American food culture (American food culture and taboos)

Americans eat hamburgers, hot dogs and other simple and representative foods. Typical American dishes are "rough and solid", eating fresh raw materials and keeping things original; But they also like many dishes from other countries, and there are many kinds of dishes brought by immigrants. As a result, the American diet is like a "melting pot", which brings together the cuisines of many countries in the world, and continues to merge and Americanize, forming today's dazzling and energetic American diet.

0 1 Tracing the history of American food culture

/kloc-Before the 6th century, American Indians were the indigenous and main inhabitants of the United States, and their diet was the representative of American diet. At this stage, they laid the foundation of American staple food-corn. However, due to the limitations of low living standards, vast territory, scattered population and culture, the American diet is still in a state of paying attention to food and clothing, failing to form a national diet and a perfect diet system.

Besides, there has never been a royal family in America. Royal cooking contributes to the unification and progress of national cooking art, so that the United States lacks the quality of life of the royal family. The driving force of diet is emphasized here, and the development of food is relatively slow in the historical process.

/kloc-In the 6th century, Spaniards came to America from Mexico. They not only use corn as a good raw material, but also make it into anything else. They did try to blend their ideas with those of the Indians. Such as taco barbecue, pork brought by the Spanish; Indians provide tacos.

Later, a large number of Puritans immigrated to the United States, which brought the spiritual characteristics of "food is the most important thing", pursued practicality and simplicity, and paid no attention to food taste. They think people eat and digest things in order to live one more day. Except vanity, no rational person will discuss the taste of a certain food. Their values on diet have seriously hindered the development of cooking art.

From 17 to 18, European immigrants flooded into the United States, laying the foundation for the traditional American cuisine-British cuisine. American cooking began in Britain, because most Americans are descendants of British immigrants. Of course, American food also has its own characteristics, because the United States has a vast territory, a pleasant climate, a wide variety of foods, convenient transportation and excellent refrigeration equipment. Chefs and housewives can choose their own food at will, and they pay great attention to nutrition when cooking instruments.

Americans are used to eating all kinds of fruits and salty desserts for breakfast and are very interested in salads. Americans like to use fruits as auxiliary materials in cooking, such as pineapple drumsticks and apple roast duck. And they also like baking pans. Fried vegetables are often eaten.

Then, other immigrants began to arrive. Africans have a great influence on American cooking. They brought some novel food ingredients and condiments to the American table-croissants, yams, peanuts and so on. Moreover, they also ingeniously cooked the "pigs in the water" that slave owners didn't like, which increased the choice of dishes in the American diet.

/kloc-In the second half of the 20th century, immigrants from China and Italy arrived, which opened the most important "transplant" stage in the history of American diet. Chinese food came with China immigrants who built railways in the west, or more appropriately, with those who cooked for road builders. All kinds of brand-new Americanized China foods have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, such as "fried chop suey", omelet, wonton soup, fried rice, fried noodles with shredded chicken, small ribs and so on. Unfortunately, Chinese food is not the most popular food in America, because although most Americans eat Chinese food, they usually don't try to cook it at home. However, Americanized China food did play an extremely important role: it broadened the horizons and tastes of coveted exotic Asian food for almost every American in the 20th century, and paved the way for many Asian foods to be integrated into our people's eating habits.

Americanized Italian food is the leader of American catering culture and is very popular. Its real victory lies in the American family. Pizza, noodles with gravy, macaroni baked with tomato sauce, meatballs and veal with parmesan cheese, whether frozen, delivered to home or homemade, all occupy an extremely important position in the daily diet of Americans. In addition, it successfully proves that food from another country can not only be an interesting enjoyment of American taste changes, but also become a part of the mainstream diet in the United States.

In other years after the 20th century, the United States welcomed various immigrant groups, and more exotic foods were included in the American diet. For example, Americans praise the way the French treat food as the cornerstone of American diet; Let Danish cake occupy a solid position in American breakfast.

Characteristics of American diet

Americans, like their temperament, are generally more casual and don't pay much attention to diet. Americans are not used to using more spices in cooking, but are used to seasoning themselves at the table. Americans generally welcome Chinese food. When they were eating tableware, they changed the habit of Europeans changing hands without knives and forks. They use their right hand as a knife to cut food, and then change forks to get food. They are especially willing to taste game and seafood dishes, especially frog meat and turkey.

American eating habits have the following characteristics:

1. Pay attention to the reasonable collocation of dishes and the nutritional value of food.

2. Generally, it tastes light and slightly sweet.

3. The staple food is rice, and I also like to eat steamed dumplings, jiaozi, spring rolls and wonton in chicken soup.

4. Non-staple food likes to eat chicken, duck, fish, beef, pork, eggs and seafood game; Vegetables such as potatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, green beans, mushrooms, cabbages, etc. Seasonings like oil, vinegar, salt, monosodium glutamate, pepper noodles, Chili sauce and so on.

As for cooking methods, I prefer fried, fried and fried dishes.

6. Love China's Su cuisine, Sichuan cuisine and Cantonese cuisine.

7. Enjoy spicy chicken, fried tomato boxes, fried tenderloin, fried prawns, sweet and sour fish, dried fish, mullet, silver ingot meat, persimmon milk scallops, melon balls and shredded apples.

8. They like to drink brandy and whisky, as well as wine, mulberry fruit wine and liqueur. As for Tsingtao Beer in China, sand-filtered mineral water and ice water are their favorite drinks, while soda water, coffee, milk, cocoa and scented tea in China are their common drinks.

9. They especially like citrus. Lemon, litchi, kiwi, white melon, loquat, guava, banana, pineapple, tsaoko and grape are also their favorite varieties. I am also very interested in China's fruit candy; Dried fruits generally like to eat sugar-fried chestnuts, walnuts and other varieties.

Etiquette of inviting guests to dinner in the United States

Americans are extroverted, warm and straightforward, informal, and have many differences in customs and habits. The United States is a country with a strong sense of time, and all kinds of activities begin at a predetermined time. It is impolite to be late. Dating Americans is easy. Just make a phone call and the other party will readily agree to meet in the shortest time.

Americans also have the habit of reciprocity, but they dare not accept too heavy gifts. First, Americans don't value the gift itself. Second, the law prohibits giving gifts that are too heavy. Handicrafts, artworks and famous wines brought from hometown are favorite gifts for Americans. Except for holidays, you don't need to give gifts when you are invited to visit Americans' homes or even eat.

American society has the habit of tipping, and all services need to be tipped, such as hotel doorman and room service. It is required to pay no less than $ 1, and the restaurant will charge 15% when checking out. Americans treat people to dinner, mostly in hotels and clubs, for business exchanges. The expenses are paid by the company, and close relatives and friends are invited to have dinner at home.

Because of different regions and nationalities, the types and tastes of American food are different. Hamburgers, "hot dogs", pies, doughnuts and fried chicken in KFC are all very popular foods in the world, but American family dinners are economical, unpretentious and informal.

Mud form.

The usual family dinner is a long table with a big salad, a big roast chicken or barbecue, a plate of fried rice, a plate of bread, candy, fruit, cold drinks and wine. The host and guest sat around the table, and the host said "please". Everyone picked up a plate and ate their favorite vegetable rice. After eating, they add them at will and chat while eating.

As a way to make friends, Americans treat their guests to dinner, have a drink or spend the weekend at a country house. They don't necessarily ask for anything in return. If there is an opportunity, you can invite them to dinner at home. After dinner, guests should express special thanks to their hosts, especially the hostess.

Thanksgiving dinner in America

The last Thursday in June is Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving Day is an ancient festival created by the American people. On Thanksgiving Day, it is very hot all over America. People go to church to do gratitude analysis according to custom, and there are costume parades, drama performances or sports competitions everywhere in urban and rural towns. Old Yan Fei's relatives who have been flying for a year will also come back from all over the country, and the whole family will be round and round, enjoying the delicious Thanksgiving turkey.

For Americans, the most important meal of the year is Thanksgiving dinner. In the United States, a country with fast pace of life and fierce competition, the diet on weekdays is extremely simple, and the fast food culture in the United States is a good illustration. But on Thanksgiving night, every family has a big meal, and the richness of goods is staggering. From the president to the common people, roast turkey and pumpkin pie are essential foods on the holiday table. These two "treasures" embody the pioneering spirit of the American people in cautiously pursuing the future and remembering their ancestors. Therefore, Thanksgiving Day is also called "Turkey Day".

Traditional Thanksgiving dinner roast turkey should be filled with stuffing before baking. The stuffing is made of shredded corn bread, white bread and celery. Besides, dirty turkeys can be made into thick gravy. Another kind of sauce is cranberry sauce, which is produced at 5438+00 every September and June. Other side dishes include baked mashed potatoes, baked mashed sweet potatoes, green beans, and Biscuit.

The last dessert is of course a suitable pumpkin pie. Usually, after Americans finish Thanksgiving dinner, the next program is to watch the American football game with the whole family. Although every Thanksgiving is a time when millions of turkeys will live for a lifetime, it is a very interesting tradition for the President of the United States to release a turkey in the White House every year and let it spend the rest of his life on the farm. In addition, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which started at 1927, is also one of the annual dramas that cannot be missed.

05 unique dietary regulations in the United States

Some places in the United States have their own unique and interesting "food laws and regulations":

1. Lexington, the central city of KFC, stipulates that no one is allowed to buy ice cream and put it in his pocket.

2. In Lake Vinuna, Indiana, you are not allowed to eat ice cream on the counter on Sundays.

In Waterloo, Nebraska, hairdressers are forbidden to eat onions from 7 am to 7 pm.

In greytown, Indiana, anyone who eats garlic is refused to enter the theater within four hours.

In Oklahoma, it is illegal to bite other people's beef patties.

6. In Columbus, Ohio, cornflakes are not allowed to be sold on Thursdays.

7. In New Jersey, if someone is found making noise while eating soup in public restaurants, they will be detained.