In general, Asian cuisine has strong-tasting meals, but very mild desserts. Pepper-oil-soaked spicy noodles... with three-milk-pudding for dessert, to calm the taste buds from the meal. That kind of philosophy.
It's beyond just some culinary stereotypes, though. Cola in Asia has less sweetener (be it sugar or corn syrup equivalent) than in North America or Europe, and generally speaking, the people there have a much lower tolerance for sugar, and find western things to range from "very" to "too" sweet.
Europe is generally, stereotypically speaking, the opposite. Boiled beef and mashed potatoes... With dessert of sticky toffee pudding, covered in caramel and iced cream.
America, land of the cultural melting pot, went "why not both?". American culinary norms can be summarized as "more". Not just more serving size, but more flavor. The spiciest foods in the world? American-made. The sweetest? American. Biggest servings? You betcha. American food is a brawl, a contest to punch you in the face with the most "more". It's not just some ribs, it has three sauces, each made from different smoked woods, spiced with different peppers, and sweetened with different sugars! ...And the ribs were smoked in a fourth wood. And dessert is a 7-tier fudge cake, deep-fried and covered in strawberry liquers.
In general, Asian cuisine has strong-tasting meals, but very mild desserts. Pepper-oil-soaked spicy noodles... with three-milk-pudding for dessert, to calm the taste buds from the meal. That kind of philosophy.
It's beyond just some culinary stereotypes, though. Cola in Asia has less sweetener (be it sugar or corn syrup equivalent) than in North America or Europe, and generally speaking, the people there have a much lower tolerance for sugar, and find western things to range from "very" to "too" sweet.
Europe is generally, stereotypically speaking, the opposite. Boiled beef and mashed potatoes... With dessert of sticky toffee pudding, covered in caramel and iced cream.
America, land of the cultural melting pot, went "why not both?". American culinary norms can be summarized as "more". Not just more serving size, but more flavor. The spiciest foods in the world? American-made. The sweetest? American. Biggest servings? You betcha. American food is a brawl, a contest to punch you in the face with the most "more". It's not just some ribs, it has three sauces, each made from different smoked woods, spiced with different peppers, and sweetened with different sugars! ...And the ribs were smoked in a fourth wood. And dessert is a 7-tier fudge cake, deep-fried and covered in strawberry liquers.