Food stereotypes
Food | July 13, 2010
When I blog, it’s usually spontaneous. Something vaguely interesting happens or an idea strikes me like lightning, I open up my shiny but obese WordPress admin panel, my fingers fumble around on my keyboard, and fifteen or fifty minutes (depending on how distracted I get by the rest of the internetz) later, after I’ve paid my dues to the Grammar Nazi Party and checked my spelling and grammar meticulously, an entry baby is borne of my cerebral uterus.
Sometimes, however, it’s different. Sometimes, something actually comes out of my long list of “things to blog about,” which currently rests in a bloated blue box on the right side of my laptop screen when I open Stickies and has encompassed the same few ideas for months on end. Among those ideas are: my thoughts on curry (which probably doesn’t deserve its own entry, so I’ll just tell you now: curry has held a long-standing animosity with both my taste buds and my sense of smell), my questioning of the idea that anyone still wears watches, and things that confuse me (why people have dubbed Beijing “The Big Cabbage,” why people wear Uggs and shorts in 85-degree weather, why “pescetarian” is spelled the way it is, why I think about weird things like this, etc.).
This is one of those times. This entry has actually been sitting as a bullet-pointed draft since June 16 (so I guess you could say the part of my brain that contains the ideas for this entry has been in labor for almost a month), and the conversation that sparked this entry happened I have no idea how long ago, buuut I’m writing about it now because I like food and I want to talk about food all day and I think all you little monsters (ignore that if you hate Lady Gaga, and I promise I won’t borrow her terms of endearment again) should talk about food with me.
I think every country has its stereotypical meal(s) or type(s) of food — sometimes the stereotype is accurate and describes the food the people of Country X eat most often, and sometimes it’s totally fictitious and the people of Country Y have the right to get offended.
So, here’s what some people and I have come up with as stereotypes or typical meals for several countries:
- United States: French toast or pancakes with eggs and bacon and orange juice for breakfast, burgers or hot dogs and fries for lunch, steak or meat loaf for dinner
- China: Bao zi for breakfast, wonton or some kind of noodle soup or dimsum for lunch, looots of rice and vegetables for dinner
- Italy: Pasta, pizza, gelato, tiramisu
- India: Naan and curry
- Japan: Sushi and tempura
- Spain: Paella
- Canada: Poutine
- Argentina: Good steak
- Korea: Kimchi
- UK: Bland food
- Mexico: Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, churros, anything that ends in -os
- Thailand: Pad thai, curry
- Greece: Gyros
- Turkey: Lentil soup, kebabs, baklava
- France: Croissants, ratatouille, crepes, escargot, anything Americans can’t spell very well
- Germany: Bratwurst, sauerkraut
Do you agree? Disagree? Take offense and think I’m a raging lunatic idiot? Have any other countries to add?
I agree with the list. Something to add?
Philippines: Pancit and lumpia
I can’t vouch for the accuracy, but you do seem to have got basically what I’d have thought of (i.e., the stereotypes). I found “bland food” for the UK, amusing
I’m trying to think of what is “typical” here in Australia, and I can’t really come up with anything special; it seems we eat basically what the rest of the western world does (with the addition of Vegemite and more pie).
I agree with most of those food stereotypes. I’d add “teriyaki” and maybe “udon” to Japan. I always associate pizza with American food as well. And for UK, just “bad food”.
You forgot pizza for the United States
Yeah, I’d say you’re right, and sadly yes, UK-originated food tends to be very boring and unimaginative.
Hahahaha when you just listed Poutine for Canada, I imagined a Canadian mother calling out, “Kids, it’s aboot time for breakfast! Freshly fried fries and melty cheese and tasty gravy!” I’d have to add maple-related items to Canada, though. You got Korea right, though; my Korean friend can’t survive a day without it.
Wei-Wei
Oh yeah, and: Fish and chips for the UK. And Australia: uh, vegemite? Kangaroo meat?
I think a Meat Pie is pretty darn Australian.
I think the US is too diverse to have a stereotypical food. I guess if you’re talking about WHITE Americans, you can stereotype more, but even then. I’m a white American, and I’m a vegetarian. But I’m also a Korean American, and I eat kimchi with rice.
Nice!! Whenever I try to think of a food the US is unique for I can’t think of any. I mean..yeah those are common breakfast foods, but they certainly didn’t originate here!
It’s pretty much what I think of when I hear those countries. LOL @ the poor UK!
As for Mexico, that’s usually what people think of, but it’s not true Mexican food. True Mexican food is absolutely to die for, and I miss it so bad. I’m stuck in Virginia, and there is nothing close to Mexican food here. Except for Taco Bell, which we all know is NOT EVEN CLOSE TO MEXICAN FOOD. Not by a long shot.
Chiles rellenos, enchiladas, queso flameado, and flan are some of my favorites. Yum!
Don’t forget pico de gallo, Lucy!
“why “pescetarian” is spelled the way it is” Hahaha, I love that you think of these things. <3
I would add pancakes and maple syrup to the Canadian stereotypes.
Maple syrup is such a Canadian thing.
I would also say shanghai noodles for China.
I would love to eat that USA diet every day. My fat cells would love it too and be extra huge. I would add duck and rabbit to the French list. Also, Ireland: bangers, mash, pot pies, Guiness at every meal. And I’d add fried chicken, korean bbq, and bibimbap to Korean. And for Japanese, Pocky and mochi. Oh and sake. And to Spain I’d add flan. And to Mexico, anything with mole sauce.
Oh man I’m hungry now.
I agree 100%.
Maybe you can add barbeques to Korean food though? I really like their barbeques. 
Woah, so apparently i *usually* eat like an American… except i live in NZ, and theoretically all we have is fish and chips and hangi for food… AND then i’m ethnically Taiwanese, so like, urgh don’t get me started on the list of stereotypes that comes with that! haha.
I agree with your list, but I would definitely add Maple Syrup for Canada as well! Although I do love my poutine. I would also add baguettes to France.
haha, Poutine.
Also maple syrup and bacon? Perhaps?
Not that I eat any of those things every morning for breakfast, but that’s the stereotype.
And I *will* order poutine if I have a choice between poutine and some other chips/fries meal.
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I almost always plan out my blog entries.
But if you see a tutorial or a music post or a news post, it means: Rose is bored and uninspired.
And I often force myself to write.
Otherwise there’d be huge gaps, months long, where nothing happened on my site
I like our food here in the UK, but then I don’t have the most adventurous taste! And I like how you associate the US with French toast