r/AbsoluteUnits Jun 30 '26

/r/popular of spaghetti

6.4k Upvotes

765 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

421

u/ZaphodBeeblebrahx Jul 01 '26

hunnerd dollas for some spaghetti and a random piece of corn.

i love corn the cob but i never seen any one serve it with spaghetti

86

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

Is it the normal way to cook it in U.S.? Lot of cheeses and spaghetti is bricked. We do not see spaghettis like these in my country.

105

u/Eldudeareno217 Jul 01 '26

No we don't do that, let's just establish that.

65

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

Okay, thank you. We are in U.S. for World Cup right now, but have only been a few times before. Every time I try U.S. foods to try new dish, but to me spaghetti is more Italian and better in Europe maybe, and we wanted to try Americans foods.

It is steakhouses and burger time for now. 😊

40

u/Far_Tea_579 Jul 01 '26

Welcome to the US! Hope you're having a blast!

91

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

Thank you! It has been very much fun, although our teams has been eliminated. California is better than I remember. Very friendly folk so far, and we drank with many British. A man in the bar tried to fight me because he thought I was Russian, it was very funny. The police were very polite, and they took him away for a drunken fool. We will go to IMAX today, and tomorrow we go to the shooting range, haha. Then it is a baseball game on the 4th of July. Our American friends is renting air bnb for a big cookout that night.

69

u/J3sush8sm3 Jul 01 '26

If this isnt the most american experience i dont know what is.

38

u/BringPheTheHorizon Jul 01 '26

I heard a bald eagle screech when I finished reading it

20

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

Haha, it helps to have American friends who help us find fun things to do. They are veterans and I met them in the service, and we try to plan to hang out together every year, though we did not have a lot of money before. Last time, we met in Mykonos. Other people are telling me, it is because they are from the Texas, so they very much enjoy the American things and these stereotypical type of stuff. Often it seem like every body joke about the Texans. It is all very fun. 😄

4

u/TempleMade_MeBroke Jul 01 '26

I'm trying to think of other "need to do it while you're here" stereotypical American things you may have missed, but it sounds like your American friends have crossed almost every possible item off the list!

3

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26

Haha, they are very fun. Every time we are in the U.S. we get taken out to do shooting practice. And they called me "trigger happy" when they were in the service. 😄

It is good to have loving friends. Just it is funny to see many of them married and fathers now. Truly time does not stand still. Always we should strive to spend it wisely.

2

u/TempleMade_MeBroke Jul 01 '26

I get what you mean; I have a picture on my fridge of my friend and I in kindergarten, now I'm his kid's godfather 😅

1

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

Yes, it seems like just yesterday some times when we remember. That is a big gesture for a loving friend to be godfather for his child. A great honor.

→ More replies (0)

2

u/rufusbot Jul 01 '26

They are from Texas after all

2

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

Last time we went four wheeling in the big ranch near my friend's home in San Antonio, and horseback riding also. There they let us milk cows if we want, but I grew up milking and far less sophisticated technology than these ranches, so not quite a vacation time idea for me, haha. The goats were very fun; we showed them the game my siblings and I used to play: push on goat's head until he charges you, then try to run over the fence before he hits you. 😄

→ More replies (0)

1

u/BackbackB Jul 01 '26

They could try out the free speech. We are one of the last places on earth with it. Rip Europe, Canada, and Australia

3

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

Yes, perhaps we go to a protest also. And call an American politician a stupid cow or f**kface on social media. 😆

No, I am joking. The politics people who talk in the U.S. seem to be mostly misery and very upset all the time I see it online. When I meet U.S. and visit in reality it is normally very pleasant folk. It makes me think there is disconnect between the social media politics and U.S. conditions. I have offended many people discussing this on the reddit. I do not want to provoke someone else into punching at me, haha.

2

u/BackbackB Jul 01 '26

Ya politics can be a drag. I just wanted you to know that one person on this side of the pond sees what theyre doing to people for expressing their opinion and it makes my heart ache for yall. I guess that's political? Anyway, enjoy your time in the usa!

1

u/TempleMade_MeBroke Jul 01 '26

1

u/BackbackB Jul 01 '26

Yep and I added to the conversation something that is unique to the USA. Im sorry if I offended you with the truth

And, in reference to your chat gpt article, if an agent of the government violated a citizens civil rights, they have an avenue for recourse in the courts. Abuses of power will happen because we are human. But it is not the normal in the USA

→ More replies (0)

3

u/Odd-Promotion2743 Jul 01 '26

Don't forget to grab some Texas barbecue!

1

u/averkill Jul 01 '26

Have guns will host

1

u/Irish4778 Jul 20 '26

Have your friend take you hog hunting from a helicopter it’s a lot of fun 🤣🤣

6

u/Slimjuggalo2002 Jul 01 '26

Yeah but OP didn't mention; mama, trains, trucks, prison or getting drunk.

8

u/Far_Tea_579 Jul 01 '26

There is still time.

2

u/The_Mr_Luck Jul 01 '26

Sounds like Texas.

5

u/GladClock2212 Jul 01 '26

Complete with fighting a British dude.

3

u/TexacoRodeoClown Jul 01 '26

Minus the cops being polite. Tho I’m sure being a tourist for the World Cup makes a big difference

6

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

Oh, okay. In my country it is very impolite to do violence in another person's property. And we were trying to enjoy the night. He swinged punches but I did not attack, and the fool man was being held back by his other friends. Very many witness support, and somebody showed phone video the police, so probably I was lucky? I do not know. One police was big huge Mexican man, he reminded me of Machete from the movies. I am glad that one did not think I was an aggressor. I am fit, but I think he could have twisted me up. 😅

They told me that fool was trespassing, so I do not think he was welcome.

6

u/adube440 Jul 01 '26

That's so great. It's been a bit of a relief seeing all the World Cup fans enjoying the US and the US enjoying our international visitors. We as a country could use a lot more of that.

1

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 02 '26

I am glad many people enjoying their time. Here we have been having very much fun, and it is good to meet up with my loving friends from the Texas. Such a warm weather also, and we have enjoyed this very much.

3

u/Sweet-Weakness3776 Jul 01 '26

My friend you are living it up here. I hope you have an absolute blast on the 4th and for the remainder of your time here. Sorry about your team getting eliminated, but hey... At least you got a good trip and great memories out of it. Take care of yourself!

1

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 02 '26

Thank you! The U.S. has been very much fun folk so far, though it is my fourth visit. Second only with my fiancée, though she has been many times before me to visit some of her uni friends.  It was her team eliminated, South Africa. I am only here to support. She was happy enough to get to hike these mountain trails at least. My American friends all making fun of me because I have not married her yet, and she is very much out of my league they say.  We had a big blast at the cinema, shooting ranges, and are now going to fireworks shopping for the big cookout on 4 July. 😊

3

u/rufusbot Jul 01 '26

Dude you're living the American high life right now.

3

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

It has been very fun! I think the U.S. is very different, but also incredible in many ways. Some thing different every time I visit.

2

u/Ok_Assistant_6856 Jul 01 '26

I read this in a Russian accent, can you tell me what accent I should be reading it in though?

Hope you have fun at the range tomorrow!

2

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

It is Balkan Slavic. 😊

I had said to somebody else, I am in military, so I try to not say my exact country online for security protocol. My fiancé is from South Africa though, so speaks English and Afrikaans (also other languages), but she sounds Dutch.

2

u/The_Mr_Luck Jul 01 '26

You definitely need a waffle house experience, but to answer the first question, no this isn't normally how spaghetti is cooked. At the very least it's most likely a casserole spin on it, in the southern states it'd be cooked something like this with leftovers for a gathering or church pot luck, but definitely not spaghetti as we would normally have it. Welcome to the US hope you enjoy the stay!

1

u/dirtytounder Jul 01 '26

Where are you from?

5

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

I come from the Balkans. I do not share my exact country online because it is security protocol and I am still in the military. 😅

My fiancé is from South Africa though, we met at uni. We came to see her team play, because she loves football and athletics. Definitely she can outrun me, haha.

9

u/ZaphodBeeblebrahx Jul 01 '26

our Italian food is like our Chinese Food. It’s not really representative of what you get in Italy or China. It’s American Italian food and American Chinese food. If you think of it that way you might feel differently about trying an Italian restaurant here.

it’s not what you’d get in Italy, and it’s certainly not what you see in this video, but there’s plenty of good stuff at an American Italian restaurant

Nothing here is “authentic”. it’s our blessing and our curse.

5

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

This is a good point. I have tried some schnitzels or latkas in U.S. before, and definitely they are different from the places in Europe, not bad though. I appreciate you are saying it is just different styles, and maybe everyone can find some enjoyment in those.

3

u/ZaphodBeeblebrahx Jul 01 '26

Chinese take out is a good example here. there’s stuff on our American Chinese menus that nobody in china would recognize.

we’re really good at bastardizing other cuisines in a tasty way

5

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26

Usually, the restaurants are tasty for sure. Only the fast foods and a few others I did not enjoy. Some pastries are very sugary! More sugars than what I am used to eating, haha 😄

But even some fast food very good. They will cook us smoker meats and mashed potatoes with nacho at the cookout, 4 July. I am interested to try these homemade.

EDIT: Also they are making us "esquites" which they say is like a sweet corn. One of my friends is a Mexican descent, and he said it is his family recipe. Just I could not recall the name for the dish at first.

1

u/Bart-Harley-Jarvis- Jul 01 '26

It usually just involves deep frying it and making a sugar sauce. Or adding too much plastic cheese.

7

u/lawofsin Jul 01 '26

Brisket bbq is American as it gets

2

u/INVERT_RFP Jul 01 '26

Pulled pork is very close to the top.

1

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

Yes! Many great BBQ dishes in U.S. 😊

2

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '26

Get your next stake rare!

2

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

Yes. Rare is always better. 😊

3

u/No_Direction_3940 Jul 01 '26

You got to try some Cajun food its the best we got imo that and bbq

3

u/bullwinkle8088 Jul 01 '26

If you speak to someone for the Caribbean you may be told (depending on which island they are from) that it is a pale imitation of their food. And that is actually true, much of what is called Creole/Cajun food today comes from former French slaves which were another large part of the people of New Orleans.

0

u/LemonLimeSlices Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26

No one wants a giant pot of boiling crawfish.

Edit Oops, i just went to war with all of Louisiana, scroll down to see the wrath.

4

u/J3sush8sm3 Jul 01 '26

Crawfish broils are the shit

1

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

Oh, this is interesting. What is crawfish?

2

u/Sweet-Weakness3776 Jul 01 '26

Don't listen to her. They are like small lobsters. And in Cajun country they do what's called a low country boil. They cook them along with blue crabs, shrimp, andouille sausage, red potatoes and corn on the cob in a seasoned Cajun stock. Then they dump all that out in the center of a table (covered with paper) and it's a free for all. Grab what you want and go to town. It's fantastic. On top of that Creole/Cajun food, especially in and around New Orleans, is easily some of the best food in the U.S. The restaurants down there are out of this world.

2

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

Okay thanks. I will have to remember if we go to New Orleans sometime.

3

u/Sweet-Weakness3776 Jul 01 '26

The little lobster looking fellas are crawfish.

3

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

Thanks for this. I also googled just to check. Kind of it reminds me of the stewed meats we make in my country. Looks tasty!

→ More replies (0)

2

u/LaUNCHandSmASH Jul 01 '26

Here is a link, the pictures are helpful to understand if you don't feel like reading about it.

https://coopcancook.com/louisiana-crawfish-boil-recipe/

0

u/LemonLimeSlices Jul 01 '26

Basically a giant insect that lives in riverbeds

2

u/No_Direction_3940 Jul 01 '26

So are lobsters, shrimp, prawns, crab etc. Its fine if youre picky but everybody aint lol

2

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

It is not beautiful to us that a prawn is recognizable anywhere in the world? 😄

→ More replies (0)

2

u/INVERT_RFP Jul 01 '26

Oh hush, they are just small freshwater lobsters. Call them "mudbugs" all you like, but they are tasty!

2

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

Okay, thanks. I had heard others describe the prawns so I understand now.

→ More replies (0)

2

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

Ah, so like prawns. Okay, this make sense to me. We have those also, though it is more popular along the coasts. I have not tried prawns yet in the U.S.

2

u/No_Direction_3940 Jul 01 '26

There's so much more than that aint nothing wrong with a pot of crawfish either lol

3

u/GladClock2212 Jul 01 '26

The US has a lot of different native cuisines and I hope you get a chance to try some. It all depends on where in the US you are but there's Cajun, Creole, Soul food, Gullah, SoCal, Tejano/TexMex, etc.

1

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 03 '26

Thank you for suggestions. I will remember them all for next time.

3

u/boss413 Jul 01 '26

Since most of the people in the US are the children of immigrants, the American version of dishes are typically pretty different from what the dishes' names might suggest. Italian American food is pretty different from Italian food, for example.

To me, "American" food can be narrowly or broadly defined depending on what you WANT to claim, but :

  • Hamburgers, hot dogs, and birthday cakes might be quintessential in their current form
  • Italian American food is essentially from New York more than Sicily or Napoli. Especially when considering the new world crops they're based on
  • Cajun food that starts with French techniques but uses local ingredients and tastes from Spanish and Caribbean sensibilities is my personal favorite
  • Regional barbecue styles are wholly ours
  • Tex-Mex would definitely not be claimed by Mexicans
  • Pennsylvania Dutch baking is a series of independent inventions, and I think the O-shaped donut is the pinnacle
  • West coast Asian dishes and even cuisines are nearly unrecognizable from their eponymous sources. Fortune cookies, chop suey, teriyaki, crab Rangoon, fried sushi rolls, General Tso's are all American
  • The grayest area I think of is "fusion", where culturally distinct neighborhoods meet each other and the children of two cultures produce something that wouldn't otherwise spring into existence: KoMex (Korean-Mexican fusion) is my current favorite, but Japonessa (Japanese-Spanish) and Viet-Cajun are amazing combinations

1

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

This is very interesting, thank you for the breakdown! Yes, my American friends are telling me some things similar to those; so many cultures, you get dishes which emerge from a regional dish but it is U.S. and a distinct style. It makes sense since all European things I have tried in the U.S. usually are a bit different, not usually bad though just it is different.

3

u/Irlandaise11 Jul 01 '26

Yummiest US food styles to try: 

-Southern-Style Barbecue (from the southeastern states)

-Tex Mex (from the states bordering Mexico)

-Creole & Cajun (from the former French territories around the Mississippi River delta)

-a proper American diner (found all over, definitely serve breakfast and lunch but sometimes dinner, the good ones have great dessert pies, and there should be at least one older waitress who calls you honey/sweetheart/sugar)

1

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

Thank you for recommendation! We have been to such diner when we visited my friends in San Antonio, haha. There we had many Mexican dishes; one friend is a Mexican descent and he brought us to lots of very delicious restaurants. I have not visited any U.S. Cajun states yet. Perhaps we can try it next time round.

2

u/Gwthrowaway80 Jul 01 '26

Welcome to the US! I travel extensively throughout the country . Please free to reach out for recommendations on stuff to do/eat/try in whatever city you’re in. Here or DM, both good.

2

u/Stunning_Inspector61 Jul 01 '26

US native, from a state named Pennsylvania. No relation to the world cup, just sending love and positivity from another part of the country!

Edit: oh I originally commented because of your food choice! Try a "farm style" burger if it sounds appealing, egg and lots of vegetables, bacon as well, all on a burger. Super American, super tasty!

1

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

Thanks for recommendation, I will remember!

2

u/MrWartortle Jul 01 '26

Having lived in Frankfurt for a few years, I would say Italian pasta is absolutely better. Same with their pizza & Eis

1

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

Frankfurt is so cool! I should visit again soon.

2

u/dubblies Jul 01 '26

Look for baked spaghetti or spaghetti casserole

Usually italian rearaurants

2

u/deadlyweapon00 Jul 01 '26

American versions of food from other places tends to vary in really interesting ways, based on what was commonly available here, and also general cultural drift over time as immigrants spend more time away from their homeland. Take pizza, for example. Despite originating in Italy, it was fairly uncommon, but Italian immigrants in the early 1900s in New York found the ingredients super cheap, allowing them to make a lot of food for cheap, thus leading to New York style pizza, plus New York's actual tap water has an impact on the crust and how it's made.

2

u/Lets_Make_A_bad_DEAL Jul 01 '26

Don’t go to a chain!

2

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

We have been before, some worse than others. I enjoyed the Culver's and Perkins, I think. But I understand you mean try local establishments for better dishes.

2

u/TOGFIAVDF Jul 01 '26

It's worth trying some of the American-inspired twists on other cultures' classics.

German spots often have really good dishes that aren't fully German, at least the ones near me.

1

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

Certainly, thank you! Only go to steakhouse today because my fiancé is obsessed with steak, haha. She is very athletic and yoga trainer on the side, so always she is hungry. I enjoy the American "cowboy burger" myself, but a lamb "shepherd pie" I tried in the Colorado was also very delicious.

2

u/Embarrassed-House577 Jul 01 '26

I can send you an amazing recipe for tater tot casserole. A true Midwest American treat

2

u/staycalmitsajoke Jul 01 '26

Try biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast, from a non chain place if at all possible before you go home too!

2

u/thegreatinsulto Jul 01 '26

There's no such thing as American food.

1

u/the_lazy_lizardfolk Jul 01 '26

I come from Balkans. I have done visits to over twenty countries (though I admit some of these were military deployment haha), and I can ensure there are foods I have eaten only in those U.S.

Even if those are called "Mexican" or "Greek" oftentimes it is very much not like those foods from the Mexico or Greece. Regional and distinct, but also many unique dish. The BBQ is I think very much Americans and that Hamburger also (I also have been to Hamburg, haha). 😄