I'm an Aussie, and had landed in America for a holiday. Was really hungry and figured I'd just get a Quarter Pounder meal from Maccas at the airport. Order a Large meal because that's what I'd normally get at home. They bring out like a litre of coke, a gigantic box of fries, and the burger. It was absolutely atrocious.
Many many years ago. I did some work in Texas. We go into this sit down place. Now, having been caught by the huge portions a previous evening I'm cautious. I just order a chicken burger. The waitress is all like "Oh are you sure, just the chicken burger on its own?" I'm thinking, oh well maybe things are normal size at this place. I order some fries to go with it.
Some time later the chicken burger arrives completely filling the full size plate it came on, and the fries came on an entirely separate plate.
I'm not a small guy, but I could not eat all that.
It's funny, because usually when the fries aren't included at a sit-down place it's because the restaurant is trying to squeeze a couple extra dollars out of you (maybe the sandwich is $2 cheaper than you'd expect but then you pay $5 for the fries because of course you want fries!). That stinginess mentality seems to go hand in hand with a smaller than average sandwich. But maybe my fat American ass can't scale portion sizes.
No, this is the thing. Compared to UK prices it was ridiculously cheap. In fact even when you add the higher expected tip it was cheap. And it was actually very nice. Just, so much food!
I once got a burger at South of the Border or smth like that in New Jersey. It was fucking huge and everybody including the waitress commented on how I ate with a fork and knife because it was just impossible to eat otherwise. And I ended up only eating half of it, because I was absolutely full. Insane portion sizes.
Jersey knows how to sandwich. Cannot f with Hoagies.
We went into a Jersey Mike's chain there. Have the same chain at home (not New Jersey)
I ordered a whole sub, they just piled the meat on. More and more. The sub cost $26. It was amazing though.
I went to a location in my home state, it was the same sub but like normal portions of meat. "Wait, I just had one of these in Jersey and it was like massive, what do I have to do to get one like that?" "Ohh you want double meat?" "double, triple, whatever they do up there, that was amazing"
Not everything you read and hear is true, either way - I was not prepared for that much of a difference. This was like 10 years ago mind you, so the difference is either far less or much worse.
I am a 'big' man and I would say that where things peaked in American culture as far as ridiculous sizes go was when a Starbucks-like chain operating in Florida was offering a 42-ounce version of a frappucino-type drink that Starbucks only provided a 24-ounce version of, this was shortly before Super Size Me came out which started to change the culture on those things.