AS American as Apple Pie.

couldn't tell you. I never use ketchup if I have barbecue sauce available. - which I do eat on my hot dogs along with mustard, grilled onions, and relish.

I have developed a method to cook a "spaghetti construction kit" which is the most un-italian pasta in existence in a Bundeswehr cooking utensils on a running engine within 10 minutes. And it's way better than the simple rations we were issued. Even our parrot refused to eat the biscuits. He soaked them and then dropped them into the face of our dog, I think the parrot liked the sound of it because I can't explain why he always aimed very, very carefully. But those biscuits are a fine torch after you smeared shoe cream on them.

perhaps the most unitalian thing passed off as spaghetti - though I think spaghettios might give it a run for its money. interestingly, Chef Boyardee was the FIRST ready made spaghetti product made in the US, and at that time was considered to be gourmet quality.

for the most unitalian pasta, it is a tossup between Spider Casserole (mix cooked pasta, chili, hamburger, split olives, and mozzarella) and picnic pasta salad (American style potato salad with pasta instead of potatoes)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaghettiOs

It appears to depend on the interpretation. one site seems to label the properly made sauce as curryketchup; which implies there is a commercially made product that is inferior.

The reason is that the inventor had patented it and a famous ketchup company offered "curry flavoured spicy ketchup" labeld "Curryketchup". The original recipe was a "company secret" and people without any sense of taste used this Curryketchup for their homemade Currywurst. The patent ran out about 20 years ago so now you can get the real thing at "every corner".

nope. closest I've had to that is corned beef and that is quite distant. on the other hand, it is pretty likely that you have never had proper American biscuits & gravy. (based on the fact my good authority is still trying to find good american style sausage to make it with)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biscuits_and_gravy

Lightworks send your friend a small bag of Leggs #10 seasoning and have them add it to some plain (fatty) ground pork. I used to buy a mix from a guy on ebay to use with venison that was real good, he only sells prepackaged stuff now because the state made him stop selling his own. Last time I bought it he told me that he added a little bit of dry coffee creamer as a binder and added a few more spices. But I just use the Leggs like it is and it is fine.

One bonus of having the mix is adding a spoonful to your gravy. It really makes it pop.

that seems to be another case of the easterners thinking they speak for the whole country.

Actually there is no "one" proper white gravy or sausage gravy. It's really just what one grew up with or learned (or didnt learn) to make from scratch.

White gravy or sausage gravy, to be as "simple" as they are, ingredients wise, are not easy to make. My wife never learned to make it without it being all lumpy, my daughter makes it to thin. My mother in law usually makes it good, but does have the occasional batch that comes out wrong. My mother always makes good gravy, as she also has the knowledge and experience of how to "fix it" when something goes wrong.

The differences being, my mother grew up when fixing gravy was an everyday thing and she carried this on through to this present day.

My mother in law is 20 years younger than my mother, while she did lots of cooking when young, she went to work and didnt cook gravy very much for years, so gravy became kind of a "special treat" for when family was visiting.

My wife and daughter grew up with gravy being a "special treat", so have not really had much practice at it.

When I want good gravy, I have to go to Momma's house, though my mother in laws is a close second.