i've been watching food eats man finds food on youtube. it's an american food show about hidden gems of eateries. all the food looked fantastic, and i would love to try all the delicious foods
a question popped into my mind while i was watching:
Americans! why do you as a country revere the combination of cheese, meat, and tomato sauce or gravy, served with a side of potatoes or on bread?
I do not understand some of you people. Sure, some combinations may be cheap, but not all are (and flavour / tastiness can vary wildly).
It is also not even American or "patriotic," I had plenty of things with this general combination (of the bread & tomato configuration at least) in Italy. The Italians are also very fond of breads, tomatoes, cheese and meat. We certainly do not have a monopoly on it...
The better answer (to me) is that it is because of the sheer breadth of possibilities inherent. There are so many types of bread / breadlike substitutes, and there are a plethora of good cheeses too. Combine these with other something tasty to act as the "glue" for whatever other flavours you want and you have an excellent meal (no need for sides either, it is all built into the main course, though they are always an option).
Short-ish answer: It is an extraordinarily flexible combination of ingredients, that can be easily customized to personal preference and taste without adding any additional complexity. You can go cheap, you can go expensive, anywhere in between-- whatever works best for you and what you are craving at that moment. And every time, it can have a very different texture and flavour.
Plus, it tends to be pretty quick to make, as long as you already have the bread!
1
Cyndarinused Flamethrower! It was super effective.
I'm so confused by this question.
Who eats gravy and cheese together? As a Southerner that loves both cheese and gravy, those two never go together. And if you are mixing them, you are an abomination.
Cheese, meat, and tomato sauce sounds like Italian food.
Who eats gravy and cheese together? As a Southerner that loves both cheese and gravy, those two never go together. And if you are mixing them, you are an abomination.
Lemme tell you about a little something called poutine.
It is pretty common up north of where I am, and occasionally makes forays into various restaurants in Vermont. It's a Canadian thing that can be very good when done right (and absolutely disgusting when not).
1
Cyndarinused Flamethrower! It was super effective.
edited November 2015
Well if I've learned anything in life it's to never trust a Canadian.
Incidentally, that would make it not American cuisine. I'm not sure what cooking show you were watching, but they were lying to you.
Many Americans like to think that if it is served in America and not specifically labeled as foreign (Chinese, etc), then it is American. Many of our foods that we enjoy really do have roots elsewhere, though. But that is a little too technical for a tv program about food, I guess.
Poutine with proper cheese curds (that are also properly melted) or no poutine at all. I also like our "Canadian bacon" better (i.e. peameal bacon). Less salty, less greasy. Probably marginally more healthy for you.
Tonight amidst the mountaintops And endless starless night Singing how the wind was lost Before an earthly flight
as a non-american i basically don't understand the obsession with slabs of meat covered in cheese or gravy, or the urge to put cheese on top of everything and deep fat fry it. i know it's sinfully delicious and i've tried it but...
going by what's labelled as 'the greatest american food' in popular culture, i am just wondering if american food lives up to it's stereotype or there's more to it than that!
like for example on the show 'man finds food' there's this dish called the applejac' where it's stewed apples over perfectly fried wings on a deep fried whitebread cheese sandwich.
don't get me wrong, i like my steak and fries, apple pies and mac and cheese - just not everyday..
(i don't get chicken and waffles. never tried it. )
As an actual American and not one making up foods to get ratings, I can assure you that nobody here eats applejacs.
Everiine said: The reason population is low isn't because there are too many orgs. It's because so many facets of the game are outright broken and protected by those who benefit from it being that way. An overabundance of gimmicks (including game-breaking ones), artifacts that destroy any concept of balance, blatant pay-to-win features, and an obsession with convenience that makes few things actually worthwhile all contribute to the game's sad decline.
Oh, and as an actual American, I'm also disappointed both in you and your stereotype. My family, also being American, doesn't deep fry things to eat. We bake our chicken, usually broil or bake our red meat/pork, and don't put cheese on everything, nor do we drink tureens of gravy during athletic events.
Everiine said: The reason population is low isn't because there are too many orgs. It's because so many facets of the game are outright broken and protected by those who benefit from it being that way. An overabundance of gimmicks (including game-breaking ones), artifacts that destroy any concept of balance, blatant pay-to-win features, and an obsession with convenience that makes few things actually worthwhile all contribute to the game's sad decline.
@Shaddus i not saying you and your family do but i just wondering where this stereotype came from and if there's a sliver of truth to it, that got distorted by popular culture.
Agreed and seconded. The only time I do gravy is holidays that have mashed potatoes with a turkey. I'm make fried rice with about two tablespoons of oil, but most of my food is slow cooked, grilled, or baked. I do love cheese, but it is only rarely used outside of a sandwich.
my experience with what's labelled as 'american food' comes from big name franchise steak houses like tony roma's, the internet and hollywood. yes i -know- that people don't really eat like that but for a stereotype to arise, it has to happen somewhere, in some form.
Pretty sure that there's an implicit Dixie after that American, specifically. Big place, pretty variable over large distances.
Any sufficiently advanced pun is indistinguishable from comedy.
3
Cyndarinused Flamethrower! It was super effective.
edited November 2015
1) An applejac sounds freaking gross. Also: no one eats that here. If you asked a random American what an Applejack is, they'd probably tell you about the apple flavored cereal from a decade ago.
2) "American food," is a bit of a misnomer, IMHO. You have to remember something about the US: it's big. We have states larger than every European country. The UK is a third the size of Texas. It's twice the size of Germany. Food is very regional, largely for the same reasons food in Europe is regional. Distance. In Texas, we have a style of food called Tex-Mex, and it's literally only in Texas. Southernern food is very different than west coast food like California which is very different than the midwest like Kansas
The only "American" food that is universally American is like...a hot dog. Which is just cheap sausage, which American's didn't invent. The Hot Dog, much like America itself, was a group of people who looked at something and said, "That looks nice. Yes, I think we'll claim it." If there's anything that is ubiquitously American, it's taking shit that isn't yours and calling it "American." FREEDOM FRIES, ANYONE.
Oh, BBQ might be American? Idk. Even BBQ has like 6 different styles depending on what state in the south you are in.
2) "American food," is a bit of a misnomer, IMHO. You have to remember something about the US: it's big. We have states larger than every European country. The UK is a third the size of Texas. It's twice the size of Germany. Food is very regional, largely for the same reasons food in Europe is regional. Distance. In Texas, we have a style of food called Tex-Mex, and it's literally only in Texas. Southernern food is very different than west coast food like California which is very different than the midwest like Kansas
Not sure about elsewhere, but up here in the major grocery stores we definitely have a shredded cheese mix called Tex Mex by Kraft. Not saying it's actually Tex-Mex food, just noting the same name!
The mix is cheddar, mozzarella, montery jack and jalapenos. Sound like something used in Tex-Mex dishes?
Tonight amidst the mountaintops And endless starless night Singing how the wind was lost Before an earthly flight
0
Cyndarinused Flamethrower! It was super effective.
2) "American food," is a bit of a misnomer, IMHO. You have to remember something about the US: it's big. We have states larger than every European country. The UK is a third the size of Texas. It's twice the size of Germany. Food is very regional, largely for the same reasons food in Europe is regional. Distance. In Texas, we have a style of food called Tex-Mex, and it's literally only in Texas. Southernern food is very different than west coast food like California which is very different than the midwest like Kansas
Not sure about elsewhere, but up here in the major grocery stores we definitely have a shredded cheese mix called Tex Mex by Kraft. Not saying it's actually Tex-Mex food, just noting the same name!
The mix is cheddar, mozzarella, montery jack and jalapenos. Sound like something used in Tex-Mex dishes?
2) "American food," is a bit of a misnomer, IMHO. You have to remember something about the US: it's big. We have states larger than every European country. The UK is a third the size of Texas. It's twice the size of Germany. Food is very regional, largely for the same reasons food in Europe is regional. Distance. In Texas, we have a style of food called Tex-Mex, and it's literally only in Texas. Southernern food is very different than west coast food like California which is very different than the midwest like Kansas
Not sure about elsewhere, but up here in the major grocery stores we definitely have a shredded cheese mix called Tex Mex by Kraft. Not saying it's actually Tex-Mex food, just noting the same name!
The mix is cheddar, mozzarella, montery jack and jalapenos. Sound like something used in Tex-Mex dishes?
THAT IS NOT TEX MEX.
For one, nothing in tex mex uses mozzarella.
Lol@sensationalized branding then.
Tonight amidst the mountaintops And endless starless night Singing how the wind was lost Before an earthly flight
Comments
a question popped into my mind while i was watching:
Americans! why do you as a country revere the combination of cheese, meat, and tomato sauce or gravy, served with a side of potatoes or on bread?
It is also not even American or "patriotic," I had plenty of things with this general combination (of the bread & tomato configuration at least) in Italy. The Italians are also very fond of breads, tomatoes, cheese and meat. We certainly do not have a monopoly on it...
The better answer (to me) is that it is because of the sheer breadth of possibilities inherent. There are so many types of bread / breadlike substitutes, and there are a plethora of good cheeses too. Combine these with other something tasty to act as the "glue" for whatever other flavours you want and you have an excellent meal (no need for sides either, it is all built into the main course, though they are always an option).
Short-ish answer: It is an extraordinarily flexible combination of ingredients, that can be easily customized to personal preference and taste without adding any additional complexity. You can go cheap, you can go expensive, anywhere in between-- whatever works best for you and what you are craving at that moment. And every time, it can have a very different texture and flavour.
Plus, it tends to be pretty quick to make, as long as you already have the bread!
Tonight amidst the mountaintops
And endless starless night
Singing how the wind was lost
Before an earthly flight
going by what's labelled as 'the greatest american food' in popular culture, i am just wondering if american food lives up to it's stereotype or there's more to it than that!
like for example on the show 'man finds food' there's this dish called the applejac' where it's stewed apples over perfectly fried wings on a deep fried whitebread cheese sandwich.
don't get me wrong, i like my steak and fries, apple pies and mac and cheese - just not everyday..
(i don't get chicken and waffles. never tried it. )
my experience with what's labelled as 'american food' comes from big name franchise steak houses like tony roma's, the internet and hollywood. yes i -know- that people don't really eat like that but for a stereotype to arise, it has to happen somewhere, in some form.
And yeah, I'd say barbeque is pretty American. Though I think Australians might try to lay claim to that.
Tonight amidst the mountaintops
And endless starless night
Singing how the wind was lost
Before an earthly flight
Tonight amidst the mountaintops
And endless starless night
Singing how the wind was lost
Before an earthly flight