Any American meals that your european guests loved or hated?
Sep 21st, 2004, 02:50 PM
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Any American meals that your european guests loved or hated?
I was cooking dinner earlier ( Chili) and remembered a few years ago that some friends from England dropped by (already in town visiting other friends) and stayed for dinner. We had chili. They were a little leary, but they loved it! They never heard of it or tasted before. I was thrilled!
Our German exchange student could not stand my famous BBQ pork. She said it was too sweet and did not like the texture. She also did not like all the cereals served, she preferred bread and jam and drank about a quart of OJ every 2 days - she said it was sooo much better here. She also loved the split layer chocolate cake my local bakery sold, she said it was better than any sweet she ever had(probably just sweeter, as German cakes are not sweet)
Do you have any stories to share?
Our German exchange student could not stand my famous BBQ pork. She said it was too sweet and did not like the texture. She also did not like all the cereals served, she preferred bread and jam and drank about a quart of OJ every 2 days - she said it was sooo much better here. She also loved the split layer chocolate cake my local bakery sold, she said it was better than any sweet she ever had(probably just sweeter, as German cakes are not sweet)
Do you have any stories to share?
Sep 21st, 2004, 03:04 PM
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In 2001, I was in Smolensk National Park in Russia working with local teachers. We took in our suitcases what we could to prepare an "American" dinner for them. We made vegetarian chili with canned beans, canned tomatoes, and spices. We also took packages of cornbread mix, and though it was very hard to find eggs, and there were no muffin tins, we managed to use muffin papers to make a sort of cornbread muffin. We also made brownies from a mix. All of this, except the eggs and milk, came out of our suitcases. They loved it all, but they especially liked the cornbread.
Sep 21st, 2004, 03:11 PM
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It's been a few years, but our British friends who all came on a theatre exchange couldn't get over our eating chicken wings -- especially with our fingers! Of course, now you see them on menus there too, but not then.
But being Florida, we did a big seafood night with Stone Crab Claws and peel your own shrimp. They all went wild over that!!
But being Florida, we did a big seafood night with Stone Crab Claws and peel your own shrimp. They all went wild over that!!
Sep 21st, 2004, 03:14 PM
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There was a man from France visiting my husband's workplace, and we invited him over for some real Southern food. Our next door neighbor makes the best Southern (American) homemade biscuits you've ever tasted, and we asked her to make some for our meal. The man was unimpressed, to say the least.
On the flip side, my boys make brownies that are always well received by our guests from other countries.
On the flip side, my boys make brownies that are always well received by our guests from other countries.
Sep 21st, 2004, 03:47 PM
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Guests from the Netherlands were very polite but we could tell that they did not go for corn on the cob. Later, they told us they thought such food was reserved for horses.
Germans guests did not like pancakes with maple syrup. Like eating Coca-Cola, they said.
On the other hand, European guests rave about strawberry shortcake -- especially when served with whipped topping (the kind you buy in little buckets from the freezer section at the supermarket).
Danish guests could not get enough of my wife's cole slaw. She uses the Cuisinart to chop the cabbage into tiny bits, and makes a dressing of Miracle Whip, vinegar, and sugar.
Guests from China went nuts over barbecued chicken, and yet they said steak was far too rich for their stomachs to digest. Yet they asked for seconds of angelfood cake.
Germans guests did not like pancakes with maple syrup. Like eating Coca-Cola, they said.
On the other hand, European guests rave about strawberry shortcake -- especially when served with whipped topping (the kind you buy in little buckets from the freezer section at the supermarket).
Danish guests could not get enough of my wife's cole slaw. She uses the Cuisinart to chop the cabbage into tiny bits, and makes a dressing of Miracle Whip, vinegar, and sugar.
Guests from China went nuts over barbecued chicken, and yet they said steak was far too rich for their stomachs to digest. Yet they asked for seconds of angelfood cake.
Sep 21st, 2004, 03:54 PM
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USNR- your post made me laugh. I can just picture them talking later about the corn on the cob , - " Isn't that what the farmer down the road feeds his horses, and those silly Americns find it normal and delicious!" LOL
Yes, our German exchange student also disliked pancakes/syrup .......
Yes, our German exchange student also disliked pancakes/syrup .......
Sep 21st, 2004, 04:01 PM
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All my Australian guests (and I heard some Europeans may agree) asked me if we really ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. My last guest had her first PB&J sandwich with me and said it wasn't as bad as she thought it was going to be. I guess it's too sweet?
Sep 21st, 2004, 04:11 PM
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Italian exchange students went "crazy" over guacamole. Also over the traditional chocolate chip cookies. Now supermarkets are in Italy but years ago that was not true and a least once a week a whole afternoon had to be spent in the supermaket checking each and every item ( ooooh sigh, long afternoon). And peanut butter along with cake mixes were always taken home. Had Italian friends here last summer and two hours were spent in the supermarket finding "just the right" cake mix and canned frosting. Too funny. When I go to Italy I am thrilled with food that they take for granted (as in "what it the big deal"
but pleased of course how much I love it. Your question is interesting and good annesherrod
but pleased of course how much I love it. Your question is interesting and good annesherrod
Sep 21st, 2004, 04:32 PM
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We had 3 German au pairs and one Swedish au pair when my daughters were young. They were all lovely girls. They absolutely hated root beer, said it tasted like medicine. Most really hated our white bread too (who could blame them?)
Sep 21st, 2004, 04:42 PM
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I remember when my kids were 6 and 8 and we took them to Switzerland to visit their Swiss cousins. We had some small snack size bags of goldfish crackers with us, and my nephew who was 5 at the time wanted to taste some. He HATED the taste! I guess he's never had a cheddar cheese flavored cracker before. (I thought all kids loved goldfish crackers, but maybe the taste is cultural.)
Susan
Susan
Sep 21st, 2004, 05:49 PM
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Our French exchange students loved Chocolate chip cookies, biscuits, cornbread, Fritos and fried alligator! We live in Louisiana.
I gave them both American cookbooks to take home with them. They both brought home a suitcase full of food they couldn't buy in France, and the first thing they did when they got home was cook their families an American meal.
During their visit we had a lot of fun cooking together. One night they shut me out of the kitchen and with the help of my two six year old grandchildren, they cooked us a very elaborate and delicious French dinner.
One of the things they were fascinated with was my breadmaker. They scolded me because I didn't have a rotisserie to cook the chicken on. They also preferred not to refrigerate a lot of foods that we ordinarily would have kept cold, such as custards.
One thing they loved was all the fruit I bought at the grocery store- they said that their mothers insisted that they only eat the fruit in season that they grew in their gardens. So the bananas and other fresh fruit was a real treat to them.
We found cooking together to be a great cultural icebreaker, and it also proved to be a good foreign language vocabulary builder for both the French students and ourselves.
I gave them both American cookbooks to take home with them. They both brought home a suitcase full of food they couldn't buy in France, and the first thing they did when they got home was cook their families an American meal.
During their visit we had a lot of fun cooking together. One night they shut me out of the kitchen and with the help of my two six year old grandchildren, they cooked us a very elaborate and delicious French dinner.
One of the things they were fascinated with was my breadmaker. They scolded me because I didn't have a rotisserie to cook the chicken on. They also preferred not to refrigerate a lot of foods that we ordinarily would have kept cold, such as custards.
One thing they loved was all the fruit I bought at the grocery store- they said that their mothers insisted that they only eat the fruit in season that they grew in their gardens. So the bananas and other fresh fruit was a real treat to them.
We found cooking together to be a great cultural icebreaker, and it also proved to be a good foreign language vocabulary builder for both the French students and ourselves.
Sep 21st, 2004, 06:04 PM
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My husband worked for a number of years with several young Italian men who often came over for dinner. They both loved lemon meringue pie. They also felt that my bread maker bread was the closest thing to real Italian bread that they had eaten in this country. They loved to make bruschetta using my bread, and I would always give them some to take back to their apartment.
They also loved zuchinni, roast potatoes, and any other vegetable that , I think, reminded them of home.
One thing I never cooked for them was any kind of pasta! They often cooked us delicious meals of various kinds of pasta or pizzza.
They taught me how to make delicious tiramisu. My son recently made this tiramisu recipe for a dinner for 70 people at his church. Now his reputation as a cook is made!
They were real perfectionists when it came to cooking. I think why they finally moved back to Italy a year and a half ago was because they missed Italian food so much. Of course, they missed their very close knit families, too. Now we have a great time visiting them in Rome!
They also loved zuchinni, roast potatoes, and any other vegetable that , I think, reminded them of home.
One thing I never cooked for them was any kind of pasta! They often cooked us delicious meals of various kinds of pasta or pizzza.
They taught me how to make delicious tiramisu. My son recently made this tiramisu recipe for a dinner for 70 people at his church. Now his reputation as a cook is made!
They were real perfectionists when it came to cooking. I think why they finally moved back to Italy a year and a half ago was because they missed Italian food so much. Of course, they missed their very close knit families, too. Now we have a great time visiting them in Rome!
Sep 21st, 2004, 06:20 PM
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I was (staying) in Normandy (with a family) during the peak of a season of extraordinary cherries (theirs, not cherries from America) - - and I made "my family" a cherry pie - - deep, with a "crumble" crust on top. They acted like they had never seen or tasted such a thing, and loved it.
In a similar experience, our 11 year-old (staying with a different family, a different year, in Paris) - - and she apparently "wowed" them by making (what we would consider plain ol' ordinary) stuffed green peppers - - a rice and hamburger filling; I don't know what she used for seasonings. Not sure if they were impressed that an 11 year old could make a meal without any recipe(s), or if they were really gaga over the stuffed peppers themselves.
Best wishes,
Rex
In a similar experience, our 11 year-old (staying with a different family, a different year, in Paris) - - and she apparently "wowed" them by making (what we would consider plain ol' ordinary) stuffed green peppers - - a rice and hamburger filling; I don't know what she used for seasonings. Not sure if they were impressed that an 11 year old could make a meal without any recipe(s), or if they were really gaga over the stuffed peppers themselves.
Best wishes,
Rex
Sep 21st, 2004, 06:23 PM
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Some years ago we had dinner guests from Japan who were overwhelmed by the ice cream I served for dessert. Ice cream at home is unusual in Japan because their refrigerators are so small. They all trooped out to the kitchen to photograph my refrigerator so they could show their wives.
