trying to work out how to say something about american food without it sounding like the reddit repeatadrome. it's not the worst in the world, there's loads of places which are worse, ecuador for example or uganda, places where the food is very basic. american food is distinctive and unique. the factory is everywhere, mass production, there's a very high tolerance for that. a preference for thin textures, slime, multiple things mixed together. a preference for salt and oil. not much interest in innate flavours and a preference for quantity. desserts are only sugar, there's no room for any other kind of taste, people want that to be very sweet.
a real and insane preference for innovation and novelty, not much respect for tradition. i've been tracking innovation in croissants for a few years now and america is relentless in its stretching of the meaning of the word. people talk about diversity of food in the US and it is true but almost all of it has been adapted to american tastes. you go to a lebanese place and it has the form of lebanese food but that's about it. the tastes are very different. i've never been to an afghan place that tastes like afghan food.
you've also got this thing in america where everyone is huge, either with fat or with muscles, americans are literally massive. the food is at odds with the people
i'm not a big food guy. but i do have to eat. regardless of taste and preference american food makes people feel gross. i'm not sure why. it's a queasy cuisine
cocktails though are an american art
one way that is useful for thinking about america is as a coming together of the world's poorest people. not the case nowadays but some of that perseveres. it's one of the reason america attracts disdain and contempt from middle class europeans and why working class euros like it more over here. it's less offensive to our sense of taste. there's no equivalent to waitrose in nyc. there's no equivalent to carrefour either. supermarket food everywhere is a race to the bottom - how can you make the factories and supply chains function in the cheapest possible way before your customers turn away. the difference in the us is that the point at which customers turn away is much lower than anywhere else. that american credulity. low standards. and that wild free lack of regulation
caffeine is totemic. the italian espresso in a bar, very cheap, very traditional, perfected and widespread. rules about the time of day it's appropriate to drink a cappucino. the american regular coffee is potent, cheap, watery, a wave of acid. working class functionality made in batches. or in places where rich people are clustered you can get a barista drink and pay $6 for something nice.
