155 points

I’m an Aussie, and had landed in America for a holiday. Was really hungry and figured I’d just get a Quarter Pounder meal from Maccas at the airport. Order a Large meal because that’s what I’d normally get at home. They bring out like a litre of coke, a gigantic box of fries, and the burger. It was absolutely atrocious.

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67 points

Many many years ago. I did some work in Texas. We go into this sit down place. Now, having been caught by the huge portions a previous evening I’m cautious. I just order a chicken burger. The waitress is all like “Oh are you sure, just the chicken burger on its own?” I’m thinking, oh well maybe things are normal size at this place. I order some fries to go with it.

Some time later the chicken burger arrives completely filling the full size plate it came on, and the fries came on an entirely separate plate.

I’m not a small guy, but I could not eat all that.

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20 points

It’s funny, because usually when the fries aren’t included at a sit-down place it’s because the restaurant is trying to squeeze a couple extra dollars out of you (maybe the sandwich is $2 cheaper than you’d expect but then you pay $5 for the fries because of course you want fries!). That stinginess mentality seems to go hand in hand with a smaller than average sandwich. But maybe my fat American ass can’t scale portion sizes.

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17 points

No, this is the thing. Compared to UK prices it was ridiculously cheap. In fact even when you add the higher expected tip it was cheap. And it was actually very nice. Just, so much food!

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16 points

I once got a burger at South of the Border or smth like that in New Jersey. It was fucking huge and everybody including the waitress commented on how I ate with a fork and knife because it was just impossible to eat otherwise. And I ended up only eating half of it, because I was absolutely full. Insane portion sizes.

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7 points

smth like that in New Jersey.

Jersey knows how to sandwich. Cannot f with Hoagies.

We went into a Jersey Mike’s chain there. Have the same chain at home (not New Jersey)

I ordered a whole sub, they just piled the meat on. More and more. The sub cost $26. It was amazing though.

I went to a location in my home state, it was the same sub but like normal portions of meat. “Wait, I just had one of these in Jersey and it was like massive, what do I have to do to get one like that?” “Ohh you want double meat?” “double, triple, whatever they do up there, that was amazing”

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42 points

What is atrocious here is your ungratefulness for the generosity of the American food industry.

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35 points

Yeah I’m reading this Aussie orders a large meal, received a large meal, and was ungrateful. When you’re in America, you accept your diabetes and say “thank you may I have another?”

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27 points

I think the key is that a large in Australia and a large in America can be vastly different.

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7 points

Don’t Australians all hate America for having figured out how to make actually good beer?

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39 points

So you knew all the stories of American food portions and you still chose to order a meal that even we call “large”?

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12 points

Not everything you read and hear is true, either way - I was not prepared for that much of a difference. This was like 10 years ago mind you, so the difference is either far less or much worse.

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16 points
*

McD isn’t even the worst offender either.

This is an accurate representation of US fast food chains

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16 points

I always find it interesting that people outside the US think this is a complete joke when really it’s just… only slightly exaggerated.

Many gas stations have 64oz cups by default. I haven’t seen it in awhile, but the 128oz soda was real and used to be widely available.

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3 points

I didn’t click the link, but I’m going to go ahead and assume that’s Super Troopers, with Farva trying to order a litre of cola

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4 points

Nope, it’s the Parks and Rec child size soda

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79 points
*

> Be me

> American college kid by himself in Italy for a week

> Staying at hotel with Italian hottie at the front desk

> Hell yeah, love this country

> Eating all the pizza cause that’s Italian food, right?

> The pizzas are so goddamn thin

> Like eating a sheet of paper

> Eat an entire pizza and still hungry

> This goes on for like three days

> Tired of being hungry

> New pizza place, order three entire pizzas

> “They’ll just think I’m picking up for my friends”

> Get my pizzas, hell yes

> Walk back to hotel

> Walk past the front desk carrying three pizzas

> Front desk hottie knows I’m there alone

> Cover blown

> Go up to my room and eat all three pizzas in shame

> Finally fucking full

Worth it.

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48 points

“I have extra if you want some”

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9 points

And like share the pizza? Ew.

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44 points

Anon is a complete fucking idiot for not simply walking into a random Filipino’s house and politely asking for some homemade Filipino food. Idiot anon goes to the McD’s of the Philippines, and calls it a day. Filipinos have many insanely tasty dishes, and dumbfuck anon chooses garbage. Dinuguan (AKA chocolate meat) is my absolute favorite.

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38 points
*

IUm, dinuguan is blood soup (root word is literally blood). I like it, but it has a pretty niche appeal, and you’ll be hard pressed to find someone that’ll serve it to a westerner.

But yeah, do yourself a favor and find a “carinderia” (or karinderya, depending on region) which roughly translates to “cafeteria” but is usually run by a sweet lady making as close as you’ll get to homemade cooking. Some dishes to try:

  • bicol express - spicy dish with coconut and pork
  • tokwa’t baboy - literally tofu and pork
  • adobo - classic chicken dish

Or branch out! It works kind of like Panda Express where you point to the dish(es) you want (called ulam) and they’ll add rice (I recommend asking for extra). It’s cheaper than any fast food chain and way better.

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15 points

find a “carinderia” (or karinderya, depending on region) which roughly translates to “cafeteria” but is usually run by a sweet lady making as close as you’ll get to homemade cooking.

This sounds awesome! Wish we had places like this in the States

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15 points

Dominican places in Brooklyn can be like this. Awesome and cheap.

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2 points

We do, Panda Express

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8 points

Just don’t go to the Karenderia. It’s run by a white woman that thinks she knows what she is doing, and wishes to speak to your manager.

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12 points

Yup. It’s like people who go to Starbucks when they tour Asia. removed, you’re on vacation, go see something new.

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33 points

removed

Imagine using an instance that censors ‘bitch’

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17 points

removed

huh?

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21 points

“Bitch”, I assume. Fits the context, and I think it’s on lemmy.ml’s forbidden word list.

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-7 points

Lemmy has certain words that are hard-censored. Like hard-coded into the actual code base. I think both the r and f slurs are among them.

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14 points

Nah, it’s definitely valid to get fast food abroad, even if you have it at home. Sometimes they have wildly different things that you can’t get at home, or in the case of Jollibee, it’s straight up not available at home (unless home is LA). You should probably sample the more wholesome local cuisine too of course, but it’s perfectly alright stop at a Burger King in Tokyo to try the new Garlic Hokkaido burger or whatever, if that’s your jam. Let people enjoy things.

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3 points

There’s jollibees in most major us cities now.

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3 points

osrs has F2P buddy

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5 points

I’ve had this name since 2013 :p

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4 points

Story is definitely real, so good on you for keeping it

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1 point
*

Do this and get what looks like boiled eggs, crack open and it’s an aborted bird inside.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut_(food)

Run screaming in terror to Jollibee :) get spaghetti with so mich sugar you gag and can’t get it down.

Go back to Australia next day because hungry af, get a box of Tim Tams and vow to never travel again.

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1 point

Hard pass, balut is goat. Sorry, mate, I eat balut every day they come by, just like taho in the mornings. It helps if you have locals teach you how to eat balut, but some can’t deal.

And hey, all aussies love marmite, yeah? No true aussie hates the taste of a bit of marmite and buttah on toast, right?

Taho in the mornings and balut in the evenings makes the world go round. ;-)

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32 points
*

If you’re ordering burgers in the Philippines, you’re doing life wrong. If you must go to Jollybee or McDonald’s there, order fried chicken and thank me later.

Better yet, don’t go there and instead find a carinderia. They often look sketchy, but it’s as close to home cooking as you’ll get and way cheaper than fast food. Nobody can afford fast food there, so all the locals eat at these little “cafeterias” and the food is fantastic.

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28 points

The post on my screen was cut off at “skinny white man arrives”, and I think it was perfect.

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