What if someone asked you to name the great cuisines of the world? What would you say? French food, of course, is famous. Italians are world-renowned. Greek food has its own following. What about America?
Well, what comes to mind when you hear the words “American cuisine”? Personally, I think of the 1950’s drive-up restaurants, with milkshakes and old-fashioned hamburgers and Coney Islands dripping in mustard. That’s probably not the typical definition for the word “cuisine”, but it definitely defines American food.
But wait a second. What does the word “cuisine” mean, exactly? The textbook definition is “A characteristic manner or style of preparing food.” According to that, there’s nothing more American than a hamburger, large fries, and a chocolate milkshake. That meal, served in its own greasy white paper bag, might just be the epitome of everything that is American.
American fast food chains have spread all over the world. They are a symbol of western life in far-off lands, a landmark, loved or hated, by tourists and natives alike. Even the French, who carefully monitor each word that...