True. But I think most Australians would eat Marmite as a substitute for Vegemite. Marmite has always seemed milder and sweeter to me than Vegemite. I like both, when I lived in the UK I ate Marmite mostly. Hershey's on the other hand just tastes weird. If I had not known about this sour milk process I would have taken it back and asked for a refund because it was off.

Sees??? IMHO, it’s mediocre, just another American mass produced product. Not sure why people think it’s so good. Also, not sure why it’s pricey and why people would pay those prices, especially at an airport kiosk. I typically only buy from small shops that don’t market to the masses. I’ve tried many chocolate shops around the world and have my favorites in various international cities.

As far as cheese, I agree that Europe has a lot of great cheeses, but so does the U.S. now. Try some from Jasper Hill Farm, Cypress Grove & Cowgirl Creamery.

I'd dispute that Sees is mediocre, its not fine chocolate for sure but, it seems to be as good as it gets in America.

When I think of See's, I don't think of chocolate, rather "chocolates", being some sort of filling covered with chocolate. In that regard, I think they're solid, but by no means the best in the US. Ben Heggy's in NE Ohio, is far superior, especially their chocolate covered nuts. I'm sure there are other local chocolatiers in the US who make an outstanding product.

Budweiser, Kraft american cheese, and Hershey chocolate may be the most popular American made beers, cheese, and chocolate, but they are far from being the best. The best American microbrews, artisanal cheese, and chocolate would fare well against the best that the rest of the world has to offer.

Agreed Hershey’s is not real chocolate. We have a lot of fantastic (real) craft chocolate makers here in the US however. Dick Taylor, Raaka, Ritual, (my favorite) Fruition, etc.

I also love Soma which comes from our neighbors to the north.

Long story short...we do have some fantastic chocolate makers here in the US!

I think See’s is a fairly solid company for chocolate. Not $50 a pound stuff, but tasty, and good quality. I buy their $50 gift cards at Costco before going on a trip, and will buy custom picked boxes for gifts. They also have $5 off $25 or $30 coupons 3-4 times a year, to bring the cost down.

While you can get some decent cheaper stuff at Costco, in 2-2.5 pound containers, See’s taste and quality hits the spot for me.

What is artisanal for you, is practically mainstream quality here in Europe.

We're so deprived.

David

See's uses Guittard chocolate for the actual chocolate, so that part of the confections is of very high quality and flavo(u)r. I grew up eating that stuff, and didn't know how good I had it until someone brought a box of Whitman's Sampler over.

For the "drug store" candy, it was always Nestle over Hershey.

I’ve given up on milk chocolate, as several years ago it started ripping up my stomach (and often my throat) every time I ate it. Brand doesn’t matter - Swiss and Belgian are as bad as American in this respect.

Dark chocolate is more tolerable, although it can cause problems, too - and more unpredictably.

I had to give up brownies and chocolate chip cookies as well, and am wise not to eat chocolate cake or ice cream (but the latter two are also variable in their effects).

😕

(Bolding is mine)

Not even close.

Ok. Give me the name of a mainstream chocolate producer in the US that produces quality chocolate please.

Are you speaking of a chocolate producer, or a confectioner producer? Big big difference.
Mass produced bean to bar chocolate - Guittard and Ghirardelli (currently owned by Lindt) make quite respectable quality chocolate.
Confections make with chocolate? That's another world.

Sorry, I wish I could, but I gave up on mainstream chocolate years ago. When I travel, I seek out the small chocolate shops that make their own. I’ve even flown to Belgium for the sole purpose of going to my two favorite shops in Bruges for a dark chocolate fix.

Fair enough. And Bruges is a cute town, its been more than 20 years since I've been, I really ought to take wife and daughter sometime.