Long lack of entries! I swore I wouldn't fall into this pitfall of the blogger, but alas. I have. Not that anyone is actually reading this except maybe my older sister... anyway... today's lesson is food culture.
In Japan, the phrase "PB & J" does not exist, except when rolling off the tongue of an American. Call me stupid but this is not something I ever believed possible. This simple meal has been part of my repertoire since before I even knew how to ride a bike and has walked hand-in-hand with my life ever since I ate my first. So, given that, I think my surprise entirely justified when I discovered no one but Americans in this country has ever heard of combining peanut butter and jelly on a sandwich, not even the other international students. In fact, the idea gets the typical Japanese "EEEEH?!"
American culture is one made up almost entirely from other cultures. When you get down to the bare bones, westerns and the bastardization of other cultural foods (which can be a good thing, don't get me wrong) are about the only things truly American. Or at least that's what I thought.
When you think of "cultural dishes," what comes to mind? Blood pudding? Pasta? Sushi? Certainly not PB & J that's for sure, but ironically enough, for American cuisine, it occupies a place on the cultural shelf, along with macaroni and cheese apparently. Fascinating what you can learn about food...
Also, another American and I have come up with a defining trait to any American food: add cheese. Hamburger? Better with cheese. Hispanic food? Add cheese and make it Tex-mex! Eggs? Cheese. Pasta? Parmesan! Ice cream? Can I add cheese to that?
It's true. Think about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment