By this point, you’re sick and tired of the dining hall food and 45 second microwave dinners that have comprised your diet. You want something different. Not those basic Doritos. Something exotic. Switch in the donuts for puff, and don’t get me started on samosas.
We’ve got you covered with a diverse array of dishes from all over the world with their American equivalents.
1. The Pizza
International Dish: Scallion Pancakes (China)
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
Warm, savory, and chewy, this Chinese dish is a warm flatbread folded with oil and minced green onions for toppings. The comparison to pizza isn’t new either. There’s an old Chinese story that pizza is a variation of the scallion pancake by Marco Polo when he went back to Italy.
So hold up on that Round Table. This pizza-like confection has more subtle, refined flavors that you will appreciate.
2. The Hot Dog
International Dish: Bratwurst (Germany)
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
The American hot dog is a modern interpretation of a classic German delicacy. Bratwursts, or ‘Brats’, are classically made with veal, pork, or beef and served with sauerkraut, a finely cut fermented cabbage.
3. The Donut
International Dish: Puff Puff (Nigeria)
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
Imagine a giant, warm donut hole. Got it? That’s pretty close to what a Nigerian puff puff is. For a fusion, after frying, puff puff can be rolled in sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices, as well as served with a fruit dip. Now I’d go for this over Krispy Kreme any day.
4. The Kit Kat
International Dish: Pocky (Japan)
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
Everyone loves chocolate coated finger foods, but let’s look further than what’s in our average Vons.
Pocky is a world popular snack food that consists of a slim biscuit stick coated in chocolate, first sold in 1966. Since then, variations of Pocky have been sold coated in almond, strawberry, and green tea, just to name a few.
5. The KFC Fried Chicken
International Dish: Tonkatsu (Japan)
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
Tonkatsu is a Japanese meat dish that originated in the 19th century. It consists of a pork cutlet coated with breadcrumbs and deep fried, commonly served with shredded cabbage and rice. Variations include chicken, ham, and beef katsu. You can also dip it into this dark, sweet sauce that’s basically our version of gravy on fried chicken.
6. The Snow Cone
International Dish: Patbingsu
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
Patbingsu is a Korean dessert that takes shaved ice to the next level. The snack is commonly topped with fruit, matcha ice cream, red bean paste, and condensed milk. Patbingsu is the type of food you can get artsy with. It’s as much about the presentation as the taste. You could say that the American snow cone is Patbingsu’s uglier sibling.
7. The Pop Tart
International Dish: Scones (Britain)
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
Oh, you fancy huh? Scones are an old British pastry made into single servings and often eaten with honey, jam, or cream. You can’t forget the tea as well. Scones can be made of oatmeal, barley, or wheat and are ever so slightly sweetened.
8. The Lunchables/Basic Crackers and Cheese
International Dish: Pita Bread and Baba Ganoush (Middle East)
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
Pita bread is a simple, but a decidedly pleasant creation. Its main ingredients are flour and water. It’s a soft flatbread with a myriad of uses, one of those being a scoop for baba ganoush. The tiny ham and fake cheese slipping off your Lunchable cracker? Opt for these Middle Eastern babies.
Baba ganoush is a savory and flavorful dip made from a cooked eggplant combined with olive oil, onions, and a wide variety of other spice options.
9. The Hot Pocket
International Dish: Samosas (India)
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
Samosas are a hot, fried pastry made with a glorious medley of fillings, such as peas, onions, cheese, potato, lamb, beef, or chicken. The samosa is a dish with a long history. It is believed that samosas were introduced to India in the 113th century by traders from the Middle East.
10. The Fudge
International Dish: Tablet (Scotland)
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
Tablet is a hard, sweet confectionary that originates from Scotland. It’s made with sugar, butter, and condensed sugar. Sometimes vanilla and chopped nuts are added to mix things up a little. Tablet and fudge are often compared, but there is crucial differences any real foodie knows: Tablet is hard and grainy, whereas fudge is much softer and smoother. Ok, America, you win on this one.
11. The Sandwich
International Dish: Torta (Mexico)
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
Photo Courtesy of Flickr
Imagine a sandwich, but on steroids. That’s a torta. Everything about it is big, big, big. Forget that five dollar foot long. Starting with the bread, a torta is served on a roll around 7 inches long. Inside the sandwich is packed a wide array of ingredients like carne asada, chicken, pork, cheese, onion, avocado, tomato, and scrambled eggs. Tortas are everywhere.
They can be found at large sports events, sit down restaurants, and at street food carts.
So don’t be an uncultured wuss. Don’t reach out for that same PB & J because there’s a whole world of junky alternatives that you’re missing out on. And even if you’re just gonna read this while eating McDonalds, at least you’ll impress a blind date who’s immigrated recently from Asia. Just learn how to pronounce them.