#usamerican cuisine

[animeomelette]

Is peanut butter really cheap in the US or do Americans just eat a lot of vaguely peanut-flavoured imitation peanut butter that's actually mostly palm oil and high fructose corn syrup? I see it constantly brought up as an example of a cheap food and that always strikes me as really bizarre

[yourheartinyourmouth]

arrr i hate that any restaurant that’s even remotely Latin gets lumped under the label ‘Spanish food’.

fucking Mexican food isn’t Spanish. Cuban food isn’t Spanish. Chile and Paraguay and Panama and the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico AREN’T SPAIN.

lumping all these discrete and separate cultures under the misnomer “Spanish”, because they speak Spanish is lame and inaccurate.

[jackredfieldwasmyjacob]

today at lunch we each were ranking our personal five different foreign cuisines (east asian, indian, mexican, italian, and usamerican), my dad ranked italian the lowest and my sister and i both said in unison: ITALIAN????? in the most shocked and lamenting voice ever. how dare he.

[jupitermelichios]

i'm sick of all the food negativity polls lately so reblog this and tell me what dish you'd pick to show of your area/culture's food to a visitor

[cryptotheism]

Favorite European food?

Fuck France but goddamn they went off with crepes + mushroom + bleu cheese.

Like, french "fine dining" is bullshit. None of this 90-calorie tasting menu delicate flavor palate nonsense. Proper french cooking is rich, decadent, sultry, the cozy size of bacchanalian, it looks at your scrawny Instagram influencer ass frame and fucking dares you to walk away without finishing the cannonball of meat and cream on your plate. It's a philosophy of cuisine that feels distinctly at home in my USAmerican stomach and god bless them for it.

[apocalypticvalraven]

Delicious in Dungeon in The Kitchen

So... I was struck by the thought that I kinda wish some food nerd would go through the Dungeon Meshi dishes and analyze them and sort of give a "this is the real world thing they're making" run down.

And then I realized I'm a food nerd that can do research.

So.

We're gonna try this out, starting with Volume 1. I don't promise that I know everything about cooking. I don't promise I'll always be able to make the thing I'm looking at (I am broke, and I don't have my own kitchen). But I can at least look at a dish and figure out what they're doing and how to replicate it, at least sorta.

Dungeon Meshi Volume 1-- Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom Hot Pot

The two main components of this dish are the Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom.

Walking Mushroom

Looking at the images in the manga, Walking Mushroom seems to just... be a mushroom that can walk around. There are no organs, the interior seems pretty uniform in substance...

Like, literally, that's exactly what sliced mushrooms look like. Senshi cuts the mushroom into ~4" strips (judging by their size next to the small cabbage-like vegetable, and comparing those plants to his hand in the image of him gathering them. I am assuming dwarf hands are roughly the same size as human hands).

There's a variety of edible mushroom that is probably as close as we're going to get to the size of a Walking Mushroom, growing a cap up to 3' wide, but it seems to only grow in termite mounds in a very specific part of the African continent (please forgive my USAmerican, White education leading me to not being able to identify the specific region), so... if you can get that at all, it's probably crazy expensive (as it should be, unless you're literally getting it from the mounds or local markets yourself). Portobello or similar large culinary mushrooms are probably just fine. The Mushroom Feet are literally just mushrooms, so no worries there.

Huge Scorpion

Ok, so... there is a difference between arachnids and crustaceans. As a start, arachnids have book lungs and crustaceans have gills. Arachnid guts are different from crustacean guts, just because of environment. Hell, crustacean limbs grow differently from arachnid limbs.

That said, everything I see in Dungeon Meshi implies that, from a culinary standpoint, Huge Scorpion is a crustacean-

So, really, it's just a big lobster. Take a lobster, cut off its legs, antennae, and the tail fluke, and you're going to see something that looks pretty similar to the huge scorpion in Dungeon Meshi.

Seaweed

Next is seaweed, which... is just a thing, but also kind of an imprecise term, I think. Basically, "seaweed" just refers to any marine algae that is multicellular and macroscopic (big enough to see). Arctic Moss seems to be a real thing which refers to a couple things- the aquatic moss Calliergon giganteum and the terrestrial lichen in the genus of Cladonia, which includes Reindeer Lichen.

Reindeer lichen is edible, in a number of ways, but it's also not seaweed. So we look at Calliergon giganteum. I cannot get an answer as to whether this particular variety of moss is edible. So... fuck it, say Senshi used Reindeer Lichen, at least we know that's edible.

"Star Jelly" is... I don't know. The main result I find when googling it is that it's the sort of general term for various slimes that show up on lawns and other vegetation, etc. Which means it could be anything from amphibian spawning jelly to who the fuck knows what.

However, one thing it could be is a cyanobacteria known as Fat Choy, a commonly used "vegetable" in Chinese Cuisine:

Looks like jelly? Yep. Looks weird enough that you might imagine it comes from a star? Yep. Edible? Yes!

(I mean, maybe don't eat a ton of it, or get it from irreputable sources. At least some Fat Choy contains a toxic amino acid which may or may not have negative health effects, but I'm not a doctor, so all I'm saying is "be aware of this." It's an expensive delicacy, which means that it is a particularly lucrative target for counterfeiters, and China does not have strong, or strongly enforced, food safety laws).

The Hard Stuff

So that leaves "Invertatoes" and "Dried Slime."

Neither of which seem to have a good direct analogue to the real world. Well... sorta.

Invertatoes seems to refer to the plants. The name calls to mind potatoes, and potatoes do indeed grow in the ground and are starchy. It's probably fair to just use any kind of starchy tuber as the "invertatoes." Maybe cassava, since those are large enough that it's at least somewhat believable that "Fantasy Land Cassava" could look like that (although that doesn't fit the "these are normal plants that grow upside down" unless we're being really generous).

The problem is that it's sort of implied that the cabbage-like vegetable seen in the hot pot comes from the same plant, and everything from a potato plant other than the potato itself is toxic. They also don't look like that.

I literally don't know what those cabbage/lettuce-like leafy vegetables are. They're not seaweed, because the two varieties called out definitely don't look like that. They're not, so far as I can tell, the greens of any kind of starchy tuber--

EXCEPT.

So, I was taking one last look at tubers to see if I could find something that seemed to match, and I think Invertatoes could be likened to something similar to chicory. Particularly endives. I never knew endives were related to chicory (ie, "that thing that I'm aware is popular as a coffee substitute in the South, but I don't have much desire to try it, and I wonder if it even has caffeine..."), but, apparently, yeah. Endives are a member of the chicory genus.

So, yeah, lets say that Invertatoes are a sort of fantasy plant similar to the various members of the chicory genus. The trunk can be replicated with chicory root, and the leaves with endives.

That leaves Dried Slime. Dried Slime makes up the noodles in the hot pot, which implies that the noodles are gelatinous, and probably low in gluten. Senshi's explanation of the slime makes me want to think of it as a macro-unicellular lifeform, but... I'm not sure that's accurate.

While it's definitely not an accurate way to describe a jellyfish, I could definitely see a non-biologist describing jellyfish in a way similar to the way Senshi describes the slime. I could also see some fantasy terrestrial jellyfish thing hunting in a similar manner to the slime. Moreover, there are edible varieties of jellyfish, and they're processed in a manner very similar to what Senshi describes for processing slimes. And one way of preparing edible jellyfish is to thinly slice it into noodles.

Hot Pots

I... think this is using a very specifically Japanese sense of "hot pot" (which makes sense), because in Japan, hot pot can refer to a dish called nabemono, while in general, hot pot refers to a particular kind of dining in China where you get a pot full of boiling stock/broth and a bunch of raw ingredients, and you put the stuff you want into the broth at the table. Nabemono is more of "put a bunch of stuff in a pot, and cook it. Serve it boiling." Which is to say, it's soup.

Senshi puts the scorpion meat and mushroom into a pot on its own, and lets it start boiling-

Then, while it's boiling, he goes and finds other ingredients, coming back with the invertatoes and the slime. The two are prepared simply-

Seasoning isn't included in the ingredients, but I can understand this as a choice for presentation. We do see Senshi add something to the broth after tasting it, and I think it's fair to assume it's one of soy sauce, mirin, fish sauce, or similar. I think it's actually really interesting that we see Senshi add seasoning, but we're not told what it is-

Because... that's cooking. You can follow a recipe, but ultimately, you need to taste your cooking and make your own decisions. Senshi lets the soup cook, tastes the broth, decides it needs something, and gives it a bit of time to let the flavors meld before serving it up.

Dungeon Meshi Lobster and Mushroom Hot Pot

So, we're looking at something like this for the "Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom Hot Pot"--

Lobster- ~5 lbs or more (a 1 lb lobster yields about 4 oz of actual meat, which is a single serving), cut into large slices

Portobello- 2 mushrooms large diced, 2 left whole with the caps scored

Reindeer Lichen and Fat Choy- to taste

Chicory Roots- ~1 cup, diced

Endive greens- ~2 cups

Jellyfish, thin sliced- as much as you like

Add lobster and mushrooms to water, and allow to boil. While it comes to a boil, prepare the other ingredients, then add to the water. Let the soup come to a full boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes to an hour (can simmer longer, but this will affect the texture of the ingredients. Longer simmering will result in more melding of flavors, but also degraded solid parts).

Taste the broth. It will likely need salt and acid, which could come in a variety of forms, such as kosher salt and lemon juice, soy sauce and mirin/rice vinegar, oyster/fish sauce, or something else. Go with your gut and your taste buds..

[deliciouspolls]

This is the sequel to another poll.

This poll relates to USAmerican cuisine and readily available foods within the USA. This poll, as such, is mostly pointed towards USAmericans but anyone can answer.

[moonlitcomet]

Cierian culinary culture

Blackwatch

Blackwatch food is strong. Strong smelling, strong flavor, and oftentimes strongly spicy too. Think southern USamerican food kicked up to 100. A common experience for Blackwatch-going tourists is to go to some back-alley Blackwatch restaurant whose food and atmosphere just makes your eyes water and sting. It's usually overpowering to non-residents, but a minor upside is that restaurants in the city usually have atmospheric humidifiers which cause water droplets in the air to bind to the sulfuric compounds that fill the city, instead of irritating your eyes and nose.

Streets with lots of restaurants are either filled with near-inedible levels of strong spice and flavor, or junky ass trash food meant for people who can't afford anything else. Even still, despite how much their food can barely be eaten by tourists, people who live there[and, interestingly, dragons who visit] swear by it being absolutely delicious. It's pretty common for Blackwatch residents who leave the city to try foreign food and view it as bland and flavorless. Blackwatch has, somehow, managed to make a profit out of prepackaged frozen exported foods for this reason.

Fauns

Faun food depends on the faun culture you're interacting with. Ch'chkun fauns, the city ones, have made their city entirely self-sustainable and they're one of the first inventors of lab-grown meat and fruits. Lots of their city is dedicated to layered greenhouses and the only animals they farm are bees and other pollinators. Fauns are typically omnivorous with a preference for plants, but the invention and standardization of lab-grown meat makes it way easier to mass produce food for their extremely population dense city- Ch'chkun City almost has more residents than the three biggest southern cities combined. Lab-grown meat with their methods is more humane and more sustainable than farms.

Fauns in the east, in more rural areas, are usually foragers. This is partially a lifestyle choice and partially an agreement for preservation of the ecosystem- whatever they take will be given back in time, so most of the stuff they eat will be wild fruits, nuts, and wild game they hunt themselves. This is important for the environment too, because fauns will hunt game animals like lagomorphs that otherwise have had most of their natural predators hunted out of the area by settlers and would overpopulate without them.

As for the actual food they make, fauns love grains. Unenchanted rice, oats, wheat, millet, barley, among other grains will make their way into almost every single cultural dish they make. It's cheap, it's easy, and so easy to make delicious with sauces and spices. If you're meeting a faun buddy who's making dinner for you, hope you like grains. If you do, you're in luck, because you're about to have the most bangin' grain dishes you've ever had.

A very popular snack for faun children is flavored puffed millet.

Bahp

Bahp's culinary culture centers around making something that is both delicious and arcane. Many foods in Bahp are enchanted and have magical effects on those eating them, which is a remnant of the days of old when the country knew how to grow enchanted RICE. With such an ability long gone, their focus has shifted to general dishes.

There are restaurants all over the country that specialize in different enchantments for their food - some focus on dishes that power you up, others that make you feel alert and healthy, yet others can temporarily change physical aspects of your body. This culture and cuisine has become especially profitable with the large numbers of duelists that have their humble beginnings here.

With the diversity in their enchantments comes diversity in food. Bahp's culinary culture takes in aspects from all over the world, even from usually "undesirable" food cultures such as Blackwatch and Drustown. Bahp has access to all sorts of locally grown crops and livestock, including exotic livestock such as those raised in Khartes Trichier. This makes it one of the few places on the mainland where you can buy and eat the mild, sweeter cheeses made from khormun milk as well as hirba honey, which is a staple in the enchanted Bahp foods.

Sorcerers

Being herbivores, sorcerers primarily cook with plants and plant matter, including leaves, fruits, nuts, and other crops. They use a lot of unique spices in their dishes, often putting in tons of time and effort to extract flavors from spices through long cooking processes. Cooking techniques typically include boiling, simmering, and frying in pots and woks, as well as cooking over wood fires.

Sorcerer food comes in many flavors, though sweet, sour, and savory dishes are the most common. Sweet & sour foods are a staple in sorcerer culinary arts, with natural sweeteners like milk or honey being used over granulated sugar.

Homemade tea is another popular aspect of Sorcerer culture, with their access to a variety of herbs and spices giving them many options for special tea blends and brews.

Due to how many of their foods use ingredients only grown in Khartes Trichier, it can be difficult to create authentic dishes outside of the sorcerers' land. Imported sorcerer ingredients are rare and expensive, with only cheese and honey being readily available. Many people attempting to make sorcerer-invented dishes end up having to make substitutions, which leads to lower-quality imitations of the originals.

[welcometotheravenclawcommonroom]

FELLOW WESTERNERS!!!

Stop saying “I don’t like Chinese/Indian/Thai… food of some other Southeast Asian country”. It makes you sound super rude and ignorant, especially because it’s pretty obvious you’ve not tried all that much of it.

Imagine if someone told you they hated pizza because they tried it once in Chicago and didn’t like it? Or someone saying they hated the entire cuisine of your home country because they tried a couple things in a couple restaurants in their country. (This is probably mostly directed at USAmericans, but idk how Europeans are with trying other cuisines not from the west).

It’s hurtful and ignorant and unnecessary and it makes you sound super dumb. Each country has literally thousands of dishes and a bunch of regional cuisines with many variations on THOSE dishes, and there’s no way you’ve tried enough of them to write off an entire cuisine.

Just say “I haven’t had much of (country’s food), only a couple things at some restaurants in (home country) that I didn’t particularly like, but I’d love to taste more stuff! Can you recommend me some dishes to try? I like (flavors/ingredients) and I dislike (flavors/ingredients).”

You can have a respectful conversation about food preferences without writing off someone’s entire cuisine.

[skaianbruja]

Anyways, it is actually extremely fucking annoying that both Mexican and USAmerican cuisine are often regarded as being inherently unhealthy

[aftout]

Nico tries fine USAmerican cuisine

[nat-20s]

Hey, thanks for your post about the us, it's nice to see a little bit of positivity when shit is literally constantly thrown at your country, and I really appreciate it /gen

Oh I'm glad! I've gotten some nasty responses and I'm like. Jesus us usamericans have so few Ws on a personal level. Let us keep what we got. And like if ur gonna make fun of usamericans I think some lighthearted ribbing is fine actually! It's about tone and what is actually being teased. Feel Free to actively complain/rally against/actively call out our government I do the same thing shit is bad! I KNOW the USA was built off of genocide slave labour and invasion and is still profiting of of all of that!! I think one of my favorite quotes when thinking about any country in general was "people are lovely, governments are assholes". Most people are just trying to live decent lives and having cultural differences that don't hurt other people is a good thing actually. I love that norms are different in different places i think it's COOL that cuisines vary I love that people are diverse and dynamic and that humans are simultaneously not a homogeneous race AND have some near universal similarities! Also like. yeah it's a tone thing it's a people you're talking to thing. I've gotten into JOKING fights about food with like one of my Australian friends (i was like what the fuck is UP with fairybread? and they were like HELLO?? TWINKIES?? and I was like lmao fair) but that's not the same as writing off entire fuckin swaths of food you know?

TLDR: halloween road trips and big drinks rule. If I make a joke that's like 'english people be saying "it's chewsday innit"' i expect a response like "americans be saying 'I wanna hamborger and wader boddle" you know? I'm literally not trying to defend the bad shit I'm just saying occasionally that are framed as weird/bad are cool and fun actually

[milfglupshitto]

I think for me the difference between celebrity cameos in The Mandalorian versus in a show like Doctor Who or Friends is essentially an issue of immersion, which is inherently a bit subjective. However, I really don’t believe these cases are comparable- let me try to outline why:

Doctor Who

Quintessentially locational- main characters are British, many of the events concern either the modern UK or past/future events there, British identity in all its variations is crucial to the makeup of the story

Celebrities are either themselves in-universe or playing a role; DW has had especially great success with recastings (Capaldi, Gillan)

Engagement with contemporary British culture (music, cuisine, popular media) is the show’s established norm since initial broadcasting

Star Wars

Set in a fictional universe. Many locations specifically chosen to appear “alien”, often by playing into the stereotypes the Western audience holds regarding non-Western peoples to the further detriment of those peoples. The same is true for many of the alien species. Earth does not appear. The United States of America do not appear. USAmerican identity is not crucial to the makeup of the story (world of origin is in fact very rarely relevant for character motivation).

Celebrities who appear are always playing a role, usually in the background (named only in visual encyclopedias or end credits); actors may commonly play several roles but usually only the case of actors who did mocap or voice work initially (Best, Serkis, Pegg) with a significant emphasis on appearance-altering costuming

Engagement with USAmerican politics through allegory is the franchise’s established norm from the first film; engagement with contemporary USAmerican culture is not.