A while back, we wrote a post where non-American Redditors shared American foods that seem gross or — at the very least — quite confusing. Even more Reddit users shared the American foods they're not too fond of — and of course, it gets heated. Here's what they had to say:
1. "I remember a lime jello tuna salad ring made in a bundt pan by a distant relative. We told her with her work schedule, she shouldn't bother with bringing food to potlucks."
2. "That sweet potato casserole recipe topped with pecans and marshmallows — a 'traditional side at Thanksgiving table.'"
"Marshmallows on sweet potatoes is so gross and foreign to me."
3. "Canned things that probably don't need to be canned. Looking at you, whole white potatoes in water."
4. "I'm sorry but those slices of American cheese have always tasted so fake and plastic to me personally."
5. "When they introduced me to Chicago pizza, something in me died. That should not be called pizza — it's just a devil fat pie."
6. "Grits. I tried it a few times and don't hate it anymore, but it's weird. Very weird."
7. "As an Australian, I would like to know what in the flying firetruck a 'Bloomin' Onion' has to do with anything — let alone the rest of Outback Steakhouse's menu."
8. "[Midwestern] salads 🥲😬. Like, WTF, America! Crushed pineapples and marshmallows are not ingredients that belong near a salad 🤡😂."
9. "Mac and cheese where it does not belong. I'm looking at you, pizza and burgers."
10. "Coffee creamer. It's wild that's even a thing. Just pour some milk in there."
—Anonymous
11. "Americans tend to like their bacon crispier. As a Canadian, I say chewy bacon for the win."
12. "Twinkies. WTF is it even made of? In my mind, it's just pure sugar."
13. "Sloppy joes. The thing I find least appealing about burgers is when the filling falls off."
14. "American bread. I'm sure you can get good bread somewhere in the US, but the generally available, sugary, long-shelf-life bread is so appalling."
"Now, of course, your export of fast-food restaurants has nothing to do with haute cuisine, but any burger would be so much better if at least you used acceptable bread."
15. "Whoever decided we needed to batter and deep fry sticks of butter."
16. "Corn syrup everywhere."
"The prevalence of high fructose corn syrup in EVERYTHING. Unfortunately, being in Canada, it's bleeding over the border as a lot of products here are manufactured in the USA."
17. "Ranch dressing. I once had a pizza in America, and it had ranch dressing on it. Ranch dressing doesn't really exist in Europe, and it's this weird, salty, fatty, mayo-like sauce — and it certainly does not belong on a pizza...or inside a human body for that matter."
18. "The chocolate out there is FOUL."
"Ghirardelli, Guittard, Dove, Scharffen Berger, and hundreds of smaller companies are fine. Pretty much just avoid anything you would find near the register at a grocery store."
"I tried a big-name American chocolate brand once but couldn't eat it due to the vomit smell and taste."
19. "I find biscuits and gravy to be absolutely disgusting."
"But I'd like to counterbalance that by adding how delicious cornbread is and why on earth hasn't it become a staple here in Europe? It's SO yummy!"
20. "Spray…cheese???"
And finally...
21. "Circus Peanuts. What are they? How do they have so much sugar but taste so horrible? What science experiments created them?"
WOW. Americans, do you agree with these opinions? And non-Americans, what other American foods actually seem "gross"? Let us know in the comments below!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.