| Distinct American food is a hard topic to describe. | | | | variety, because of it's ability to stand out and |
| What makes food unique to the American culinary | | | | blend in at the same time, becoming a part of the |
| palette? What must food do to gain this | | | | whole without losing it's individuality. American food |
| distinction? Why is American food any different | | | | is about liberty and the pursuit of happiness. |
| than any other cuisine? There are answers to | | | | Because we can be free to create a culinary |
| these questions in surprising places, even in the | | | | landscape encompassing the world, it shows our |
| most despised of all American culinary | | | | freedom to accept the world as it is and our |
| achievements, the fast food restaurant. Don't | | | | ability to do so, seeing the goodness in each bite, |
| believe me? Keep reading. | | | | how the varieties of thought can influence each |
| First, I'll attempt to answer the question, "What | | | | other and create something wholly new, wholly |
| makes food unique to the American culinary | | | | better, how through differences, a stronger |
| palette?". I'd give you the short answer, but there | | | | balance can be created. |
| really isn't one. We are, culinarily speaking, a mutt. | | | | I mentioned at the start of this article how |
| Our food incorporates not just two or three | | | | examples of this ideal can be found in surprising |
| different regions, but in fact, the entire world can | | | | places, including Fast Food restaurants. This is true |
| be found on our plates. We take parts of every | | | | and easily shown. Imagine every new addition to |
| nation and create a hybrid cuisine larger than any | | | | the menu, how many of those were patterned |
| other for a simple reason, we're the largest hybrid | | | | after cuisines from Italy? From Mexico? From |
| nation on the planet. We have people from every | | | | China or Japan or anywhere else in the world? We |
| spot on the globe living here and our food reflects | | | | take ideas from everywhere and we work with |
| it. American food, in short, is like the American | | | | them, creating a new form and, rarely |
| landscape, full of individuality and creativity. | | | | successfully, we strive to keep at least a |
| Food becomes American when it is made on | | | | semblance of where that idea stemmed from. |
| American soil. When a person comes here to | | | | We create our cuisine freely, experimenting with it |
| begin a new life and creates his first dish to | | | | as we have experimented with our government, |
| remind him of home, he is in fact claiming this as | | | | as we experiment with our lives. The American |
| his home. He is saying he will not cease to be who | | | | way of doing things isn't bullying the world, it isn't |
| he is, but instead, he will add this as well. This is | | | | leading the world because we know everything. If |
| America, we thrive on dualities. Food becomes | | | | we go back and open our eyes and look at our |
| American when it is added to our cultural | | | | food, our government and our lives, we will see |
| landscape by even one single person, because | | | | that the true American way is to experiment, to |
| every person counts. | | | | try things out and if it fails, at least now we know |
| American food is distinct because of the ideals it | | | | for sure. |
| holds, that it is accepted because of its unique | | | | |