On America's Lack of Food Identity

[bravesaintash]

Because it's a generally good way to keep our grocery bill down, every weekday I eat lunch at my desk in my office with the door closed. Sometimes I read with a book, but more often than not I pick something from my Netflix instant queue to keep me company. It's usually Anthony Bourdain's No Reservation, which is always an interesting take on food/

Comments

[bigsleepj]

Nearly all the recipes in my cookbooks are "fusions" or American takes on other cultures. Why don't we have any of our own? Or why can't I recognize them?

The fusion thing is probably easy to explain seeing how the United States is populated mostly by the descendants of immigrants. That comes naturally with the whole colonialism thing. Also, I think that a hamburger could be considered a very common American cuisine; maybe it just does not seem that way because fast food joints made it as common as dust that you don't really appreciate what a well-made hamburger can be. The problem is, I think, the fact that consumerism has made it so easy to get a hamburger (regardless of actual quality) that it might have lost some of its magic.

Please note, I'm saying all this as an outsider.

[bravesaintash]

The colonialism thing makes sense, even if I dislike it. I mean, other parts of the world were colonized, and yet they have very distinct foods. =\

I guess the hamburger--and all that Annette mentioned later--is a good example of American food, but I certainly don't consider it as such. I've never had a good hamburger, even when my mom made them at home, and growing up without liking them has made me leery of them as an adult.

Your view as an outsider is probably the most helpful to me. I was hoping you would pipe up on this, since as a non-American you can give me a really unique viewpoint. And conversely, maybe you can tell me of some particularly SA foods...? *hint hint*

[bigsleepj]

Well, if you don't like hamburgers, then that can't be helped. But what's gumbo, by the way?

A lot of SA foods are fusion foods as well. Bobotie, in particular, comes from the Malay slaves, while some dishes are derived from European customs. There's also vetkoek, a pastry-like dumpling that is deep-fried (though Roosterkoek is a non-deep-fried variation of that) which is a snack-food of choice and bunny-chow, and chakalaka, which is a popular relish. There's also the braai (which is comparable to a barbecue) and potjiekos, but for that you need a double-double-toil and trouble cauldron.

South African cuisine speciality, however, tends towards desserts. There is malva pudding, melktert, koeksisters, vinegar pudding and a local variations on the usual stuff. You should find recipes for all these things on-line.

[bravesaintash]

Gumbo is a cajun (an ethnicity of mixed parenthood between French settlers in Louisiana before it was US territory and the native Americans living there) main dish that is a bit like a seafood stew. It usually has a spicy broth that they cook shrimp, crawfish (crayfish as they are known outside the southern US), okra, and sausage in. Some people like to eat it with rice. It has a cousin called etoufee, which is sort of the same thing, but the sauce is thicker and usually bright orange, and the choice meat for it is again the crayfish.

South Africa specializes in desserts? Awesome! =D

[bravesaintash]

yeah, that makes sense...but I'm not really proud of ANY of those foods, and I guess that's what makes me feel sad about them. We've either bastardized other countries food (usually to make them fattier) or fried stuff. =\

[kimchi_pancakes]

I adore sitting around a table with friends and family and sharing a meal together. Especially when you look at the clock and realize you've been talking for hours and everyone has been finished eating for a good while, but you were enjoying each other's company so much you didn't notice