British influencer Joshua Cauldwell, who goes by @imjoshfromengland2 on TikTok, recently published a video in which he ran down the three most-disgusting-looking American foods that are actually delicious. Some of his picks may surprise (or repulse) you.
Working from the least-gross option to the most vile, Cauldwell first named fairground-staple corndogs. “Let’s be honest, they do not look appetizing at all,” he told viewers. “But the minute you dip it in some mustard or ketchup, it tastes absolutely wonderful!”
Next on the list is gumbo, the hearty shellfish-and-meat stew which originated in Louisiana. “When I first had it,” Cauldwell recalled, “I thought the guy in the back had just scooped it out of the bin—out of a trash can. However, it tastes divine.”
The most nauseating American food is biscuits and gravy. “This straight up looks like vomit, mate,” Cauldwell said of the Southern staple. Despite its appearance, he had high praise for the breakfast dish. “You try it and it’s incredible…This is the best American food!”
As it happens, the dish is experiencing a bit of a cultural renaissance. According to Taste Wise’s 2023 analytic report on the dish, “social conversations about biscuits and gravy have increased by 9.64 percent over the past year.”
Midlands-native Cauldwell confirmed to Men’s Journal that a recent road trip across the States marked the first time he tried any of the foods mentioned in the video. He spent a month driving across the country, starting in Arizona and hitting at least 16 different states on the way to New York City.
“I’ve tried the generic American snacks,” Cauldwell told us, “but the actual dishes from the States I’d never tried before.” He noted that concoctions like gumbo or biscuits and gravy simply aren’t offered in England. “In the U.K., we’re not big enough for the culture and the foods to be so different.”
Talking about his favorite dishes to eat back home, Cauldwell rained praise upon beans on toast, a concept he acknowledges most Americans “can’t grasp.” To hear him describe it though, beans on toast sounds pretty tasty.
“You put your toast in the toaster, you get your beans, you chuck some cheese in there. You put the cheesy beans on top of the toast, and to top it off, you have a proper British cup of tea,” Cauldwell explained of the process.
It’s an act of heresy, however, to add bacon or any other breakfast meat, which ruins the purity of beans on toast. “Absolutely not! I know Americans love to spice things up with bacon and go above and beyond, but sometimes less is more. I think as far as we go is putting the cheese in the beans.”
Cauldwell paused for a moment before adding: “But look, as a Brit, who am I to talk about seasoning? What I learned when I went to America was that us Brits do not know how to season our food.”
