A Redditor asked, innocently, a week or so ago, “What’s the most overhyped food in America that everyone pretends is amazing?” Bored Panda decided to monitor the responses. And came away amazed. More than 6,000 replies in just a few hours!
Tomahawk Steak: You’re paying for a lot of bone and fat that just get thrown away…
Panda notes, in the opening its ‘best of’ post, that other countries have their own distinctive national cultures and cuisines. But the US is, in fact, a melting pout of all the others’ who’ve come there to settle. Try to come up with a list of distinctly American foods. You’ll have a tough time, because the eats Americans love most are almost entirely adaptations of dishes and techniques brought there by immigrants!
Too much choice?
There’s an almost infinite range of foods and dishes to choose from in the US. As a result, most Amer-icans have developed their own diverse and distinctive tastes. And it’s not uncommon for folks to disagree about what’s good and what’s not.
In this case, comments on the question of the day were wide ranging and, sometimes, contradictory. I’ve plucked my own top fave responses from Panda’s half-hundred – and offer cogent comments of my own where warranted…
What they said
The first entry on Panda’s list is also the first one in my meticulously curated selection. Starbuck’s Coffee is cited as being okay in the famcny bevs wehre other ingredients tkae the lead, but not so good on its own.
Redditor nottheactualphoto opined as: “Starbucks’ sugar drinks are for people who don’t like coffee. Unsugared, the straight coffee tastes burnt, as in egregiously over-roasted.” I always drink my coffee black, no sugar. So I can taste the coffee. And I have to agree with nottheactualphoto.
‘Peter Panda‘ (from Bored Panda) suggested: “While I do enjoy them, not every burger needs to be a “smash burger”. “Also, not every beer needs to be a IPA.” Which triggered a tsunami of other short, but not-so-sweet comments:
“Anything from Panera”
“Crumbl cookies”
“McDonald’s McRib”
“Tomahawk steaks”
“Dunkin’ Donuts. They are always stale these days.”
“Dubai everything. It’s like people just discovered pistachios exist.”
“Anything Pumpkin Spice flavoured.”
“Pro-biotic sodas. I get it, it’s healthy. But the taste is so bad.”
“Wagyu burger is so stupid that I cringe when I see it.”
“Thank God we’re past the ‘Kale’ period.”
“Matcha.”
“Kombucha”
“Hot honey.”
“Turkey Legs.”
“Mac & Cheese”
Avocado Toast”
“Krispy Kreme”
“Red Velvet Cake”
“Protein everything”
A few more-detailed responses…
myrtenaster asked: “Am I the only American that thinks ranch dressing is disgusting???”
theoneknownasL complained: “I have caught more s**t for saying that, “Chick-Fil-A isn’t special” than I have for saying, “God is not real,” and I live in Oklahoma.”
Leather-Transition60 “I honestly never understood the hype of chicken and waffles. I tried it once and I was very let down. I don’t want syrup on my chicken, and I don’t want a waffle with my chicken either.”
jerseyoutwest offered a family ritual/tradition: “Every Easter, before the giant traditional Italian feast I make every year, I host a Peep Burning to cleanse the earth of evil, because they are hell-born and hell-bound, there is a bonfire and a poem [in which Peeps are] dramatically declaimed, and then all my guests chuck peeps into the flames. Its a good time.”
Amen, brothers and sisters. AMEN!
My take
I encourage you to click over to the original post on Reddit, and check out the broader, wider-ranging ‘master collection’ of responses to the big, fat, loaded question of the day…
You’ll laugh! You’ll cry! You’ll tear your hair over some of them. But mostly, you’ll be amazed at how diverse Americans’ tastes are!
~ Maggie J.