American Cuisine

Sidney Mintz accidently let slip that there was no “American Cuisine” during a lecture he gave. The idea that it did not exist clearly upset members of the class because to them, having a distinguished cuisine is as significant as having American art, music, or literature. This response led Mintz to respond to his comment. He explains in his chapter “Eating American” that this is because of our country’s unique history that blends the culture of several European nations. Our country is vast geographically and has a large population, so in small European countries unified cuisines developed, while American meals can vary greatly because of regional diversity. The author believes that even though there is homogeneity in the American diet, this does not count as a cuisine because they are not creating it. Americans have tried to market regional dishes throughout the country, but diluted the originals in the process. These distorted versions of the original can be found almost anywhere, and in his mind cannot be considered cuisine because it is merely a cheap imitation. Americans also have relied on food transportation to overcome the issue of seasonal foods, and although this has broadened the exposure to different types of food for most American’s it gets rid of the need to develop out own cuisine. Americans eat out more than they cook and when they do cook, it is mostly prepared or packaged. Mintz predicts that in the future, even more food will be mass produced, which will only send us further away from having a unified cuisine.
How important is having an American cuisine to our cultural identity? Would anyone else be offended if they heard his comment during the lecture? Which regional cuisines have been ruined by being diluted and mass produced so much? Mintz mentioned several foods that many people consider “American cuisine” but what thing should it include, or how should this be changed so that we have a respectable cuisine?