Americans and Canadians culture Q&A Thread.

[Frozen Canuck]

That might actually save them

Well, I was going to make these, but with my husband saying he doesn't like them and your overwhelming enthusiasm, I think I will just pick a single cookie up at the bakery first. I would hate to have a couple of dozen cookies sitting around that nobody wants to touch. Buzz had me halfway convinced to just buy the Costco-sized package. Ha!

 

[EACarlson]

I've had Black and White cookies in Minneapolis, didn't care for them and don't buy them on kind of regular basis.

 

[SirDuff]

Well, I was going to make these, but with my husband saying he doesn't like them and your overwhelming enthusiasm, I think I will just pick a single cookie up at the bakery first. I would hate to have a couple of dozen cookies sitting around that nobody wants to touch. Buzz had me halfway convinced to just buy the Costco-sized package. Ha!

You and I may not share the same taste - and clearly many people do like them

I didn’t really like the texture but I also rarely like cookies/baked goods with either lemon or almond extracts (and these usually have one or both).

But, yes, maybe pick up just one first (plus, a small bakery probably makes things better than mass-produciton at Costco).

 

[RedAngie]

There was a Federal office in charge of guiding the US into the metric system, but the Reagan administration shut it down.

Ah, so that’s how it happened. I only vaguely remember that in the early 80s the push to go metric suddenly vanished.

 

[Buzz Rules]

No - but perhaps there a variations that do have jam in them.

They are a thick white cookie (in my experience with lemon, almond, and/or vanilla flavouring) that is somewhat cakey in texture (not like a cupcake, but a somewhat cakey cookie) . And the icing is half chocolate (black) and half vanilla (white).

As far as I know (i.e. what I’ve been told and seen in recipes) is that they are a Northeast US thing, not a US-wide thing, staring in New York City (I think). But, again, in Buzz’s world, what happens in his area can be generalizable to the entire country.

I said Tri-State, not the whole country. And yes, it’s more of a Northeastern USA thing. There are many versions of the cookie as I said (because it has evolved with different American cultures having their own take on it). I live in the real world @SirDuff , not in a crazy fantasyland. The cookie means a lot to many in Tri-State (NY, CT, NJ) area (and yes some people hate them too).

 

[SirDuff]

I said Tri-State, not the whole country. And yes, it’s more of a Northeastern USA thing. There are many versions of the cookie as I said (because it has evolved with different American cultures having their own take on it). I live in the real world @SirDuff , not in a crazy fantasyland. The cookie means a lot to many in Tri-State (NY, CT, NJ) area (and yes some people hate them too).

You're right, I apologise, I did miss that, in a later post, you did specify tri-state. I was going based on this post, where you refered to as "classic American cookie":

I did post some on my edited post on the previous page, if you’re interested. There’s no real wrong way to make this classic American cookie. It was one of my favorite desserts as a kid. I hope you and your family enjoy them just as much.

But can you clarify what you mean about "different American cultures"? Different cultures in the US, I understand. But not sure what you mean by different American cultures.

 

[RedAngie]

Ooooh, I wanted to love this but the best I could end up giving you was a like . Points were lost when Regina, the capital city of Saskatchewan, was pronounced Ree-Geena instead of Ree-G-eye-na (hard I sound; yes, it does rhyme with a ladypart).

I have an Aunt Regina and it’s pronounced Ree-Geena. I never heard the rhymes-with-a-ladypart pronunciation until I was maybe 15 and a NHL announcer said such-and-such defenseman played juniors in the capital of Saskatchewan.

And speaking of the ladypart pronunciation. At the 4:29 mark.

 

[declansdad]

Are they the ones with jam in the middle?

Are you thinking about jam jams?

 

[SirDuff]

Are you thinking about jam jams?

You mean jelly bellies

 

[Buzz Rules]

You're right, I apologise, I did miss that, in a later post, you did specify tri-state. I was going based on this post, where you refered to as "classic American cookie":



But can you clarify what you mean about "different American cultures"? Different cultures in the US, I understand. But not sure what you mean by different American cultures.

Sometimes Italian-Americans have a different take on the recipe than Anglo-Americans for example. Different areas of the USA were influenced mostly by particular ethnicities of Europe. A PA-Dutch person may think of the cookie differently locally than a NYC person. It’s an American invention and is classified as an American classic because many know of it through pop culture.

 

[Buzz Rules]

 

[ronandannette]

Are you thinking about jam jams?

What the heck?!? Look at the size of those cookies! Who eats a cookie that big? Are these Canadian or American? Our portions here are generally bigger than they need to be but I've been served enough food for three people, while travelling in the States. These cookies are like that. I've often heard that becoming accustomed to inappropriate portioning in restaurants has been a contributing factor to the obesity epidemic. Why? Just why...

P.S. You wouldn't know they were ridiculously big if it wasn't for the lady's hand there for scale.

 

[SirDuff]

Sometimes Italian-Americans have a different take on the recipe than Anglo-Americans for example.

Sure, but I wouldn't call those "different American cultures". They are different cultures (non-American in origin) that are now in the US.

 

[SirDuff]

What the heck?!? Look at the size of those cookies! Who eats a cookie that big? Are these Canadian or American? Our portions here are generally bigger than they need to be but I've been served enough food for three people, while travelling in the States. These cookies are like that. I've often heard that becoming accustomed to inappropriate portioning in restaurants has been a contributing factor to the obesity epidemic. Why? Just why...

P.S. You wouldn't know they were ridiculously big if it wasn't for the lady's hand there for scale.

Wow, I didn't even notice. Maybe it's a small child's hand?

 

[SirDuff]

Wow, I didn't even notice. Maybe it's a small child's hand?

Looks like it came from here - https://theeastcoastkitchen.com/newfoundland-jam-jams/ so it is Canadian (Newfie).

The recipe (annoyingly) doesn't say what sized cookie cutter to use.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Sure, but I wouldn't call those "different American cultures". They are different cultures (non-American in origin) that are now in the US.

Would you say Italian-American culture for example is seen as different to Italian-Canadian culture? For the record, I get what you mean. I think it’s just the difference between the American melting pot and Canadian mosaic.

 

[declansdad]

You mean jelly bellies

Nope, jam jams.

 

[declansdad]

What the heck?!? Look at the size of those cookies! Who eats a cookie that big? Are these Canadian or American? Our portions here are generally bigger than they need to be but I've been served enough food for three people, while travelling in the States. These cookies are like that. I've often heard that becoming accustomed to inappropriate portioning in restaurants has been a contributing factor to the obesity epidemic. Why? Just why...

P.S. You wouldn't know they were ridiculously big if it wasn't for the lady's hand there for scale.

There really aren't that big, not the ones we have. I think that hand belongs to a child.

We had these a lot as kids growing up in NB and I know they are popular in Newfoundland.

 

[prairie_girl]

Are you thinking about jam jams?

Yeah, that’s what I was thinking of.

Would you say Italian-American culture for example is seen as different to Italian-Canadian culture? For the record, I get what you mean. I think it’s just the difference between the American melting pot and Canadian mosaic.

As far as my experiences, people here don’t really say Italian-Canadian or Irish-Canadian or whatever-Canadian. I would never call myself an Australian-Canadian. I’m ‘just’ Canadian. Just like Joe

 

[Buzz Rules]

Well, I was going to make these, but with my husband saying he doesn't like them and your overwhelming enthusiasm, I think I will just pick a single cookie up at the bakery first. I would hate to have a couple of dozen cookies sitting around that nobody wants to touch. Buzz had me halfway convinced to just buy the Costco-sized package. Ha!

Well if you do have a lot of extras, you could just send them to me.