What is American Cuisine?

[The Brain]

American food is great. What kind of sick fuck wouldn't like it?

[Sheilbh]

If there is anything distinctive about American cuisine in general, it is probably along the lines of more extensive use of deep fat frying, but even that is not all that general.

I think the Scots got there first

[DontSayBanana]

So is cuisine now defined simply as a list of foods?  If we use the morely accepted meaning along the lines of "a distinctive style of cooking" I maintain that there is no "American Cuisine" but simply a collection of them, generally derived from other, more national cuisines.  If there is anything distinctive about American cuisine in general, it is probably along the lines of more extensive use of deep fat frying, but even that is not all that general.

That's exactly why I had to break it into a list of typically American foods.  Really, there are foods typically associated with Americans, but there's no style that's uniquely and exclusively "American." As I said, the closest we get are uniquely American interpretations of other cuisines.

[Sheilbh]

There's no style that's French or Italian either.  The things we identify with those countries, within those countries, have strong regional associations.

And, you know, what's the French tradition.  Cordon bleu sauces and creams and great technique, or rustic bourgeois cooking.  Escoffier or boeuf en daube?

[PDH]

Tex-Mex is American, it is border food but it is from the interplay of US and Northern Mexican influences - and it is mostly found on this side of the border.  Go to central Mexico and order your favorite "Mexican" dishes and I am sure you will get a healthy dose of the "Idiot Guerro" look.

If we exclude dishes from national cuisine that cross borders, then we end up with...nothing as a national dish.

[jimmy olsen]

Mmm...Ribs

[garbon]

Californian cuisine.

[dps]

This thread is making me hungry.

[Ed Anger]

I'd tell the german cunt to stop going to Mickey D's, Long John Silver and Outback. But that is me, international ambassador.

[Razgovory]

I'd tell the german cunt to stop going to Mickey D's, Long John Silver and Outback. But that is me, international ambassador.

Also, punch her in the mouth.

[jimmy olsen]

Californian cuisine.

Can you give us an example?

[Ed Anger]

the blueberry ones are better.  :-\

[dps]

the blueberry ones are better.  :-\

OK, I just lost my appetite. 

EDIT:  also, the smilies here still suck.

[Syt]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_dishes

    * American Parfait
    * Amish Friendship Bread
    * Animal Crackers
    * Angel food cake
    * Boston baked beans
    * Banana split
    * Brownies
    * Buffalo meat (steaks, roasts, and burgers)
    * Beignet
    * Boiled peanuts
    * Buffalo wings
    * Buttermilk pie
    * Brunswick stew
    * Calamari, fried
    * Cheeseburger
    * Cheesesteak
    * Chicken pot pie
    * Chicken, fried
    * Chili: Chili con carne and Cincinnati chili
    * Chitterlings
    * Chow-chow
    * Chocolate chip cookies
    * Cioppino
    * Clam Chowder
    * Cornbread
    * Corn dog
    * Corn chowder
    * Cotton candy
    * Crabcake
    * Corn on the cob
    * Cream cheese
    * Depression cake

   

    * Doughnuts
    * Dirty rice
    * Eskimo Pie
    * Fast food
    * Fudge
    * Garbage plate
    * Gardenburger
    * Goetta
    * Green bean casserole
    * Grits
    * Grilled pizza
    * Gumbo
    * Ham, hickory-smoked
    * Hamburgers
          o Sliders
    * Hoppin' John
    * Hot dish
    * Hot dogs
    * Hot fudge sundae
    * Hush puppies
    * Ice cream cone
    * Ice cream soda
    * Jambalaya
    * Jello and Jello salad
    * Layer cake
    * Luther Burger
    * Macaroni and cheese
    * Mashed potatoes
    * Moon Pie
    * Muffuletta sandwich
    * Onion rings

   

    * Okra, fried
    * Pancake (or Hotcakes)
    * Peanut butter
          o Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
    * Pecan pie
    * Pecan pralines
    * Popcorn
    * Popsicle
    * Potato Chips
    * Poundcake
    * Pumpkin pie
    * Red velvet cake
    * Ribs, barbecued
    * Rice Krispie treat
    * Root beer float
    * Rocky Mountain oysters
    * San Francisco Sourdough bread
    * Scrapple
    * Shrimp and Grits
    * Shrimp Creole
    * Shoo-fly pie
    * Sloppy joe
    * SPAM
    * Soul food
    * Spiedie
    * Stuffing
    * Submarine sandwich (Grinder, Hero, Po' Boy, or Hoagie)
    * Sweet potato pie
    * Turkey dinner (Roast Turkey, Cranberry sauce, etc.)
    * Toasted ravioli
    * Twinkie
    * Whoopie pies

[Razgovory]

I never thought of Animal Crackers as a dish.