European woman skeptical about American food in NYC restaurant. Then she takes her first bite: ‘I think they made a mistake’

Trying local food can sometimes be as memorable as seeing the sights. A Slavic woman visiting a New York City restaurant learned that firsthand after briefly thinking her order had been mixed up, only to discover she had been served one of America’s best-known comfort foods.

The video posted on Anastasia Fedko‘s TikTok shows her dining at a restaurant where she looked down at her plate and thought something was wrong with her order. “I think they made a mistake,,” she said. Asked why, she replied, “I have chicken in my waffle.” The person filming quickly reassured her that there had been no mix-up, explaining, “Yeah, that’s. That’s a dish.”

The explanation did little to change her mind. Looking at the combination, the woman insisted, “Look, you cannot mix sweet things and chicken.” Her companion disagreed without hesitation, replying, “Yes, you can. It’s delicious.” 

The American dish behind the combination

Still unconvinced, she joked about what other combinations might come next, asking, “What’s next? Turkey cake?” before adding, “Pork and banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery.” Rather than rejecting the suggestion outright, the person behind the camera laughed and answered, “Yeah, go for it.”

Chicken and waffles has been a fixture on American menus for decades, particularly at brunch spots and restaurants serving Southern-inspired food. Although its exact origins remain debated, the dish is widely known for pairing crispy fried chicken with waffles, butter, and maple syrup. For many diners, that mix of sweet and savory is exactly the appeal.

First impressions do not always tell the full story when it comes to food. Earlier, another creator found himself surprised after giving an empty restaurant a chance, only to leave impressed by both the food and the owners’ hospitality.

The creator eventually decided to give it a chance. After taking her first bite, she admitted, “Yeah, it’s not too bad,” prompting the person filming to reply, “It’s really good.” From there, the comments became a mix of people defending the dish and others admitting they would have reacted the same way.

Many commenters shared food combinations that seem perfectly ordinary where they live but unusual elsewhere. One of the most-liked responses read, “in Indonesia, we mix chocolate & cheese,” a comment that drew more than 24,000 likes.

Others couldn’t believe the creator had never encountered chicken and waffles before. “Chicken and waffles..?” one viewer wrote alongside a reaction image, while another joked, “wait until she hears about a Hawaiian pizza.”

Not everyone defended the American staple. One commenter sided with the creator’s first impression, writing, “Actually that’s weird,” while another simply added, “I agree with her.” Some viewers offered their own compromise instead of rejecting the pairing entirely. “I would eat the waffles first then the chicken ngl,” one person suggested.

Food combinations often make more sense once they’re part of the local culture. Sweet-and-savory dishes appear in cuisines around the world, though the ingredients vary widely from place to place. What seems unusual to a first-time visitor can be an everyday comfort food somewhere else, whether it’s chicken and waffles in the United States or traditional British black pudding across the Atlantic.