Americans lose it over very Aussie chicken salt ask in the US

An Aussie woman has shared a video of the culture shocks she’s experienced since moving to the US a few months ago.

The expat, who goes by the name ‘Kiz’ on TikTok, listed several things she did not expect after relocating to Hawaii – including them not having (or knowing) what chicken salt is and how they call burgers, sandwiches.

“They don’t have chicken salt here. Like, you get fish and chips and they have normal salt on it,” Kiz said in the clip.

She also said when ordering a chicken burger, “everyone laughed at her”.

“They don’t call it a chicken burger, they call it a chicken sandwich. A chicken burger from McDonalds or from anywhere with buns – that’s called a chicken sandwich.”

The video, which has gone viral with more than 1.2 million views, has attracted hundreds of comments from Americans expressing their confusion over chicken salt.

“What in the world is chicken salt lol,” one viewer wrote. Other Americans were also confused before some Aussies chimed in to explain its chicken-flavoured salt.

“Are you doing OK there? No chicken salt? I mean lol,” one TikToker joked.

“Ship me over some please,” Kiz responded.

“No chicken salt? I’m never going unless I can take a suitcase of it with me,” said another Aussie.

One woman wrote that when she asked for chicken salt she was met with a confused look.

“And we were confused [because] they didn't’ have it LOL,” she added.

One TikToker pointed out it’s not available in the US because “it is an Aussie thing”.

“Yep I’m an Aussie living in Alberta Canada! I get my dad to send me chicken salt.”

As the Australian Food Timeline puts it: “Chicken salt is as Australian as Vegemite, although with a shorter history.

“It was invented by Peter Brinkworth in the early 1970s, as a seasoning for the roast chickens he sold in his Gawler, South Australia, chicken shop,” it states on its site.

“The Mitani family bought Brinkworth’s business in 1979 and, with it, acquired the recipe for chicken salt.”

And since then the seasoning has gone on to become the preferred sprinkle for hot chips across Australia.

“In 1979, Mitani began to sell the product commercially to the takeaway food industry.”

Meanwhile, Kiz also mentioned several other culture shocks such as how Americans don’t sign off a message with an ‘x’ (kiss).

“’X’s are not a thing. Don’t text your friends ‘x’ in America they don’t know what it means,” she said. “They don’t do a sign-off like we do.”

She also mentioned a key difference with zebra crossings (which Americans call a crosswalk).

“Cars will not stop for you unless you wait. Like you cannot just walk along there like you can in Australia [or] you will get hit by a car.”

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“What’s zebra crossing?? What’s chicken salt? What is the X for???? Help,” another baffled foreigner asked.

The TikToker also had to point out how “amazing” Target is in the US.

“[It’s] life-changing. They have so many cool things like big brands. It’s a new world.”

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