Europe wants its Parmesan back, seeks name change (trade talks)

[MADem]

54. It's also the place where Europeans come and LOVE the food, because there's so much variety.

Try getting Thai food in a small town in France. It's not happening. Try getting something as basic as CHINESE...not happening, either!

As someone who has lived in many corners of the world, let me tell you--there's "crap food" everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Not everything is fresh and lovely--lots of places, there are sketchy products, crappy sellers, but you won't find that junk in the "tourist" areas of countries that have a 'food' reputation. It's way too easy to focus on the bad, and not recognize that there's plenty that isn't just good, but excellent, for those who are discerning.

Europeans love the variety here, and ask ANY Italian; they will tell you that American calamari beats Italian calamari in taste, flavor, texture and sheer deliciousness by leaps and bounds. I have to agree.

Not everything "American" is "bad." The taste of the individual matters, and there are people all over the world with "low brow" tastes in food.

I used to live across the street from a family in Italy that were familiar with American products. The daughter adored "LUCKY CHARMS." The son was cool with his buds when he could bring "BUDWEISER" to the party. I would recoil in horror, but periodically bring these things to the kids (young adults, mind you--I wasn't giving beer to a grade-schooler) because it pleased them.

The father had a thing for ---this is the oddest thing---Green Giant frozen corn on the cob. His wife would BAKE it for him, and he'd eat the whole package by himself. He thought it was the most wonderful thing in the world (over there, corn is usually fed to animals, not people, and he loved the sweetness of it). The wife liked American ice cream...!