International Differences that Fascinate You

[Labbes]

French cuisine is best because it is rarely boring. While Germans prefer to eat simple, nourishing stuff (like potatoes or schnitzel), French have no problem putting ten different dishes on the table, all with their own sauces and stuff. They savor their food more.

One thing I'm always reminded of when on holiday is that other nations don't have the great bread Germany has (with the exception of Tesco's tiger bread, which is awesome). When I'm hungry in the evening, I just take a slice of bread, put butter on it, cheese or ham and BAM that's enough to get rid of my hunger.
So tell me, other nations, what do you eat when you're hungry in the evening? How do you manage without bread and what do you think about German bread?

[Keep]

French cuisine is best cos they're willing to do disgusting experiments with their ingredients. "Let's grind up pig meat and fat until it's a spreadable paste. Let's force-feed ducks and then cook up their swollen livers. Let's infect cheese with blue mold. Let's thicken this stew by adding chicken blood".

And it all turns out delicious.


I wanna know more about American travel. Do you know much of the country? Is it typical to live in different cities over the course of your life? What about vacations, would people holiday to, say, L.A. or Dallas or such?

[DeathPig]

So tell me, other nations, what do you eat when you're hungry in the evening? How do you manage without bread and what do you think about German bread?

Oh we got bread. Just it's not as great as German bread. Or any other bread, as a matter of fact.

[NathanH]

I am not familiar with German bread, but if it is anything like Flemish bread then it is awesome. I get a bit disappointed with English bread when I go home now. But English bread on its own (not even any spread) is good for when you are hungry and want to be non-hungry because it can achieve this without troubling you with complicated things such as taste and texture. It is delightfully neutral.

[Chaz]

One thing I've always wondered is how much junk food does the average American actually eat? Also is all your food highly processed and loaded with fat, sugar and salt? My parents knew a couple that moved over to the US to live near Chicago for a couple of years, and they said it took them ages to find a bakery that didn't put sugar in the bread. Here in the UK you'd have the opposite problem.

Oh and what the hell is a corn dog? I get the idea it's some kind of sausage on a stick that's been coated in something. Is that like a hot dog sausage or something different. Is it sweet or savoury? Are you supposed to eat them hot or cold?

It's easy to get the impression sometimes from the media that the majority of the US is made up of a bunch of ignorant gun toting right wing bible bashers. Then I put on one of my Seinfeld DVD's and marvel at how such an urbane witty and sophisticated show fits in along side that other impression.

Also statisically there is a higher population of people of hispanic and latino ethnicity than blacks in America, and yet here in the UK it's rare to see US TV shows and popular culture featuring hispanic americans. Whilst black americans seem well catered for in terms of TV and film stars and especially popular music. Is hispanic culture not as well intergrated into mainstream american media, is it more disparate and of its own thing?

Is the native american culture and peoples really still marginalised? I thought there has been a growing popularity in interest now in america towards it's history and antiques. I would have thought that the exploration of the histories of it's native american cultures would have been a prime example of that. Yet when ever I see docu's on TV of that sort of thing, it still seems like the indian populations are living in poverty out in dusty middle of nowhere reservations, not far removed from how things were over a hundred years ago. Here you have the living embodiment of an ancient culture, it's methods and beliefs, and yet it seems to be shunted off to the side and left to slowly fade away. Well aside from those tacky tee-shirts with hackneyed paintings of wolves or indian chiefs, along with other naff souvenirs. Dream catcher anyone?

[Xercies]

I do dislike most British bread especially the sliced stuff, since going from that bread to rolls I really cannot go back to sliced since i realise how much shit is gone into it.

Another curiosity, why in Europe do you have your bread selling shops open so early and how do we get Britain to do this? I loved camping out there and getting some early bread and put some pate or some other stuff on it.

Is American Politics really as polarised as I see on the internet its either right wing I want business to boom and everyone without money to die or left wing save the children and have government do everything for you. Do you have a middle?

[Fumarole]

Corn dogs are the food of the gods, best dipped in mustard and definitely eaten hot, usually while walking somewhere.

Hispanics are either on Telemundo or news reporters. Same for Asians unless it's a man, because he's too busy kicking someone to report on anything.

Native Americans are very much marginalized, unless they happen to own a casino, whereupon they become just like every other successful businessperson - Republican. They cry when you litter. Not the Republicans, the real ones.

[Feldspar]

dipped in mustard

There's something that interests me, why is French or German mustard a mild, often creamy sauce, when it should be bright yellow and have a burn almost exactly like wasabi?

[Nalano]

@ Chaz, in order

A lot: Two thirds of us are overweight, half are obese. Not all of it, no.

A hot dog wrapped in cornmeal and deep fried. Savory. Hot.

Not a majority, no, but a significant subset of people from the Bible Belt, which is mostly relegated to the Southern US. America is a large country, and New York City (the setting of Seinfeld) is not Alabama.

Blacks have been here longer and are unified with a single cultural heritage. Latinos are one of a plethora of cultural backgrounds unified at best with a language, and as you can see with the US and UK, language only goes so far. That said, there are plenty of TV shows with Latino leads and characters, though I have no idea what's being exported to the UK.

Yes, very much so. Most Native Americans - like me - live out in urban areas, though there are a number of reservations jealously guarded by various organizations. The reservations tend to be poor because they're by far the worst land available in terms of arability and are far away from major urban centers, leading to a cycle of disenfranchisement, unemployment, alcoholism and despair. That said, if you're on one it looks like any other poor area of the rural United States, with shotgun houses and trailer parks. I, however, take umbrage at this insinuation of being an "ancient culture" and a vestige of "American history," to be associated with "antiques." I don't live in the past. I live right now.

[NecroKnight]

I heard that a lot of Americans have problems with basic grammar. That they mix their, there and your, you're with each other and misspell common words like weird and so on. I've also heard that the French are arogant and xenophobic, who often behave rude towards tourists. Receptionists at hotels pretending not to speak English and waiters ignoring you if you can't speak with a perfect French accent. Are any of these true?

[Chaz]

@ Chaz, in order

A hot dog wrapped in cornmeal and deep fried. Savory. Hot.

Not a majority, no, but a significant subset of people from the Bible Belt, which is mostly relegated to the Southern US. America is a large country, and New York City (the setting of Seinfeld) is not Alabama.

Blacks have been here longer and are unified with a single cultural heritage. Latinos are one of a plethora of cultural backgrounds unified at best with a language, and as you can see with the US and UK, language only goes so far. That said, there are plenty of TV shows with Latino leads and characters, though I have no idea what's being exported to the UK.

I, however, take umbrage at this insinuation of being an "ancient culture" and a vestige of "American history," to be associated with "antiques." I don't live in the past. I live right now.

Sounds tasty.

Yes I do realise geographically that New York and Alabama are quite some distance apart and that culturally there would be some major differences. It's just that coming from a smaller country it's sometimes hard to imagine how such polar opposites nestle together to produce the whole. I mean here, realistically speaking, things aren't really that much different from Lands End to John O'Groats. Scenery and regional accents aside, like a stick of rock it's more or less the same the whole way through.

Guess we don't have any of those programs. Are they any good? Can't be worse than some of the crap we get on some of the less intellectual cable channels, like America's Next Top Model, Two and a Half Men, Cake Boss and Man Vs Food, to name but a few, or can they? I say less intellectual channels, although I have a feeling that Cake Boss and Man Vs Food are on Discovery, which seems to now just run an endless slew of reality TV programs. Can't believe Deadliest Catch is still going. There's only so many times you can watch a boat bobbing up and down in stormy seas and some guy holding up a large crab going "Yeah baby! That's what it's all about!"

Probably didn't word that very well now I look at it. Didn't mean to imply native Americans were a bunch of living fossils. Merely that the old cultural values and beliefs of ages past are still to a degree intact in the minds of a few. A rare thing in European countries in which the old cultures have long since been erased through centuries of warfare and invasion. Our only link with those pasts generally being buried loot.

[Nalano]

Sounds tasty.

Yes I do realise geographically that New York and Alabama are quite some distance apart and that culturally there would be some major differences. It's just that coming from a smaller country it's sometimes hard to imagine how such polar opposites nestle together to produce the whole. I mean here, realistically speaking, things aren't really that much different from Lands End to John O'Groats. Scenery and regional accents aside, like a stick of rock it's more or less the same the whole way through.

Guess we don't have any of those programs. Are they any good? Can't be worse than some of the crap we get on some of the less intellectual cable channels, like America's Next Top Model, Two and a Half Men, Cake Boss and Man Vs Food, to name but a few, or can they? I say less intellectual channels, although I have a feeling that Cake Boss and Man Vs Food are on Discovery, which seems to now just run an endless slew of reality TV programs. Can't believe Deadliest Catch is still going. There's only so many times you can watch a boat bobbing up and down in stormy seas and some guy holding up a large crab going "Yeah baby! That's what it's all about!"

Probably didn't word that very well now I look at it. Didn't mean to imply native Americans were a bunch of living fossils. Merely that the old cultural values and beliefs of ages past are still to a degree intact in the minds of a few. A rare thing in European countries in which the old cultures have long since been erased through centuries of warfare and invasion. Our only link with those pasts generally being buried loot.

Word of advice in midwestern US: If it tastes good, it'll likely kill you when you turn 50.

We're larger than Europe, and look at all the different cultures Europe has. Plus, we've pulled in people from all around the world. Hell, thanks to you we have a lotta Appalachian hicks with Scottish last names, and clan culture still prevails.

I have no answer to the huge sea of crap we produce for TV every year. I'm shocked and amazed that so many of you buy it, tho - the international market is larger than the domestic market. As for Latinos on TV, there's about half a dozen Spanish-language channels on basic cable, and a dozen or so English-language sitcoms and dramas with Latino leads over the past decade, a fair amount of 'em to critical acclaim.

Your link with your past is your current culture. You didn't come from nowhere. The reason we even study Greco-Roman philosophy and Judeo-Christian religious structure is to better understand why western culture is as it is now. Hell, any history of how England became a constitutional parliament-led monarchy - which I'd imagine was core curriculum for you - would have to delve pretty deep into social conventions over hundreds of years.

[SouperSteve0]

Seeing as I'm going to be spending 3 weeks in Europe soon, I guess I should poke around.

Are Parisians really snobs and do they just give they rest of France a bad rap because of their attitude?

Are Italians really nice and eat spaghetti with EVERY meal?

Are the Germans really very judging? I've heard so.

[TillEulenspiegel]

There's something that interests me, why is French or German mustard a mild, often creamy sauce, when it should be bright yellow and have a burn almost exactly like wasabi?

Germany has a wide variety of mustards, and most of them *are* quite hot, more so than your standard American yellow squeeze-bottle mustard. You may be thinking of a kind of sweet mustard that's only common in Bavaria.

[Skalpadda]

Probably didn't word that very well now I look at it. Didn't mean to imply native Americans were a bunch of living fossils. Merely that the old cultural values and beliefs of ages past are still to a degree intact in the minds of a few. A rare thing in European countries in which the old cultures have long since been erased through centuries of warfare and invasion. Our only link with those pasts generally being buried loot.

There's the Samí culture in northern Scandinavia and Russia which shares a lot of similarities with Native (North)American cultures. Most Scandinavians probably know more about Native Americans than they do about the Sami though, which is worrying considering they weren't even properly recognised as a people with the right to their own culture until the late 20th century.

Also, even though Europe has become more homogenised by Christianity and the cross-breeding of cultures and political ideas throughout history I'm not sure it's accurate to say that our only link with our past is buried loot. Even where ancient ideas and customs have been largely abandoned there's still a lot living on in language and traditions; they're just too mixed up to pick them out and put a coherent cultural identity together from the pieces.

[El Cubo]

Most Scandinavians probably know more about Native Americans than they do about the Sami though

That's because of all the western movies.

[Nalano]

That's because of all the western movies.

In that case they don't know jack.

[El Cubo]

In that case they don't know jack.

True that.

[NathanH]

I heard that a lot of Americans have problems with basic grammar. That they mix their, there and your, you're with each other and misspell common words like weird and so on.

This is common in England too.

To be fair, misspelling weird as wierd is forgivable because it is an ee sound that doesn't follow a c, and these are usually ie rather than ei.

[Tritagonist]

Is American Politics really as polarised as I see on the internet its either right wing I want business to boom and everyone without money to die or left wing save the children and have government do everything for you. Do you have a middle?

It's always important to keep in mind the turnout. In the last presidential election, it wasn't much higher than 63%. Since the election was a 52.9% vs. 45.7% split, this makes the non-voting American the largest political group - if you might call them that.

I'm not sure whether that is comforting or disconcerting, but there you go.

Are Parisians really snobs and do they just give they rest of France a bad rap because of their attitude?

Parisians do have a bad reputation, even in France itself. I haven't been to Paris more than a handful of times, but I've never encountered anything too unpleasant, except for perhaps a few high-strung people from the Gendarmerie Nationale.

Are Italians really nice and eat spaghetti with EVERY meal?

Most, if not all, restaurants do have a special pasta course before (or after, I don't remember - probably before) the main course, but it's entirely voluntary. Eating habits in Italy are changing too, and Italians kids are now among the fattest in all of Europe. Though perhaps that could be because they eat way too much pasta - who knows!

Are the Germans really very judging? I've heard so.

I wouldn't say so. I've never been to the predominantly catholic Bayern and Baden-Württemberg, so I can't comment on that, but I've found that the northern Nordrhein-Westfalen, Niedersachsen, Hamburg etc. are very familiar for a Dutch person like myself and that the only real dividing issues were our slightly different languages - and the fact that they're supporting the wrong football team in the upcoming European Championship. In any case, like any large country of 80 million people there's dozens of cultural peculiarities and differences in custom.