American food is just so... sugary?

[Zandalarian Paladin]

I live in Canada. Lived my whole life here, but I went to the US twice (few days).

One thing that I have deeply noticed there was how much more sugar and/or fat was in pretty much everything. I can't really eat in restaurants with my allergies (so I ended up buying groceries instead), but even when I could, the McDonald's chicken nuggets there tastes... sugary. A lot more sweet than those in Canada.

It's a stark contrast with Canada, where everything tastes salty instead. Take the bread, for instance. For some reason, in the US it's almost kind of a cake, whereas here it's too salty to be like an American bread. Even your chips taste different. And don't get me started on the fries.

Also, something else that is deeply disturbing me is how most of your flavors are artificial. When I buy jelly here, it's mostly natural stuff. In the US, it's flavored corn syrup. In fact, I'm usually more surprised not to see corn sugar than the other way around when I buy food in the US.

Am I the only one who feels this way? People who travels a lot (from or to the US), did you notice that too?

Anyway, it's mostly curiosity at that point, not shaming or anything.

PS: For those reading-challenged, I have to eat to McDonalds when I'm moving from Canada to US. Why? Because I can't cook during travels. I can cook when I'm at an hotel, but not in a car. You cannot bring food between US and Canada because that's the law. So I cannot cook before the trip. I have to literally eat at a restaurant and so McDonald was the safest for my allergies.

[soulzek]

There's milk and sugar in everything. It's real bad. And no surprise that most people in this country die from health-related issues.
And yeah, there's more Red 5 than there are actual strawberries in "Strawberry flavored X" anything.

[Felicia]

I know what you mean...

Pretty much everything has high fructose corn syrup in it, too. Which I try to avoid because it spikes my blood sugar (I'm a type 1 Diabetic, juvenile onset, autoimmune diabetes), even in stuff without carbs. So I try to eat very little processed crap, and organic. I cook a lot, too.

I don't have much experience about stuff tasting less sweet elsewhere though. I've never been outside the US :P Wouldn't know.

[Kaleredar]

Sorry we don't douse everything in Mayonnaise.

[Neversage]

That's why we do our own cooking in my house. Even if we go out, we're picky. Everything tastes like sludge if you're not. Most Americans don't know how to do basic things. We don't know how to sit, don't know how to walk, don't know how to eat, don't know how to sleep. We just do a cheap knockoff version of these things and wonder why we're so unhealthy. I finally just got sick of it and changed.

[Adio]

If you've ever read any of those "10 differences between the USA and Europe" list on the internet, this is usually on the list. But yeah, totally agree. I've traveled a lot and can completely taste the difference between foods.

[Zeta333]

That's why we do our own cooking in my house. Even if we go out, we're picky. Everything tastes like sludge if you're not. Most Americans don't know how to do basic things. We don't know how to sit, don't know how to walk, don't know how to eat, don't know how to sleep. We just do a cheap knockoff version of these things and wonder why we're so unhealthy. I finally just got sick of it and changed.

im sorry but exagerate some more please.

[Deletedaccount1]

https://drwilliamtennant.files.wordp...tist-sugar.jpg

There's a reason why Americans are so fat and often die of the same three diseases and it's not helped by the fact that the FDA and USDA feed people misinformation about saturated fats vs. sugar.

[Zeta333]

I don't know how these people can live with themselves,

but omg everything tastes like sludge.

[PACOX]

What? You must have sensitive taste buds or something. American food, as in actual American food and not fast food, is more savory than anything.

[Rukario]

I love it, do you know how hard it is to find a doughnut in Brazil?

[Trassk]

Most likely is, you don't hear of things like an obesity epidemic in countries like Japan, Russia or Australia, we have it a lot in the UK but then we copy a lot of american trends here when it comes to food

[Zeta333]

Most likely is, you don't hear of things like an obesity epidemic in countries like Japan, Russia or Australia, we have it a lot in the UK but then we copy a lot of american trends here when it comes to food

because russia has state run media and most outside of japan cant read thier language. And australia does have it.

[Siraeyou]

The amount of salt in our food products is also disturbing, and certainly doesn't help people lost weight with all of the water retention it brings.

[callipygoustp]

One thing that I have deeply noticed there was how much more sugar and/or fat was in pretty much everything. I can't really eat in restaurants with my allergies (so I ended up buying groceries instead), but even when I could, the McDonald's chicken nuggets there tastes... sugary. A lot more sweet than those in Canada.

Hard to take you seriously when one of your restaurant choices is McDonalds. (That's not meant to bait you, but, seriously... McDonalds?)

Having said that, yes, fast food and processed food is a big issue in the USA: lots of sugar and lots of artificial flavoring. I'm glad I live in an area where its easy to avoid both.

[Thelxi]

Yeah there is a lot of sugar in everything. Big portions too, even drinks are bigger.

[skitzin]

because russia has state run media and most outside of japan cant read thier language. And australia does have it.

Japan - its not about the language but rather that they, at a government level, dictate minimum requirements regarding waistlines and general health.

Unlike Western nations, Japan made laws to enable them to force people to drop their weight. As it stands they only have 3-4% of their population considred "obese". People who fail to meet these standards get put on manditory health services to improve their weight management. Companies whose employees fail to comply get hit with heavy fines. NEC noted that these can get as high as $19 million for a breech if at least 80% of the work force is not the proper required weight.

[Blur4stuff]

There's also too much salt...

If you spend a few years outside of western culture and come back the amount of salt and sugar will be repulsive.

[Deleted]

I've seen an American happily add spoons of sugar to his decent red wine in a restaurant. That's the basest form of barbarism.

[Lahis]

Yeah we get it, America is just so much more awful in so many ways that we on this forum have to constantly bring it up as if we're not defensive/obsessive or anything.

More OT, you get a whole 2 extra years of life expectancy in Canada. I think I'll take my food tasty tyvm.

Looks like we hit a real trigger here.