Food

In today’s world, it is very likely that people have eaten food that is not American or from their native country. Due to the abundance of various ethnic food restaurants and recipes available online and on television, it is virtually impossible that someone living in America not try Chinese, Mexican, or Italian food. Therefore, it is hard to imagine a world where there is standardization in terms of food. It sounds unappealing to limit oneself to a certain category of food and overlook all the tasty varieties life has to offer. When reading this account of history, I found it odd and unbelievable the measures that some people took in order to standardize food in accordance with New England traditions. A primary reason for these reformers to spread a traditional American diet was the malnutrition that often engulfed the poor population. However, through some of the quotes mentioned in the article, I realized that there were other reasons why some people sought to eliminate immigrants’ ethnic foods. The article mentions that “Italians learned that “it is not right to cook meat, cheese, beans, and macaroni together” (since dietitians insisted that combinations hindered digestion) … Health workers particularly disliked European custom of eating sweets as an afternoon snack and warned that “sweet rich food should never be eaten except at the end of a meal” (Gabaccia 128). These requirements seemed very unnecessary and targeted towards Europeans who had customs different from those of Americans. During this time, American food was defined as anything that originated in the States without foreign influence. For example, mashed potatoes, baked apples, pies, etc. Now, I think about American food the same way- anything that originated in America is an American dish. Foods from other countries are considered recipes of those countries that have been introduced in America by immigrants. Either way, both American food and different ethnic dishes contribute to food in America as a whole.