Sidney Mintz, author of "Eating American", gives his perspective on the lack of a definitive American cuisine. He emphasizes that just because America does not have a specific cuisine, it doesn't mean that it does not have culture. Americans come from a variety of origins - mostly European, which contributes to our diverse menus. Mintz claims that we have many regional cuisines, but not a national cuisine. As he continues to discuss the American cuisine, or lack thereof, he talks of the problems with Americans and food. Now, Americans eat out regularly, "often choosing fast foods, as well as ordering take-out food to eat at home; eating much prepared and packaged foods, which require only intense heat or nothing at all to be 'cooked'; continuing to eat diets high in animal protein, salt, fats, and processed sugars" (Mintz 29). He also recognizes the rise of junk food and soda, high in fat and sugar content. Finally, Mintz addresses how many Americans use the excuse of not having enough time for the reason why they don't eat as they should. He refutes their argument by stating that they could spend less time watching TV and more time cooking. He believes that if we spent more time caring about how and what we eat, then we could actually have a cuisine.
I agree with Mintz in that America does not really have its specific cuisine. Instead, it is more of a combination of cuisines from several different countries. America has always be known as the "melting pot" and its cuisine is no exception. However, I also agree with the issues that Mintz brings up in his article. All the fast food and "convenient" meals are contributing to America's obesity problem. It is as he says: if we spend less time on unimportant things, we can improve our health just by focusing more on what we eat. Do you think that if we spent more time on cooking, we could create an American cuisine? Because many people would prefer to watch TV than cook, what can we do to persuade them to stop eating convenient meals and cook a healthier meal?
I believe that if we spend less time on unimportant things, and we spend more time trying to improve our health by focusing more on what we eat, then Americans clearly would be much healthier. However, this is not as simple as it sounds. Americans are busy and it is difficult to solve this problem when everyone is constantly running around. People are aware that they are unhealthy, but they are not taking the initiative to change. In addition, I feel that companies selling the products should make the initiative to make their foods in smaller portions and healthier no matter what the cost.
ReplyDeleteI agree that many Americans would rather watch TV than cook. But I do not think that having more Americans cooking would develop of American cuisine. This is because America is built on immigration. People choose restaurants because they want italian instead of mexican, etc. The American cuisine is steak and fast food, which I do not believe will change.
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