Cultural Curiosities: Life in Other Countries

[Shadowlander]

Is eating buckwheat not so popular in the US?

I've heard of it before but I'm not familiar with it. I just read up on it and it says that it apparently shrunk quite a bit in the 20th century as people began to eat more corn and wheat. Who knows?

Another question, is it popular in the US to drink tea? I mean, like here in Russia, when you go visiting someone, that means that you no matter what, you are going to drink tea with whoever you are visiting. You don't go visiting and not drink tea, even if you're only planning on being there for 10 minutes, the host will always say, 'but surely you will have some tea'. Is there a custom like that there?

Eh...now this is a kind of complicated question to answer. If we're talking about brewed beverages in general coffee is very much more popular than tea, and I think that part of this may find its roots back in the Revolution. Tea was Britain's big thing and it was one of the big tax increases they lobbed on us, and I believe that as a result of that Americans perhaps glommed onto coffee as an extra way of thumbing their noses at the Brits, I suppose. I honestly don't know. I think tea is delicious and given a choice I like a nice hot Earl Grey straight with no cream or sugar. But it's a mood thing, and if you sat me down in front of a mug of hot tea and one of hot coffee I'm going to go for the coffee almost all of the time. But the US has plenty of tea drinkers too, so it evens out.

Also I drink my coffee black, which really grosses most people out, but when I need to wake up in a hurry a few cups of straight black coffee blasts the energy back into my system in a way no other beverages really can. There is of course that one exception with tea, however, and that is sweet tea from the Southern US states. You brew it like regular tea but you mix in a heap of sugar, and some folks squeeze a bit of lemon juice into it (but not me), and put in some ice cubes. On a hot day after mowing the lawn, it's one of the most refreshing drinks you can have, and blows the socks off of lemonade, if you ask me. . As far as having drinks of tea when visiting someone's house if one is a formal setting I suppose it can be either tea or coffee. I've seen people visit under formal circumstances and they were fed as much coffee as they could hold.

Speaking of which there is a holiday sort of hot beverage that they serve here for Christmas parties on occasion which is called "Russian Tea". It's not even real tea, really, just a sort of concoction someone came up with and because it had a sort of exotic taste they decided to call it Russian tea.

Here's a recipe so you can see for yourself how very cosmopolitan we are about our beverages over here.

What does reindeer taste like? I've had elk and thought it was just a bit too gamey for my taste, and venison (deer) is much the same unless you drown it in herbs and spices first (this is the part where 20 people show up and decry this statement and will tell you that they cook venison so well that you can't even tell it's venison you're eating! It's a gross exaggeration, by the way ). I'm half tempted to send you a cultural exchange box of some type, filled with packages of chili seasoning and coffee and graham crackers or something.

[shastastwin]

What does reindeer taste like? I've had elk and thought it was just a bit too gamey for my taste, and venison (deer) is much the same unless you drown it in herbs and spices first (this is the part where 20 people show up and decry this statement and will tell you that they cook venison so well that you can't even tell it's venison you're eating! It's a gross exaggeration, by the way ).

Um, venison is best if you age it properly before you cook it. It isn't the same as beef or pork, but it is a good meat to use in barbecue and other dishes. My dad actually will make his own hamburger of venison and cheap/super fat beef (75/25 ratio of lean to fat, usually) to make what we call "deer burger" to use in place of 100% ground beef.

That said, even when I can't taste the difference, I've known people who can. I guess it depends on what you're used to eating. I grew up eating deer so often that I don't usually notice the difference between it and beef unless someone tells me.

[wild rose]

In Russia, instant tea is rarely if ever drunk, I wonder how that tea got it's name

Coffee widely popular here as well. It was brought into Russia with all sorts of other 'European' things by Peter the Great. But it's not really something you will usually serve a guest. I like coffee sweet and thick with cream...which is strange because I hate sweet tea and never add sugar to my tea.

I've never tasted reindeer, so I wouldn't know what it tastes like The most 'exotic' I ever got with meat was eating rabbit soup my grandma made.

I noticed when reading different novels about the US, that corn is quite a widely used grain. You guys even make bread out it, right? Pretty cool. Funny thing is we don't use corn for anything other than just eating it off the husks, or adding canned corn to salads. I remember cooking by a recipe from the Joy of Cooking and the recipe called for corn starch and I couldn't find it in any supermarkets so I settled for potatoe starch...it worked just as well

[fantasia]

We do have a cornbread recipe here in the States that's a predominately Southern dish so Shadowlander could probably tell you more about it than me. My favorite variation of cornbread has whole kernels of corn in it. But while corn is the number one crop grown in American, I live in wheat country and still use almost entirely wheat flour based breads.

[waggawerewolf27]

A few queries: Would what you call corn starch be the same as what we call corn flour? As we use corn flour a fair bit in cooking. We do have corn flakes - Kelloggs has a factory here as of last Christmas. We do eat corn cobs and corn kernels, whether frozen, canned or in the case of the corn cobs, fresh from the greengrocers. Whilst we enjoy corn fritters with bacon & eggs, we also can buy corn cakes, which, like rice cakes, cracker biscuits and lavosh bread, can be used for sandwiches and snacks instead of bread. Is corn bread like ordinary bread, is it more like banana bread, or is it just like the packeted corn cakes we sometimes buy?

I've linked to an Amway product, because they are similar to the ones available in Woollies or Coles, which don't stock Amway, & I can't think of the brand right at this moment. I'm aware of these things only because of family members who get coeliac disease and can't eat wheat products.

And what exactly do you mean by buckwheat? I've seen it advertised as an ingredient for flapjacks, which otherwise turn out to be just the thicker pancakes, the thinner French variety being crepes. What is the difference between ordinary wheat flour and buckwheat? And what is the difference between Russian blinis, on the one hand, and French crepes and American flapjacks on the other hand?

Coffee without milk (referred to as just "black" coffee) is the standard here. Outside of Starbucks the server will usually ask you point blank if you want cream and sugar on the side.

Some years ago, my eldest daughter was serving breakfast to an American visitor who requested cream with his coffee. My puzzled daughter scoured the restaurant kitchen & found some ordinary fresh (unwhipped) cream for this customer, who, she said, seemed rather impressed. Apparently, what he really meant was normal milk. So if you are a visitor to the USA and want cream and sugar with your coffee, would you get actual cream or would you get the ordinary day-to-day homogenised milk? Normally I don't have a problem when I am out and about in Oz, since then, if I can, I always ask for Cappuchinos, most of which have enough sugar in them not to need more.

Cream is the top layer of the milk & has the most fat content. Skim milk is what is left when all, instead of just a bit, of the cream has been skimmed off. Butter can be made from churned cream, or cream that has been whipped too long, though how long I'll leave to the experts in the Dairy Industry. I used to know more about this when my father worked for the government body which regulated NSW standards.

[Shadowlander]

Some years ago, my eldest daughter was serving breakfast to an American visitor who requested cream with his coffee. My puzzled daughter scoured the restaurant kitchen & found some ordinary fresh (unwhipped) cream for this customer, who, she said, seemed rather impressed. Apparently, what he really meant was normal milk. So if you are a visitor to the USA and want cream and sugar with your coffee, would you get actual cream or would you get the ordinary day-to-day homogenised milk? Normally I don't have a problem when I am out and about in Oz, since then, if I can, I always ask for Cappuchinos, most of which have enough sugar in them not to need more.

I think it's just one of our weird language expressions here. Outside of high dollar coffee shoppes when you ask for cream here you're going to get milk. If you're in Starbucks or Caribou Coffee then you have to specify what kind of milk (soy, Vitamin D (4-5%), reduced (2%), skim (colored water if you ask me), almond, half and half, or some other weird thing that only a Vegan would eat). I think they do have whole cream there and I can only imagine it'd make for a scrumptious cup of joe. .

@ Wild Rose, cornbread is actually an offshoot of American Indian cuisine from way, way back before Colonization days. Basically you just mill dry corn down to a powder and toss in some form of fat and water, a bit of seasoning (salt is the most common) and bake it or fry it. It is very delicious but it's also notoriously dry and it's not something you can do a whole lot of things with. For instance making a sandwich out of cornbread would be almost impossible, although it'd be amusing to watch. I think it's great with chili but it goes with a whole lot of foods. It has a consistency pretty close to cake, although it's a bit more crumbly and doesn't hold moisture well. I've been wanting to try a variety out that adds jalapeno peppers to it. Have you tried that one FK?

We also use the same type of milled corn flour to make tortilla chips like Fritos and Tostitos (Mexican styled snacks). They just roll the dough really, really flat, cut them into either circles or triangles, and then deep fry them until they're crispy and golden. Then they're sprinkled with salt and served with a variety of sides like tomato salsa, hot, melted bowls of cheese (queso dip), quacamole (the mashed up innards of avocado, which tastes like paste one might find in their local kindergarten class. Yes I tried it once when I was 5. Don't judge me.), or served alongside other dishes. Corn on the cob is simply wonderful, especially with butter melted all over it. In fact I just straight up love corn and have never come across a cooked form of it that I haven't loved.

A question for both the Australians and the Russian . Do you guys have hot, spicy foods available to you, and if you do are they popular? Here in the US the hot sauce/hot pepper trade is a thriving industry as millions of Americans intentionally destroy their mouths with capsaicin-powered comestibles. I love jalapenos, habanero, and serrano peppers and enjoy eating them regularly as ingredients blended into meals during production, or as sauces. If you have your own unique hot sauces please let me know. I'm willing to work on a Black Market trade here. My wife will be happy to tell you about how much hot sauce I dump onto certain meals, so much so that I have to buy replacement bottles every couple of months.

[IloveFauns]

Yes there are many Mexican restaurants and also curry places(some of those are very spicy) and you can buy hot sauce in the shop. Tomato sauce is however more popular to put on meals(I do this) and I know others who do so. You can get spicy tomato sauce but I don't really like that because it doesn't taste right.

[stargazer]

A bit of catching up:

On tea and coffee: As others have said, it's customary to offer coffee to guests in American homes, much as wild rose indicated about tea in Russia. Especially here in the north central US, I believe coffee is much more popular than tea.

Having said that, there are a lot of people who really don't drink either in great quantity. I have 4 siblings, and only one of us (the one in Seattle, go figure ) drinks coffee in any amount. Most of my friends don't drink it either.

Blintzes and blini: According to Wikipedia, the 'blintz' comes from Eastern European Jewish immigrants.

Corn is indeed used in much of American food. The climate conditions and soil in the central part of the US is particularly well-suited to growing it.

I'm able to tell the difference between venison and beef but that may be because we don't have venison that often (despite the great popularity of deer hunting in this part of the country).

[IloveFauns]

In Australia nearly everyone drinks either tea or coffee. You will see people racing to work in the morning with toast in one hand and a coffee in the other(from what I have seen on the bus and I wouldn't suggest doing that driving). One cup a day(at most 2) is enough for me but other tend to have 4 or even more. If I am not working I don't usually have a coffee.

[Ithilwen]

In the US, there are tons of restaurants that have various foreign food themes. So quite often, one will hear "Let's go out for Chinese tonight!", etc.

So I was wondering. In other countries, do people ever say, "Let's go out for American tonight?" And are there American themed restaurants?


~Riella

[wild rose]

Hot spicy foods are certainly avaliable but I wouldn't say that spicy food is very popular. Though of course you will find plenty of people who like spicy food (not me! ) Any food that is spicy will have it's roots in eastern countries like Georgia, Uzbekistan, and the like. For example, adzhika is a spicy sauce from Abkhazia that's quite popular here (for those who like spicy food that is )

In other countries, do people ever say, "Let's go out for American tonight?" And are there American themed restaurants?

yup, here in Russia, there are American themed resturants, I've been to two. One was styled after those diners that seem to be super popular in the United States (I think in my city it's one of it's kind ) and to just an American western themed resturant

[waggawerewolf27]

We used to have an American-themed restaurant called Lone Star. It had sawdust on the floor, those half-mast saloon style doors, and a cowboy theme. What looked like an individual serving on the menu, turned out to be so massive we really could have shared a single plate between two or three people, as we can when visiting one of the many Chinese, Thai, Malaysian or Vietnamese restaurants around. It has gone now, replaced by a restaurant called Outback Jack, obviously Australian, but I have never been to it yet.

We still have another restaurant called Silver Spurs, which isn't too bad, and which has a Native American/American West theme but not quite so obvious. This is one of those restaurants where you help yourself to what is displayed in the Bain-Maries. There was also a Mexican-style place down the road, but the building, itself, wasn't very appealing to visit. So we do have American-themed restaurants, and in Sydney, itself, or in Parramatta, there are bound to be Argentinian or Brazilian restaurants. Otherwise, no, we don't really go out saying "Let's have American, Australian or whatever, tonight." It is more a case of our budget, whether or not we get a shopper's docket or pensioner discount, and how much and how little we are prepared to eat.

As IlF says, tomato sauce, or what you might call Ketchup, is the standard sauce to have here. Rosella tomato sauce was my brand of choice. Nowadays sauces like soy, sweet & sour, satay, black bean and chili sauces are sold in Australian brands, like Masterfoods or Fountain, not necessarily in imported Asian brands. We do like curries, even when out, but prefer home-made ones, which are sometimes quite hot. A workmate of mine with a Fijian background brought in to work some of her Indian curries and was amazed at how hot we were prepared to eat curries. But there is nothing like a good hot curry to drive away the winter collywobbles and perk us up. Unfortunately, much as I do enjoy a vindaloo beef pie or a tikka masala, the rest of my family haven't yet warmed to Indian cooking.

Those corn cakes I mentioned earlier come in Chilli, Honey & Soy, Linseed & Soy and Sesame flavours and are stored in the Crispbread section of the supermarket. The other ones on Google images looked like some sort of pikelet or flapjack. And yes, we can get taco shells etc as well as corn chips.

At some coffee stalls here you have to decide between Frappacino (Iced Coffee), Cappucino, Muggacino, Cafe Latte (Coffee with Milk), Black Coffee, and much else. Including mocha coffee. One iced coffee I had was topped with whipped cream like a dessert. And let us not be tempted in winter by Hot Chocolate topped with whipped cream and marshmallows. . Gloria Jean & Starbucks have much to answer for.

[IloveFauns]

I haven't seen an American themed restaurant(well proper ones). I am guessing they would have them as Wagga said.

I love the Mocha's they sell at places such as the coffee club or even muffin break.

On the subject of Tomato sauce. I finally know the difference between catsup and ketchup thanks to Mad men(I could of searched it but I didn't find it important). I use to think some people were just saying it wrong.

[Shadowlander]

We have a very popular Australian-themed restaurant here in the US called Outback Steakhouse, which purports to share the Australian culinary experience with the customer. Truth be told it's my favorite restaurant . They've got some top-notch steaks there and the Aussie Cheese Fries are to die for. Plus when you order a Foster's Lager it comes in a super tall mug that's been in a freezer for who knows how long and so the mug is frosted solid and there's tiny bits of ice floating in it. It's like a lager sundae. They have Castlemaine too, but it's not on tap.

I'm curious as to the popularity of Old West themed restaurants one can find in other countries. Seems to be a really popular motif We have the same types of things here too but mostly you go there if you want a sort of country and western music themed place. Otherwise one just goes to Outback Steakhouse Chinese, Mexican, and Italian are super popular here, with Greek and German coming in behind those. There's no English-themed restaurants or Slovakian or African or what not, although on occasion one can find Indian cuisine. I'm assuming that's what the curry thing is that you guys are talking about. We just eat hot sauce on everything here, but it's typically either cayenne or habanero sauce varieties. And Tabasco, of course ,goes with pretty much anything.

[IloveFauns]

I have never had cheese fries. I haven't seen them on any cafe menus either. Are they fries with melted cheese?.

[Shadowlander]

Yes, and they are simply magnificent. A lot of the menu items at Outback are American dishes but they're given Australian-themed names, like the Prime Minister's Prime Rib (rimshot), the Bloomin' Onion (a giant white onion that's been cut in a certain way to look like a massive flower bloom and there's honey mustard to dip bits of it in) or the Chocolate Thunder From Down Under, which is a chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce all over it.