The question of the American cuisine is an interesting topic that Sidney Mintz finds herself in the middle of during a class lecture. Her belief is that Americans do not have a so-called national cuisine but instead many regional cuisines. This is due to a couple of reasons. The first is that America is such a young country made up of immigrants from around the world. The immigrants came to America with predisposed national cuisines, which then turned into regional cuisines. Her second point is that America is too vast and too geographically diverse for there to be an agreed upon national cuisine. The environment of specific areas grows different foods than the environment of other areas. This further continues to split the American cuisine into many regional cuisines. Although this might sound like a disadvantage too many, Sidney claims that this is what makes the food of America American. Not having a cuisine doesn’t mean one is missing out on some important aspect of culture. Certainly America has a very distinct culture. Perhaps, missing a specific cuisine is an identity of America itself.

When writing a paper, I take quotes and facts from multiple sources. I use those quotes and facts to blend in with my own words to form my own essay. When my paper is done, if I looked specifically at direct quotes or paraphrases I could not say that the words belonged to me. However, If I looked at the combination of all my quotes mixed in with my own sentences it forms a paper that I can call my own. The same applies to the American cuisine. If you look regionally you will find Chinese cuisine, Italian cuisine, Mexican cuisine, etc…. But if you broaden your approach and look at the combination of all those cuisines, you will be able to see the American cuisine; one that takes the aspects of all those cuisines and offers them to the American people whenever and wherever they want it. Sidney is wrong that America does not have a cuisine. The American cuisine is a modern variation of all cuisines combined into one country. It could possibly be the greatest cuisine out there.

1)   

Do you think America has a cuisine?

2)   Is America missing a piece of its culture by having a cuisine that’s a combination of other cuisines?