On Amercian food culture

On March 24, I attended Phoenix’s Sister Cities WorldFEST, touted as a festival of international culture with crafts, ethnic food, and imported spirits. While I suppose I should applaud the organizers for their efforts, and granted there certainly were booths from other world cities offering mainly tourism brochures, the promise of international cuisine fell flat.

The food vendor spaces were dominated by American‑style pizza, kettle corn, hot dog stands, and  a giant Pepsi booth. There was a Mexican food booth, but this is Phoenix, Mexican food is part of our culture here. What I experienced that day, and would have tasted if I wasn’t so dramatically bored by the selection, was American culture. To make up for my disappointment, I dined on Ethiopian fare that evening.

This sad experience prompted me to wonder just what members of other cultures and citizens of other countries consider to be American food culture.

Are we all hot dogs, hamburgers and apple pie? Or might it be each foreigner’s indelible experience with a particular American cuisine that comprises their thoughts about American food culture?

Many years ago I met a British friend on holiday for dinner in Tempe. The woman, a vegetarian, simply had to try the buffalo wings on the menu. She thought buffalo were extinct and marveled at this rare opportunity to sample the precious flesh. She was surprised when the waitress served her a saucy basket of what she immediately recognized to be chicken wings. But for this woman, for years to come, any conversation linking food and the U.S. began and ended with the crazy American idea of falsely labeling chicken as buffalo–a clever ruse, she thought.

A friend from Sweden spent his one‑time visit to the United States in New Orleans. For him, American food came to mean highly‑spiced dishes with layers of flavor. Dishes like etouffee, and remoulade. This English speaking Swede, to this day, believes “gumbo” to be the silliest word he’s ever heard.

But there’s apparently no accounting for taste as I’ve found many foreign visitors to the U.S. who are delighted by the availability of McDonald’s. I met an Argentinian who swore up and down that Sweet Tomatoes was the “best restaurant ever.” I’ve also spoken with travelers from afar to whom American food culture means “anything you want, whenever you want it.” While I find our vast super stores to be a lesson in excess, they are astounded and impressed by the selection and availability of out‑of‑season produce.

Although America may be larger than most other countries, our ‘national’ fare really boils down to regions, just as it does in Spain, Italy, France, Mexico and many other countries. American food culture is as varied as its people.

But if I had my druthers, I’d much prefer to be identified with bowl of steaming jambalaya than with a steamed hot dog and a can of Pepsi.

Contact Lupita at foodamericana@msn.com.