Are Canadian and American food different or are they made to look the same in Taiwan?

Had a local discussion what is Canadian vs. American Vs. Mexican. From the menu link below at Kao City Canadian.-American cafe (see link below) has what looks like Mexican corn chips is that not Mexican or what is now consider American food or is part of Canadian foods now ? I searched Canadian foods and found things like Montreal-style bagel (I thought was from the USA) so was thinking with many Canadians here, you can tell me what is the differences between Canadian and American food and things like Montreal-style or Toronto food or is it all the same as in Taiwan there is some differences from Kaohsiung and other cities (My Taipei friends tell me food here is sweet for example).

MENUē¾Žé£ŸčŖŒ | Foster Hewittā€™s åŠ ę„“é¤å»³ (menutaiwan.com)

Itā€™s rare to find a ā€œforeign restaurantā€ in Taiwan thatā€™s really representative of the country it claims its food is from, even if the owner is from that country. Most change the flavors, and many change entire dishes. Corn chips, if you mean tortilla chips, are from Mexico but have been part of Tex-Mex food long enough to be all-American. Bagels are from Poland. Poutine is from Canada. Generally, Canadian food is served in smaller sizes and has less salt and fat.

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Not to be confused with pootang.

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Yes, Iā€™ve seen ā€œFrenchā€ restaurants that serve German eisbein, American burgers, Italian pasta, etc. Thereā€™s a ā€œPortugueseā€ restaurant near me that has a Portuguese name and a Portuguese flag, but not a single Portuguese dish.

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canadian food is a lie

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Iā€™ve heard the Canadian pootang can be delicious as well, if you know where to look.

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Thereā€™s no such thing as ā€˜Canadian foodā€™ in the way most people think when they imagine a national cuisine. Most foods originating in Canada are often simple snacks but hardly any localised staple meals in the way one would associate with a country like pasta for Italy.

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No. Taiwanese society has no exposure to world cooking.

Frozen food was invented in Canada. Unfrozen food came many years later, and cooking after that.

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Montreal bagels are awesome. I need to go back there and to see more of Quebec.

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That lucky period saved you from contradicting yourself in the same sentence :wink:

A Montreal bagel is just a style of bagel apparently founded in Quebec, and by that I mean Montreal. It involves honey somehow, and if you can find one freshly done, it tastes like a warm hug. I am now going to briefly curse your name for reminding me of their existence, which is likely only in the eastern time zone. Ok, curse lifted.

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For a number of reasons I would love to go back to this market. Iā€™ll get a good supply of cider and applejack outside.

MarchƩ Jean-Talon

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I think Canadian supermarket food is industrial tasting and very inferior to Europe and Taiwan. And very inferior to some parts of the US such as California. I guess supply chains, less population, etc.

I guess when I think of Canadian restaurant foods I think of West Coast fusion with salmon, potatoes, BC wine etc. But on a global scale, very, very, very average.

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American and Canadian food have a lot of overlap, but thereā€™s some uniquely Canadian dishes like poutine and French food is also better there due to ā€¦ wellā€¦ a shit load of French people living up there. Also, the meat dishes tend to be heavier with some emphasis on more gamey meat like moose in restaurants. Also, thereā€™s some competition between New York style bagels and Montreal style bagels. Thatā€™s about all I got. As for the USA, stuff like pizza, hotdogs and southern BBQ would be better in the states.

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One might say the same of Taiwanese food.

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This. Iā€™m a New Yorker and I genuinely prefer Montreal bagels to New York bagels (while still thinking NY bagels are great). My NYC friends think thatā€™s blasphemy of course.

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Poutine is world famous.

Itā€™s not a staple though. Itā€™s a treat, not something you eat every day.

Unless you like dying.

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If Americans can count stuff like slow cooked brisket and fried chicken sandwiches as a staple, I think itā€™s fine.

Is it your mission lately to post sweeping comments about any and all topics?

In this case, youā€™re asserting absence. Your claim falls apart when I find one Taiwanese who has exposure to world cooking.

Hint: there is more than one such Taiwanese around.

Guy

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