Fast Food Nation (w4)

     There is no denying that America runs off of fast food.When I was younger my parents mostly made dinner so I really didn't start having the luxury of fast food until I started to drive and have a job. I don't really have a childhood memory of fast food (besides happy meals here and there from McDonald's). When I got my own car I was seventeen years old and by that point my parents didn't care about what I ate anymore. Oh and did I eat it, a lot of it.
     First off, I started working at Dairy Queen when I was a sophomore in High School. The rule there was that we couldn't have food for free, and we had a slight discount of ten percent. This rule was broken constantly. Everyone I worked with made food for free and we would eat on the clock all the time. I know that this sounds bad but the only person that cared was the owner and he was barely there. Anyways, I ate everything and I mean everything. I worked there for almost four years and tried new combinations of food all the time. What I ate most of though, was the ice cream of course. For some reason the soft serve never got old.
     In addition to being addicted to Dairy Queen food, I also loved to drive around and go to every the drive thru in town . Like in every city in America, strips of fast food places surrounded us. This burned a huge hole in my pocket. Even though I was buying dollar tacos from Taco Bell and dollar sweet teas from McDonald's, it adds up quick when your buying it about every day. Luckily, I am mostly over my fast food stage due to the fact that it really isn't cheap.I am really looking forward to cooking a lot food in my apartment next year just because fast food does get old.
     I feel like America runs on fast food mostly because it does surround us so much and it is much more convenient to spend a dollar on a burger versus grilling out. It is also fast, Americans are both busy and lazy people. We have people who rush to work every morning, so they are picking up McDonald's for breakfast. There are also just plain lazy people who can't or won't cook to save their life.
     Even though I haven't traveled to a different country, my friend is from Beijing and she notices a big difference in food culture. China has fast food of course, but they don't rely on it as much as Americans do. She says that in her culture, it is more important to sit down with family and friends eating authentic food than anything else. I feel like fast food in America takes some of that away because it is so prevalent and convenient for us that we forget the true value of food. Of course we need food, but we should also take time to slow down our lives a bit and share food in a more traditional way with family and friends.

w3 American Eats

     American food is hard to define due to the fact that America is made up of so many different cultures. If I were to open up an American restaurant in Germany and incorporate foods that best represent America, I would have a restaurant made up of the most appealing food Americans love to eat. Now, the most appealing isn't always the healthiest. I am not considered to be a healthy eater, so of course my meals aren't going to be on the healthy side but they are too delicious to resist. I serve at a steak house in Cincinnati, and I have tried just about everything on the menu. The good thing about a steak house is that it includes a variety of different foods on the menu that appeal to Americans (not just steak). My restaurant would include the following dishes that I find the majority of Americans would enjoy and that Germans wouldn't be able to resist. Here are a few dishes that would be included in my "Comfort Cookin'" restaurant. I cannot list all of the foods that most represent American food culture because almost all dishes have been “Americanized,” but I will come up with some of the tastiest American delicacies there are.

“Comfort Cookin’” Presents:

The Victorian Filet
The first meal on my menu would be a delicious filet cooked to the consumer's perfection (I prefer medium of course). The filet is the tenderest of all the steaks, so this is key for why I chose this steak. This filet would be seasoned and seared, to enhance the juiciness of the meat. Let's face it, a lot of Americans love red meat. You can't have an American restaurant without steak, right? The Victorian filet would also come with a side and a salad of the customer's choice.

Gold Halibut
Seafood is viewed highly in the food culture of America, so you I wouldn’t have a restaurant without it. Seafood is considered healthy (compared to most food we eat), even though we ignore the fact that it was probably cooked in a lot of butter anyhow. In my opinion, white fish is way better than salmon and that is why I chose Halibut. The halibut would be over a wood fired grill served with rice and a vegetable of choice.

Spinach Artichoke dip
For starters, try some "spin dip." Creamy Spinach artichoke dip with flakey, buttery, crunchy chips. The spin dip would be made to perfection, where the combination would just melt in your mouth. There won't be any big chunks of artichokes either; they would blend in with the creamy sauce.

Skyline Chili
I know Skyline Chili doesn't represent all of America, but it represents my America. Everybody needs to try it at least once anyways. So instead of having a Texas style chili included on my menu, I thought I would include a different type of Chili that some Americans are crazy for. The chili will be served anyway you like it. On hotdogs, spaghetti, burritos, etc.

Mama's Cookin'
(Warning: Portion sizes may overwhelm you)
This is a special category for southern comfort foods that are also prevalent in America. Under this menu will be massive amounts of; corn bread casserole, fried chicken, homemade mashed potatoes, corn, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, green beans, grits, hash brown casserole, fried Okra, barbeque on honey buns, and delicious homemade rolls. You aren't American unless you enjoy the satisfaction of these comfort foods.

Blue cheese salad
Another somewhat healthy menu item that would be included will be a delicious salad. This salad would have a blend of dark greens along with carrots and blue cheese vinaigrette dressing that comes with blue cheese crumbles and pecans on top. If you aren't a lover of a blue cheese salad, there will also be traditional salads and dressings of your choice as well.

The triple threat desert
You can't have an American restaurant without a desert to die for! My triple threat would include the following; New York Cheese cake, gooey turtle brownies with caramel and nuts, and a huge scoop of vanilla bean ice cream with whip cream included.

    

W2

     When it comes to family dinners and recipes, I have to say that I am pretty lucky. Both my mom and my dad know how to cook mouthwatering meals. My mom is very precise with her cooking. You can't even talk to her while she is in the kitchen preparing our amazing thanksgiving dinner. Everything has to be perfect; from the creamy texture of her homemade gravy to making sure that she has the cheesiest broccoli casserole on earth. I also can't forget to mention her special homemade stuffing that has the perfect balance of spices along with golden brown edges and the perfect degree of moistness in the center. I could go on and on about her delicious thanksgiving dinner, but I think it’s better if I stop before I start to really miss it.

     Another thing worth mentioning about my mom's ability to cook is that she is a great baker as well. Apple pies, sugar cream pies, heresy bar pies, dump cake, brownies, and butterscotch scotties are just a tiny list of some of her favorite desserts to make. She also makes fudge, almond joys, and buckeyes for Christmas treats to give to the family. My mom definitely personalizes her food with her precision in the kitchen and determination to make food she knows her family will enjoy.

   With my dad, on the other hand, he uses more improvisation. He likes to create new recipes, and uses the trial and error technique. Luckily, there are rarely any flaws in his cooking. For instance, my dad's cheesy potato casserole has been through a couple stages. The first time he made the casserole he had added onions to the recipe. I did not like it this way (I am kind of picky), so next time he tried a different approach. He carefully boils the sliced potatoes until they are almost considered to be mashed. He then would put them in the baking pan, add butter, salt, and would load them up with almost the whole thing of Velveeta cheese. Instead of unions this time, he crumbled sour cream and cheddar potato chips on top of the casserole creating a crispy outer layer. My dad knows how big of a fan I am of potatoes (mashed, smashed, loaded, baked, garlic), so this simple but delicious casserole has become one of my favorites. He continues using this technique and has recently been using hash browns, making it his hash brown casserole as well.

     In addition to my dad making the perfect cheesy potato casserole, nobody can beat my dad's famous fall off the bone ribs. I have been to many different steak houses and tried their ribs and honestly none of them compare. I work at outback steak house, where their ribs are pretty good, but still don’t beat my dad’s. He uses a special rub for his ribs that I still don't know what is in it, and uses mouthwatering Montgomery inn barbeque sauce. I have never eaten a batch of his ribs that weren't literally falling off the bone. His ribs have been my favorite meal since I can even remember. For every birthday, my sister and I get the dinner of our choice and my choice is always his ribs with the cheesy potato casserole. Not only does my dad like to try different combinations with every food he makes, but he also likes to get good feedback on his meals. If we don't like something he makes, he feels like he has let us down in some way. He is always worried about what we think, which reflects how much he cares when he creates his special dishes.

   I value both my mom and dad’s cooking and hope that I can someday be passionate about creating delicious recipes for my future family.

Fast food culture...say what?!

     

     What is considered American food culture? McDonald's, perhaps? Well that was my initial thought. To me, American food culture has grown into a fast food culture. Many Americans rely heavily on fast food because of the easy access and affordable prices. I mean come on, I am a poor college student without a stove or an oven. There is also no way I can eat the dining hall food everyday either.

      Whether you’re in college, too busy at the time, or too lazy to cook; fast food is the way to go. You will also always find those people who need to grab a burger and a fry almost everyday for lunch. It was a common occurrence to see the same people through the window at Dairy Queen everyday.

      So since we interact with fast food so much and is continually present through our daily lives, doesn't that make it a part of our culture? In society today, you can't avoid it. Advertising is all over TV and the Internet. Even worse, fast food is packaged and readily available in stores. These are some elements that make it almost impossible to avoid fast food. Also, why wouldn’t fast food businesses push to make an extra buck; that’s the main driving force in almost every business in America, right?

     In addition, fast food can also raise the concern of being unhealthy. Most Americans are aware that fast food isn’t the healthiest choice. We are informed of it, but most don’t truly listen. Fast food is way too prevalent in this society, so you can’t fully blame it on the vulnerable consumer. So whether you are in favor of fast food or not, you can’t deny that it is a part of an American culture. How can anyone resist a buy one get one free deal?! :)