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I realized when I started traveling extensively how tasteless the food is. In thailand I just assumed they just knew how to better prepare the ingredients. Then

I realized when I started traveling extensively how tasteless the food is. In thailand I just assumed they just knew how to better prepare the ingredients. Then I went to greece and had a proper greek salad. If you don't think you like greek salad, Let me tell you. A Greek salad is only going to taste good in greece. Why? because all the ingredients that make up a greek salad are local and in season around the same time. Its not a complex salad and stands entirely on the strength of the produce that makes up its parts. In greece I found it bursting with flavor. The flavors were sublime with tomatoes rich in umami intermingling with spicy olive oil and savory farmer's cheese. Any version you get in America is going to be a pale insult, In Ukraine, I gorged myself on blueberries. They tasted just like the ones I used to eat from a wild bush near my childhood house. I'm currently in Turkey. Same story, grilled vegetables and kabaab give me far mroe satisfaction. the produce is JUST more filling, and satisfying. American produce SUCKS.

poisonarena 6y ago
I don't know how much could be placebo effect. I have been in Ukraine for a few months and I am currently in Turkey as well, and it is entirely possible to buy gross/unripe/tasteless produce here, and especially Ukraine. I think you might be experiencing the 'grass is always greener' effect because there is definitely good produce if you know where to find it all over the United States, which is a humongous nation.
- cultofmetatron 6y ago
  I was in kyiv and lviv. To be fair, I stayed in the more affluent areas so I'm sure I got access to the higher quality stuff. still, even in the restaurants I noticed a marked increase in quality when it came to salads.
- OneGuy123 6y ago
  Might depend on which part of the year you are there: in-season vs imported foods.
dawidw 6y ago
> American produce SUCKS. How come? What there is Monsanto for?
- durnygbur 6y ago
  It's Bayer now. Simply hand over your food production to Satan and let's see where it leads. Oh sorry, you've done it already.
- cultofmetatron 6y ago
  the Dorito effect (https://www.amazon.com/Dorito-Effect-Surprising-Truth-Flavor/dp/1476724237/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+dorito+effect&qid=1605012974&sr=8-1 https://www.amazon.com/Dorito-Effect-Surprising-Truth-Flavor...) explains it really well if you want to understand the fine details. It was an eye opening read.
m0zg 6y ago
Don't know if I'd extend it to _all_ American produce, but some of it does suck very bad indeed, especially tomatoes. I grew up in an area famous for its tomatoes, so my standards for what constitutes a good tomato are impossibly high. The only tomato that's not a complete abomination in northwestern US are those Kumato tomatoes that Trader Joe's has sometimes. On the other hand the United States quite possibly has by far the best apples in the world, if you're willing to pay like $2.50-3/lb - that's how much newer, patented varieties such as Sweetango cost. Bell peppers are about the same. US onions are great (and huge). US garlic is total inedible shit. US corn on the cob is great. Asparagus is great as well, when in season. Some varieties of strawberries are great, mysteriously, even if they aren't fully ripe. TL;DR: there are things that are better, and there are things that are worse. As with any region, you need to know what the region excels at, and use that for best results. Generally, I feel that US grocery stores make an overly heavy emphasis on shelf life. You can't have a tasty tomato that also has a long shelf life, but you can have a tasty bell pepper that does. What you're seeing in Greece and Turkey aren't just ingredients. It's the culture: the understanding of what those dishes are _supposed_ to taste like. That just doesn't translate outside its natural habitat. Take the same ingredients, bring them to the US, have a US cook make you a salad, and you more likely than not you will get shit Greek salad. Same with trying to make Texas BBQ in Greece - you will get shit BBQ. Outside produce, IMO the US has by far the best beer scene in the world, particularly on the coasts. Just 10 years ago there really wasn't much, and nowadays I see US beers in pubs in London. And by "beers" I don't mind piss water like Budweiser, but real, actual world class beers. It's well past the point where Europe is kinda disappointing, beer-wise.
tzot 6y ago
> The flavors were sublime with tomatoes rich in umami intermingling with spicy olive oil and savory farmer's cheese. And then you can dip bite-sized chunks of fresh bread, one by one, in the mixture of the olive oil and the vegetable/cheese juices; the sensation is more-or-less indescribable. The price of Greek salad used to be low (compared to main dishes) in restaurants some decades ago, but after noticing that lots of tourists just ate a salad plus the provided bread, the tourist industry raised the price.
Theodores 6y ago
I was once told by someone that watches TV all day that the Greek Salad originated as a mandatory menu item in Greece, hence this 'Greek Salad'. I researched this online and found no evidence for it. There was no grand dictator that once decreed that every restaurant must have salad on the menu. If anyone can correct me on that with verifiable sources that would be appreciated. I am with you on the taste of American produce. In the UK our fruit and veg is not to the standards you would get in sunny parts of the world, however, it is a cut above the bland fruit and vegetables that are sold in the USA. Also, American produce isn't actually that cheap considering that you might expect it to be the land of plenty.

poisonarena 6y ago

I don't know how much could be placebo effect. I have been in Ukraine for a few months and I am currently in Turkey as well, and it is entirely possible to buy gross/unripe/tasteless produce here, and especially Ukraine. I think you might be experiencing the 'grass is always greener' effect because there is definitely good produce if you know where to find it all over the United States, which is a humongous nation.

cultofmetatron 6y ago
I was in kyiv and lviv. To be fair, I stayed in the more affluent areas so I'm sure I got access to the higher quality stuff. still, even in the restaurants I noticed a marked increase in quality when it came to salads.
OneGuy123 6y ago
Might depend on which part of the year you are there: in-season vs imported foods.

dawidw 6y ago

> American produce SUCKS. How come? What there is Monsanto for?

durnygbur 6y ago
It's Bayer now. Simply hand over your food production to Satan and let's see where it leads. Oh sorry, you've done it already.
cultofmetatron 6y ago
the Dorito effect (https://www.amazon.com/Dorito-Effect-Surprising-Truth-Flavor/dp/1476724237/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+dorito+effect&qid=1605012974&sr=8-1 https://www.amazon.com/Dorito-Effect-Surprising-Truth-Flavor...) explains it really well if you want to understand the fine details. It was an eye opening read.

m0zg 6y ago

Don't know if I'd extend it to _all_ American produce, but some of it does suck very bad indeed, especially tomatoes. I grew up in an area famous for its tomatoes, so my standards for what constitutes a good tomato are impossibly high. The only tomato that's not a complete abomination in northwestern US are those Kumato tomatoes that Trader Joe's has sometimes. On the other hand the United States quite possibly has by far the best apples in the world, if you're willing to pay like $2.50-3/lb - that's how much newer, patented varieties such as Sweetango cost. Bell peppers are about the same. US onions are great (and huge). US garlic is total inedible shit. US corn on the cob is great. Asparagus is great as well, when in season. Some varieties of strawberries are great, mysteriously, even if they aren't fully ripe. TL;DR: there are things that are better, and there are things that are worse. As with any region, you need to know what the region excels at, and use that for best results. Generally, I feel that US grocery stores make an overly heavy emphasis on shelf life. You can't have a tasty tomato that also has a long shelf life, but you can have a tasty bell pepper that does. What you're seeing in Greece and Turkey aren't just ingredients. It's the culture: the understanding of what those dishes are _supposed_ to taste like. That just doesn't translate outside its natural habitat. Take the same ingredients, bring them to the US, have a US cook make you a salad, and you more likely than not you will get shit Greek salad. Same with trying to make Texas BBQ in Greece - you will get shit BBQ. Outside produce, IMO the US has by far the best beer scene in the world, particularly on the coasts. Just 10 years ago there really wasn't much, and nowadays I see US beers in pubs in London. And by "beers" I don't mind piss water like Budweiser, but real, actual world class beers. It's well past the point where Europe is kinda disappointing, beer-wise.

tzot 6y ago

> The flavors were sublime with tomatoes rich in umami intermingling with spicy olive oil and savory farmer's cheese. And then you can dip bite-sized chunks of fresh bread, one by one, in the mixture of the olive oil and the vegetable/cheese juices; the sensation is more-or-less indescribable. The price of Greek salad used to be low (compared to main dishes) in restaurants some decades ago, but after noticing that lots of tourists just ate a salad plus the provided bread, the tourist industry raised the price.

Theodores 6y ago

I was once told by someone that watches TV all day that the Greek Salad originated as a mandatory menu item in Greece, hence this 'Greek Salad'. I researched this online and found no evidence for it. There was no grand dictator that once decreed that every restaurant must have salad on the menu. If anyone can correct me on that with verifiable sources that would be appreciated. I am with you on the taste of American produce. In the UK our fruit and veg is not to the standards you would get in sunny parts of the world, however, it is a cut above the bland fruit and vegetables that are sold in the USA. Also, American produce isn't actually that cheap considering that you might expect it to be the land of plenty.