Casual travelers reading foreign menus may find themselves surprised but disappointed when they see a treat from home. Towards the end of a long trip in a distant land, it may seem such a relief to find a familiar food item on a menu, creating an expectation of a certain known taste. However, in some cases, the name of the item is the same but the form and/or taste can be quite different. Some examples of this are bagels, biscuits and ice cream.
Bagels are technically dough that is boiled and then baked. That said,
their texture varies from country to country. In the United States, especially
New York, bagels are hard on the outside, dense in the middle and relatively
small. They are generally cut in half, with each soft side generally coated
with butter or cream cheese. By contrast, the bagels in Germany are quite big,
rather hard and served as sandwiches. My wife and I especially enjoyed the brie
bagels, probably the best dish we ate there. In Israel, a bagel, generaly referred to as a "bagelleh", generally has
the texture of white bread with a slightly harder outside, sprinkled with
sesame seeds or nuts. A bagel toast in Israel tastes a bit like a brioche toast
in the US but the bread is round with a hole in the middle. To be fair, it is
possible to buy hard pretzels, but they are the exception. All bagels are tasty
but their exact form can differ.
Biscuits can refer to very different goods depending on country. In England,
any small, sweet and thin baked item is a biscuit, ideal for tea time (or any
time for that matter). In the United States, the same treat is called a cookie. In Israel, biscuits mainly refer to Petit-Beurre or
similar crispy bites but definitely not a Moroccan ghoribas, a honey and orange delicacy. Strangely enough,
in the United States, especially in the southern part, the biscuit of biscuits and gravy is doughy and soft, ideal for absorbing the gravy. KFC biscuits
somewhat replicate its texture and flavor. Regardless, this biscuit is worlds
away from the British dessert.
Finally, I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream but the
actual product varies by country. A scoop of ice cream in the US is generally
creamy and large, more sugary than tasty unless you go luxury. By contrast,
Italian ice cream, gelato, is far more icy and finely flavored, not to
mention served in smaller portions. Quality is more important than quantity. TypicalFrench ice cream is somewhere in between them. Most do have a decent cream
content but also contain quality flavor ingredients. As for Israel, as should
be in a country of immigrants, there is everything from delicate gelato to
pure creamy decadence. Whatever the form, everybody loves ice cream.
In terms of managing expectations, when ordering foods abroad, I suggest keeping an open mind. The flavor or form may be different but it
may be quite tasty in itself. Expecting the same everything as at home is a bit
unrealistic and ultimately boring.
