There are some things you just don’t do in front of certain people. You don’t bring up pineapple on pizza in a room full of Italians. You don’t ask a Texan if they’ve ever tried tofu brisket. And apparently, in America, there are plenty of equally sacred food rules that, if broken, might get you side-eyed, disowned, or politely asked to leave the cookout.
Someone on Reddit asked, “What is the American equivalent to breaking spaghetti in front of Italians?” and the responses were a mix of hilarious, oddly specific, and deeply patriotic in a ketchup-on-hot-dogs kind of way.
Here are some of the most passionately American culinary crimes people just can’t tolerate.