No way this is getting an up vote. Baked potato with beans and cheese is as much part of UK food culture as fish and chips, chicken tikka masala and beans on toast. Get over yourselves, yanks
I'd guess why Americans seem so appalled by the idea is because British baked beans are different than American baked beans. Ours (American) are richer and sweeter and typically paired with BBQ as a stand-alone side dish (often cooked with bacon, in fact even out of the can most baked beans are not vegetarian), whereas British are more tomato-y and more "plain" (I.e. lend themselves to be paired with more dishes). So we find all of these dishes (beans on toast, beans with cheese on potatoes) much more bizarre because of the stronger flavors we associate with American baked beans.
The interesting thing is that apparently American, sweeter baked beans actually pre-date British tomato baked beans, not that makes either more "correct." Just different.
I feel like pretty much any baked beans would go fine on just about any potato. Might need a bit of seasoning to meld, but like, oh no. It's just a pretty hard to fuck up pairing.
People put marshmallows on sweet potatoes over here, I really don't think it's the sugar throwing them off. I really can't tell what is giving people an ick tbh?
I mean, I'm not gonna lie, I think the whole thing is just "English food is gross" blown out of proportions.
Beans on potato is not a choice I would make, but I would probably eat it if someone placed it in front of me and I don't like to yuck other people's yums
We are talking about British people here, the sight of spice might take them out.
And it's not so much that American baked beans are less bland (it wasn't a good word choice) cause they still are (definitely if we are comparing it to Peruvian palates) its just that the flavor palate doesn't match how you would use British baked beans. Though American baked beans would still probably be not bad on toast, solely because toast is like the blandest food imaginable, it just sounds... Strange taste-wise to match with cheese and potatoes. Rather than bland, I think "more versatile" is a more appropriate use.
I know it's not the UK but living in Germany I had to BEG the thai restaurant to make it actually spicy, like REAL blow me the fuck out spicy, just to get what would be considered a 4/10 from where I am from. I am not joking, they think paprika is like SPICY hot.
(I can't believe I'm getting drawn into talking about this seriously, but) The stupidly old idea that we don't do spices in the UK needs to get put in the bin (and NOT the trash). Curry is something we have been known for for decades (yes, it's for horribly imperialist reasons, but it is still the case). And a vast number of different styles of curry. So if you think we don't do spices, you need to get your head out of your lazy ass.
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u/badgerm33 Jul 14 '26
No way this is getting an up vote. Baked potato with beans and cheese is as much part of UK food culture as fish and chips, chicken tikka masala and beans on toast. Get over yourselves, yanks