U.S. SOCIETY & VALUES JULY 2004 AMERICAMERICANSANS AATT THETHE TTABLEABLE RREFLECTIONSEFLECTIONS ONON FOODFOOD ANDAND CULCULTURETURE U.S. DEPARTMENT 0F STATE / BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION PROGRAMS ABOUTABOUT THISTHIS ISSUEISSUE ““TELLTELL MEME WHAWHATT YOUYOU EAEATT,, ANDAND II WILLWILL TELLTELL YOUYOU WHAWHATT YOUYOU ARE.”ARE.” JEAN ANTHELME BRILLAT-SAVARIN rillat-Savarin, the French lawyer, politician, and group. French Acadians who immigrated to Louisiana author of such classic writings on food as The used the crayfish in the bayous as a key ingredient in Physiology of Taste, spent two years in the what came to be called “Cajun” cooking; German United States during the French Revolution. The immigrants settling in the grain-rich farm country of Bcontemporary version of his famous thought has Wisconsin established a beer and bratwurst culture in become a popular expression in America: “You are what the upper Midwest; and plentiful blue crabs in Maryland, you eat” is a phrase open to a variety of interpretations. clams on Cape Cod, and lobster in Maine provided In the pages that follow we examine how Americans English settlers with victuals that are still popular nearly prepare and consume food and what these traditions four centuries later. reveal about our culture. In a sense we are parsing out Succeeding waves of immigrants, including those the literal implications of Brillat-Savarin’s maxim – arriving on our shores today, have brought new culinary using food as a way to understand the deepest values of traditions and adapted them to the ingredients, those living in the United States today. kitchens, and customs they found in their new One of the most striking things about any discussion homeland—ever expanding what we call “American food.” of American culinary customs is how quickly the trail The evolution of American food is very much like the leads beyond the borders of this country. The United continually changing face of America—a work in States is a rich and varied blend of races, religions, and progress. ethnicities, and this diversity is reflected in our cuisine. Regular readers of our electronic journals are aware Our eating habits have much to tell about our nation’s that our usual approach is to provide information and social, cultural, economic, and demographic history. context on U.S. government policies on many While we have never developed a national cuisine in the contemporary international issues. In early editorial same sense as some older nations, the early immigrants discussions for this journal, we considered that from England and Central Europe brought a meat and approach – for example, articles on how America feeds potato fare that is still found on millions of American its poor, U.S. food distribution programs around the tables every day. Pot roast, mashed potatoes, various world, the debate over genetically modified foods – but incarnations of ground meat (including meatloaf, in the end we decided that these worthy topics should be hamburger, sausages, and the quintessential American the subject of a different journal at a different time. We hot dog) and noodle dishes such as macaroni and believe that this journal will give readers some cheese, as well as breads, bagels, pickles, and cabbage important and special insights into American life and slaws, are all modern-day descendants of dishes that values and, in doing so, perhaps touch a common chord graced the tables of our German, Polish, and Jewish with other cultures. As the late America food writer ancestors in middle Europe. James A. Beard once put it, “Food is our common The pervasiveness of meat and potatoes on the ground, a universal experience.” American table, however, did not stop the emergence of In celebrating America’s amazing culinary diversity, distinct regional cuisines, which often combined unique we celebrate America’s diversity per se. In our opening (and sometimes new) regional ingredients with the essay, author David Rosengarten describes, using the particular culinary traditions of a dominant immigrant examples of Italian and Chinese cuisine, how the United U.S.SOCIETY&VALUES / JULY 2004 2 States draws upon the traditional cooking of its many Americans are coping with a problem related to our different immigrant groups to create a unique, vibrant, bounty—obesity. Finally, we include some light notes in and ever-changing culinary scene. Next, three authors the form of a glossary of American food idioms. from widely different backgrounds provide insightful and We hope that as you read these articles, you will be nostalgic reflections on that most American of holidays, informed as well as amused. Most of all, however, we Thanksgiving, the celebration of which culminates hope that through these pages you will gain new insights around the dinner table. Other articles explore the into the American character and a greater understanding origins and preparation of such uniquely American foods of U.S. society and values as reflected in our culinary as barbecue, iced tea, and sandwiches—many of which heritage. have come to epitomize the character and personality of certain American cities and regions, and are sources of --The Editors enormous pride to the people who prepare and consume them. We also include some information on how U.S.SOCIETY&VALUES / JULY 2004 3 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE / JULY 2004 / VOLUME 9 / NUMBER 1 U.S. SOCIETY & VALUES CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 27 Include Me Out—A Reflection on “Ice Tea” FRED CHAPPELL 6 We Are What We Eat: We are a Nation of Immigrants! North Carolina’s Poet Laureate takes a humorous look DAVID ROSENGARTEN at a classic American beverage, iced tea. American cuisine is a rich mixture of many different sources and traditions. A sidebar—The World 29 Knives & Forks Supermarket—briefly highlights the origin and FRANCINE PROSE spread of common foods around the globe The author expresses appreciation for the variety of ways in which people eat and what it says about the way we live. A sidebar—Why do They Eat that Way?— CELEBRATIONS OF THANKSGIVING explains America’s “zigzag” method. 10 LIFE ON A TURKEY FARM 32 Sandwich Pride NEIL KLOPFENSTEIN BY ED LEVINE Hard work and family values were byproducts of A well-known food writer provides a culinary tour of farm life. America’s sandwiches. 13 Cuban Seasonings 35 The Fat of the Land: America Confronts Its Weight Problem ANA MENENDEZ MICHAEL JAY FRIEDMAN An immigrant family eagerly adopted America’s Americans, more overweight than ever, realize they quintessential holiday and made it conform to their must eat less and exercise more. They also have a own tastes. plethora of eating guides to consult, as the sidebar Diets: A Bewildering Variety illustrates. 16 A Marriage of Contrasting Traditions APRIL REYNOLDS The author had to modify her traditional SOME ADDED INGREDIENTS African-American, Southern turkey dinner when she moved north to study and then later married into 38 Is That Really a Restaurant? an Italian family. A nostalgic look at restaurants that took the shape of the food they served. FROM KITCHEN TO TABLE 39 As American as... Apple Pie Here is how to bake the dessert that often is said to 19 The Taste Setters epitomize the United States. MICHAEL BANDLER AND STEVEN LAUTERBACH The seven individuals profiled demonstrate the 40 Food Talk influence that famous chefs have had on the For speakers of English, what you say is often what American diet. you eat. 24 Long Journey Over Open Coals 41 Bibliography SYLVIA LOVEGREN American barbecue takes hours to prepare, but it 43 Internet Resources is well worth the wait. U.S.SOCIETY&VALUES / JULY 2004 4 The Bureau of International Information Programs of the U.S. Department of State publishes five electronic journals—Economic Perspectives, Global Issues, Issues of Democracy, U.S. Foreign Policy Agenda, and U.S. Society & Values—that examine major issues facing the United States and the international community as well as U.S. society, values, thought, and U.S. SOCIETY & institutions. Each of the five is catalogued by volume (the number of years in VALUES publication) and by number (the number of issues that appear during the year). One new journal is published monthly in English and is followed two to four Editor.............Steven Lauterbach weeks later by versions in French, Portuguese, and Spanish. Selected Managing Editor.................Neil Klopfenstein editions also appear in Arabic and Russian. Associate Editor..............Michael J. Bandler The opinions expressed in the journals do not necessarily reflect the views Associate Editors, Reference/Research .........Mary Ann V. Gamble or policies of the U.S. government. The U.S. Department of State assumes .................Kathy Spiegel no responsibility for the content and continued accessibility of Internet sites Photo Editor..................Barry Fitzgerald to which the journals link; such responsibility resides solely with the publishers of those sites. Journal articles, photographs, and illustrations may Publisher..................Judith S. Siegel be reproduced and translated outside the United States unless they carry explicit copyright restrictions, in which case permission must be sought from Executive Editor......................Guy E. Olson the copyright holders noted in the journal. Production Manager.................Christian Larson Assistant Production Manager.........................Sylvia Scott The Bureau of International Information Programs maintains current and back issues in several electronic formats, as well as a list of upcoming journals, at http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/journals.htm. Comments are Editorial Board welcome at your local U.S. Embassy or at the editorial offices: Editor, George Clack Kathleen R. Davis Francis B. Ward eJournal USA: U.S. Society & Values / IIP/T/SV / U.S. Department of State 301 4th St. S.W. / Washington, D.C. 20547 / United States of America E-mail: [email protected] U.S.SOCIETY&VALUES / JULY 2004 5 WEWE AREARE WHAWHATT WEWE EAEAT:T: WEWE AREARE AA NANATIONTION OFOF IMMIGRANTS!IMMIGRANTS! DAVID ROSENGARTEN Numerous influences have affected the development merican food has been woefully misunderstood of cuisine in the United States.