Russian woman living in the US shares three things she doesn't understand about American food

America has a wide range of popular food and beverages that represent what the country is all about. Whether it is the beer and hot dog combo during baseball games or the uber-popular fries and burgers, Americans take pride in their range of fast food. But sometimes it is strange enough to give people from other countries a cultural shock they can never forget. Christine K—who goes by @gretagauthier on TikTok—is a beauty educator, keratin expert and CEO who has been living in the United States for six years. After living this long, she still can not get used to the flavors of certain food items.

Christine starts her video by announcing that as a Russian, she still can not "comprehend how Americans can eat and drink" these three food items. The first food she names is an American favorite, root beer. Even though almost every American seems to be a fan of root beer, Christine is not. "It tastes like somebody dropped a bubble gum into your Coca-Cola and you accidentally sipped it," she describes her experience with root beer after tasting it several times.

The second item on her rejection list is fried pickles. Pickles are mostly added to burgers and served as sides with other dishes, but Christine is not interested in them. "What made you fry a pickle?" she asks dramatically. "Like, why? How did it come to your mind? The first time I saw it on a menu, I thought it was a joke and it's not on the menu. Why would someone make it and why would someone eat it? Can you please explain it to me in the comments?" She even jokes about sending $20 to a person who can properly explain to her what's the hype surrounding fried pickles.

The third and last food item she disapproves of is Kraft Mac N Cheese, a pre-boxed pasta kit that can be prepared by mixing the content of the box into a bowl and it is ready to be eaten hot at an instant. It has an oily texture and overtly sweet flavor, which fails at mimicking actual mac and cheese and even Americans seem to hate it. "Number three is mac and cheese with the powder you buy from the store. The yellow powder you must mix with the pasta has nothing to do with cheese," Christine mentions. "It tastes disgusting as if somebody already had it in their mouth or something."

Christine loves to eat regular mac and cheese, prepared from scratch by adding a bit of butter to it. She admits that Russians have their fair share of strange food items as well, but these three American foods are still over the top weird for her. "Don't get me wrong, Russians have the weirdest food probably you've ever seen or tried. "But these three things? I can't," she concludes. The American viewers instantly jumped into the comment section to defend their beloved fried pickles and root beers.

@one.cray.mama wrote, "Because, in America, we fry all things. Fried pickles, Oreos, buggies, corn dogs, fries. We like the fried." @heatherxnicolee explained, "The reason why people make and eat fried pickles is because it's good. No other explanation." @thatgaptoothedbitch added, "The bubble gum into Coca-Cola is the best description I've ever heard for root beer flavor, hahaha. I hate root beer so much." Maybe Christine won't get used to these peculiar American fast-food favorites anytime soon.

You can follow Christine (@gretagauthier) on TikTok for lifestyle-based content.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on February 6, 2024. It has since been updated.