"American" food
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When I first read the OP , especially the part about the advertiser claiming nothing was more American I thought it was quite amusing that what was declared American was a food which literally translated means "from Frankfurt" ie Germany.
Then I though about it a little more and though it was fitting as a reminder that American as a nationality is not a homogeneous entity since the native population is a minority.
Putting aside fast food, my understanding of home cooked American food is that its regional variations are less to do with what grows in the area than with the origin of the people who settled in the area in the first place. So some areas will have a cuisine which resembles that of Eastern Europe, others have a more Mediterranean feel, others have a distinctively Northern Europe style, some have some French or African influences (gumbo anybody?).
My question to the American posters would be, are there any native dishes which are considered "as American as apple pie" since it's not a cuisine I am familiar with at all?
Well, I have never seen true Southern cornbread anywhere else I've been. I've seen a loaf of wholegrain bread rolled in cornmeal that was labeled cornbread in a bakery in Germany, but I was sorely disappointed. Black-eye peas or pink-eye purple hull peas served with sliced tomatoes, onions and relish is something I think of as a treat from the US, especially if there is cornbread to sop up the pot liquor.
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Yum...Hershey's...I love Hershey's!
This pretty much made my day. Calling Hershey's chocolate is just absurd. If only the US would get on that.Hershey's candy can't be sold here as chocolate as it has too little cocoa in it. It also tastes and smells like sick to us.0 -
Tex Mex is American!
Dallas has one of the original Tex Mex restaurants, El Fenix. I have heard foreign attempts at Tex Mex (other than in Mexico) are pretty sad and/or gross. Heck, that's probably true north of the Mason Dixon line...
Ah geez El Fenix is no bueno. Come to Austin for really amazing Tex-Mex!
You can't go to any of the franchise locations. They're crap. You HAVE to go to the original downtown location. My Tex Mex snob parents told me so. :laugh:
Austin is good for awesome BBQ, too.0 -
Has anybody mentioned the delicious Chicago pizza yet? PIzza anywhere else (including anywhere else in the US) just sucks :P
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Colorful sugary, marshmallow filled cereal doesn't seem to be available in such variety outside the US either, that I have seen.0
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I'm from Germany and here we have apple cake (not exactly sure if it's the same as pie) and instead of hot dogs there's Currywurst (basically sausage slathered with ketchup and curry).
I have been to the US several times and while I think some of the fastfood chains aren't bad, I'd choose a basic italian or greek restaurant in Germany over these at any time (I'm not a big fan of german kitchen in restaurants, I rather eat these foods at home). Though the steak places in the US are pretty good and better than most steak restaurants in Germany. What I didn't see there as much as in Germany are the Döner Kebaps, I really love these here, though of course they're not german..
What really annoys me in the US are the plastic dishes and cutlery in the hotels at breakfast. This is just awful! And of course the extremely weak coffee.
The closest thing to a Döner I have over here is a lamb gyro. Gosh, I miss those! Horrible for you but oh so sinfully delightful! Especially after a night of clubbing
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I never heard of "As American as apple pie" and I'm American.0
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Has anybody mentioned the delicious Chicago pizza yet? PIzza anywhere else (including anywhere else in the US) just sucks :P
i guess you haven't been to italy then0 -
who knows what this tasty beverage is?
Root beer float?
EDIT: it looks like what I had as a kid, coke with ice cream
it's an egg creme!
will have to check it out when in NY in September though it doesn't sound nice
it's actually not bad, they don't make them quite the authentic way they used to. go to brooklyn to find a good one0 -
America is a whole lot bigger than the United States. And it's a whole lot bigger than North America.
We have Mexican food. Then we have Tex-Mex, Cal-Mex, Flori-Mex, Cuban, Cajun, Southern-Soul food (which derives primarily from Ethiopian cuisine), the foods from the Mid-Atlantic, the New England foods, Carolina barbecue and low country boils, Memphis barbecue with sweet, tangy sauces, Kansas City barbecue with thick, sweet sauces, Texas barbecue with rubs and primarily using beef. We have unique pizzas from NY, Chicago, and California that don't even remotely resemble each other.
And then there's beef. Big, thick, juicy steaks cut on the bone or boneless, cooked on the hottest grills imaginable, and served simply with salt, pepper, maybe a little garlic, a side of green veggies and a baked sweet potato or baked white potato. Believe it or not, that steak comes from Italy, but Americans all over - from Texas to New York - have improved it and made it their own. And we have bison.
If there's one food that is uniquely American, though, it is corn. Roast corn, corn chowder, popcorn, cornbread, masa, corn cakes, corn tortillas, etc. Oh, and avocados. We have avocados. They're from the Caribbean and Central America and have been adopted in cuisines all over the world. In fact, the Americas grow a good bit of the world's produce.
I'm one of those "Americans" who has lived and been all over the world, (was born an expat, and spent a decent amount of my 30s as one). I appreciate what we have available in the United States more than anything. We get greater varieties of everything in the US than anywhere else in the world. Most people really have no idea how spectacular food is here.
It isn't all crappy fast food and boxes of pasta. Mac and cheese is Italian, by the way.
Thank you!!! Honestly I can't imagine why so many non-US types think all of our food is teh crap.
Also want to give a shout-out for utterly delicious local specialties -- lobster rolls, clam chowder, New England boiled dinner and Boston baked beans... Maryland crab cakes...the whole kick-@ss old Southern foodway (which by the way is ALL home made and very based on fresh seasonal produce)....tex-mex....cioppino....the American steakhouse tradition....
There is a huge farm-to-table movement in the US, and we have a long tradition of creative fusion cuisine.
Yes to both of you!! I may be biased, living in California (and in the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the most culturally diverse cities in our country or world!) but we have so many good foods that aren't 'yellow or beige', that aren't fried or processed-- things you pick up at the market that are locally grown, fresh and COLORFUL! I shop at the Asian market, the Mexican market- specialty stores like Sprouts or Whole Foods.... we get the best of all of it! I'm sure every culture thinks their food is best, but I really am spoiled here in California where I can get pretty much any type fo food at anytime. Or better yet, the ingredients to make any type of food anytime. Like last nights dinner (see diary)... I made my own Thai coconut lemongrass stirfry to eat over basmati rice... DELICIOUS!
On the other hand- we do have a TON of fastfood joints EVERYWHERE that are pure crap! But I think those are everywhere-all over the world!0 -
There's hot dogs and apple pie here in sweden...
And when I think of American food I think like McDonalds... And stereotypical thanksgiving food... Roast turkey, cranberry jelly, pumpkin pie... We don't really have it... Cause we don't celebrate thanksgiving (at least no one I know does).
Also to those people talking about how much different food america (not just USA) has. These are just the ones I think of when I think "(us)american food". When I think about Japanese food I think sushi and ramen, Indian food is curry, German is sausages, Thai is pad thai, British is fish'n'chips, French is... Well fancy restaurant food and snails tbh... And so on.
I'm pretty sure the first Swedish food people think of is meatballs which, as I'm pretty sure you know, isn't the only food we have...0 -
I don't think American food is all bad. Admittedly, I'm still horrified at some of the additives which are permitted and the way that some junk food is subsidised by the government, but there are some amazing things out there.
I think Americans have as screwed up an image of British food as Brits have of American food, though. Someone mentioned a "farm to plate" movement which I assume is similar to the Slow Food/CittaSlow movement in Europe. There's an awful lot of governmental support for healthy eating, even if a large proportion of the population ignore it.
As for great Scottish food, we have some of the world's best meat, seafood and berry fruits and indisputably the greatest whisky in the world. We also have the deep-fried Mars bar and the munchie box, so it's all swings and roundabouts.0 -
I don't think American food is all bad. Admittedly, I'm still horrified at some of the additives which are permitted and the way that some junk food is subsidised by the government, but there are some amazing things out there.
I think Americans have as screwed up an image of British food as Brits have of American food, though. Someone mentioned a "farm to plate" movement which I assume is similar to the Slow Food/CittaSlow movement in Europe. There's an awful lot of governmental support for healthy eating, even if a large proportion of the population ignore it.
As for great Scottish food, we have some of the world's best meat, seafood and berry fruits and indisputably the greatest whisky in the world. We also have the deep-fried Mars bar and the munchie box, so it's all swings and roundabouts.
yes GRANT whiskey
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I live in America but I just wanted to say my mom makes the BEST apple pie EVER!! We have two apple trees in our backyard that grow the perfect cooking apples and I'm not sure what she does to that pie but it tastes like heaven...
That's all, just my totally, biased (because she's my mother) opinion.0 -
Blueberry pie - that comes to mind as American, more so than apple pie really as I've had apples from childhood but blueberries are a more recent import and popular over recent years in the UK. Cranberries for similar reasons, definitely American.
"Mac and cheese" is another one, I hadn't seen that until Ramsay started shouting at restaurateurs Stateside on the TV. I still can't believe you would want that on the menu in a decent restaurant - the joys of cultural differences :-)
I wasn't intending to "bash" anything, I just wrote down what sprung to mind as American foods and which of them we have here. Our fast food joints that emulate KFC etc are truly awful.
One of my absolute favorite meals is I guess, very american. It's mac and cheese made with an American cheese white sauce (I realize American cheese is not really 'cheese' it even says pasteurized cheese product on the label) but anyway, mac and cheese with hot dogs cut up into it. I still make this about once a month for my husband and me, we absolutely love it. I know the exact calorie count so I can work around it for the day. Very American I guess. and yes, I absolutely love blueberry pie too!0 -
I'm from south africa, and DUH we get all this stuff...
no disrespect to fellow americans, but it's always something said to make it seem that americans invent things... (commercially that is) ..
It's always "it's a braai the american way, what we've been doing for ____ years and has been OUR tradition for ___"
or, "WORLD SERIES ______ (insert sport or something)" but you don't find a single person from any other country other than the US..
It puzzles me
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I'm from south africa, and DUH we get all this stuff...
no disrespect to fellow americans, but it's always something said to make it seem that americans invent things... (commercially that is) ..
It's always "it's a braai the american way, what we've been doing for ____ years and has been OUR tradition for ___"
or, "WORLD SERIES ______ (insert sport or something)" but you don't find a single person from any other country other than the US..
It puzzles me
all of the players in major league baseball are American? Toronto Blue Jays dont exist? did you just copy and paste this or you serious?
and we can call it a world series because there is no team outside of the MLB that has any chance of winning.0 -
i guess the Champions League should change their name since they dont give teams from Major League Soccer a chance to play..
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i guess the Champions League should change their name since they dont give teams from Major League Soccer a chance to play..
Major League soccer couldn't compete. Anyway, US sportsmanship or lack thereof/ ego is in question here? Please...just check the stupid Nike Gold Medal shirts you had for the 2012 Olympics. So tacky. Cringe.0 -
Lol @ these garbage replies.Just curious...
So, being the US we always hear phrases like "As American as apple pie" and I just saw a Ballpark Frank commercial where dude said "you don't get more American than Ball Park franks!" So, I wanna ask my non-US friends...do y'all have apple pie and hot dogs where you live? Please tell us where you're from when you respond.
I really did grow up thinking we were the only ones who had apple pie lol
I think all "American food" is just modified versions of other people's food0 -
Here in Germany, everything is a processed meat product. I haven't had a good steak in over a year
And no, they don't have pie here, but they do have about every type of cake you could possibly imagine.
But if you really want to talk about American food, you don't get more American than Buffalo Wings. I have to make my own sauce, but at least you can get Tabasco here (for a price)
Yay to buffalo wings!0 -
Hi there, I'm in England and we DO have apple pie and hot dogs, but our English Applie Pie is somewhat different from th US version. Its not so sweet and it has spices like nutmeg in it.
Our hot dogs are gross. English sausages are the BEST made from real pork. Topped with hot mustard, they rock!!
Perhaps the "U.S. apple pie" you had was store bought?
My Mom made apple pie with granny smith apples (tart), spiced with nutmeg, cinnimon, and a touch of brown sugar; and crust from scratch.
That's what I was thinking.Very little sugar in mine,Mainly cinnamon and nutmeg.0 -
Uk here, and I had apple pie just today. It is very common here, and has been around as long as I remember, so I have no idea why it came to be known as an American food. It has probably been here longer than over there.
Hotdogs are not a big thing here.
Hershey's is sold here, and I have to agree with others, tastes disgusting. It is sickly sweet, and nothing like my idea of real chocolate.
Give me Green & Blacks, Lindt and Galaxy, anyday.0 -
Lol @ these garbage replies.Just curious...
So, being the US we always hear phrases like "As American as apple pie" and I just saw a Ballpark Frank commercial where dude said "you don't get more American than Ball Park franks!" So, I wanna ask my non-US friends...do y'all have apple pie and hot dogs where you live? Please tell us where you're from when you respond.
I really did grow up thinking we were the only ones who had apple pie lol
I think all "American food" is just modified versions of other people's food
But that's essentially what all American PEOPLE are. Amalgamations of other nationalities. So I would argue that any fusion-y food would be quintessentially American, by definition.
See my earlier comment: Tex Mex. It's not specific to Mexico because it blends food from cowboy culture in Texas as well as Native American food. So...very American.0 -
i guess the Champions League should change their name since they dont give teams from Major League Soccer a chance to play..
Major League soccer couldn't compete. Anyway, US sportsmanship or lack thereof/ ego is in question here? Please...just check the stupid Nike Gold Medal shirts you had for the 2012 Olympics. So tacky. Cringe.
that was my point....MLS cant compete with CL just like rest of the world cant compete with our Major League baseball teams.
and why are you bringing up the Nike shirts? the Gold Digging ones? they are funny/motivational...maybe its that type of spirit that makes the USA win the most medals usually. 0 -
i guess the Champions League should change their name since they dont give teams from Major League Soccer a chance to play..
Major League soccer couldn't compete. Anyway, US sportsmanship or lack thereof/ ego is in question here? Please...just check the stupid Nike Gold Medal shirts you had for the 2012 Olympics. So tacky. Cringe.
that was my point....MLS cant compete with CL just like rest of the world cant compete with our Major League baseball teams.
and why are you bringing up the Nike shirts? the Gold Digging ones? they are funny/motivational...maybe its that type of spirit that makes the USA win the most medals usually.
American football, there's another overrated sport, stops play every few minutes, what's the point!? Boring in the extreme. I'm talking about the 'Greatness has been found' ones...The rest of the world thought you were 'bad winners'. There is such a thing you know! Tacky.
Anyway, no more thread hijacking!
American food......um....poptarts.0 -
American football, there's another overrated sport, stops play every few minutes, what's the point!? Boring in the extreme. I'm talking about the 'Greatness has been found' ones...The rest of the world thought you were 'bad winners'. There is such a thing you know! Tacky.
Anyway, no more thread hijacking!
American food......um....poptarts.
you are quite the tangent machine. not sure if you are a fan of cricket but that sport has a lot of stoppages and it seems to be quite popular. real sports fans can enjoy ALL sport. 
"The rest of the world thought you were 'bad winners'."
the key word there is "winners". losers are the ones that whine about the refs or "tackiness" and such lol
back on topic...great american foods would include....BBQ like i mentioned before....fajitas, Po Boys....0 -
as an aside we can all agree the continent with the best food is Asia right? of course they have an advantage since they are the largest but even if we do a "pound for pound" chart it would still be tops. just think about china alone...not that fast food chinese we see a lot but the real stuff...and how many different types there are...then you have Indian, Korean, Japanese Thai, Burmese....
i think im hungry. lol0 -
My American food comes from the ancestors. Just give me some hominy corn, New Mexico Green chiles, some turkey, pork, or venison, some onions, seasonings and a pressure cooker, and I will make some green chile posole that would make you drool. Of course, the ancestors did not use a pressure cooker, but if they had had one, they would have used it.0
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There is apple pie in some cafes, and those crappy ones from the supermarkets.
Hot dogs are at amusement parks.
Something's really american though... Poptarts. Only had 1 in my life from a special American chocolate shop. Also Hershey's and Reese's. and you guys fry everything! I've seen on tv deep fried butter, chocolate, Oreos... Everything!
(I'm for australia)
*Never had a buffalo wing... What's that lol.0
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