Not for the first time, I pondered the conundrum of hailing from a world superpower and showing disgust when told that Johnny Rockets represents my nation's food in other countries, while at the same time not being able to name a single truly American dish. Traditional southern food was my first thought, but it's all fried. And fried food is hardly a type of cuisine. Just like our language, it seems American food is just an amalgamation of ideas stolen and altered.
I have never been particularly patriotic, but I find as I learn more about other cultures, I am becoming more and more proud of my homeland. So it is with some gusto that I have set out to find signature American dishes, perhaps enough to form a coherent body of cuisine, sort of like a portfolio of food.
Can YOU help me out? What IS American Food?
(Sidenote: If you say "hamburger" or "french fries," you are disqualified from further suggestions! These are the foods everyone thinks are American, but I am trying to prove that there is much more. Besides, both those foods are named after other places in the world, so they can't be very American, can they?)
2 comments:
Corn. Its one of the only crops indigenious to North America, and let me tell you we use it well. Corn Chowder, Corn fritters, Corn bread, corn chips... PLus if you think about other ethnic cuisines, corn really isn't present in them (with an exception of mexican cuisine) its kinda unique to us.
I am sure there is others, but corn is all I got for you for now. :)
First of all it's comforting to know that you are both no longer an ocean away.
About American food. It's not really so awful that we value the food of so many cultures and make it our own. We aren't that old. The food wasn't stolen, just cherished. Everyone came and brought with them their mama's specialties! I did think of a few new ones...brownies, Toll House cookies, banana splits, sloppy joes, hush puppies, catfish stew with okra, and (yes) fried chicken. Just because it's fried doesn't discount it. It's the WAY that it's fried and seasoned! I think back to Grandma Hill who was the farthest removed from the old country. Fried catfish, sweet pickles, bread pudding. True a lot of things were fried, but they didn't realize how bad it was for them and you have to admit it tastes good!
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