Philosophy On The Mesa

Anti-Americanism Explained June 30, 2010

Via Huffington Post

The video below has been making the rounds, and for good reason. In it, an American tourist (YouTube user simoneharuko) visits what she calls, “pretty much the coolest grocery store of all time” in Alexanderplatz, Berlin, and found something she had never seen before: an American ethnic section. As Eater pointed out, “most of this stuff seems to be there for expatriates who want brands they recognize.”

Here is the video.

And here is the list of products included in the “U.S.A” ethnic food section:

• Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate mix
• Cans of V8
• Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup (original and “Shell” style)
• Maple syrup
• Regular old syrup
• Betty Crocker Baking Mixes: Blueberry, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Brownie, Cake, Muffins, Bisquik,
• Betty Crocker frosting: Vanilla and Chocolate
• Five (5) Pain Is Good Hot Sauce varieties
• Jim Beam Barbecue Sauce, Steak Sauce, Hot Sauce, and Mustard
• Four (4) Jack Daniel’s Barbecue Sauces
• Paul Prudhomme “Magic” Seasoning blends
• Paul Newman salad dressings
• Hellman’s Mayonnaise
• Wish Bone Blue Cheese Dressing
• Marshmallow Fluff (original and strawberry)
• Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
• Cheese Zip (cheese whiz)
• Head Country Barbecue Sauces
• Bull’s Eye Barbecue Sauce
• Hunt’s Barbecue Sauces
• Cheddar, Nacho, and Jalapeno-flavored squeeze-bottled cheese
• Mustards
• Heinz sweet relish
• Crisco shortening
• Marshmallows
• Campbell’s Soups

There is not much here worth eating.

I’ve just returned from Spain and Portugal, and I have spent some time in Italy and Germany as well. If there is one thing Europeans do well it is eat. If you are an ex-pat American living in Europe do you really pine for this stuff? You really want cheese whiz when you can have a nice Allgau Emmentaler?

Of course, our ethnic food sections don’t look much like a real market either. But much of what one finds there is at least edible and sometimes interesting.

A box of Kraft macaroni and cheese might induce all manner of speculation about the “American character” deficit.

Dwight Furrow is author of

Reviving the Left: The Need to Restore Liberal Values in America

For political commentary by Dwight Furrow visit: www.revivingliberalism.com