"American Food"

When I was growing up in San Francisco, the people that I considered most "generic American" (back before the definition of "to be American" became politically charged) were of European ancestry, spoke American English, and ate American food. I've unwittingly carried the assumption all my life, along with the implication that "generic Americans" are pretty homogeneous throughout the nation. The thing is, though, they are not. Along with their American regional differences, they all carry a bit of the old country in them. I tend to take this for granted with recent immigrants, who get hyphenations (Chinese-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Irish-Americans, etc), but those who do not hyphenate themselves have other cultural ties, too. Most have a few (linear or nonlinear) relatives in the old country, and if you invite them to a potluck, they are likely to bring something from their original culture. In fact, I read an article a few years about about a person who, as a hobby, will tell you what your cultural heritage is if you tell him what your family has for Thanksgiving dinner. I found this particularly interesting because Thanksgiving is an American holiday, and has its own prescribed foods that leave little room for variation (once you have a turkey, after all, that doesn't leave much room for another meat dish to announce its chef's cultural origins). Yet food from the original countries still creeps in. I thought then of my own family's Thanksgivings. Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, roast sweet potatoes, salad, cornbread. I thought, "Hah! He'd never guess us!" But then on further recollection, I had to admit that my sister regularly makes Chinese dumplings for lunch. And her sister-in-law brings potato knishes. Gee, a blended Chinese Jewish family? Okay, he wins. :)

Anyway, last year, I had a revelation when I was in China, travelling with a colleague who had been born and raised in Hong Kong. On our way out of China through Hong Kong (he to his home, I to the airport), he said, "My fiancee and I figured you would be missing Western food. So we would like to take you to a German restaurant." I was fascinated... You see, to a native San Franciscan, generic western food is not German. It's sort of Italian and French. German food is as exotic to me as Chinese food. (I did not mention this to my companion or his fiancee. I tried the German resaurant, which was lovely.) Anyway, then I realized that in the midwest, generic American food is probably German. So we Bay Areans who consider ourselves American cooks are in fact partially Italian and French cooks! How interesting!

Here in Fairbanks, I might have met my first real Americans. If you ask them their origin, they will not name a place in Europe or Asia. They will name a state in the lower 48. :)

All of this has been on my mind lately because I've been perusing my Italian cookbooks and missing food from home. Fortunately, we've *finally* found a passable Mexican restaurant here (the family is actually from the Bay Area!), but the best Italian food, I still have to cook myself.