Originally Posted by spare_wheel

1. When I travel in Germany (or the UK) the thing I miss the most is the diversity of beer that is common in the PNW. Even dive bars in PDX often have a dozen beers on tap. Moreover, there are entire categories of ale that are simply not to be found in Europe (unless imported). When it comes to beer innovation and variety there is no place in the world that is the equal of the PNW.

http://beermapping.com/maps/citymaps...4206542969&z=6

2. While I agree that USAnian fast food sucks, the USA is nation of large cities with some of the best food in the world. IMO, the best examples of syncretism in Europe pale in comparison to the way USAnians have adopted and adapted chinese, mexican, salvadorian, japanese, korean, thai, lebanese, vietnamese, cuban, etc. And then there are the great regional cuisines of the USA (e.g new mexican, tex-mex, creole, deep south, SF chinese, north east italian, "kali"fornian etc). Try telling the average euro that the burrito is a purely USAnian food...

A specific example:
When I have lived or travelled in Europe for a period, the very first thing I do when I return to the USA is pig out on Thai. There are 5 Thai restaurants within a 10 minute walk of my home that are far better than any I've been to in Europe. There are dozens of Thai restaurants within walking distance of my home.