Not a Costco consumer. But I’m lucky enough to have a local meat market that does its own butchering. And I don’t order burgers in restaurants that won’t serve them less than medium–that just tells me they don’t grind their own meat\trust their own ground meat purveyor.
And maybe those 70 sick folks are lousy bakers in filthy kitchens? 
Why indeed. I’ve been eating cookie dough for 7 decades, and eating steaks rare for at least 6, all without I’ll effect, except on my waistline.
Like other government agencies, CDC is risk averse. CYA is the DC catchword.
Good one! 
Costco is the largest seller of beef in the US.
I would suggest that their implication in food safety issues is more related to sheer numbers tha. To a lack of care or attention to the rules.
My dad was from Ireland and if he were still here I am pretty sure he would say lobster and banana splits, preferably from Kimballs ice cream stand in Westford MA.
Root beer is disgusting. But so is Jägermeister 
If none of that is of your concern, why even bring it up in this thread? Seems irrelevant to both the topic and you (?).
Hi Natascha - I think John’s comment was a takeoff something I’d written earlier (that safe to eat cookie dough (like the Nestle Toll House advert I posted above) was something the non-US redditors mentioned liking from the US.
Edit - FIFY:
Gotcha. It looked like a reply to the main thread, so I was confused.
Jägerschläger is even worse
Dave Attell on Jägermeister (CW - NSFW, coarse language, sex, alcohol)
Most (North) American dishes are the result of globalization. Chocolate, beans, corn, tomatoes, coffee. (Right now, Ethiopian coffee shops are having a moment in TO.)
The Americas brought ingredients to Europe, Africa, Asia, Polynesia, Australia & NZ and vice versa. I look at a recipe for County Captain, and I see curry powder, tomatoes, raisins, ginger. Even 200 years ago, ingredients originated globally. When you look at the food in the Mediterranean, it reflects the Spice Route.
What we have is a series of hybrids, developments, improvements and /or digressions.
I get frustrated when former Hounds try to define or label American food.
I like discussing what non- American relatives or friends associate with America.
I like discussing origins, etymology, influences, regional variations, regional specialties.
Not a big fan of definitions and labels.
When pizza and Mexican food are 2 of the main entries, I think my question is valid.
What food is truly American?
Pizza, BBQ and Boston Baked Beans are truly American. Mexicali cuisine? Let’s thank Mexico and America.
American melting pot creations. The Italians have tomatoes thanks to the Americas.
It’s silly to only focus on what was available in 1491.
The taste and preparation of all food globally has improved through spice routes, globalization and invention.
(Thank the Lebanese and the Mexicans for Tacos Al Pastor )
Re: what food is truly American? Frito Pie.
The Elvis sandwich (pb, bacon and banana, grilled)
Many European cuisines are deeply influenced by trade and colonisation. You have countries like Spain and Portugal which looked west towards the Americas, while the likes of the UK and the Netherlands looked east towards Asia.
I find it more nuanced than that.
One side of my family originates in the Bread Basket of Europe ( Ukraine), and the other side, from an Aegean island on the trade route, 6 miles from the Turkish coast.
I look at the family recipes on the Greek island: cumin, cinnamon, allspice, coriander, tomatoes.
The recipes from a village outside Lviv: cabbage rolls made with tomatoes, rice, pepper and dill, perogies made with potatoes and cottage cheese, potatoes in various forms twice a day.
When I think of the Dutch, I think of their contribution to cocoa and chocolate. If I recall correctly, they were among the first to add milk and sugar, to make chocolate more palatable. They are also the country that eats chocolate sprinkles on toast.
They have the ingredients from Indonesia and other parts of the southern Hemisphere, but they certainly also look to the Americas as well. Everyone does. War fries= Indonesian peanut sauce, Dutch Mayo, New World Potato
Portugal and Spain have influences from everywhere they went, and left influences wherever they went. I’m thinking of the peri peri chicken and the custard tarts in Macau, which led to Dan tarts.
Not sure what frustrates you about that?
The Reddit thread is an interesting read and people have responded accordingly.
I believe that you have an interesting suggestion for a new topic.
The pre 1491 was only an example to agree with a statement that you had made up thread. I didn’t interpret that as being a focus and just an example to illustrate a point in agreement with you.
That is a very interesting and valid point.
That American autumnal scourge that is pumpkin. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin bread . . . it is incorporated into every conceivable product from Sep to Nov. I have many friends and family members who eagerly anticipate this onslaught every fall, but I just don’t get it. The only good pumpkin is a jack-o-lantern (and the seeds mom used to roast while we carved the gourd).
Defining something as not being truly American because the root of the dish originates elsewhere frustrates me.
America as a modern country dates back to 1776. A lot food-wise happened before then, and a lot food-wise has happened since.
I find national labels nationalistic.
