Foods that are made better in a country that they didn't originate from.

[Tabasco_Dave]

French vodka, in my opinion is better than Russian vodka. I know a few people who prefer New York pizza over Italian.

[MiddleFingerMom]

1. Poutine.

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Enraged punitive nationalistic invasion force crossing our border in 3-2-1...
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[Revanchist]

2. In RI the best pizza joints are run by Greeks

Which is funny considering the large Italian population in the state

[Aristus]

4. In my little town, the best pizza is made at the Greek restaurant.

The best lasagne, too.

[Chan790]

3. Generally American Italian food is better than Italian Italian food.

Not talking about the corner pizza shop but finer dining establishments. The reason is perverse and odd: It's easier to get fresher higher-quality ingredients here for Italian food than in Italy.

Tomatoes are native to the east coast of the United States. Italian varieties of tomatoes have to continually cross-pollinated every few generations with domestic stocks to retain their prized characteristics...but American tomatoes grown outdoors are simply better tomatoes.

Superior transit and selection (literally someone picking out which individual plants they'll buy for premium price) typically results in top-quality spices and herbs making it from the field to the kitchen in less time with less handling resulting in fresher, better flavors. The only way anybody on either side of the Atlantic is going to best that is to grow their own with attention and loving care.

Faster transit, processing and better refrigeration means better quality meat.

By-the-way, the best pizza doesn't come from NYC...it comes from New Haven, CT. If you're in NY...it's worth the 1.25-hour train ride up Metro-North to New Haven. Pizzas in North Jersey also tend to be vastly superior to NYC pizza. NY gets the hype but it's a dull facsimile of what's available in the the suburbs.

[sinkingfeeling]

9. I'll take Italy's food over American versions every time.

[KamaAina]

12. Same goes for Chinese food, in spades

Aside: Chop suey is said to have been invented in San Francisco.

[Aristus]

5. Fish and chips.

Better here in the USA. I had fish and chips several times in my travels in the UK. And it was almost uniformly awful. Greasy, soggy, tasteless, if it didn't taste terrible.

I had a piece of fried fish on the ferry coming back from Northern Ireland that had a fish tail sticking out of it!

Fish and chips are always better over here.

Although I will say that the chips, or French Fries, I had to go with the fish over in Britain were pretty good. It was just the fish that was puke-worthy...

[fizzgig]

18. that's a bummer

i had some good fish and chips out there.

[hunter]

19. In my opinion the best fish and chips is Mexican American.

Flavorful fish fried in lard-vegetable oil mixes, chips fried in the same oil. Much better than tasteless generic white fish in tasteless frying oil, chips fried in their own fryer for the steak and hamburger people who don't like fish.

Yep, worst fish and chips ever in the U.K. and Ireland, but some good stuff too, especially if they use tallow. I don't mind tails, bones, or occasional scales if the fish is good and the fries are not bland.

With true malt vinegar.

Yum. One of my childhood favorites. A "comfort" food.

[JCMach1]

22. British food overall is uniformly bad bad bad

rising to mediocre at the 'good' restaurants...


I have no idea why as I have made excellent meals in UK using the ingredients in their grocery stores...

I won't even go into how bad Jamie Oliver's restaurant sucked... can't even watch him now as I can close my eyes and still taste how bad the food is going to be.

[OriginalGeek]

6. Opinionally speaking

I love Tex-mex way more than Mex mex.

And I LOVE Mex mex.


Although this may not count on a technicality since Tex was Mex.

[Earth_First]

7. One that is NOT made better...buffalo wings

Outside of Western, New York you simply CANNOT get decent buffalo chicken wings.

Drowning them in Frank's RedHot is NOT a buffalo chicken wing!

[Bertha Venation]

8. I put that shit on everything.

[Flaxbee]

10. I looooove Grey Goose vodka. LOVE IT. Finlandia is OK, too

I have had my share of vodkas, having many Russian friends and having spent time in Russia.

However, I'll take a Grey Goose vodka tonic any day.

The French also do Vietnamese food rather spectacularly.

[olddots]

11. Henny Youngman said

the original French Fries were made in Grease

[Taverner]

13. Pizza from the US. Hamburgers from the US. Hot Dogs from the US. Sandwiches in Vietnam.

[DFW]

14. The Döner Kebap

Introduced by Turkish immigrants to Germany with the wave of guest workers in the 1950s, it is now a staple of the German culinary fast food scene. Generally, they are cheaper, healthier and more generous than anything you'll find at McD, KFC or any Pizza chain.

The main technical problem was the grill that had to cook a round pile of meat filets piled onto a spike. It had to be constantly turned to avoid one side being charred and the other being left raw. A slowly turning motor and controlled heat was introduced at Döner joints all over Germany, and they are now so popular, they are being imported into Turkey from Germany. Originally intended for a mix of lamb and veal, most Döner places in Germany now also offer Döner Kebap made of poultry meat for cholesterol-conscious diets.

By the way, I have introduced several American friends to the Döner Kebap here in Germany, and several of them have sworn they would open chains of Döner places in the USA. Not one of them has yet done it, but whoever does will become a billionaire. There is little competition (so far) and the product is healthier, better tasting, more filling, and (usually) cheaper than the junk put out by the American-style or British style fast food places.

[Chan790]

15. There are a few döner places in DC.

I'm a veg so I'm not trying it...but I'm a bit confused.

What is the difference between döner and shwarma? They're both sandwiches of spit-roasted spiced meat, right?

[DFW]

17. Shwarma is an Arabic term, Döner is Turkish

Lingustically, they are miles apart. Also, I don't know what meats the Arabs use, although I can't imagine they'd be very different.

Vegetarians don't come up short at the Döner places (at least in Germany) either. My daughters had plenty of vegetarian friends growing up, and instead of meat, they just substituted falafel, moussaka, ikra, or a mixture, and plied on their own choice of the standard condiments--shredded lettuce, feta, diced tomatoes and onions, tzatziki, hot sauce, shredded cabbage and crushed garlic (you pick your own).

[JCMach1]

21. In my experience exactly the same meats

real traditional places in Turkey still use wood fire to cook the meat... that can be quite tasty...

[MrScorpio]

39. My fave is Attila's on Columbia Pike in Arlington

Every time I'm back East, I always have to go.

[JCMach1]

20. Can't eat kebabs outside the Middle-East...

mostly... yuck...

ditto for hummous and yoghurt...

[DFW]

25. A Döner kebap is not at all like a shish kebab

Or a shish taouk, in case you're talking chicken. It is closer to the Greek Gyro.

[JCMach1]

30. we called it shwarma in Arabic... but yes it is same same

can't eat it in America or Europe... blech

[DFW]

33. A shish kebab

At least to the Lebanese at Mama Ayesha's, is: solid pieces of meat filet (whatever kind) grilled on a wooden skewer, and then taken off and eaten piece by piece. I have shish Taouk there all the time.

A Döner Kebap is carved shavings from pieces of meat piled onto each other onto a spit that rotates in front of a grill, where the interior stays raw until the exterior is carved off in shavings. It is then served in a big pocket bread (thicker than pita) and the veggies and sauces are piled in with it.

Both the Turks and the Lebanese called shish kebabs with chicken meat instead of beef or lamb (shish tavuk in Turkish or taouk in Arabic), but neither were a similar preparation to a Döner. We have Turks and Arabs all over the place here. They are only too quick to point out the difference to us ignorant westerners in case we get the two mixed up.

Anliyorsunuz?

[bif]

32. Then you need to come to Dearborn, Michigan

In fact, the shwarma just about anywhere in the Detroit it great!

[Aristus]

23. I had kebabs over in Germany. They were wonderful.

You're right. Whoever can secure franchise rights here in the States will be a billionaire.

[DFW]

26. The son of one of my Dallas friends just spent a semester of college here in Europe

He is difficult to inspire, but he was blown away by the Döner places, and is determined to make his fortune opening America to the Döner Kebap. His dad could front him some money, too. Not gazillions, but a few million for starters if he gets serious. The kid has no idea what he's in for, with the labor, health department regulations, probable Mafia hands extended for "protection," etc. I told him his biggest obstacle would be finding the right advertising pitch, seeing as how America is in an anti-Muslim hysteria phase, and Turkey is something like 95% Muslim.

I told him to pitch an Aladdin-like logo, use a phrase, food fit for a Sultan (but affordable to the common man), or something like that. They really do have great herbs and spices, but I don't think "Istanbul Grilled Kebap" will make the public beat a path to his door.

[Tom Ripley]

24. We have a great Döner Kebap place here in town, and every time my dad visits...

he laments that the owner is not interested in franchising.

[DFW]

27. I don't know where you are

Last time I was in Baltimore--and that's a lot of years now--a guy was just starting up a döner place down at the harbor where all the food places are. He brought over a cook from Turkey and some of the German machines. His stuff tasted great, but I don't know if he ever got anywhere with it.

[sharp_stick]

31. We had a variation on these in Canada

when I was growing up as well. The Donair, as they are termed out there, were really really good.

[DFW]

34. "Donair?"

Not Quebec by any chance?

[sharp_stick]

37. Alberta in my case

The Canadian Donair started in the Maritimes (Halifax) and moved west with the job seekers in the 80's.

It's a distinct variant, a surprisingly tasty and messy street food after a night of drinking.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donair#Canada

[DFW]

38. Must be a variant

The ones here taste great without drinking. Otherwise, I'd be S.O.L.!

[Enrique]

16. German beer better than ancient Sumerian beer

i assume.

[cemaphonic]

28. Chicken Tikka Masala

depending on how exactly you want to parse "originate from".

It's a dish that originated from the UK (Scotland specifically) to emulate a certain kind of northern Indian cooking, and proved so popular that it's pretty much ubiquitous in Indian restaurants all over the world, including India.

[Moondog]

29. I did not know that.

But the best I ever had was in a little dive in Cambridge, England. Given that England is, ahem, known for things other than food, I consider that to be remarkable.

For that matter, and referencing #14 and following, the two best Doner Kebabs I ever had were in Cambridge, and in Frankfurt, Germany. The two best Schwarmas (basically the same fast food "sandwich&quot I've had were in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and in Manama City, Bahrain.

On edit - Sigh. I hate when this happens. The doner kebab post was in _this_ string; I just saw it earlier today. Duh.

[Nye Bevan]

35. Mars Bars taste better when they are made on Earth, IMHO (nt)

[Throd]

36. True, but I prefer Moon Pies from the original source.

[mainer]

40. Mexican -- in California, anyway

California has a better produce chain.