People Are Sharing The Cultural Foods And Behaviors That Other Countries Seriously Misinterpret (Or Don't Understand Whatsoever)
If you've traveled, you've probably noticed some stereotypical things from your home country that have been misunderstood abroad. For example, I'll never forget seeing the "American" aisle at a grocery store in Paris, which was basically entirely made up of ketchup, mayonnaise, and peanut butter, as if the were the only components of any American diet. So, Redditor u/slade45 asked, "What’s something 'from your country' you see in other countries that cracks you up?" Here's what people said.
1."'Cool American Flavor' Doritos in The Netherlands. I had to laugh when I saw them, and then I wondered, what is a cool American flavor?"
2."I see a lot of 'American sauce,' which is basically mayonnaise and ketchup."
3."I was in Europe a few times this year, and I was amazed at how much Old El Paso taco seasoning I saw everywhere. In one grocery store in Norway there was an entire massive bin of it. I wasn't expecting to see that!"
4."In a few countries I've visited, I've seen cafes serving 'Spanish coffee' or 'Spanish latte.' I always wonder what is it. In Spain, we usually drink cafe con leche, which is simply coffee with milk. There's no such thing as a Spanish coffee."
5."Russian potato salad usually is very far from the actual salad with potatoes that we eat. Whatever is served in restaurants misses half the ingredients and often is just potatoes covered in mayo."
6."There's a New Zealand clothing brand called Glassons, which licenses American university logos for their apparel, and people wear them all the time, not knowing what they are. So you’ll be walking around small towns and see a UC Santa Barbara or Virginia Tech sweatshirt, but if you ask the person wearing it about it, he'll have no idea what you’re talking about. It’s like a fictional place to him."
7."Fosters. The only places serving this beer in Australia are wildly touristy areas that primarily serve foreign travelers. But it's one of the most easily accessible Australian beers outside of Australia. You see that shit everywhere."
8."I saw a cajun food restaurant in Istanbul where there were murals of Mexican art all over the walls."
9."I just spent six weeks in the South of France, and one of the most common food items I'd see at touristy 'American' restaurants was the sandwich Americain. It was basically a small baguette split in half with a hamburger patty cut in half-circles to fit in the baguette, topped with French fries and 'special sauce' (a mixture of ketchup and mayo). It's like if I described a standard burger meal in my very poor French and a French person was like, 'Oh yeah, I think I get it!'"
10."'Singapore noodles' can be found on menus at Asian eateries in cosmopolitan cities like London. We have no such dish in Singapore."
11."When we went to Reykjavik a few years ago, we walked past a Big Lebowski-themed restaurant and thought it was so random that we had to eat there."
12."I've been to America-themed parties in several countries, and the one thing they always had was red solo cups. It's funny to me that the rest of the world seems to have noticed that detail."
13."I have found that 'Mexican restaurants' in the UK have menu items from every Spanish-speaking country. You'll find Cuban sandwiches alongside random Spanish dishes. And sometimes you'll get something called a margarita in a martini glass."
14."Indian here. Most Indian restaurants I've visited worldwide (minus the rare fine dining establishments) play the trashiest Bollywood music imaginable. It's stuff that most of us in India would never willingly sit and listen to. Think extremely jarring and downright terrible party songs. It's either that or Hindu prayer chants and nothing in between. And it's always played at super loud volumes. The song choices legitimately crack me up."
15."The jarred hot dogs in the American section of German and Dutch grocery stores. 🤢"
16."Outback steakhouse in the US. Just no. Bloomin onions...just no. That's not what we eat in Australia."
17."I'm Chinese and often see a few things when I travel. Chopsticks are called baguettes in France, and dumplings are called raviolis chinoises. And also, there are so many variations of what we call 'fake Chinese food' like Panda Express throughout the Americas and Europe."
18."Dear Germany, salsa is not ketchup with corn."
19."The crazy ingredients that people put on 'American' pizza abroad. No, our pizza is not usually topped with French fries, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and other nonsense."
20."Tapas in the US. For some reason, Americans turn tapas into Latin American fusion cuisine. Not complaining, but it's weird."
21."I went to a 'burrito' restaurant in London and ordered the Mexican Burrito. I honestly don't think the folks there have ever seen a burrito. They sold me flour tortilla wrap so that part was right. As for the contents, there were boiled navy beans and some sort of unfamiliar meat filling. And someone decided cottage cheese is the same as sour cream."
Do you have something to add? What is something that is supposedly "iconic" in your home country that you have seen misunderstood, misused, or bastardized abroad? Tell us in the comments or in this anonymous form.
