It’s hard to stomach idea food in US is more expensive and worse than over here
Re Henryk Belda’s letter about poor quality, even potentially dangerous food in America is taking a very narrow view of that massive country (5 June). Just because he found supermarkets in Omaha, Nebraska were below par he assumes it must be the same all over the Us a.i have never been to omaha to shop for food so cannot comment specifically on that city’s shops but I have been in supermarkets in a number of states in the Midwest, on the East Coast and many times in Southern California and have always found their produce excellent in every way.
There are, of course, variations in prices, but very few, if any, products, are more expensive than here, however. Not once, anywhere I visited in the States , was I warned off any supermarket food by friends and relatives because of “what might be in it”.
As for Henryk’s cousins looking pallid and less healthy than he does, I’m pretty sure that has nothing to do with US food per se, but possibly, and with the greatest of respect, more to do with their diet. I have close family and friends in places in the Midwest including Lincoln, Nebraska and the Boston area and they are all extremely fit and healthy.
DOUGLAS S BRUCE Foster Road, Penicuik
Hendryk Belda’s letter greatly puzzles me, particularly his claim that food in the US is very expensive.
I was a regular twice-yearly visitor to locations all over the US for about 30-odd years.
There was always,of course, plenty of junk food around, as there is here in the UK, but if you wanted to eat a bit more healthily and fussily there was limitless choice of high quality produce at incredibly low prices compared with the UK. Can you imagine, for example, a four course dinner, with the main course being a full Maine lobster, for $8, and with free pre-drinks and wine available?
Incredible as it seems I once had that when visiting a colleague at Cornell University.
Another time I can remember attending a ‘No Host’ dinner (American jargon for pay your own bill) in a fancy riverside restaurant in Florida when some of the US contingent complained about the prices (averaging about $15 for a four-course steak dinner) and even at the end of my visits about 20 years ago a hotel eat as much as you like buffet breakfast was still only about $5 or $6. (DR) A MCCORMICK
Kirkland Road Terregles, Dumfries