History Main / HollywoodCuisine

*** The eat-till-you-explode Brazilian churrasquerias popular in New England are also popular around Philly, what with NE Philly's surprisingly large Brazilian population.

** Our most popular highball cocktail also came from the Indian Colonies, Gin and Tonic, which was invented to combat malaria. (Tonic water used to contain quinine a very effective medicine for malaria, and gin was added because it's lovely.[[note]]Well, actually, because it's easier to get soldiers to take their medicine if they can get drunk while doing so.[[/note]] Or, alternatively, because there is some strange alchemy involved in which the vileness of gin and the loathsomeness of tonic water somehow cancel each other out and you're left with a drink that is, against all common sense, actually palatable.)

** [[HollywoodNewEngland New England]]: A general surfeit of fish and other seafood, especially cod. Clams, particularly in chowder form (always cream-based, never tomato-based like those savages in New York take it), are also popular, although [[RealityIsUnrealistic locals actually like them fried as well]]. Lobster is popular enough, but not nearly to the degree tourist shops in Maine would have you think. [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal Boston baked beans and brown bread]] also stand a fair chance of mention. Irish cuisine is also popular due to the heavily Irish-American population.

** As any viewer of ''WebVideo/LifeOfBoris'' will tell you, the quintessential Russian meat preparations are ''pashtet'' (liver pâté ''à la russe'') and ''doktorskaya kolbasa'' (a kind of lightly-flavored emulsified sausage in the same family as mortadella dating from the 1930s and beloved across the old Eastern Bloc). Both Boris and German [=YouTuber=] [[WebVideo/MyNameIsAndong Andong]] (who was born in [[IstanbulNotConstantinople Leningrad]][=/=]UsefulNotes/SaintPetersburg) have [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcxQBkdughc made]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5KBuawg-xw videos]] explaining the role of ''doktorskaya kolbasa''--and how to make it, if you really want to.[[/note]]

*** [[YouHaveToHaveJews (Ashkenazi) Jewish food]][[note]](what, were you expecting skhug and kubbeh?)[[/note]], particularly deli items (''especially'' pastrami) and bagels. Bagels are a source of deep pride based both on traditional production methods and less-supported theories about the supposed superiority of New York water for the texture (scientific tests suggest adherence to traditional Old World techniques has more to do with it than the water, though the water does help).

** Southern food features most African-American "soul food" staples. There's also the stereotypical food preferences for fried chicken, collard greens, corn bread, watermelon, Frank’s [=RedHot=], and Kool-Aid. The association of these foods with racist caricatures, however, has made it taboo to talk about them (especially [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watermelon_stereotype watermelon]]--which became a deeply offensive racist slur used to paint the post-Civil War African-American as lazy, filthy, and uncouth). And an African-American that is not from the South will definitely not be amused.

* Brazilian: Meat, meat, meat, black beans, meat, rice, collard greens, meat, beans, and meat. And cheese. And meat. (There's also a wide selection of Afro-Brazilian and seafood dishes, but those are irrelevant to the stereotype. The substantial cuisines derived from European and Asian immigrants, contributing popular dishes like São Paulo-style pizza and ''temaki'', will get ignored too.)

** British people, however, eat lots of curry to the point where curry is in effect the national dish. Many are about as not-bland as anybody could wish for and the proprietors of Indian restaurants have a good way of dealing with the bravado of obnoxious drunks without resorting to gross and unhygienic methods simply by upping the chilli content.

** TheBigEasy: Cajun and Creole food (not the same thing but often lumped together), oysters, fried fish, jambalaya, crawfish, yellow rice, alligator tail (yes, really), po’boys (think a hoagie or grinder but with fried seafood instead of deli meat), etufee, and red beans and rice. All covered in Tabasco or Crystal hot sauce (both of which are Louisiana natives). Drinks invented in New Orleans include the Sazerac and Ramos Gin Fizz, but they also drink a lot of local Abita beer. Pralines (nuts boiled in creamy candy) for dessert, generally made with native pecans instead of European-style with almonds or hazelnuts.

** Many Americans believe the myth about how Mongolian Barbeque originated in Mongolia. Allegedly, the Mongolian Warriors of olden times were said to overturn their shields and used them as makeshift woks to stir fry the meat and vegetables over a fire. Actually, Mongolian BBQ originated in Taiwan and has its roots in Japanese teppanyaki. Actual Mongolian cuisine is hearty stews, dairy, and mutton is heavily influenced by Russian cuisine. Due to the cold climate, there are very few vegetables (other than tubers and roots) and even fewer spices. The restaurant owners (who are usually Asian and actually do know better) bear the brunt of the blame as they tend to be the source of some of this misinformatione, and name their restaurants after the likes of Genghis Khan and such. The spicy Chinese takeout dish Mongolian Beef is also not related in any way to authentic Mongolian cuisine. "Mongolian grill"-- and the related dish Mongolian beef--is indeed the invention of the Hui people, a near-completely sinicized Central Asian group.

*** Also big on croquettes as fast food--also deep-fried. Actually, the Dutch are kind of big on deep-frying in general, although nowhere near as much as the Americans (let alone the Scots).

*** A classic one is kale, making its current status as fancy, hipster, health food bemusing to Dutch. The 'health' part is also questionable as in the Dutch manner it's served with nice amounts of gravy, rashers of bacon and smoked sausage.
** Grolsch (and Heineken) beer - even though the Netherlands has a wide variety of beers and the above mentioned aren't particularly popular compared to Amstel or Hertog Jan.

*** The Muslims of Xinjiang and Yunan, interestingly enough, are not stereotyped by their dishes (although if pressed, your average Han Chinese will probably say something about lamb, shawarma, and raisins), but how they eat them, namely, with their hands only. The chopsticks-using Chinese finds that very exotic and mildly off-putting.

** DeepSouth: Grits, corn bread, biscuits & gravy, collard greens, black-eyed peas, and the occasional Appalachian moonshine. Meat is generally fresh from the hog, or cured as ham or bacon. Fried food is popular, especially potatoes, fish, and chicken. Lots of stuff doused in ketchup and/or hot sauce, which probably doesn't help the obesity problem. Usually all washed down with sweet tea (chilled black tea brewed strong with liberal amounts of sugar, served over ice with lemon or mint). Coca-Cola is so ubiquitous that [[{{BrandNameTakeover}} 'coke' can be applied to Pepsi without batting an eye]], although Dr Pepper is also popular (the stereotype about RC Cola, on the other hand, seems totally without merit). Bourbon or mint julips for the FatSweatySouthernerInAWhiteSuit. Sweet potatoes. Georgia peaches, pecans, and peanuts.

** TheBigEasy: Cajun and Creole food (not the same thing but often lumped together), oysters, fried fish, jambalaya, crawfish, yellow rice, alligator tail (yes, really), po’boys (think a hoagie or grinder but with fried seafood instead of deli meat), etufee, and red beans and rice. All covered in Tabasco or Crystal hot sauce (both of which are Louisiana natives). Drinks invented in New Orleans include the Sazerac and Ramos Gin Fizz, but they also drink a lot of local Abita beer.
** [[OnlyInFlorida Florida]]: Oranges, oranges, and more oranges. Citrus of all kinds, Gator tail, catfish, and who knows what else in the swampy backwoods. Northern and Central Florida is a mix between Big-Easy and Deep South, Southern Florida and Tampa Bay has more Latin and Caribbean Cuisine--you can get a good Cuban sandwich both in Miami and in Tampa, but Heaven help you if you ask for salami on your Cuban in Miami (or don't want salami on your Cuban in Tampa). Emphasis on seafood all around. Also Key Lime pie, and fruity mixed drinks like margaritas and daiquiris.

** Among Canadians themselves, the typical target of parody for Canadian cooking is Kraft Dinner—the local name of blue-box Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. It’s well-deserved; at one point, Canada accounted for fully ''25%'' of Kraft's global Mac & Cheese sales. The most internationally famous Canadian joke about KD is probably in Music/BarenakedLadies'"[[IfIWereARichMan If I Had $1,000,000]]", in which the speaker and his SO wouldn’t have to eat Kraft Dinner, "but we would eat Kraft Dinner, of course, we’d just eat more”.

*** As a counterpoint, there are two dishes which are Russian in origin and have nothing to do with France, but are called French: "French Meat" (a meat casserole with mayo, a cheaper version of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veal_Orloff Veal Orloff]]) and the Olivier salad (a complex potato salad with a particular mayonnaise-based dressing, invented by a francophone Belgian chef in 19th-century Moscow to cater to the aristocratic patrons of his restaurant).

*** As a counterpoint, there are two dishes which are Russian in origin and have nothing to do with France, but are called French: "French Meat" (a meat casserole with mayo, a cheaper version of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veal_Orloff Veal Orloff]]) and the Olivier salad.

*** Egyptian: ''Foul medemmes'' (slow-cooked fava beans, eaten for breakfast), bread, ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushari koshary]]'', bread, excessive pride over falafel, ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulukhiyya molokheyya]]'', and [[RuleOfThree bread]].[[note]]The Egyptian Arabic word for "bread" is the same as the word for "life". [[LanguageEqualsThought Language may not equal thought]], but it comes damn close.[[/note]] This even though rice is actually the main staple of the diet in modern Egypt; 5,000+ years of bread gives it far more cultural resonance. Also known for overboiled pasta and vegetables (often drenched in tomato sauce)[[note]]The penchant for overboiling is generally believed to be a result of the fact that Egypt is a wonderful place for things to grow, which unfortunately includes deadly bacteria, and thus Egyptians learned early that the more you boil your veggies, the less likely you are to get sick. The addition of tomato sauce makes eating overcooked veggies acceptable; Lord knows what Egyptians did before the arrival of the tomato.[[/note]] and for [[DeepFriedWhatever frying anything that will sit still long enough]]--particularly vegetables, including some stranger ones (''cauliflower?'').

*** Egyptian: ''Foul medemmes'' (slow-cooked fava beans, eaten for breakfast), bread, ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushari koshary]]'', bread, excessive pride over falafel, ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulukhiyya molokheyya]]'', and [[RuleOfThree bread]].[[note]]The Egyptian Arabic word for "bread" is the same as the word for "life". [[LanguageEqualsThought Language may not equal thought]], but it comes damn close.[[/note]] Also known for overboiled pasta and vegetables (often drenched in tomato sauce)[[note]]The penchant for overboiling is generally believed to be a result of the fact that Egypt is a wonderful place for things to grow, which unfortunately includes deadly bacteria, and thus Egyptians learned early that the more you boil your veggies, the less likely you are to get sick. The addition of tomato sauce makes eating overcooked veggies acceptable; Lord knows what Egyptians did before the arrival of the tomato.[[/note]] and for [[DeepFriedWhatever frying anything that will sit still long enough]]--particularly vegetables, including some stranger ones (''cauliflower?'').

** A stereotypical full American breakfast is eggs, toast, homefries, and either bacon, sausages, or thick-sliced ham--basically a British full breakfast but simpler, and washed down with coffee instead of tea. More commonly (especially if making their own breakfast at home) Americans will have just a few of the above, or else just a bowl of cold cereal.

** [[HollywoodNewEngland New England]]: A general surfeit of fish and other seafood, especially cod. Clams, particularly in chowder form (always cream-based, never tomato-based like those savages in New York take it), are also popular, although [[RealityIsUnrealistic locals actually like them fried as well]]. Lobster is popular enough, but not nearly to the degree tourist shops in Maine would have you think. Irish cuisine is also popular due to the heavily Irish-American population.
*** Note: Boston has a healthy Italian population too and is a great place for Irish pubs and Italian restaurants. Street thugs of the Boston Irish persuasion will often be depicted drinking Guinness; that isn't entirely incorrect, but local brew Sam Adams or universial working-class favorite Budweiser is just as likely.

--->'''Craig Kilborn:''' Why does British food suck?
--->'''Creator/JohnCleese:''' We had an Empire to run!

-->"To eat well in England you should have breakfast three times a day."

** Tibetan: Momos, yak cheese and yak meat.

** Within China, dishes from Sichuan are stereotyped as being spicy enough to set things on fire yet leaving a pleasant tingly sensation on the lips, while the stuff from Hunan is considered the super-spicy, oily, smoky, garlicky peasant food that everyone ''has'' to like because Chairman Mao[[note]]Himself a Hunan native.[[/note]] said so. Meanwhile, Guizhou's spicy-vinegary cooking is so hot as to send Sichuanese and Hunanese diners running in terror (though it does go well with [[GargleBlaster the region's strong spirits]]). The Beijing food is so boring as to not have any special dish (except the much mocked Peking duck), the Northerners are the ones who seem to subsist entirely on beef and noodles, while the Southerners are the ones who would eat anything not nailed down.[[note]]With respect to this last: the oft-quoted joke about the Chinese eating "everything with four legs that is not a table, everything that swims that is not a submarine, and everything that flies and is not an airplane" is actually an adaptation of a joke Northern Chinese told about Southerners and particularly Cantonese (i.e. people from Guangzhou); in a [[http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/03/04/a-map-of-china-by-stereotype/ map compiling searches Chinese people make about China's provinces]], the most common search for Guangdong was "eats monkeys"[[/note]]. And those from Inner Mongolia are the ones who seems to be overly fond of their sheep, and let us not speak about those from Tibet and their yaks...

** Within China, dishes from Sichuan are stereotyped as being spicy enough to set things on fire yet leaving a pleasant tingly sensation on the lips, while the stuff from Hunan is considered the super-spicy, oily, smoky, garlicky peasant food that everyone ''has'' to like because Chairman Mao[[note]]Himself a Hunan native.[[/note]] said so. Meanwhile, Guizhou's spicy-vinegary cooking is so hot as to send Sichuanese and Hunanese diners running in terror (though it does go well with [[GargleBlaster the region's strong spirits]]). The Beijing food is so boring as to not have any special dish (except the much mocked Peking duck), the Northerners are the ones who seem to subsist entirely on beef and noodles, while the Southerners are the ones who would eat anything not nailed down. With respect to this last: the oft-quoted joke about the Chinese eating "everything with four legs that is not a table, everything that swims that is not a submarine, and everything that flies and is not an airplane" is actually an adaptation of a joke Northern Chinese told about Southerners and particularly Cantonese (i.e. people from Guangzhou); in a [[http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/03/04/a-map-of-china-by-stereotype/ map compiling searches Chinese people make about China's provinces]], the most common search for Guangdong was "eats monkeys". And those from Inner Mongolia are the ones who seems to be overly fond of their sheep, and let us not speak about those from Tibet and their yaks...
*** The Muslims of Xinjiang and Yunan, interestingly enough, are not stereotyped by their dishes (although if pressed, your average Han Chinese will probably say something about lamb and raisins), but how they eat them, namely, with their hands only. The chopsticks-using Chinese finds that very exotic and mildly off-putting.

** Corned beef and cabbage, contrary to American belief are actually Irish-American staples, due to poor Irish immigrants flocking to Jewish delis (''bacon'' and cabbage is much more traditional in Ireland itself.)
* Indian: Tends to be so spicy [[FireBreathingDiner it burns a hole in the diner's guts]] (somewhat TruthInTelevision). Or curry. Lots and lots of curry. British TV tends to take a more charitable view of Indian food since it's now a staple food over there. And even then, it's usually the generic version of North-West Indian food seen in restaurants. Also noted for not containing beef, for the most part.[[note]]A lot of what the British call "Indian" food is actually Bangladeshi or Pakistani. Beef curry is available in profusion. Just try not to look for pork, as a different religious food taboo applies.[[/note]] The further south you go in India, the less reliance there is on fiery curry spices. South Indian and Ceylonese food is actually mellow and subtly spiced rather than curried.

*** The notion that ramen as a cheap, instant meal has led to some people to believe that ramen can't actually be good enough to serve in restaurants in any serious capacity until much recently.
** Japanese media has a peculiar obsession with curry (which is absolutely unlike the Indian one, and is closer to the British version, originating from the galleys of the British-built Japanese battleships in the early [=20th=] century) and ramen, to the point that all other noodles in the Japanese cuisine (even native Japanese ones, like the buckwheat ''soba'' and the thick wheat ''udon'') ''do not exist'' outside cooking-focused productions.

** In the US, lots of Japanese restaurants will use teriyaki sauce on just about any meat, though primarily chicken, beef or salmon. In Japan, teriyaki sauce is mostly used on fish, though occasionally finds its way on other meats, such as the [=McDonald's=] Teriyaki Burger.

*** Philly sometimes gets associated with [[Film/BestInShow cream cheese]], which is an understandable mistake--[[NonIndicativeName Philadelphia Cream Cheese]] was invented in Upstate New York.