10 Common US Foods That Seriously Amazed World Cup Visitors

In a surprise World Cup twist, U.S. food has been at the center of fan discourse during the tournament so far. Among negative stories about overzealous U.S. border control and expensive match tickets, international reactions to very normal foods in the country hosting the most World Cup matches have provided much-needed comic relief.

Visitors' clear delight at their discoveries in the United States — from Buc-ee's to Waffle House and the very existence of ice machines — has made some Americans feel strangely ... proud? Quoted in USA Today, a Texas lawyer summed it up with, "It's made me realize we do have culture. Some of it's weird, but it's still culture."

While international soccer fans losing their mind over ranch and Big Gulps is undeniably funny, it's also very genuine. And as a Brit who moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains without ever having set foot on U.S. soil before, I should know how shocking and delightful that first taste of U.S. (food) culture can be for people in possession of "the European mind."

Did Ranchgate start when Elsa, a Swedish visitor to Indiana, made a post on X? "Why did no one tell me ranch sauce is like crack?" she asked, before declaring, "EUROPE WE NEED RANCH ASAP." Clearly, her words struck a chord with her fellow Europeans. So many travelers flying home from the U.S. were attempting to transport ranch in their hand luggage that security staff noticed a trend. 

As ranch is notoriously a liquid, TSA put out statements reminding ranch-lovers to pack the sauce in their checked luggage. Kraft saw this as an opportunity and recently introduced ranch travel kits designed for getting through TSA. Perhaps Europeans don't know they can make endless varieties of ranch at home.

Europeans visiting The Windy City have been sampling Chicago-style pizza, Chicago beef sandwiches, and popular menu items at Portillo's, a historic spot with a lengthy menu of Chi-town classics. While reviews have largely been favorable, one German soccer fan, @fiago7 on X, described Portillo's cake-filled milkshakes as "ridiculous."

Some Americans have been blindsided by the way Buc-ee's has grabbed visitors' attention. Quoted in The Hill, soccer author Andrés Martinez said, "I have to say, I'm surprised that one of the stars so far of this World Cup is Buc-ee's." As a late adopter of U.S. culture myself, I'm not!

In a country built for road trips, it makes sense that a ridiculously large and kitschy gas station like Buc-ee's has become such a cult hit. For visiting soccer fans, the sheer size of these travel centers has proved a shock. A British visitor said on Instagram, "Guys, I wasn't expecting this, it's like its own universe."

Americans visiting Europe are guaranteed to do two things — somehow see eight countries in one frantic week, and complain about not getting enough ice in their drinks. Perhaps they're hot from all that running around? Ice is less omnipresent in Europe because restaurants and hotels on the continent don't usually have ice machines. 

Also, maybe this is just me, but constant brain freezes don't seem like a good time. Apparently, some soccer fans feel different. A Scottish tourist in the U.S. posted a video of an ice dispenser on Facebook and declared, "OH WOW this has just changed my entire way of thinking and I won't ever look back."

Yeah, Big Gulps live up to their name. They're absolutely massive — more a challenge than a refreshment. X user @BRFCJohn loves them anyway, saying, rather Britishly, "Not gonna lie, Big Gulps from 7/11 are easily one of my favourite things I've discovered in America so far." They're probably impressed by the ice, as well as the mammoth proportions.

German soccer fan @FreddyLA7 on X declared Taco Bell "the holy land." Obviously, everyone loves Taco Bell. But we don't love it because it's good ... we love it because it's Taco Bell. 

While this distinction may be difficult for Europeans to grasp, they don't actually have to visit the U.S. to research its subtleties. The Mexican-inspired fast food chain has branches in several European countries, including the U.K., Spain, and the Netherlands.

Chipotle is another U.S. chain that has been dipping its toes into European markets, but currently there are only branches in England, France, and Germany. This leaves plenty of Europe lacking Mexican-inspired burrito bowls, and various World Cup visitors waxing lyrical about the not-quite-fast-food restaurant. In fact, according to the New York Times, one Glaswegian tourist went as far as to say, "It's like my one true American love."

"Scones and mushrooms for breakfast?" was the incredulous caption to a post from an English X user. And the photo? It was vats of biscuits and gravy, of course. The mushrooms may be a figment of the user's imagination, but in the U.K., gravy is a dark, meaty jus, not a light-colored, creamy sauce.  

Then there's the biscuits and scones debate. There are a few differences between scones and American biscuits, but they're minimal. Don't get me started on U.S. scones, U.K. biscuits, and U.S. cookies, though. Seriously, we'd be here until the World Cup final.

This is one soccer fan obsession that's completely understandable. For international visitors, a late-night Waffle House feels like the America promised in movies, on television, and in that one Edward Hopper painting.

With this in mind, it isn't surprising that German X user @FreddyLA7 posted excitedly about their first trip to Waffle House. In their brief review, they concluded, "10/10, we will be coming back." The post has gained the enthusiastic tourist half a million new followers and a luxury Houston hotel room for the June 14 Germany match courtesy of ex-NFL player J.J. Watt.

Okay, it's not a U.S. food that visitors were newly introduced to, but soccer fans in Boston proved to have a deeper love of beer than anyone expected. Specifically, Scottish visitors shocked the city with their drinking prowess. The Tartan Army put away four times the amount of lager the Boston Sam Adams Taproom usually sells and nearly cleared out beer in other pubs and bars across the city, causing something of a lager emergency. The Scots do have standards, though, and left the Bud Light well alone.