3 ms·

I’m an American, and never thought we invented any of those. These broad, sweeping American stereotypes are as obnoxious as American tourists in Brussels. (See

I’m an American, and never thought we invented any of those. These broad, sweeping American stereotypes are as obnoxious as American tourists in Brussels. (See what I did, there.)

sp332 5y ago
It's a communication problem. If an American sees "paella" on a menu in Spain, they're not going to recognize what's on the plate. It's not that Americans did or didn't invent it, it's just not what they thought they were asking for.
- 0_____0 5y ago
  I'm intrigued by this notion of an alternate form of paella; what is it that Americans think they're asking for when they order paella?
  - dagw 5y ago
    "Paella" in the US (and much of non-mediterranean Europe) generally implies shellfish. This is only common in some parts of Spain, and is not considered an 'authentic' Valencian paella. An American would absolutely recognize it for what it is, it might just be a bit different from what they where assuming. That being said most Spaniards happily chuck whatever they happen to have laying round into their paella when cooking at home.
    - ahartmetz 5y ago
      Hm. I'm German, and to me, paella means some dish with rice in a pan plus whatever. Usually contains tomato in some way, I guess? It has a similar meaning to pizza (starchy base + usually tomato + [...]) that way.
    - jmkb 5y ago
      The notion of paella purity is powerful enough that Valencians successfully protested Apple's rendering of the "shallow pan of food" emoji because it evoked a non-Valencian paella (or, as they would say, not paella at all but just arroz con cosas.) https://blog.emojipedia.org/apple-fixes-paella-emoji/ https://blog.emojipedia.org/apple-fixes-paella-emoji/
    - joelfolksy 5y ago
      ""Paella" in the US (and much of non-mediterranean Europe) generally implies shellfish." Interested in how you came to that conclusion. All of the restaurants near me that serve paella offer a wide variety of protein options.
FooBarBizBazz 5y ago
Oh, but "you" did invent them, that's the point! Original post has been flagged for a swipe at American tourists, but its list of "foreign" foods that are actually American is a good one. That list: - pizza pepperoni (Italy) - mayonaise (Belgium/France) - paella (Spain) We can add to this Sriracha. This phenomenon is not unique to America though. Like, try Chindian food some time. Not invented in China.
- pempem 5y ago
  I died. I love the idea of Chindian being the new word for Indo-Chinese. Am gonna try it out today. Also, agreed!, the food is definitely very indian and very delicious. Soy sauce might be the most Chinese thing about it.
- fragile_frogs 5y ago
  Sriracha was invented in Thailand: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriracha https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriracha

I’m an American, and never thought we invented any of those. These broad, sweeping American stereotypes are as obnoxious as American tourists in Brussels. (See what I did, there.)

sp332 5y ago

It's a communication problem. If an American sees "paella" on a menu in Spain, they're not going to recognize what's on the plate. It's not that Americans did or didn't invent it, it's just not what they thought they were asking for.

0_____0 5y ago
I'm intrigued by this notion of an alternate form of paella; what is it that Americans think they're asking for when they order paella?
- dagw 5y ago
  "Paella" in the US (and much of non-mediterranean Europe) generally implies shellfish. This is only common in some parts of Spain, and is not considered an 'authentic' Valencian paella. An American would absolutely recognize it for what it is, it might just be a bit different from what they where assuming. That being said most Spaniards happily chuck whatever they happen to have laying round into their paella when cooking at home.
  - ahartmetz 5y ago
    Hm. I'm German, and to me, paella means some dish with rice in a pan plus whatever. Usually contains tomato in some way, I guess? It has a similar meaning to pizza (starchy base + usually tomato + [...]) that way.
  - jmkb 5y ago
    The notion of paella purity is powerful enough that Valencians successfully protested Apple's rendering of the "shallow pan of food" emoji because it evoked a non-Valencian paella (or, as they would say, not paella at all but just arroz con cosas.) https://blog.emojipedia.org/apple-fixes-paella-emoji/ https://blog.emojipedia.org/apple-fixes-paella-emoji/
  - joelfolksy 5y ago
    ""Paella" in the US (and much of non-mediterranean Europe) generally implies shellfish." Interested in how you came to that conclusion. All of the restaurants near me that serve paella offer a wide variety of protein options.

FooBarBizBazz 5y ago

Oh, but "you" did invent them, that's the point! Original post has been flagged for a swipe at American tourists, but its list of "foreign" foods that are actually American is a good one. That list: - pizza pepperoni (Italy) - mayonaise (Belgium/France) - paella (Spain) We can add to this Sriracha. This phenomenon is not unique to America though. Like, try Chindian food some time. Not invented in China.

pempem 5y ago
I died. I love the idea of Chindian being the new word for Indo-Chinese. Am gonna try it out today. Also, agreed!, the food is definitely very indian and very delicious. Soy sauce might be the most Chinese thing about it.
fragile_frogs 5y ago
Sriracha was invented in Thailand: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriracha https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriracha