OK, DUers, what is 'American food'?

[havocmom]

Havocpup works with a young man from the Sudan. Great young man with terrific outlook on life in spite of/or because of his difficult past. He and some of his fellows want to throw a party for their new American friends and he was asking Havocpup what food is truly American so they could fix it for their celebration.

She was sorta stumped. Most of what we love has origins from other places. So besides Jello salads, corn on the cob and cornbread, what is American that would be good for this young man's celebration of the chances to learn and grow he has made for himself here in America?

He will be a great asset to his people when he gets a chance to go back and help rebuild a nation. Right now, he needs to celebrate the journey he has made thus far. I figure DUers would be the ones to come up with a menu for such a celebration!

[judge_smales]

1. Burgers, hot dogs, beer

and apple pie.

[VelmaD]

2. Hamburgers and hot dogs...

cooked out on the grill.

[FarmerOak]

3. Chop Suey

Was invented in San Francisco...

[havocmom]

13. Hey, yeah, forgot about that

and there is a great song about it too! ;-)

[KamaAina]

4. Most of the foods served at the Thanksgiving meal are "American"

turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberries, etc. Supposedly these foods were chosen because they are foods of the New World. So, you could have "Thanksgiving in May".

Then again, in Baltimore, the Thanksgiving meal also includes the decidedly un-"American" sauerkraut; you should see the looks Mom gets when she brings it as a side dish (in the Tri-State area for many years)!

[havocmom]

11. He did say he liked pumpkin pie

reminded him of home.

[foreigncorrespondent]

54. Ohhhh!

I think Turkey was being served long before America was discovered.

[KamaAina]

58. Let's "talk turkey" here for a minute...

"talk turkey" being a U.S. idiom for "get down to business"...

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/pubs/focustky.htm

What Is Turkey?
Turkey is a large, widely domesticated North American bird with white plumage and a bare, wattled head and neck. The name turkey was originally applied to an African bird now known as the guinea fowl, which was believed to have originated in Turkey. When the Europeans came upon the American turkey, they thought it was the same bird as the African guinea fowl, and so gave it the name turkey, although the two species are quite distinct.

Thus, any "turkey" that was being served before European settlement of North America would actually have been the guinea fowl.

Bonus turkey trivia: Ben Franklin proposed that the wild turkey, rather than the eagle (a symbol of empire since the Romans), be the United States emblem. How could he possibly have known...

The wily wild turkey is not at all to be confused with the domesticated bird, which has been bred for its huge breast muscles and is said (like many repukes :-) )to be so dumb that it will drown if left outside in the rain.

How is Sapph? We haven't seen much of her 'round these parts lately :(

[foreigncorrespondent]

75. Sapph...

How is Sapph? We haven't seen much of her 'round these parts lately :(

...is doing ok, as far as I know, apart from having a heavy couple of weeks, caused by the passing of a much loved relative, and the Berg beheading, but I haven't spoken with her in a couple of days myself. Although she was posting here and there yesterday at DU.

[Bertha Venation]

5. CHEESE FOOD!

Only in the U.S. could someone take a perfectly good food -- nothing wrong with it as it is -- and process the living shit out of it, then try to name the product after what it once was.

That is American food. Processed cheese food.

[havocmom]

16. Havocpup did tell him junk food was American!

he wanted to understand the term.

[Bertha Venation]

53. So true. And how about this:

Arby's "Roast Beef" -- definitely American; it's processed to a mere shadow of what it's supposed to be. (thanks to my sister)

[Rabrrrrrr]

80. Your sister is responsible for Arby's over-processing of roast beef?

:P

[radwriter0555]

6. VELVEETA processed cheese food.

The ultimate american nothingness.

[The empressof all]

27. Cheesey chocolate goodness

Wait a minute now- Velvetta Fudge is amazing.

[Don_G]

7. Steak

Potato salad, baked beans, beer....

[havocmom]

18. Steak was Havocdad's answer too

said you can't get a grilled steak in Europe and most languages do not have term for it. Interesting, but these are young people putting themselves through school. We don't want to tax their budget too much for this shindig!

[Rabrrrrrr]

81. Especially the Kansas City Strip and New York Strip

If you can find a butcher that knows how to make a Kansas City strip any more. The NY strip is easy to find.

Might not be able to get grilled steak in Europe, but they have steak - at least in France. French cooking includes shitloads of steak cuts, though pretty much always pan fried or broiled or oven cooked.

[Rabrrrrrr]

82. And they should be served with a mess o' greens and a baked potato

and a martini. :-)

[rabid_nerd]

8. Looking for stereotypes

akin to Mexican food automatically means tacos, burritos
Italian automatically means Spaghetti, Pizza

Well, I'd go:

Milkshakes Burgers and Fries.

Hot Dogs and Apple Pie

T-Bone Steaks (?)

[FarmerOak]

9. And I seem to recall...

Ice cream is an American invention, and tradition.

[felonious thunk]

10. mmmmmmmm

[Another Bill C.]

12. The three sisters.

Many American tribes called corn, beans, and squash "the three sisters." If you do a search on this phrase, you'll come up with a lot of recipes.

As for me, I'd make posole stew. I'm always looking for an excuse to make posole stew.

[AgadorSparticus]

63. love posole. but that's a mexican dish.

[Another Bill C.]

73. The Hopi

made posole stew before the borders were in place. I'd have to call my in-laws to find out what they called it, though.

[Parrcrow]

14. Grits

That's it!

[havocmom]

19. NO GRITS!

we don't want the UN coming down on us! LOL

[htuttle]

Soul food, or perhaps some frybread and venison

Can't get much more American than that.

[rabid_nerd]

15. HERE Ya GO

http://www.awrestaurants.com/

[wryter2000]

17. Outdoor cooking

If he can do a barbecue, that would probably be authentic and easy for him as well. Beer can chicken is really fun and easy. Corn on the cob, potato salad, cole slaw, strawberry shortcake or pie.

[havocmom]

24. Sounds good!

this will be in Tucson, so likely weather will be right for such fare!

[livetohike]

25. A BBQ is my choice too

Think of a 4th of July picnic. Hot dogs and burgers are pretty cheap and easy to make. Don't forget the watermelon!

[vajraroshana]

76. pulled pork bbq, if it's not against his religion (n/t)

[Beware the Beast Man]

20. Most of what is considered "Mexican"

Actually originated in America. While stuff like tacos and enchiladas are indeed Mexican, they've been tweaked a bit across the border. I think that Chili, Nachos, Fajitas, and Chimichangas are all American fabrications of what Mexican foos is supposed to be.

[Burma Jones]

21. Cajun Food, Buffalo Wings, Burgoo, Brunswick Stew - BBQ

Honest to God Barbeque, whether from Carolina, Kansas City or Memphis.

Chicken Fried Steak with Red Eye Gravy

Anything made with Coca Cola

Anything made with Velveeta

Fried Catfish

Collards

[havocmom]

43. "Anything made with Coca Cola"

Hmmmmm, rum and coke to wash it all down.....

And Catfish was my suggestion too! MMMMMMMM catfish!

[katusha]

22. taken from the american heritage cookbook

AN AMERICAN DINNER BY OSCAR OF THE WALDORF

cape cod oysters
chicken gumbo file
celery & assorted nuts
filet of flounder, american style
roast wild turkey with currant sauce
wild rice saute
aligator pear salad
pumpkin pie with american cheese
coffee

[havocmom]

45. Sounds grand!

Anybody but me like that cheese on Apple Pie?
Odd about celery, isn't it? Celery is American all right! How about it with some of that awful processed cheese spread? OK, how about celery with peanut butter and rasins? 'Ants on a log!'

[katusha]

62. the celery acts as an intermezzo

a palate cleanser between courses so your taste buds are not overloaded with too many flavors too soon. you can substitute jicama to make it more authentic.

[flowomo]

23. POPSICLES

[havocmom]

33. Perfect idea for desert in the dessert!

thanks, flowomo!

[amazona]

26. Fried Chicken

What is life without fried chickens, mashed potatoes, and biscuits -- the real thing, home cooked, not Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Choice of beer, lemonade, iced tea for beverage.

Apple or cherry pie. With vanilla ice cream.

Coffee.

[Burma Jones]

29. NOW, I know what's for dinner

Thanks

[FarmerOak]

28. OK, more...

From "Panati's Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things"


Potato Chips - Invented in 1853, in Saratoga Springs, New York

Popcorn - Five thousand years old, perfected by Native Americans

Peanuts - The plant is prehistoric, but not a popular snack until the 1860's

Cracker Jack - 1893, Chicago

Graham Crackers - 1830's, New England

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Until 1847, chocolate existed as a powder or as a liquid, never as a solid. Legend has it that the first chocolate chip cookies were baked around 1930 at the Toll House Inn, on the outskirts of Whitman, Massachusetts.

Chewing Gum - 1860's, Staten Island, New York (chicle had been chewed prior to this, but was a tasteless resin.)

Ice Cream Cone - 1904, St. Louis, Missouri - Contrary to what I posted before, ice cream is thousands of years old... but the cone celebrates its 100th birthday this year. It was introduced at the St. Louis World's Fair.

I have details on many of these.

[havocmom]

47. Hey, John, if you are reading this... chocolate chip cookies!

you'll be a big hit with the ladies with those! :evilgrin:

[havocmom]

30. You guys are great! Wish we could all throw him a party!

Here is a bit about the young man from the Tucson Citizen.
Tucson Citizen link
<snip> The refugees went to Kenya, where Majok lived and finished high school in the Kakuma Refugee Camp, where he learned English and focused on getting an education to build a better life.

While the move to Tucson came with the shock of immersion in a completely foreign culture, Majok also found something positive in Tucson that he had not felt anywhere in Africa.

"We received hospitality," he said. "As soon as I arrived, it was like my community."

John was selected to be an intern for AZ Congressman Kolbe (stop booing, the kid will be fine!)

edited to fix link, I hope

[TreasonousBastard]

31. Wachoo mean "American"?

Most real US food is regional. Crabcakes and baked beans are as American as hushpuppies and grits. And barbecue.

Corn bread, biscuits, fried chicken, turkey, Long Island Duckling, clam chowder, Oysters Rockefeller, Virginia ham and redeye gravy, wild rice, Mississippi Mud Pie, sourdough bread, chitlins, dandelion greens, scrapple, pecan pie, she-crab soup, butternut squash, rutabagas, cranberries, huckleberries...

And Apple Pie.

[havocmom]

32. Havocpup told him there are loads of regional dishes.

I suppose the US is a big place with loads of cookbooks!

[eyesroll]

34. Get a copy of Culinaria USA

It's got a great rundown. Very pretty pictures, too. (They're out of print, but I found mine at Half Price Books.)

[Commendatori]

35. Cheeburger cheeburger cheeburger cheeburger. No Coke, Pepsi.

Cheeburger.

[commander bunnypants]

BBQ sandwiches with coleslaw on it

:)

DDQM

[havocmom]

37. Was waiting for that one!

Hey, Demman, you in the DC area? PM me. Might be a good young man to restore your faith right about now.

[commander bunnypants]

38. ?????- 90 miles south

DDQM

[havocmom]

46. Hmmmm, still think you should meet him

From the what I hear, he will make your burden seem much lighter.
He will be in DC this summer, interning for Kolbe of AZ
link

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[havocmom]

41. Cool, my first thread with a GrovelBot hit!

I :loveya: GrovelBot!

[TuringBot Vers 2.0]

65. GrovelBot...

Don't you have any self respect, none of my friends would ever be caught deleted asking for money!

[sir_captain]

39. BBQ, Fried Chicken, Creole

basically, the most original american cuisine is from the south

[Endangered Specie]

40. Fast Food.

[HFishbine]

42. Pizza

;)

[candy]

44. Meatloaf

[kmla]

48. Mac and cheese...

Hot dogs.
Burgers.
Chocolate malts.

[havocmom]

61. Chocolate malts! delicious idea! American ice cream mutilated

beyond recognition and incredibly delicious. I think Havocpup has a blender.

[lpbk2713]

49. Ice Cream Cones are authentic Americana

First sold at the World's Fair in Chicago about a hundred years ago.

Ed: After doing some Google research, it was actually the St Louis World's Fair. Mea culpa.

[geniph]

50. "Cheese on top"

That's what one friend of mine said when I asked this question. Another said, "It's brown, it's too salty, and there's a mess of it." Both of these were foreign-born.

You pretty much have to go regional to define American food. Barbecue is American. So is a crab boil, or a 'chowdah.' So is California cuisine, or Northwest seafood.

[Bandit]

51. Spam

Beenie Weenies

[smirkymonkey]

52. Anything Genetically Modified and/or

with mini-marshmallows in it.

[havocmom]

59. Very good smirkymonkey!

I love genetically modified mini-marshmallows!

[sangh0]

55. The same stuff as they eat

but less spice, and more meat and sugar.

[Lefty48197]

56. BBQ'd baby back ribs

with old Milwaukee beer.

[havocmom]

60. baby back ribs might be confusing.

John told havocpup that the first time someone offered him a hotdog, he had to explain that he didn't eat dogs.

Yeah, baby back ribs might throw him for a loop!

[jpak]

57. Baked beans, pumpkin pie, brown bread,

biscuits, grits, Virginia cured ham, fried chicken, Indian pudding, roast turkey, green bean casserole, ANY casserole made with Cream of Mushroom Soup or canned tuna, "Italian" sandwiches, baked Mac and cheese made with American Cheeze, ice cream, Anadama bread, any all BBQ, Texas Chilie, corn bread/muffins, maple syrup, peanut butter, Marshmallow Fluff, Jello, Hostess everything, cotton candy, buffalo wings, donuts, Maryland crab anything, Cajun anything, cold breakfast cereal, deviled eggs...

Damn I'm hungry!

[AgadorSparticus]

64. growing up, our sunday dinner was always steak, stuffing, and corn on the

cob. are grilled cheese sandwiches american? or is it a takeoff from panini's? i love a good tomato soup with a grilled mozzarella cheese sandwich.

[solinvictus]

66. Chicken fried steak with....

cream gravy, mashed potatoes, biscuits, green beans, peach cobbler and ice cream. Mmmmmmmm!!

[toddzilla]

67. damn that sounds good!

i love greasy, homestyle food!!

[vajraroshana]

77. Everything including Sudanese!

I live a couple of blocks from what people in our little city are calling Ethnic Eatery Row. Two Korean restaurants, one Chinese, two Indian, three "traditional" bbq joints, German, Italian, Mexican, a coffee-shop that serves the best Mid-Eastern fare at lunch (mmm, falafels with scrumptious yoghurt sauce); and even a sub-sandwich shop that serves delicious vegetarian subs (frequented by a big Seventh-Day Adventist college crowd). Mmmm, barbecued wheat gluten too. And just a couple of miles down the road, Thai and Vietnamese. And a Caribbean place was good too, but they went out of business.

No wonder why we Americans are getting so fat!

[Seeking Serenity]

68. Cole slaw?

And where was manaze (otherwise known as mayonaisse) invented?

[solinvictus]

71. Mayonaisse

Is French, I think a chef under one of the Louis's invented it.

[baldguy]

69. American food is like American culture.

The best bits all come from somewhere else.

[Mass_Liberal]

70. bad

n/t

[mad_russian]

72. Whatever the Native American's eat....(pre casino) nt

[Lisa]

74. all kidding aside, this is a great opportunity ...

One of the best ways to learn about another culture is via its food. So far, based on this thread, I see some major themes emerging -- none of them are inherently exclusive (which is a message in itself!).

1) Globalized mass-produced packaged "junk" foods (generally with lots of sugar, salt, and artificial flavoring). For example, Coke and Pepsi are American, and are marketed overseas as a symbol of the country. Like it or not, these are pretty popular in the States, and many other places. It doesn't hurt to include an example at a "theme" meal, for satirical purposes -- along with pointing out that many Americans actually dislike these foods and are skeptical of them (like that "Super-Size Me" movie).


2) "Comfort" foods which may be made at home or commercially, that have been around for a long time in American culture. Ice cream, for example, has a long and illustrious history. I suspect that many Americans would rather elect an atheist than someone who dislikes ice cream! Political candidates and celebrities are frequently asked what their favorite flavor is. George Washington paid hundreds of dollars for what was then an expensive gourmet treat, and one of the marvels of the Madison Inauguration was a giant dome of pink ice cream! Americans made many of the technological advances that resulted in the home ice-cream maker.

3) Foods derived from the aboriginal groups. Pumpkins, tomatoes, corn, red peppers, etc. -- many of these crops have now spread worldwide and are very popular, so people in other places may already be familiar with them (if not with those particular recipes). My Thai roommate said she hadn't realized that chiles were actually from the Americas. They've had a huge impact on her national cuisine.

4) Foods from immigration. A lot of dishes evolved when newcomers had to adjust their recipes to use a different set of ingredients. Things like pizza and chop suey changed a lot once people began cooking them in the US. Given how conservative we can be about what we eat, it's amazing that in a relatively short time, the diet of large portions of the continent has changed. There's a wider mix of foods available now (kiwi fruit, arugula, etc.) than only a generation ago. This is a concrete example of how a nation was transformed, to be more open and progressive. A recipe from the Sudan, adapted for convenience in cooking and available ingredients, would be "truly American" indeed. It's not a bit unusual now, to have people showing up at potlucks with dishes they were taught how to make by in-laws/friends/co-workers from Europe, the Middle East, Japan, Mexico, South Africa ... my guess is that your Sudanese friend will probably collect a whole bunch of recipes by the time he goes home, and he in turn will adapt them and the cycle will go on!

[shanti]

78. doritos

yeah, that's it.

[democracyindanger]

79. Anything fried.

Simple as that. Doesn't matter what it is. Chicken, steak, potatoes, a lump of clay--it's frying that makes it Amurikun. Anything fried that you can eat standing up. :)