor, better selection, less chemicals. More appreciation from guests.

Drinks : Again, foreign markets and open markets for juice oranges in the summer. Fresh fruits + milk + 1 tsp sugar + salt makes a good drink most of the time, and is quickly made. Mass-market fruit juices are crazy expensive, hold lots of added sugar and taste like plastic.

Cooking is ALWAYS more rewardful than buying pre-made. If you don't have time to cook, then make your schedule in a way that allows you to cook at least 2 or 3 times a week.

For lunches, MAKE YOUR OWN. When you take your break to go eat outside, most of the time it will be poor in vitamins and rich in calories and be time-consuming. Making your own lunch has real advantages: controlling the quantity of food you take, costing less, taking no time (really, making 2-3 sandwiches takes a minute, just add a fruit and some carrots and you're done. Sheer magic.), giving you more time to relax during your lunchbreak as you don't have to go up and down finding some place to eat, and most important gives you a more balanced diet.

I have three brothers and sisters, and the six of us have healthy diets and control our shape very well.

Hope it helps

 

[devotee101]

The strangest thing I ate in America was boneless chicken wings - they were huge as well! You wouldn't want to bump into one of those chickens in a dark alley at night!

Here in the UK, I don't think farmers are allowed to use the same sort of feeds as farmers use in America.

 

[Kirosia]

Quote:

I can't tell about the US, but here in Montreal, which is a fairly big north-american city, processed food will, in any way, be more expensive than the same thing home-made. Of course, if you get your food in mainstreem groceries (except CostCo), the prices will quickly match up those of processed meals, but there are plenty of places to get your vegetables, fruits, meat, seasoning, desserts and drinks.

Like I said, it's expensive from a personal standpoint. I'd have to buy ingredients in bulk to off-set cost, but I'm the only one in my family who eats non-Asian cuisine. So I'd be cooking only for myself. It's cheaper (and more varietal) to buy a mixture of fresh food and processed ones. I used to eat mostly fresh chicken wings, beef, pork, made sandwiches etc. but I just got tired of it. "Good" seasonings and such can rack up cost, without them, food gets boring.

I plan on eating better one day, when I'm able to afford it.

 

[-=Germania=-]

Redo,

I agree about the great places in Chicago.

I am in Evanston *The food capital of the NorthShore* and there are many great places. I highly reccomend Davis Street Fish Market. The best Pecan crusted Walleye of my life and it is under $30. Everyone knows Pete Millars, but if you are lookig for some electirc and upscale atmosphere with Zigis rated food - goto Noyes Street Cafe. I don't care for Burgers, but if you want a good lunch for $8 - get their Southwest Burger. For dinner it is usually tops around $20 a person and the Chef specials are different every night while being fantastic! Want to go on a more expensive dinner? Oceanique is a french place and expect just under $50/person without drinks.

The signature room in the Hancock, while being touristy, still has great food at reasonable prices and the atosphere/view to boot. The Belmont/Boystown area has a lot to offer that is trendy and pretty cheap while still being very good.

 

[Spareribs]

Another thing that became more noticable after my Europe trip:

Coming back I noticed there is junk food everywhere in the U.S. In the gas stations and even drug stores, there are so many types of candy bars and varities of potato chips, nacho chips, etc. With the exception of nacho chips and potato chips, most of these types of American junk food really are bland and sugary. They do not taste that good but we keep consuming them.

In Europe, I saw very little junk food and the candies and snacks taste much better than the American products. If I did see potato chips in Europe, they would be in small contatiners, unlike the large bags in the U.S.

When I talk to an older American about this, they would tell me that it wasn't like this in the old days. In the old days in America, you would eat an apple as a snack.

 

[ingwe]

I remember when I was a kid in the sixties we ate sand. Of course that's when we didn't have crawdad.

 

[Spareribs]

Another irony of American eating habits:

Back in the 80's, we thought fat was the enemy and started to make all these nasty tasting fat free products. Where are we now? We are fatter.

Those products were horrible fake food yet popular in our culture. While other countries were eating healthy foods that tasted better, we thought we could manipulate nature to stay thin with these artificial products. And to add insult to injury, they tasted pretty bad. Now, carbs like pasta and bread are the enemy.

 

[Publius]

While this thread is starting to become an elitist bitchfest that I don't want any part of, there are a few tidbits I also want to share.

One of the more significant differences between supposedly "American" eating habits and "non-American" eating habits really has nothing to do with food - it has to do with what people are doing while they are eating. It seems to be a lot more common here to eat as a background activity - not merely talking, but watching TV, web surfing, driving, etc. When you are distracted from your food, you don't care as much about what you eat, and you won't pick up as easily to the bodily cues to stop eating.

For your next meal, try doing it in the traditional style: sit down at a table (with family if available) and eat the meal together, with no distractions. No TV, no music, just the food and each other. It can be surprisingly hard, and boring food makes it much harder.