Foods not to eat

In order starting with the worst. For the record I'd likely eat all of them, except the McVeggie, again:
1. I imagine they are long off the menu now; I ate a McVeggie sandwich at a McD's in Dublin that was truly awful - and I may be the least picky eater on the planet.
2. Black pudding in the UK is essentially a scab, sausage made from pork blood.
3. Chorizo, in Spain, was sometimes good and sometimes pretty bad, no way to know until you take a bite.
4. If you eat in the tourist areas of Italy, chances are really good your food is warmed frozen food rather than real Italian cooking, and it generally tastes like warmed frozen Italian food.
5. The English like their fish and chips dripping with grease; unless you like it that way, you probably won't appreciate it.
6. Germans think their sausages are special; for the most part, they're just sausages.

"Repulsed by" - never. "Did not like", well -- that's a different matter and subject to personal taste. I've never heard what you have heard. I'm not sure what you mean by "poor ingredients". You're going to get different varieties of products that are grown there. They won't have the same growing practices in Romania as in NA (maybe access or money to purchase fertilizers, etc.). The crops will be different. Cuisine is different. One of the many wonderful things about travel is sampling the many different foods and products from different cultures. I've never been disappointed.

Le Big Mac 😉

You have to apply the same judgment you use here in the US.

Paul may be referring to a couple of earlier posts of mine about an experience in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. In case he is not, here's the deal: At a small, attractive-looking ice cream shop/pastry shop I chose a square of tiramisu priced at the equivalent of about US $1. It tasted as if it had been produced in a chemistry lab. Not spoiled, but seemingly made of artificial ingredients. At that point I realized that I needed to pay a bit of attention to costs. Romania is, by European standards, a poor country. Most of the residents probably can't afford to eat out. I think it was Rick who commented somewhere that the locals in Romania may stop and have a coffee at a bar or café, but you won't usually see them eating there.

I had no other bad food experiences in the Balkans (I can eat a lot of chicken kebabs), and I didn't encounter other suspicious ingredients. However, I think in Romania, especially, looking for places frequented by locals may not be the way to go if you want the best-quality food. An exception should be made for the bakeries selling the large bread rings fresh out of the oven. They seem to be everyone's breakfast of choice, and I loved them.

acraven: Indeed, it was your report about the tiramasu which I did remember.

The one rule we follow in Europe is never eating at US chains. McD, Pizza Hut, yuck. I don't mind European chain restaurants. The sole exception was Hannover, Germany. We had decided to take the "night train" from Frankfurt to Berlin. It went to Hannover, and then we had a 2:45 stay there from 12 Mid to 2:45 AM. We were shocked that ALL the bathrooms in the train station were locked up. There was an all-night patisserie with coffee, which was great. So, after 3 cups of coffee (endless cups in Germany? WOW), we were in need of the facilities. The only rest room was the all-night McDs. I did buy some fries to pay for my use of the facilities, which were clean and nice.

The English like their fish and chips dripping with grease; unless you like it that way, you probably won't appreciate it.

OK. But I have not found that to be true in general. Yes, I have had some fish and chips in England where the grease soaked through the wrapper (same here in the US). But in general and much more commonly all I have eaten has been nicely done with a minimal amount of lingering grease. The better ones have been from a proper chippy. The worst (greasiest) were from one of the hotels I stayed at and restaurants that don't specialized in it. YMMV

I can't think of a thing that repulsed me so far in Europe. Some things I ate and will never eat again, sure, but nothin made me run from the dinner table.

I am a pretty adventurous eater, so some things I have ordered that I just could not eat I only blamed myself for. More likely are things ordered that should have been much better, but we still laugh about.

One was in Prague about 20 years ago, we popped into a traditional looking family place that made a big deal about their new pizzas, so bowing to my wife's preferences we ordered a veggie pizza. When it came out, we were almost speechless, it was one of those pre-made crusts that is hard to discern from the cardboard disc it comes on, with a layer of what can only be described as Ketchup, a healthy sprinkling of diced carrots, peas, and corn that I immediately recognized as that frozen vegetable medley, and a light layer of cheese. We maybe choked down a couple pieces each. Thing was, the owner really thought they were on to something, a new item that they could hawk to what was then growing tourist crowds, even asked us how it was and went on about it. We were polite, but went for a beer afterward to wash out the taste.

6. Germans think their sausages are special; for the most part, they're just sausages.
One of our other chuckles is from our visit to the Wurstkuche in Regensburg, Germany; famous the world over for their small sausages. Now, first, they were good, well worth a visit, but upon seeing and tasting them we looked at each other and said "breakfast sausage" They were a dead ringer in looks and taste to a better link sausage (Johnsonville or Usingers for you Midwest folks) you have for breakfast here. In fact to this day, for a German themed get together, we serve "Authentic" Wurstkuche sausages.

In general I try to avoid organ meat in Europe so I learn a few words in the local language to better be able to read the menu. I was served tripe soup once at a group meal in Prague and tried to eat the broth only because I was cold and hungry.

In Germany a long time ago we ordered pork kotlett (sp) thinking it would be like a US pork cutlet but it wasn’t. It was chunks of cured, I think, pork byproducts in a gelatin/aspic. Couldn’t eat it.

I also look up the word for eel because I’m terrified of snakes and eels remind me too much of snakes.

Otherwise I’m not too turned off by anything I’ve encountered in Europe and I’m willing to try it.

I haven’t detected poor quality ingredients anywhere in Europe yet, quite the oposite.

Eels. I am fairly adventurous, but the thought of eating eels gives me the shivers. Granted, if you cooked it up and plated it nicely, with no indication of what the protein on my plate was - well, it might go down better than my imagination creates. I just could never bring myself to order it and I ensure I know what the word is in whatever language required.
It would be harder for Asian travel where insects are more likely to be served....or fish still breathing on the plate. I plan to travel there as a vegetarian.

All to taste, i love black pudding, its delicious

"...repulsed by?" Not in Germany nor in France, no problems, be it calf liver, beef tongue, veal kidneys, beef blood tongue, blood sausage at breakfast, etc.

"...pork byproducts in gelatin/aspic." That's Schweinkopfsülze....their version of headcheese. You see that sometimes offered in German breakfast buffets.

Le Big Mac 😉

But what about the Royale with Cheese? ;-)

But what about the Royale with Cheese? ;-)

And in Holland they drown their french fires in mayonnaise! Great film... :)

I've never had black pudding, but I am sure it is very similar to morcilla. Here they have two types, a savory/salted version and a sweet version. I like both, but sometimes they put pine nuts in the sweet one. The texture of bitting into a warm globular mush in the blood sausage does repulse me.

Some have suggested that there are foods there that are too cheap - and have poor ingredients.

That sounds like most US fast food operations.
As to foods that I've been repulsed by, I'd put andouillette high on my list. Although last spring in Burgundy I had a duck andouillette sausage that I was able to choke down. Although I did give a little of it to my friend's dog.

It will probably depend a bit on what your body is used to.

I'm afraid that there are no GM crops here, and no GM North American crops are imported. So you won't get products made with, for example, GM flour.

The beef is not hormone treated here.

The chicken hasn't been bleached, and the eggs are not kept in the refrigerator.

So that probably makes a difference.

Two experiences:

In Pamplona, ordering tapas, I pointed to a tender-looking morsel. The barman cocked his head and raised his eyebrows a bit as to say "Are you sure you want that, buddy?" I was committed at that point so confidently answered "Si!" I think it was a breaded deep fried sparrow.

In Beaune, I ordered andouilette. Of course I thought I was ordering something similar to the andouille sausage of Louisiana. I found the aroma “interesting”. I did manage to finish half of it. When my wife asked if it tasted as bad as it smelled, I assured her it wasn’t that bad and offered her a taste. She cut off a slice and put it in her mouth, and then her gag reflex kicked in and spit it out in her napkin. “Tastes like the diarrhea we had in Paris from eating too much foie gras!” I googled it out of curiosity to see if this is really how it is supposed to taste, and my instincts are confirmed. Imagine the humiliation if I had sent it back and had the chef come out and say “But monsieur, is exactly what you ordered and is exquisitely prepared! Do you not know what andouillette is?” It is a stuffed pig's colon.

Thanks Sam. I was trying to remember andouillette - totally nasty. I pointed to a salad on a menu somewhere in the Loire Valley and the waiter misread my point. Worst thing I’ve ever tasted! I had a hard time even picking around it to find something decent to eat on the plate.

I enjoyed the black Finnish Easter Mämmi pudding. It taste much better than it looks. Our guide told us a story that after the end of WW2, an American diplomat wired back to Washington that the Finns needed food aid after being served Mämmi . He thought they were so starved that they were eating something like what the cows left behind.

https://www.quora.com/Finns-what-are-some-good-jokes-about-m%C3%A4mmi-Easter-pudding

The only one resembling a joke is a story that back in the times when
Finland was up for consideration to receive Marshall Aid, there was a
foreign delegation visiting here around Easter time to make the
decision.

And they were served Mämmi of course, among other things, which they
promptly refused, but one of them was heard whispering to the others
“they really are in need of the aid of they serve even visitors food
once consumed already…”

In Paris with my then 11 yr old - she wanted a burger - so instead of resorting to McDonald’s we tried a poplar chain fast food place “ Quick Burger “ - tasted like mystery meat - we couldn’t finish them .

Other than that I personally avoid organ meats( but I do love pate made with liver ) and I’ve tried Haggis and I like it !!!

I'm usually pretty good about trying and liking offal. Kidneys, tripe, tongue, bone marrow, sweetbreads - no problem. So in Paris we ordered a platter of brains. I kept thinking it'd probably show up sliced and covered in some sort of rich sauce - but nope, an entire platter showed up of nothing but 12 roasted whole brains that very much looked like some high school science class just dissected a whole bunch of animals, removed the brains intact and ran them under a broiler for a few minutes.

Still, we just looked at each other shrugged and started eating. In a single bite we all were just turned off by the texture as you start chewing. They didn't taste good, but they didn't taste horrible. There were 4 of us trying them. 2 dropped out after 3 bites. Me and one guy in our party gave it a valiant try. I got through 1 full brain and part of another and then threw in the towel. He was able to finish 2 full brains. The waiter asked if there was something wrong and then cracked a smile when we said "Nope, we're just Americans and we gave it a shot, but this isn't going to happen. Can we order some steaks now?"

We usually try local specialties as an appetizer so we can all take a taste and no one gets stuck with a meal they can’t eat - like haggis (ok), smoked eel in Amsterdam (delicious), but we usually try to eat the other type of local cuisine - pastry/desserts. Can’t go wrong with crepes, croissants, Czech chimney cakes, Dutch poffertjes, German pretzels, Polish doughnuts, Belgian waffles, any cake in Vienna, well, you get the picture.

I do remember one thing. We went to Bratislava, Slovakia, and had lunch in a very nice brew-pub beer house. My son ordered the cold-cut plate, and the sausage was extremely challenging. My son does not like fat in meat, and this sausage was filled with large bits of fat. I didn't enjoy it.

The single most repulsive thing I have ever eaten was in a Chinese restaurant. My wife and I decided to be adventerous, so we ordered sea cucumbers, kind of a sponge-like underwater animal. The texture was just dreadful. i chocked down 2, and we did not finish the dish.

Emma, morcilla isn't a warm globular mush. It is how pine nuts feel in the sweet version. Not everyone puts pine nuts in the sausage, but once in a while you will come across them.

Blood sausages can be found everywhere (even in the US if you look hard enough) from black pudding in the UK, to boudin noir in france, morcilla in Spain, blutwurst in Germany and so on. I've eaten some great black pudding and some not so great, the best I've tasted was in York. I'm also partial to a bit of haggis especially as part of a Scottish breakfast with "slice".

I recall a fantastic plate of fried ducks hearts in Sofia, tasty little bite sized morsels of rich duck flavour, bear stew in Tallinn, crispy pigs head in the UK (several times actually, it's that good) and lambs tongue is particularly nice when done well.

Some of my more adventurous foods have been in the US, mainly rattlesnake chilli in Texas and dolphin and alligator in Florida. The worst thing I've eaten in the US is the cheese and bacon, yes I know there are some good cheeses being made, particularly in Wisconsin and Vermont but the average cheese available in supermarkets is awful.

I had some of the best food I've ever had in Europe in Romania. Fresh, delicious produce used to excellent effect, creamy mamaliga, grilled meats...it's one of the better European cusienes and I never had anything that tasted off there. I just was discussing Romanian food with a customer from Brasov the other day, and she lamented the poor quality of German produce and said how her mother would never by produce in a grocery store - you have to go straight to the farm! I also saw plenty of locals eating out, especially on the weekends, during my week in different places in Romania. This is the problem with taking one anecdote and using it to make a generalization. There are many things I didn't like about Romania but it wasn't the food!

I also had an unfortunate encounter with andouilette, that I ordered on a pizza of all things, in Sant Malo. I'll never forget that smell. My mother-in-law, a picky eater, thought it was hilarious and proof that my adventurous foodie ways are sure to lead to disaster! But I think it's pretty much the only time I've had a meal in Europe I was repulsed by in 8 years of living and traveling here.

I rather like British black pudding (although I prefer white pudding even more!) Southern German blood sausage is more of the gloopy mess described, although it's actually quite delicious. I ordered it by accident at a Besenwirtschaft (seasonal winery restaurant) and the old Swabian men at the table we were sharing laughed when it came to the table, knowing I'd made a mistake. But they recommended I order a side of sauerkraut and mix up the sausage and the cabbage, and I did and it was delicious. I've had a fancy version of this at Andescher Am Dom in Munich, that is topped with fried apples and onions. Try it sometime!

Sam, that's a great discussion of andouillette. Last Spring when I ordered the duck andouillette on the fixed price lunch menu, my wife was shocked, since I had experienced andouillette before. But I thought because it was duck andouillette it would be very different than the usual pork. But the smell was exactly like I remembered. I did choke it down, with the help of our friend's dog and the wine.

I also consider myself to be pretty adventurous when it comes to trying new foods, and if I paid for it, it gets personal. “ Repulsive” may sound harsh, but for me nothing else describes the andouilette we had in France, the spaghetti with squid ink I ordered one warm September night in Florence, or the fried Spam side with my Honolulu eggs over easy 20 years ago (some memories are etched deeply). English blood pudding and McDonald’s Halloween fries with pumpkin and chocolate sauce in Tokyo round out my list. To each his own and bon appetit.

Agree with most other people on andouilette.

Also grappa/marc/etc., which tastes to me like compost.

And most German herbal liqueurs are absolutely horrible.

...the fried Spam side with my Honolulu eggs over easy 20 years ago....

Spam is not health food, its comfort food. Spam's as healthy as red-eyed gravy made from ham drippings if not more healthy. If you though Spam and eggs were repulsive you would not like Spam Musubi: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/04/tutorial-how-to-make-hawaiian-spam-musubi-sushi.html

"The Spam musubi is a ridiculously simple creation, composed of four
ingredients, yet its extremely high rating on the scale of tastiness
cannot be denied."

I never get why so many people are repulsed by Haggis? To me it's like greasy meat-loaf, not the best thing but far from the worst I've eaten.

At survival school I ate black ants (taste like lemon), dandelion flowers (taste like almond), rose hips (taste like chewable vitamin C), grasshoppers, pine needles and more.

The real creative eaters are Asians. To date, the only thing I've turned up my nose at was at a wedding reception in Korea. One of the plates on our table had things that looked like miniature bananas in two colors, ivory and turquoise. I asked what they were and the waiter said "dog". I asked what part of a dog? "Dog tongue". I didn't even try those (as much for the color as what it was).

Wouldnt describe haggis as greasy, it can be moist or dryer depending on the maker, but never greasey. Basically if you like a proper sausage, then haggis and blackpudding should be no problem, pretty similar texture and delicious savoury flavour. Dont forget that sausages arent usually made of prime pork fillet!!!!

most German herbal liqueurs are absolutely horrible.

Don't limit it to German. I had chartreuse liquor last spring at a monastery in France, and I thought it was horrid.

I assume that many Americans have not grown up with herbal liqueurs and are accordingly not accustomed to their taste. I find digestifs such as Chartreuse and it's Italian counterpart Centerbe both lovely and they really hit the spot after a nice 3 hour lunch. In Spain we have our own herbal digestif called Orujo de hierbas which is mandatory after one of our (in)famous leisurely long lunches ;)

To be fair regarding the Haggis, I think what most of us have had is somewhat of a sanitized improved version of the dish. The most common form is a mixture containing most of the traditional elements and sold in either the stomach or a casing. I compare it to a hash or even Scrapple if you are from the East Coast, a distinct organ taste, but rather mild and not to bad.

The older traditional versions of Haggis typically used a few more parts of the animal maybe not allowed today and from older sheep, all that probably added greatly to the Offal smell (yes, a pun) and a stronger taste.

I do think you owe it to yourself to try things, I found I really did like sweetbreads, all forms of tripe, snails, kippers for breakfast, sausages of all types, and multiple forms of sea critters.

I'm not a lover of offal, I don't like the taste of liver, can tolerate a small amount of kidney but only in a steak and kidney pie, won't touch brains but will eat heart and tripe is off the radar however I love haggis. It's not greasy at all, in fact it's quite dry and the filling is quite loose but I think what helps disguise the offal flavour is the use of spices and oatmeal.

Yes, Chartreuse is nice, but something like Underberg is absolutely disgusting.

Underberg is very popular is Germany as a digestive aid. Since I saw that sold in German import shops and German restaurants in SF, prior to my first trip, I recognized it right way in small restaurants, taverns, etc on my first trip over there as something familiar.

I know of a restaurant in Berlin near Savignyplatz offering Underberg, listed in the menu , plus the customer can see them placed over the restaurant bar,.. kind of an obvious reminder to the patron saying, " we have it."

On tongue...I have had beef tongue, pork tongue and lamb tongue...all part of German or French cuisine, as well as pork and calf liver growing up as a kid.

One difference between French and German restaurants I've seen in Calif and those in France and Germany is the serving of kidneys, liver, tongue, brains, etc (Innereien) is a lot more likely over there, since Americans (in general) won't order that sort of dish. No problem at all with me.

You'll see beef tripe and pork tongue in a Chinese dim sum place here.

25 years ago, on our first trip to Europe, I had a dish in Venice that was definitely not to my taste. A friend had ordered it for me and it was pasta with a grey sort of sauce and strange protein. It was eel, and I think the sauce was squid ink. I just remember is being very oily or at least having a very odd mouth feel. I think it was mainly that I was unused to eating something so very grey.

My husband will eat absolutely anything that he is not allergic to, and enjoys trying to freak me out (not possible). I think the only thing he did not like was a burrito with cow tongue, and it sounds like it may have not been prepared properly, as he said it was a strange sensation to be eating something that was tasting him back.

If I ever see andouillette on the menu, I will get him to try it!

We will be in Italy next month and he is already anticipating trippa and lampredotto. I'll be at the gelato place.

Warning- many bakeries in Romania serve sausages wrapped in golden brown dough. They looked temping and we bought several and didn’t find one we liked. In general, we weren’t impressed with the baked goods in Romania.

Schneeballs - sold in many tourist locations such as Heidelberg or Rothenburg. These are super dry, tasteless wastes of money. They look attractive, but they certainly don't taste good.

Such a great thread! Thanks, folks. We have cosmopolitan catholic approaches to food, but some things are .... not worth the effort and wasted gag reflex.

My wife has IBS and has to be careful what she eats. Some mystery sauce, dressing, or condiment can throw her off, which is why we eat occasionally at Subway or McD's overseas. It's not a big deal but we can't be particularly adventurous with our eating, which is fine by me as I'm not a foodie. Fish and chips? Sure.

Our favorites include the big, fresh salads in Germany with grilled or baked chicken, including pommes and mayo. I'm hoping they have something similar (big salads) in the UK.

I haven't had a 3-hour meal in my life. I can't sit that long.

Ms Jo, we saw those schneeballs and couldn’t bring ourselves to even try them, they looked unappetizing.

Agree with what everyone has said about haggis. Just got back from Scotland in February and thought it was quite tasty. People are missing out on trying it just because they hear the ingredients and automatically disregard it.

This is fun, without being mean spirited.

I'll eat almost anything (except sweets - medical problem there.) I make it a point whenever we're traveling to try the local specialty, and to try something new every trip. I must say I didn't like andouillette, although the mustard sauce with which it was served was sublime. I asked for extra sauce. Twice.

I have had brains twice, both times in Poland, and neither time were they presented looking like brains. Once they were poached, cubed, and served in a rich cream sauce; the other time they were ground and used a filling in something like a sausage roll.

I'm not crazy about blood sausages (or blood soup) either. It's the texture there, I think. I did have a meat pie in London some years ago that included blood sausage in the filling, and the sausage melted into the sauce, enriching it. It was delicious.

My DH, a recovering picky eater, was stunned to discover he likes snails and squid. He now looks for them on the menu wherever we are. His worst food experience was on a train in Poland. We shared a compartment with an older man from a rural area. He pulled out his lunch, and insisted on sharing it. I declined politely, but my poor DH thought that was rude. So he took some. It was sheets of lard layered with various herbs and seasonings, then rolled up and sliced. It took a lot of swigs from our companion's vodka bottle to get that down!

I do find there are some things that my body will not tolerate: goat, for one. I love the taste, but after three times being indisposed the next day, I realized it's off my menu forever. I also had an unfortunate reaction to horse meat a couple of years ago, and haven't had a chance to try it again. I don't know if it was tainted, or just something my body doesn't deal with. Very fatty things are a problem sometimes; that's why I declined the offer of the lard on the train.

Tripe? I'll eat it, but seldom search it out. Although New Mexico menudo is worth the trip.

I finally tried eel last year at a fish stand in Amsterdam, and it was wonderful. I haven't had a chance to try haggis yet, but I certainly will try it should we ever be in Scotland.

I miss German wine and beer festivals with their bratwurst, chicken, pommes (with mayo), and oompah bands. Such a great atmosphere. But I could never hang with my German friends when it came to drinking and doing shots. They quite enjoyed poking fun at me.

Honestly, you are traveling and food is a part of exploring culture. My rule of thumb is to try everything ones.
Went to GB last year, I don’t think they are known for great food but amazing pub grub, healthy not at all, but that’s why I only travel parts of the year and be healthy at home.

In regards to German sausages, they are very different depending on region, a weisswurst has nothing to do with a Currywurst, Frankfurter, Bockwurst, or Knacker, etc, but you have to eat specific Würste from the right Region! Don’t eat a curry in HH or have weisswürste outside of Bayern.

To be honest, no idea as it is a place I have never been to, but if it was me I would try everything

I accidently ate pig brains thanks to Rick Steves. My first trip overseas was to Spain about 17 years ago. I went out to dinner in Granada and the menu had tortilla sacromonte. If you don't know, Spanish tortillas are like a frittata, but all I could remember (having left the guide book at the hotel) about the sacromonte part was that, according to RS, it was very traditional for the area. I like traditional. But hoo boy not this time. It tasted like bad fish. Ate as much as I could choke down and not be too rude, then looked up what it was when I got back to the hotel and the guide book. Pig brains. I don't recommend it and still blame RS a little bit for having to eat it. That haggis sounds much better.

Look at all the Micky D. haters....not me. After a couple of weeks of hit and miss meals (including an occasional Michelin starred) there is something really comforting about a Big Mac. For all you snobs that claim to have never stepped in McD's, the one in France I visited had a pastry section and beer and wine. There's something you don't see at home.

There's nothing snobby about not liking McDonalds, it's simply pretty crap food. If you want a burger there are many far, far better options out there. Acknowledging that something is bad is not snobbery.

I avoid deeply fried foods by and large. In addition, I don't go to fast food places like McDonalds or Subway at home so I never go when traveling.

I'm a snob. I don't do McD, Wendy's, BK, any of them. We have a burger maybe 2x/year. We try to eat a lot of veg, but not fries. Both my wife and I are 20-30 lbs overweight, and McD's just is the wrong direction. And if I want beer or wine in a restaurant in France, I wonder the vintage of the grand vin de MickieD that is being offered. Les vin du table au McD? Quelle horeur!

I know the feeling. Last January (2018) the doc told to lose 20 lbs, which I thought was impossible, maybe 5 or even 10 as a long shot. It is doable. By the end of April, those 20 lbs were off, focus on losing and, aside from more walking, just stick to the "deprivations"...no ice cream, pizza, cake, chocolate, dessert, sugar, pasta...well, one gets the picture.

Congrats Fred! You may want to also look into the Mediterranean diet, it's more than a diet but a sustainable lifestyle. I was lucky to be born into it, but the "Mediterranean diet" as it's branded seems to be quite effective. Just this year the Bloomberg Health Index named Spain the healthiest country in the world and by 2040, Spain is expected to have the highest lifespan according to the WHO, surpassing Japan.

Of course there is no one "Mediterranean diet", Greeks eat different than Italians and Spanish and vice versa, but one can find some significant similarities, like a focus on nuts, legumes, whole grains, seafood and olive oil. But it encompasses "how you eat" as much as "what you eat", like sitting down eating with others, paying attention to food, knowing where it comes from, and taking time to enjoy a meal in moderation.

Now that I am living in the United States, I can see the stark differences between eating here or eating back in Spain or Italy. I have been struggling to maintain the same eating habits and lifestyle here in the States. Every time I go back to Spain to visit family and friends for a few weeks, I end up losing 3-5 kg, without even noticing it :)

P.S. However... a good Jagerschnitzel always hits the spot!

@ Carlos...Most definitely, a good Jägerschnitzel hits the spot.

I save all that sort eating for France and Germany, therefore, absolutely no McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut or any of that sort of cuisine here, ie, total denial, plus none of it over in Europe either.

In Austria one can pop in for a Leberkäse too if you desire fast food.

I have only had one bad food experience in Europe when I got very bad food poisoning from shellfish I ate in Sicily. Shellfish are my favorite food and it was in a seaside town. I will avoid eating them as I travels I was too sick, had a doctor make a "house call" and it was so much trouble rebooking flights and all. I was not repulsed by the food at all but by my reaction after consuming it.
Once in Alsace, diners at an adjacent table were eating really huge hocks of ham, I think. Humungous. I could not look at them as
that repulsed me. Not cheap but too huge for one person. Luckily they had other delicious dishes that we enjoyed including Moroccan as there are many Moroccans in the area, working in the vineyards and probably in the kitchens.
All in all, I think the food is more natural and fresh than what we get in the US.

@Carlos, check your PM.

Tesco's chicken nuggets from the hot case are scary, no matter how good they smell. (We'd done probably 7-8 miles of country walks that day so I was kind of judgement-impaired regarding food at that point.)

I'm also not a fan of the squishy packaged UK sandwich and will gladly spend an extra pound to go with the better bread panini/baugette sandwich option.

"...huge hocks of ham...." You can get smaller ones, but still a hefty portion, in German train station eateries. They're called "Eisbein."

In Berlin it's a typical dish served in a restaurant called " Berliner Eisbein" or "Eisbein berliner Art"

Fred: We are sticking MOSTLY to the low-carb. But we are planning on a May-June trip to Greece, Hungary, Croatia, Romania. We are going to introduce bread back into the diet in the next 6 weeks. If you wait until you are over there, the digestive system has not prepared, and this can be a problem. A yucky problem. As we live in the frozen north, we are also getting back to walking - snow is gone. Hopefully we can do enough walking to keep the weight at a steady point.

"...sticking mostly to low-carb." Exactly the way I do here for best results.

Suki and Fred: Is that the same as golonka in Poland?

@Jane, yes the Eisbein is the same as the Polish Golonka, but I have always found the Golonka to be the more manageable of the two :)

My take on different foods given the American palate...Not the way I look at it. I don't let myself be "repulsed." Forget the difference, either you eat it or don't whatever the reason, health, allergy, or repulsive appearance,... whatever.

I had no problems adjusting to different German foods when I first encountered them on the trips, eg, Eisbein, Liver dumpling soup (Leberknödel), Leberkäse, their version of pork headcheese (Sülze), even blood tongue (Blutzunge) served at breakfast in the Pension, herring, the various dark breads, etc

Likewise in France, some were easy than others but basically no problems.

Hmmm ... what American foods would Europeans find disgusting ?Or at least odd ?
Velveeta comes to mind.

Marshmallows on sweet potatoes.....ugghh

Eel is a specialty in Hamburg and North Germany.

Grilled eel sashimi (Unagi) is really yummy.

Nope, black pudding really doesn't do it for me but it's probably one of those acquired-taste things.

With a slightly different take on this fun subject, I will not even have a "no thank you" bite of eggplant here in the US but tried it in Sicily and loved it. Thought I might give it another chance here at home but still not my choice. I can't think of anything I have eaten and disliked in Europe and as a fairly adventurous eater, I'll try anything. Well, while I do like eating the fish, it does unnerve me a bit when a whole fish with its eyes staring at me is presented for my meal😳.

@ andi "Well, while I do like eating the fish, it does unnerve me a bit when a whole fish with its eyes staring at me is presented for my meal😳."
My sister was teaching english in Japan about 15 years ago and as it was tailored for high level professionals, it included some high class meals as well. She told me she decided she was going vegetarian after her last sushi arrived on her plate unprepared...as in full fish with sides still heaving as not yet dead. Talk about staring at you. I am hoping your fish's eyes were white and opaque.
I will say that if you serve me something and don't tell me what it is until afterwards, I most likely won't spit it out and be grateful for the delayed information. Chances are I would like it, but knowingly choose it? Perhaps not.

@Andi, I appreciated your review of Eggplant. Sicily vs. America. I had wonderful Eggplant dishes in Sicily! One that comes to mind (Taormina) was Arancini with cheese and Eggplant. Heavenly! I have also had roasted eggplant on Pizza. Wonderful! At home (Seattle) we have a favorite Osteria that has a signature dish called Melazane. It's like an Eggplant Parmesan over angel hair pasta. Sublime! Don't give up on Eggplant! ;)

Also recall our 1st time in Rome. I ordered fish. Yep, it came whole. No problem, I just casually took the doily and covered the eyes! The fish was delicious.

It was the end of our 2 week trip to Ireland and we went into a bar in Dublin decorated with American memorabilia. They had burgers, hot dogs and nachos on the menu. That got the Mexican food craving going so I ordered the nachos. Big mistake! It was basically chicken with tortilla chips and melted cheese ☹️ So I guess the lesson is if you’re craving food from home, just wait till you get home to eat it.

I will preface this post with it must have been the knives, hand washing or the cutting board. More than likely Staph. Over 15 years ago, I had an ER visit food poisoning event from Sushi in Maui. Did not eat sushi again for 10 years. Now, Love it! It is a good thing to see a clean kitchen and hand washing technique. Hate those gloves that are never changed. Braised duck is a recent event, must never eat again, while in Spain.

Adding to American foods Europeans find disgusting, I hearty second those marshmallows things on top of sweet potatoes, por dios! And throw in that gloppy green bean casserole they serve at thanksgiving too lol! In general I find many American foods overly sweet, it seems like every thing has added sugar.

Some American foods that my European stomach can't handle:
Root Beer - not actually beer to my surprise, just liquefied cough syrup.
Chicken and waffles - just don't get it...
American Bread in general - is it even bread
The butter stuff and white cheddar powder they put on popcorn
American style breakfast - is this just a dessert?
Chili
Sweet Tea - is all that sugar really necessary?
"Yellow Mustard" - definitely not mustard

Some American foods I like!!!:
Poke
Gumbo
Mac and Cheese
Cioppino
Buffalo wings
In-n-Out Hamburgers
Lau Lau
Crawfish Etouffee

One French woman told me what stunned her here was seeing the big fried onion rings at a diner.

@ Carlos...what about grits? In New Orleans and Memphis, TN I saw numerous restaurants offer shrimp and grits. As a Calif boy I like grits.

@Fred, American shrimp and grits are fine no complaints from me, but I tend to prefer their Italian cousins, polenta, topped with some braised ox-tail and a nice chianti, yum!

And for a nice Central European breakfast one can't do better than Smalec (bacon spread) on rye!

Very true on the shrimp and grits. I have to admit I am not familiar with Smalec.

Hi Fred, smalec is Polish lard spread made from bacon cracklings, very traditional peasant dish but very good, I think something similar is the German spread griebenschmalz, if that rings a bell.

How can you have something as simple as a croissant, where you can pick up most anywhere in Europe and it taste amazing, and then come home to find every one of them utterly disappointing?

Carlos, sweet tea is disgusting, and I cant handle donuts or pancakes for breakfast. Our southern friends may hop in to defend sweet tea.

No matter where I am, I. Need my food to be thoroughly cooked. Had to make too many "beware Trichinosis " posters in my childhood. I'll leave sushi, etc for the rest of you.

One life altering round of food poisoning in new Orleans from a deli poor boy sandwich, 3 out of 20 of us went down so it may have been a dirty knife.

How can you have something as simple as a croissant, where you can pick up most anywhere in Europe and it taste amazing, and then come home to find every one of them utterly disappointing?

Butter is the simple answer. A good croissant is made with butter, most of the croissants I've seen in the US (and the cheaper ones in the UK) are made primarily with palm oil.

I recall my first visit to the US years ago and couldn't wait to try out all the foods but after two weeks I was done. Everything is so sweet, I couldn't stomach the bread. I'll never get bacon and maple syrup on pancakes, tried it and never again. Grits? Really didn't see the point. Biscuits and gravy? Bland and boring. Chicken fried steak intrigued me and it was actually quite nice but then anything deep fried and crispy is going to taste nice.

The breakfast buffet at the Las Vegas hotel we stayed at was beyond belief, watching people tuck into piles of chocolate cake at 9 am was quite disgusting and why was there chocolate cake (and other desserts) on a breakfast buffet?!

I discovered Five Guys in the US and really enjoyed it. I like to treat myself at least once when I return, they're not the same over here and they're at least twice the price so I don't go out of principle.

Cheese is always a disappointment in the US and I made the mistake once of trying Velveeta.

When I visit now I make a point of searching out authentic Mexican places as they have typically been my most enjoyable eating experiences.

American fast food is horrible and disgusting. Five Guys is not the same as McDs.

You can get good cheese in the USA, but it must not have the word "Kraft" on it. Mac-n-cheese is horrible stuff. American beer today is the best in the world - in most small and big towns, you can get far more options in real honest beer brewed with the German rules if you buy craft (local) beer. The commercial swill from Miller, Coors, the Brazil-Belgium people is not drinkable.

American bread from commercial large bakers is horrible. You can buy some decent rolls in real bakeries, or in Aldi's/Lidl. Breakfast cereals are dreadful and sweet.

So for you European travelers - I feel your pain. The American food scene is horrible on the bottom with fast food and chains which have taken over many places. You cannot find a real restaurant in many places. Many grocery stores are cooking now. The best approach if you are desperate is to get a cooked chicken (same price as raw), good cheese, good bread, and inexpensive wine. Then have a picnic. Also pickles are reliable.

Eating in the US isn't an entirely bleak experience. Sure, the major chains can be a bit depressing and are lowest common denominator. But if you live in a large city here, you have to be putting a whole lot of effort in to not finding decent food. Granted, much of it isn't "American cuisine" but various ethnic enclaves can offer up countless amazing restaurants to choose from. Some of our more basic, stereotypical dishes can seem quite bland, but haven't people said the same about English food or German food or food from all the countless countries where "meat and potatoes" seems the extent of things until you delve a little deeper?

I'd imagine our geography made for some fairly bleak food options, too - rather than getting your bread from a locally bakery that made it on site, you'd get it from the grocery store that had it trucked in a couple times a month from a factory and distribution center one state over. Nowadays, though, we have ever increasing options for more locally sourced food, and food from smaller farms and sources that specialize in artisan products. It can be much more expensive, sure, but options can exist.

This does bring to mind the kick I get out of watching shows like "International House Hunters", though, when the American couple looking at apartments in Paris keeps getting shocked at how small the fridges are. We're just used to heading on down to the massive grocery store and loading up on everything and anything all at once, and packing it in to our kitchen. Most Americans aren't familiar with the concept of swinging by a butcher or bakery or cheese shop or vegetable stand for whatever the next evening's dinner calls for.

Folks are often put off when they are served horse meat. In most cases you'd never know what you are eating and it's fairly common...
You are more likely to encounter hard to eat foods in Asia. Does anyone remember the first time they had stinky tofu in Taiwan???Oh baby. The funny thing is that once you allow yourself to get past your initial reaction, it's actually pretty darned good. Durian is a similar experience. Culturally we have ourselves trained to expect certain smells, textures, tastes in our foods and when the food strays from the norm the gag reflex tries to keep you from trying it. Just go for it. as long as it's not rotten it should be fine...it's all good, right?

Most Americans aren't familiar with the concept of swinging by a butcher or bakery or cheese shop or vegetable stand for whatever the next evening's dinner calls for.

Very true. We are in Zagreb, and were a little tired. So we went to the local grocery, bought sliced sausage, cheese, rolls, wine, and fizzy water. Probably paid $12 US for all that. Ate in our room. Inexpensive. We eat out 2 of 3 nights, but often do the picnic.

@ Carlos ...thanks for the explanation. There is something similar in France too in terms of a spread to be put on bread.
For quick food, go to an Imbiss to get your favourite "Wurst mit Brötchen," all good choices, Bratwurst, Bockwurst, Thüringer, etc. In Austria they call that bread roll Semmel. If in a train station, get a herring sandwich.

Schmalz is disgusting. Just grease spread on bread. Had it one time for St. Martins Day, and the memory still gives me the shivers.
Will try pretty much anything, but innards just aren't for me. No Nierenspiess which is popular at German festivals, or kidney pie, or liver, heart or tongue. You won't see me eating chitlins either.
Have had pulpo in Spain 3 times. The first 2 times it was excellent but the last time it wasn't, so am put off a bit by that. Baby calamari in Greece are excellent, but you can keep oysters all to yourself.

Maybe Ms Jo you are a "Feinschmecker"...that's meant as a compliment. I remember i had veal kidneys (Kalbsnieren) the first time in France, ok but a little strong, then I had it German style at a German restaurant in SF that served it.

Will try pretty much anything, but innards just aren't for me

Not even sausages? After all pretty much all sausages are made from the intestines of pigs, sheep, cows etc.
Well, at least the decent ones are. Some casings are made from non animal products but they tend to be vegetarian/vegan sausages

Being swedish I have to mention our infamous delicacy surströmming, fermented fish. There are a number of videos on youtube of people trying to eat it, but instead I'm going to recommend a video on how to eat it the proper way.

On Gotland, sheep's head is also a popular dish.

@Ms Jo: Well, my grandma who was a Donau Schwaben girl from Hungary used to give us schmaltz on toasted rye bread, and it was super to a 5 YO. Either that or plain ol' bacon grease. Boy howdy, that was good.

As an adult I shudder with disgust at the idea.

In France something similar to Schmalz also exists to be used as bread spread. I've had that. I have no problems with it, well, apart from the saturated fat content but just to have a bit spread over a piece of bread, I'll eat it.