• Catoblepas
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    4 days ago

    Meanwhile, a German influencer named Freddy, who keeps his face hidden on X, recently went viral with his hilarious and enthusiastic reactions to trying fast food staples like Taco Bell, Waffle House and Buc-ee’s.

    Aside from calling Taco Bell “the holy land,” he shared a picture of his chicken and fries platter from Raising Cane’s and wrote, “lives were changed. The soccer fan was undeniably impressed by Waffle House, writing about his 1 a.m. visit: “Great food, great prices, and friendly staff. 10/10, we will be coming back.”

    Brother, if Taco Bell got you that excited you should try the real stuff. If you’re at a match in the US where any Latin American country is playing I guarantee there is an abuela in the parking lot/on the sidewalk selling food out of a cooler that will explode your European palate and send you directly to heaven.

    • halcyoncmdr@piefed.social
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      4 days ago

      Brother, if Taco Bell got you that excited you should try the real stuff. If you’re at a match in the US where any Latin American country is playing I guarantee there is an abuela in the parking lot/on the sidewalk selling food out of a cooler that will explode your European palate and send you directly to heaven.

      I hate when people say this, because they clearly don’t actually understand the Taco Bell dynamic. They assume it’s trying to be something it isn’t.

      Taco Bell is not Mexican food, and they do not claim to be Mexican Food. Their items are vaguely latin-inspired, and they generally use the same 5 or so ingredients that most Mexican food uses in various shapes and sizes, but nowhere on their marketing or website will you find a claim that they make Mexican food. They don’t claim to, and they don’t claim to be authentic. Expecting that or even comparing it to that, is disingenuous at best, and actively stupid at worst.

      Taco Bell is its own thing. I’m in Arizona, there’s Mexican food literally on every corner. Most good, some excellent, very little bad, because it just doesn’t aurvive. Yet 9/10 people I see at Taco Bell are some flavor of Hispanic. There’s a reason they go there, and it’s not because they want Mexican food.

      • petrol_sniff_king
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        4 days ago

        I came here to say this exact same thing! Thank you for saving me the trouble.

        Cravings for Mexican food and for taco bell will not satisfy each other because they’re not the same thing.

        • Soggy@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          There’s a whole spectrum of cravings for Mexican. Sometimes it’s Taco Bell, sometimes it’s Azteca, sometimes it’s that unlicensed al pastor pop-up at the edge of the Winco parking lot at night, and sometimes it’s authentic Oaxacan pollo con mole.

    • wjrii@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      Raising Cane’s

      Ugh. even within the limited circle of fast-food and fast-casual chicken finger franchises, Cane’s is bland nonsense. Fried chicken as interpreted by a Star Trek replicator, and not one from the Enterprise, but the Cerritos.

      • Courtney (she/her/they)
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        4 days ago

        You take that back!

        The cerritos officers replicators have spicy mayo!

        Starfleet wouldn’t even curse the lower deckers with cane’s chicken.

        I swear they are only kept afloat by how quick they sling the chicken out, and their toast. It’s like people don’t know how to make their own toast…

        • wjrii@lemmy.world
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          4 days ago

          Their sauce is okay (I prefer Layne’s), but that’s good because it’s fuckin’ necessary, since I think somebody saw a recipe for the batter that included a pinch of black pepper and said , “Whoa there motherfucker! We ain’t makin’ ethnic food here!”

          Admittedly, when the Cane’s comes out it does always look very sanitary and photo-ready. Like, I don’t feel like I’m gonna get Salmonella from eating there, but it’s just so joyless.

          • halcyoncmdr@piefed.social
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            4 days ago

            I’ve been telling people this for years. The only reason they like Cane’s is the sauce. And that is easily replicated at home. It’s not a particularly special sauce with weird ingredients, it’s a fairly generic burger and fry sauce.

            The actual Chicken is bland and boring, it’s like they don’t realize spices exist at all, even salt. Absolutely anywhere else you could possibly go has better fried chicken.

      • OZFive@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        Why you bashing my homies on the Cerritos! Rutherford is doing his darn best to ensure they are working as best they can.

        • chunkystyles@sopuli.xyz
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          4 days ago

          There are exactly two good things on their menu: the chicken and the Cane’s sauce.

          And even those aren’t good enough for me to go out of my way to get them.

          But like, it’s not bad by any stretch.

          • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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            3 days ago

            It’s not bad, it’s just mediocre, the worst thing you can be. If someone had the opinion that it were bad, then that’s means it’s flavorful enough for someone to form an opinion of it. However, it’s just the most basic ass fried chicken you can get. I can almost guarantee you, wherever there’s a Cain’s, there’s a better fried chicken place close enough that you should go there instead.

    • Squirrelsdrivemenuts@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      The whole point is we have authentic food from most countries available to us in Europe. Immigrants and cultures mixing is not unique to the US. What we don’t have is all the big chain fast food that we see on tv, but have never tasted. We get excited because we get to try “authentic american” fast food.

      • TheOctonaut@piefed.zip
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        4 days ago

        Yeah this guy is making the same mistake as the “Americans don’t have an accent” people.

      • green_goglin@thelemmy.club
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        4 days ago

        Also, a handful of the preservatives and some ingredients used in the US fast food supply chain are illegal to manufacture and/or serve in Europe.

        • OhNoMoreLemmy@lemmy.ml
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          3 days ago

          Like the beef!

          It’s so cheap in America because of all the hormones they feed the cows, and that makes it illegal to sell in much of the world.

      • prole
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        3 days ago

        My understanding was that it’s difficult to find good, authentic Mexican food outside of North America

      • southsamurai@sh.itjust.works
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        3 days ago

        Legit though, if you come over, try and find a decent soul food place too.

        The fast food chains are interesting for sure, but soul food is where it’s at :)

      • Bluewing@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        And that’s a valid thing to be excited by. It’s the same as wandering the streets of Vietnam or Tripoli late at night to eat the street food. And you should do it because it’s not something you can experience back home very easily.

        So if you’re in the US, try some Burger King and Taco Bell by all means. And if you are really adventurous and daring, eat a gas station hotdog too.

        • prole
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          2 days ago

          I don’t think that’s a good comparison at all. From everything I’ve seen, you can get some outstanding food from a random cart in Vietnam for very cheap (probably like 1/3-1/4 the price a BK meal at this point), and it’s going to be 1000x better than anything you could ever find in an American fast food place.

          That said, the US also has incredible food, including street food and food carts in many places, that also blows fast food out of the water.

          If you come here, and only eat fast food, I honestly feel really bad for you. Especially since it’s not even cheap anymore.

          The amazing food (and variety of it), is one of the biggest, most visible benefits of the US’ multiculturalism. Anyone who has lived in a US city knows exactly what I’m talking about.

          • Bluewing@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            Oh, I agree with you. We have a very diverse and tasty cuisine in the US. Filled with foodstuffs that will blow even the most jaded gourmand away.

            But if you’re a tourist here for the first time in your life, this might well be the only time you get to eat a “real” Big Mac, Whopper, or burrito and potatoes ole. These are things you’ve read about and seen in movies and probably TV. So there ain’t no shame in getting some chicken nuggets and dipping them in ranch dressing and really enjoying the food. And the most important part, where you ate that crappy chicken. It will be a lifetime memory.

            • prole
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              2 days ago

              If you say so. I disagree completely. I find the idea of visiting a foreign country, only to eat some of the worst food that exists in that country (because why, you saw ads for it? Really?) to be absolutely idiotic.

              No but really though, why? These are massive corporations who do not deserve your money. Their product is shit and insanely overpriced. And they’re corporations, so their existence is a cancer on society.

              Seriously, who is thinking about fucking McDonald’s when visiting another country? Disgusting.

    • Swemg@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      I’m in France and even at every Latino bands concert there’s always some Latinos selling great food at great prices. Even if you go to the embassies there’s always locals selling god shit

    • ChicoSuave@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      A friend from Australia was visiting me in LA and wanted all the California stereotypical food throughout the week. The only thing that surpassed all expectations was an al pastor burrito from a local mom and pop shop.

      • prole
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        3 days ago

        The only thing that surpassed all expectations was an al pastor burrito from a local mom and pop shop.

        Authentic al pastor is next level

    • bonsai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      4 days ago

      I remember one time my American family hosted some French exchange student and he and all his classmates were dying for taco bell and dunkin donuts. I still honestly don’t know why as French bakeries make much better stuff than what you can get at dunkin

    • Iusedtobeanalien@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      Reminds me of this poem I heard

      When I first moved to the states

      The bottom fell out of my world

      Then I discovered taco bell

      Not the world falls out of my bottom

  • renrenPDX@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    4 days ago

    All these posts make it sound like people just discovered the US for the first time ever. It’s just clickbait/trend bandwagoning.

  • Godric@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    I’m loving the cultural exchange the world cup is providing, euros now understand why we’re so fat when the food’s this fire!

    • YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today
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      4 days ago

      And we’re smack dab between 2 places known for slow cooking in fat. Ffs we got heavy French plus a harsh winter to the north, and mfers who bury half a pig for a day in hot coals to the south!

      • Nouvellalia@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        Unexpected couchon. You haven’t had pork till you’ve eaten a couchon de lait seasoned to Creole standards and cooked in good swamp earth.

        Edit: wait. Half a pig?

        • YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today
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          4 days ago

          It’s how I’ve had it. There was a butcher in South Florida years and years ago that sold them for cheap, and it was an easy thing to do for medium sized gatherings.

          • Nouvellalia@lemmy.world
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            3 days ago

            That’s weird, I’ve never seen anyone do it with less than a whole pig. You just take the guts out and put seasoning in.

    • Aneb@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      I made ranch for the first time today. A lot of buttermilk and sour cream and cream cheese

  • teyrnon@sh.itjust.works
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    3 days ago

    You ranch people are disgusting and lack taste and class, there I said it. Sincerely, a non obese american.

  • hansolo@lemmy.today
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    4 days ago

    You can make it yourself for a fraction of even the price of the packets.

    Just made a small batch for wings. It’s much better than anything store bought.

    Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dressing Clone

    1 cup mayonnaise
    1/2 cup buttermilk (Greek yogurt works fine)
    Dried Parsley Flakes
    Ground Black Pepper
    Msg (optional)
    1 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon garlic powder
    1 tablespoon onion powder
    Dried Thyme
    

    I like to add a touch of dried dill or dill seed also. Edit: also lemon juice or a touch of rice vinegar.

    • jqubed@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      One potential problem: I don’t know how it is in the rest of Europe, but in France basically all mayonnaise includes Dijon mustard, so you can’t just use it straight in an American recipe. I did usually see at least one brand labeled “American mayonnaise” that did not include mustard, but people would need to be aware of the difference.

      I’d be curious to know if mayonnaise more or less always included mustard and it was for some reason stripped out of the recipe that made its way to the US (my guess would be the British having some role), or if mustard was a later addition to the French recipe after it had already crossed the Atlantic.

      • halcyoncmdr@piefed.social
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        4 days ago

        Mustard is used as an easy “natural” emulsifier to keep things together, since the ingredients in mayo don’t really want to be in that configuration and it is easy to “break” that mix.

        The amounts needed to do so is very small though, and usually imperceptible at the scale of a whole jar of mayo. Definitely not something you’d notice in most cases.

        But again, every brand is different. Some probably are more mustard forward for whatever reason.

      • hansolo@lemmy.today
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        4 days ago

        It’s not universal across Europe, for sure, so I’d say this is A France problem.

        Dutch, English, German mayo would be just fine. Can’t speak to Spanish or Italian mayo. Farther east, blander it gets.

        But the added buttermilk/yogurt really makes it a negligible issue overall.

      • th3dogcow@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        It is my understanding that mustard is often used as an emulsifier, especially in homemade mayo. But I don’t really like mayo, so I’m not an expert.

        Is the mustard flavor you’re talking about subtle, or in your face?

        It should be fairly simple to make a pull through mayo at home if you have a stick mixer.

        • monotremata@lemmy.ca
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          3 days ago

          In the context of making home-made mayo for use in ranch dressing, I would probably lean towards using garlic as the emulsifier, but then I’m a sucker for garlic in general.

  • HeyJoe@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    I might be crazy, but I feel like I am the only one who dislikes ranch. Its just so bland and always prefer blue cheese. I mostly only have it with wings anyway. There is a place by me that does mexican food and im pretty sure they give me ranch with this chicken appatizer, but its filled with dill and tastes great. If it was a variation of ranch then there is definetly hope for it! Just to bland on its own and cant figure out what all the rage is for it.

    • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      4 days ago

      I also don’t like ranch… I’ll eat it on cold baby carrots but that’s about it. I don’t like blue cheese, though… or mayonnaise. I think it’s just white creams, I don’t like any of it. Other than cum, I guess.

      • HeyJoe@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        If you have never tried platters before, i highly recommened it. They give you cups of white sauce to smother the food in and its so tasty. Yes i do believe its just called white sauce. Theres also a red sauce but thats to spicy to me.

    • PoopingCough@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      There’s lots of different kinds, but there isn’t a bottled ranch that isn’t trash imo. So if most of what you’ve tried is bottled/pre-packaged then i get it. And yes, many times ranch has dill in it but not always. Typically the store bought ones rely mostly on parsley/onion for flavor.

      • jqubed@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        The best I’ve had has basically always been a recipe made in-house at a restaurant. Maybe there are some foodservice versions sold to restaurants that are good but with recipes that never make it onto grocery store shelves. I know Sysco has or had a decent Caesar dressing and I’ve never found one in grocery stores that was as good, so I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case with other dressings.

        • PoopingCough@lemmy.world
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          4 days ago

          Yeah i know what you mean. I find the foodservice versions at restaurants pretty palatable and have often wondered why tf i can’t buy it in a grocery store. I think the difference between grocery store versions and everything else isn’t so much recipe as it is the ungodly amounts of preservatives needed to make dairy shelf stable means every store bought brand is inevitably too thick and has a nasty chemical aftertaste.

          Once or twice I’ve had passable storebought ranch if it’s one that’s sold already refrigerated.

    • farmgineer@nord.pub
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      4 days ago

      I don’t like either. Blue cheese itself is rather hit-or-miss for me (I think I may also be mildly allergic). The ingredients that go into ranch I mostly like. I think it boils down to not liking US mayo; I thought I hated all mayo until I had Japanese.