Does American Food Get a Bad Rep?

...Guilty. -////-

Sorry.

I saw a piece on PBS about how the farming industry is screwing with the costs of food in the US. much of the fresh produce and meats are more expencive than prcessed and snack food type stuff. some people can't afford to eat properly.

also there is the fast food lifestyle. some people sacrafice health for convenience.

so i guess some of the bad rap is deserved.

I forgive you.

In a way, it is one of our specialties and most wide spread "tradition" sadly...

But what of our pies, and other local specialties?

Yeah they're overlooked, but good home-cooked American food (not the fast food versions) are always welcome.
I'll take a nice burger at a sit down BBQ any time.

Apple Pie and Hot Dogs is what I think of when I think American food.

Orange cheese and apple pie. One sounds as horrendous error of nature, another can be pretty good.

For me, it's not necessarily a matter if the food is "American" or "Italian", "French" etc. but who's making it.

If the cook is bad, then the food will be bad, regardless.

Actually, I haven't heard much about "bad American food", but more of American people who can't cook...

No American has ever invited me to a home-made meal, so I can't judge, objectively.

I supose it's a sterotype that some jackasses in the media hyped up until it stuck in most people's heads. i also think the fact that McDeath has spread all over the world has had a fair influence on world perspective of 'American; food.

It's hard to put an explicit label on American food. The so called "melting pot" that is america runs truer in its cuisine moreso than any other aspect of culture. The vast majority of "chinese fortune cookies" (for example) are made in the US and it's debated whether they were invented in the US or Japan (I just referenced wiki, so no, I'm not confusing countries). There's a vast many things consumed in the US that are often considered ethnic cuisines but bear little resemblance to their original counterpart, such as Lasangna.

I'd be surprised if there's many people in the world who don't like a good BBQ pork or brisket sandwich, which is totally american in origin. Fried chicken, albeit not especially healthy, is well loved.

While I was in Thailand, TONS of restaurants featured "American Fried Rice". So bizarre. It mostly looked like an american breakfast with fried rice except sometimes they'd sneak a fried chicken onto the plate.

Anyway, this topic is why I love watching Diners Drive-ins and Dives (also, Anthony Bourdain) I feel like they do a great job of sampling Americana cuisine... and make me really miss my Dirty Jerz diners.

Distinct "American" dishes I can think of are hamburgers, chili, and good steak. This is in part to the fact that our country is much younger than most countries so we have had to adapt the foods of the countries that we have come from. Of course this has led to other very American dishes like corned beef and and cabbage (No it's not traditional Irish), Pizza as we know it today, most "Mexican" food served in America, and for that matter most Italian food. It's been changed to meet the tastes of the populace. Fortunately I have seen a shift in American tastes to actually embrace the original versions of these dishes. Now if we could just start teaching our children about proper ways of cooking and eating we would be much better off.

The only type of food i think of as originaly american is BBQ. and when i think of BBQ i think of things like ribs, tri-tip and chicken. cooked and eaten out side.

that or thanksgiving diner.

Now, spaghetti with meat sauce, a good 'homemade' burger and a slice of Pumpkin pie is my idea of heaven on a plate, but in all honesty I can't think of much more besides that's 'American'. The UK has the same sort of shitty reputation for cuisine, something which I would gladly dispute in detail were it not almost 3am. :P

Everytime I think of fast food I think of bigger portions than in Canada. I dont eat much fast food and watching "Supersize me" never helped thinking about america and fast foods also.

Anything with Bison in it is American.

Bison meat is good.

The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear American Fast Food is well Fat dudes getting heart attacks.

When I think of american cuisine I think of deep fried food. Americans deep fry almost
anything even twinkies which are bad enough for you already with out deep frying them.

I probably used to think this way... until I spent time in the philippines. HOLY CRAP. In fact, I find most americans these days are excessively scared of fried things (and carbs, but that's a different story) Not in asia!

Me too.;~; *pat* *pat* Personally I think half of us here(or more x-x) are overweight by the standards set out by some international scale~ Im short so Im suppose to be light but I aint so Im overweight~x-x But then when you see like t.v. shows and sh*t they put out skinny people who in some instances complain about being too fat~x-x I think you just have to adjust your lifestyle to the point where it's realistically healthy~ Like getting fresh air, eating fresh vegetables and getting moderate exercise. And just being smart about yourself. There called junk food or fast food cause there not good for you but there meant to be eaten~Just not everyday or all at once~