re: #163 klys

I sort of put us in the middle on flavorings. We go for a bolder approach to spicing than, say, Japan (wasabi is the exception there, not the rule), but definitely don’t approach what a lot of other cultures can do.

Japanese microbrews can be interesting. Very German influenced.

I don’t think we do things more boldly than Japan, no. In terms of spiciness, sure, but there’s a lot of extremely strongly-flavored food that’s a mainstay in Japan.

Basically, I think we’re close to the bottom in terms of strong flavors in our cuisine, not anywhere near the top. It’s hard to think of a cuisine that’s not from a terribly deprived country that’s less-flavored.

I think, though, this is just because we’re a melting pot. We have the super-flavorful stuff available to us if we want, even if most ‘ethnic’ food in the US tends to be toned down in mainstream places. The stuff that’s just American, burgers, hot dogs, pizza, fried chicken, pastrami, french fries, ice cream, donuts, biscuits, mac and cheese, etc.—tends to be fatty and salty. Traditional American foods that are spicy, I can pretty much only think of hot wings.