I think each person values the increase in food quality differently. You could rate the difference between a store-bought packaged croissant and a freshly baked

I think each person values the increase in food quality differently. You could rate the difference between a store-bought packaged croissant and a freshly baked French croissant at 10-20%. I may say that the French one is 95% better, as the a store bought one is inedible for me. Neither one of us is inherently right or wrong. It's a matter of personal opinion, and even though we try to, it is not really possible to quantify the difference as a percentage in any meaningful way. I think the discussion here is trying to highlight that many people in the US value better food less than many people in some countries on the old continent. For a given choice, an American will not think that the difference is worth the price (or effort) while a Frenchman or an Italian (I'm trying to use example s from this thread) will not even consider eating the lesser version. I speak from personal experience. I've spent most of my life in the US and six years ago moved to Europe. My tastes have changed, and whereas before I like American food, now my tastes have shifted and a lot of American food does not taste good to me. Now, when I go to the US, a lot of food is at best flavorless and at worst disgusting. Most glaring examples are breads, cold cuts (a.k.a sandwich meats) and tomatoes. BTW, this is not universal across all foods. I still find American hamburgers (not fast food) to be better than their European alternatives.