Favorite food?

[Mary Terry]

Hotdogs are sausages. They can be made with all beef, pork, turkey, chicken and probably other meats. You can buy them "cured" or "uncured", with casings or without casings (skins). You can buy vegan hotdogs. One thing you never want to see is how they are made.

I grew up eating barbequed beans with pieces of hotdogs in it. Beans and weenies were fairly common public school cafeteria fare.

Maple sugar doesn't taste as good as brown sugar, IMHO, in baked beans but, like someone else said, that maybe due to the taste culture of where I live. Maple syrup would have to be imported from Vermont or Canada or somewhere people actually tap maple trees for sap. Down here in the southern US, we grow sugar cane; hence, brown sugar is readily available.

I will eat a hot dog in a bun drowned in sauerkraut and baked beans with a knife and fork if I need to, rather than have the juices run down to my elbows if I eat it by hand. Hmmm, now I want to throw a can of baked beans with BBQ sauce, brown sugar, jalapenos and some cut up hotdogs in the crockpot for lunch. Hubby likes it. Kids love it.

 

[JayLapointe]

Hotdogs are sausages. They can be made with all beef, pork, turkey, chicken and probably other meats. You can buy them "cured" or "uncured", with casings or without casings (skins). You can buy vegan hotdogs. One thing you never want to see is how they are made.

I grew up eating barbequed beans with pieces of hotdogs in it. Beans and weenies were fairly common public school cafeteria fare.

Maple sugar doesn't taste as good as brown sugar, IMHO, in baked beans but, like someone else said, that maybe due to the taste culture of where I live. Maple syrup would have to be imported from Vermont or Canada or somewhere people actually tap maple trees for sap. Down here in the southern US, we grow sugar cane; hence, brown sugar is readily available.

I will eat a hot dog in a bun drowned in sauerkraut and baked beans with a knife and fork if I need to, rather than have the juices run down to my elbows if I eat it by hand. Hmmm, now I want to throw a can of baked beans with BBQ sauce, brown sugar, jalapenos and some cut up hotdogs in the crockpot for lunch. Hubby likes it. Kids love it.

I should have been a little more clear on the beans, they aren't in maple syrup, but in the brownsugar mix Mary is more familiar with but with the substitution of a portion of that with molasses. And yes molasses is basically just concentrated syrup but it still is a fair amount different in taste and consistency. And around here we do refer to it as well as "beans and weenies". I just wasn't sure how many in other countries would have been familiar with "weenies" as slang for hotdogs.

I distinguish between hotdogs and sausages differently than Marie. But that is more to do I think with just regional thinking than anything else as I full well admit a hotdog is but a type of sausage. Personally I've always made the distinction as, if it looks like bologna but in a skinny stick, hotdog, otherwise, proper sausage.

 

[Mary Terry]

I was never a fan of sickly sweet things. Pavlova is considered to be one of our national deserts but I can't stand it, even as a kid I hated it. I eat icecream maybe once every 3 years.

Many US franchise have failed in Australia simply because they don't bother to adjust their menu to suit Aussie tastes, Starbucks is a classic example of this, Aussies don't recognise them as a coffee shop because when you walk in the door it smells like an icecream parlour and most of their drinks they offer have very little in relation to what Aussies call coffee. (That and the fact that they're twice the price of a local cafe

I'm trying to think of any Aussie restaurants or Aussie foods that ever succeeded in the US. Outback Steak House, an American company with Australian themed food, has closed many of its restaurants in the US. You can order some Aussie snacks, sweets and drinks online.

My impression is that Australian food is British food with an increasingly heavy dose of Asian influence in recent years. Is that accurate?

 

[Mary Terry]

I should have been a little more clear on the beans, they aren't in maple syrup, but in the brownsugar mix Mary is more familiar with but with the substitution of a portion of that with molasses. And yes molasses is basically just concentrated syrup but it still is a fair amount different in taste and consistency. And around here we do refer to it as well as "beans and weenies". I just wasn't sure how many in other countries would have been familiar with "weenies" as slang for hotdogs.

I distinguish between hotdogs and sausages differently than Marie. But that is more to do I think with just regional thinking than anything else as I full well admit a hotdog is but a type of sausage. Personally I've always made the distinction as, if it looks like bologna but in a skinny stick, hotdog, otherwise, proper sausage.

I use molasses when I make baked beans from scratch. It does have a unique taste that goes well with the beans.

"Weenies" is short for wieners, a German word. I looked up where sausages were invented and it turns out to be ancient Mesopotamia 5000 years ago as a way to store meats.

 

[Aspychata]

When we lived on the reservation, Indian Hospital, l made friends with a Navajo lady, and she invited us to family get-together of fry bread and mutton. I skipped that, but my SO loved it. The Navajo's were a very laid back. We also were right next to the Hopi reservation. My SO's favorite meal is lobster anything. When l first lived with him, he would go spearfishing at night and come back with slipper lobsters and tako.

 

[Outdated]

I'm trying to think of any Aussie restaurants or Aussie foods that ever succeeded in the US. Outback Steak House, an American company with Australian themed food, has closed many of its restaurants in the US. You can order some Aussie snacks, sweets and drinks online.

Outback Steakhouse had nothing remotely Australian in it other than a crazy naming theme. Apparently there's one opened in Sydney now, not sure how well it's doing.

My impression is that Australian food is British food with an increasingly heavy dose of Asian influence in recent years. Is that accurate?

It's true in a broad sense but perhaps not accurate. It started off as simple British food but adjusted for climate, and also adjusted for the much greater availability of fresh produce. We also have a very long history of dealing and trading with China and a lot of Chinese influences also affected our cooking, sometimes with strange but rather tasty results.

In the 60s we started allowing migration from southern Europe (they weren't considered white enough before then) and this brought about the first major change in our cooking and was the foundation of our coffee culture. Italian is still one of the more commonly spoken languages in Australia.

In the 70s we started taking in Vietnamese refugees and this had a huge impact on our food. The Vietnamese people integrated in to our society extremely well instead of trying to stick to their own little cultural and language groups and because of this a lot of their food and culture became Australian, we adopted them as they adopted us. A lot of racism arose between Greeks and Italians and the Vietnamese people because of they way they were so readily accepted in to our society but they made the effort to be a part of that society instead of just sitting on the sidelines and refusing to join in.

Then from the 90s we started getting a lot of middle eastern migrants, especially from Lebanon and Syria and once again they had a big impact on the foods we eat. Pizza isn't the sole province of Italians, there's many different types of pizza from all around the Mediterranean.

Indian food and Mexican food are relatively new things here, only seen in great quantities in the last 15 years or so.

 

[Outdated]

"Weenies" is short for wieners, a German word. I looked up where sausages were invented and it turns out to be ancient Mesopotamia 5000 years ago as a way to store meats.

I haven't seen them here since I was a kid, they were a common cocktail food at parties, the British influence. A type of spiced pork sausage known as a Saveloy but in miniature form. The local name for them was Little Boys. I always avoided them because they keep repeating on you and you're stuck with that taste in your mouth for days.

 

[Mary Terry]

Outback Steakhouse had nothing remotely Australian in it other than a crazy naming theme. Apparently there's one opened in Sydney now, not sure how well it's doing.


It's true in a broad sense but perhaps not accurate. It started off as simple British food but adjusted for climate, and also adjusted for the much greater availability of fresh produce. We also have a very long history of dealing and trading with China and a lot of Chinese influences also affected our cooking, sometimes with strange but rather tasty results.

In the 60s we started allowing migration from southern Europe (they weren't considered white enough before then) and this brought about the first major change in our cooking and was the foundation of our coffee culture. Italian is still one of the more commonly spoken languages in Australia.

In the 70s we started taking in Vietnamese refugees and this had a huge impact on our food. The Vietnamese people integrated in to our society extremely well instead of trying to stick to their own little cultural and language groups and because of this a lot of their food and culture became Australian, we adopted them as they adopted us. A lot of racism arose between Greeks and Italians and the Vietnamese people because of they way they were so readily accepted in to our society but they made the effort to be a part of that society instead of just sitting on the sidelines and refusing to join in.

Then from the 90s we started getting a lot of middle eastern migrants, especially from Lebanon and Syria and once again they had a big impact on the foods we eat. Pizza isn't the sole province of Italians, there's many different types of pizza from all around the Mediterranean.

Indian food and Mexican food are relatively new things here, only seen in great quantities in the last 15 years or so.

While I was googling Australian food, I saw that Subway Sandwiches has a large presence and popularity there. Yep, Subways, of all possible restaurants and food to import. I didn't expect that!

 

[Outdated]

While I was googling Australian food, I saw that Subway Sandwiches has a large presence and popularity there. Yep, Subways, of all possible restaurants and food to import. I didn't expect that!

KFC, McDonalds and Burger King all do very well here too, except when Burger King first tried to register a business here that name was already taken so they used another name that they already owned - Hungry Jacks. American tourists are often surprised at the different menus though:

https://www.kfc.com.au/menu
McDonald’s Australia
What's New

Taco Bell has tried 3 times to get a break in to the Aussie market and they've failed every time, meanwhile one of our own Mexican chains is opening up stores in the US - Guzman Y Gomez.
Our Food | Guzman y Gomez Mexican Kitchen

 

[Mary Terry]

KFC, McDonalds and Burger King all do very well here too, except when Burger King first tried to register a business here that name was already taken so they used another name that they already owned - Hungry Jacks. American tourists are often surprised at the different menus though:

https://www.kfc.com.au/menu
McDonald’s Australia
What's New

Taco Bell has tried 3 times to get a break in to the Aussie market and they've failed every time, meanwhile one of our own Mexican chains is opening up stores in the US - Guzman Y Gomez.
Our Food | Guzman y Gomez Mexican Kitchen

I've traveled to a lot of foreign countries and studiously avoid eating at any chain-type restaurant such as McDonalds. I don't eat that stuff at home and know from experience that in foreign countries the menus are altered in an attempt to please the locals' taste. Sometimes they are successful. Taco Bell is a very poor attempt at making Mexican food regardless of what country it is in.

 

[Outdated]

I've traveled to a lot of foreign countries and studiously avoid eating at any chain-type restaurant such as McDonalds.

I tend to avoid the bigger chains too, if I want a hamburger I'll go to a local fish and chip shop instead, much nicer and much bigger burgers for less money and everything's cooked fresh. And you get real chips instead of stupid french fries and drinks in bottles and cans instead of a horrible paper cup full of ice. I don't mind the paper cup so much but can't stand the ice.

 

[Judge]

Taco Bell is under relentless competition locally here with Del Taco, who IMO makes much better and fresher food in comparison. Though in America, it's often an overstatement to refer to such foods as being truly "Mexican".

Can't really comment on McDonalds, as I haven't had any interest in their food in decades. I know In and Out Burger here is quite popular, as they always seem to have so many cars lined up in their drive ins and parking lots.

I rarely go out for a burger though...as it gotten too expensive to justify the cost. With 3 tacos at nearly half the cost in comparison.

 

[Ken]

I guess my top of the list favorite food is Broccoli and / or Brussels Sprouts steamed with nothing else added.
I also like bean stew especially when broccoli and brussels Sprouts are added.

I Also love steamed green beans. I can eat broccoli, brussels sprouts and / or green beans as a treat. I love it like "candy".

 

[Mary Terry]

I tend to avoid the bigger chains too, if I want a hamburger I'll go to a local fish and chip shop instead, much nicer and much bigger burgers for less money and everything's cooked fresh. And you get real chips instead of stupid french fries and drinks in bottles and cans instead of a horrible paper cup full of ice. I don't mind the paper cup so much but can't stand the ice.

What's the difference between chips and French fries? I thought that what Americans call "French fries" are the same as what the British call chips. And "chips" to Americans are potato chips, thinly sliced, crunchy, usually deep fried.

I much prefer drinking from bottles and cans than paper cups. Or, even worse, Styrofoam cups.

 

[Outdated]

What's the difference between chips and French fries? I thought that what Americans call "French fries" are the same as what the British call chips.

They're almost the same thing except chips are a much thicker cut so they stay hot for longer and don't go soggy as they cool down. Proper chips are thicker than a man's fingers.

We also call "potato crisps" chips. We use the same word for both and which is meant relies on context, or if context is lacking Hot Chips gets used sometimes too.

 

[Judge]

They're almost the same thing except chips are a much thicker cut so they stay hot for longer and don't go soggy as they cool down. Proper chips are thicker than a man's fingers.

Glad you mentioned that. I suspected as such, but only based on visuals, usually the result of watching travel documentaries on Britain.

They do take their fish, chips and meat pies quite seriously!

 

[Outdated]

They do take their fish, chips and meat pies quite seriously!

So do we. Different flavour palettes though, very few Aussies put vinegar on chips and it's not a standard condiment you'll see in our fish and chip shops. Most of us can't stand pickles on hamburgers either.

 

[Judge]

Most of us can't stand pickles on hamburgers either.

I love pickles on a hamburger, but only if it's a sweet "bread and butter" style pickle. Can't stand a sour pickle on a burger...yet different fast food joints usually are all different when it comes to pickles.

But then I also always ask for "no ketchup" on every burger. Fine on fries, but never on the burger!

To me a hamburger is great when you can taste all the condiments individually at the same time. otherwise not so much when one condiment can too easily dominate the overall taste of a burger. I love that tomato on a burger, but ketchup puts it all "over-the-top". And IMO ketchup can never be a substitute for a tomato.

I also enjoy a bun that is lightly grilled on the same surface as the burger is cooked. However that seems like a process relative to the distant past as 50s places like "Johnny Rockets" understand.

Vinegar? I can't imagine putting it on anything edible!

Though it's a nice additive to window cleaners.

 

[Outdated]

I also enjoy a bun that is lightly grilled on the same surface as the burger is cooked. However that seems like a process relative to the distant past as 50s places like "Johnny Rockets" understand.

That's how burgers get done in a fish and chip shop. Beef patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato, bacon, fried onion, fried egg, a slice of beetroot, (pickled beet) and tomato sauce. The bun halves get thrown on the hotplate face down with the meat egg and bacon to soak up some of that flavour.

In the little local shops near where I live that'll cost you Au$12 or US$8. It's a fairly full meal.