History UsefulNotes / CuisinesInAmerica

* Also notable is the Coney Island Dog or Coney dog, a type of chili dog that, despite its name, is from Michigan (for no apparent reason, diners in Michigan generally and the Detroit area in particular tend to be called "Coney Islands"). Key points with the Coney dog is that (1) the chili sauce is a beanless affair with sweet spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, owing more to Eastern Mediterranean meat sauces than to Tex-Mex chili con carne (no surprise, since the restaurant owners were historically from Greece or North Macedonia and these days are often Arab) (2) the meat in the chili is supposed to be beef heart (possibly supplemented with other cuts, but the heart is crucial), (3) no ketchup is used (again), although tomatoes in the chili sauce are fine, (4) the standard toppings are mustard and raw chopped onions, and (5) as far as aficionados are concerned, the dog itself must be a beef or pork dog (mixtures are OK, but between the Midwestern beef culture and the fact that the restaurant owners tend to be Muslim Arabs these days pure beef is more common) in a natural lamb-intestine casing. Note that there's a rivalry between Detroit-style dogs (which use a wetter chili) and Flint-style (where the chili is dry), as well as Jackson-style (which alleges that Flint stole its recipe).

* Arguably the most famous are the Chicago Dog (from UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}), topped with everything from mustard to onions to pickles to relish to tomatoes to hot peppers (but '''''[[BerserkButton not ketchup!]]''''')--one of the few culinary things that Chicagoans and New Yorkers can agree on is that ketchup has no place on a hot dog.

* The Massachusetts North Shore (especially Everett, Revere, Lynn, Peabody, and Danvers) has a local rivalry based around the North Shore roast beef sandwich. While few will debate that Kelly's was the TropeCodifier, most places have their own style, and debates are endless on the proper way to serve it and the best place to have it. Onion roll or sesame seed roll? Three-way (barbecue sauce, mayo, and American cheese), three-way plus pickles, three-way plus lettuce, horseradish sauce instead of mayo, or something else entirely? Barbecue sauce or Frank's Red Hot? The only thing that most people can agree on is that Kelly's was surpassed long ago and just has the money to burn on their advertising budget, Arby's is not a proper representative of the style, and that if there is barbecue sauce, it ''must'' be James River. The actual best place is constantly up for debate, be it Mike's (Everett), Giovanni's (Salem), Nick's (Beverly), Glen's (Revere), Mino's (Lynn), Billy's (Wakefield), or any number of other local luminaries (most of whom claim to be the TropeCodifier, all of whom have fiercely devoted followings), while Jamie's in Peabody stands out with a more upscale take on the style.

** And regarding cattle, dairy is handled a bit differently from the rest of the world. Dairy products almost exclusively use cow milk, with goat milk (and meat, for that matter) being difficult to find and expensive. Milk itself is bought pasteurized and homogenized but otherwise normal, with shelf-stable milk only being used to stock people's [[Main/CrazySurvivalist nuclear/biological/zombie survival bunkers]]. Milk is almost always sold in either half-gallon or one-gallon plastic jugs, with distinctive handles to help carry and pour, though tall, narrow cartons made of coated paper are also available, especially for smaller quantities. (One-pint and half-pint cartons of milk are iconic symbols of children's school lunches across America; from the 1980s through about 2000, they were likely to [[FaceOnAMilkCarton bear the faces of missing children]].) Glass bottles were once prevalent, and are still available in some places; they are often found in use for "premium" milk (usually unhomogenized and organic). (Of course, none of this will strike most foreigners as especially weird; if you want weird milk packaging in North America, go to Canada, where they sell the same kind of pasteurized, homogenized, non-shelf-stable milk in ''plastic bags'' And no, not in a bag-in-a-box--the fridge is just full of plastic bags full of milk.) The forgoing of shelf-stable milk is mostly due to the "cattle culture" as most people in America were rarely far away enough from a ranch to buy fresh milk, even before the advent of refrigeration. Today, most major cities are near enough to good cattle-raising land that the milk you get will be local, as the climate is mild enough even in summer to make transportation by refrigerated trucks economical. That said, there is growing interest in non-dairy milks concurrent with the rise of interest in veganism in the country.

* Also notable is the Coney Island Dog or Coney dog, a type of chili dog that, despite its name, is from Michigan (for no apparent reason, diners in Michigan generally and the Detroit area in particular tend to be called "Coney Islands"). Key points with the Coney dog is that (1) the chili sauce is a beanless affair with sweet spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, owing more to Eastern Mediterranean meat sauces than to Tex-Mex chili con carne (no surprise, since the restaurant owners were historically from Greece or North Macedonia and these days are often Arab) (2) the meat in the chili is supposed to be beef heart (possibly supplemented with other cuts, but the heart is crucial), (3) no ketchup is used (again), although tomatoes in the chili sauce are fine, (4) the standard toppings are mustard and raw chopped onions, and (5) as far as aficionados are concerned, the dog itself must be a beef or pork dog (mixtures are OK) in a natural lamb-intestine casing. Note that there's a rivalry between Detroit-style dogs (which use a wetter chili) and Flint-style (where the chili is dry), as well as Jackson-style (which alleges that Flint stole its recipe).

* Also notable is the Coney Island Dog or Coney dog, a type of chili dog that, despite its name, is from Michigan (for no apparent reason, diners in Michigan generally and the Detroit area in particular tend to be called "Coney Islands"). Key points with the Coney dog is that (1) the chili sauce is beanless, (2) the meat in the chili is supposed to be beef heart (possibly supplemented with other cuts, but the heart is crucial), (3) no ketchup is used (again), although tomatoes in the chili sauce are fine, (4) the standard toppings are mustard and raw chopped onions, and (5) as far as aficionados are concerned, the dog itself must be a beef or pork dog (mixtures are OK) in a natural lamb-intestine casing. Note that there's a rivalry between Detroit-style dogs (which use a wetter chili) and Flint-style (where the chili is dry), as well as Jackson-style (which alleges that Flint stole its recipe).

[[FrenchCuisineIsHaughty Sometimes perceived as a snooty choice]], with thick, rich sauces accenting food you probably can't pronounce. French cuisine is recognized as the world's best cuisine, as France often wins the Bocuse d'Or competitions (basically, a competition where all the countries of the world compete to see who cooks the best ... held in France, of course, though how dare you suggest that implies any kind of bias). As such, it's rare for a French restaurant to be on the lower end of the price range. French is almost uniformly found in fancy, high-end restaurants. To the confusion of the actual French, they often call themselves bistros--the actual French ''bistro'' being the exact opposite of fancy, a place for people of modest means to get a quick bite to eat, less formal than even the ''brasserie''.[[note]]French brewery/pub, serving its own beer and the French equivalent of pub grub.[[/note]]

You definitely won't find a Native American fast food chain restaurant. In a ''small'' handful of major cities, you ''might'' find a Native American restaurant, and some Native American history museums might have a cafe serving Native food. The National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC has the Mitsitam Café, a prominent example of a restaurant serving Native cuisine (or at least Native-inspired cuisine; they can get kind of arty) and well worth the trip (unfortunately, it's likely as not packed, since the Smithsonian employees quickly found out that Mitsitam is ''really'' good (especially considering that they aren't priced too terribly given the quality of the ingredients and the location ''in the Smithsonian on the National Mall''), and soon after the rest of DC followed). Some cities, mostly in the Southwest, might also feature restaurants specializing in frybread. Of course the best way to experience Native cuisine is with the tribe during a festival or other event.\\

#Although this might conceivably vary by region a ''little'' (as well as those with lactose intolerance), in America we're willing to put cheese on ''[[TrademarkFavoriteFood everything]]''.[[note]] This has been noticed abroad; James May, when joking that Richard Hammond is really an American after a ''Series/TopGear'' bit on UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}}, noted that Hammond owns a Mustang, has cowboy boots, and "[[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers put[s] cheese on everything]]."[[/note]] One of the few exceptions to this rule is fish.[[note]]And even then, the UsefulNotes/McDonalds Filet-O-Fish sandwich contains cheese, and queso fresco is also common on fish tacos.[[/note]]

Occasionally it's the other snooty food choice, but the prevalence of pizza and pastas as American dishes lessens that impact tremendously. Italian mainly consists of pasta, which is sometimes only available as spaghetti and sometimes is its own dish, and pizza, usually accented by a tomato sauce (or, if you're feeling bold, Alfredo). There are several other dishes, including fish, beef, and chicken, but pasta and pizza are almost uniformly associated with Italian cooking in the American mind. This is in fact a fusion cuisine--and not of "Italian" and "American" as you might expect, but rather a fusion of the various regional cuisines brought by Italian immigrants--particularly Sicilian and Neapolitan/Campanian--in the 19th century, plus some American elements. Italian-American recipes have diverged so much from traditional Italian recipes that many Italians find it to be ForeignQueasine. Italian-American recipes tend to feature more meat than native Italian dishes and meat is often served with tomato sauce, something that is rarely done in Italy. This is best exemplified by the Italian-American creation, spaghetti and meatballs.\\

As of 2023, there are no major fast-food or quick-service chains specializing in Middle Eastern cuisine. There are a few nascent chains with multi-state presences, but nothing truly widespread--the closest is the aforementioned Halal Guys (who now have some brick-and-mortar locations in addition to the traditional carts). That said, several areas are noted for good Middle Eastern cooking, generally those with large immigrant/immigrant-descended populations. The biggest is probably Metro Detroit, in which Dearborn is home to the largest population of Arabs outside the Arab World. Paterson, NJ is probably next, which boasts strong Arab and Turkish culinary scenes (though frankly most of North Jersey is a good spot for Middle Eastern food). The usual suspects--New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago--are of course also in contention, though we should mention that if you're craving Middle Eastern food in LA you should try to find a [[UsefulNotes/{{Iran}} Persian]] place: they don't call it Tehrangeles for nothing. (This also kind of goes for Chicago--the best Persian food in Chicagoland is generally better than the best Arabic or best Turkish, though they're all excellent. Also, while we're talking Persian food, very frequently the best Middle Eastern place in a given area in Texas will be Persian, given the large Iranian diaspora in the Lone Star State.)

Diners are small, often family-owned restaurants that are predominantly found in the Northeast and the eastern Midwest/Great Lakes region (the Great Lakes having always had strong cultural links with the Northeast--they sort of blend together somewhere between [[UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} Cleveland]] and [[UsefulNotes/NewYorkState Syracuse]], with it being generally understood that Western New York and Western Pennsylvania are essentially Midwestern). They do exist elsewhere, especially in UsefulNotes/{{Florida}} (settled by East Coast transplants as it is) and in chains like Friendly's, Denny's, IHOP and Waffle House[[note]]A unique example, in that they're primarily based in the South rather than the Northeast.[[/note]], but not to the same degree -- and calling such chains proper diners is an easy way to find out that UsefulNotes/{{baseball}} is far from the only culture-related topic that Northerners can get [[BerserkButton violently angry]] about. Diners are particularly SeriousBusiness in UsefulNotes/NewJersey, which has more of the establishments than anywhere else and where diners are almost literally the state religion.[[note]]Seriously. Every town in the state has at least one neighborhood diner--usually Greek and sometimes featuring kitschy faux-marble columns and pediments--and it's a tradition that everyone goes to the diner for lunch on Sunday "after church" (whether or not you actually go to church or indeed are Christian at all).[[/note]] That the heartland of diner culture is America's most heavily industrialized region is not a coincidence; diners are descended from railway dining cars and horse-drawn lunch wagons that catered to industrial workers, particularly those on the night shift. Thus traditional "classic" diners are characteristically long, narrow, and prefabricated constructions closely resembling rail cars, and although today a diner is more likely to be found in a permanent, purpose-built structure, diners maintain the link with the night shift by (usually) being open 24 hours (and when they do close, it's usually for a short period between when the night shift begins and when it ends, e.g. 12:00-6:00 AM), typically becoming a firm part of the area's nightlife. (Drunken revelers stopping by a diner for late-night grease after the bars close is almost a trope in itself.) The popularity of diners started to decline with the advent of fast food and suburbanization after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. As with diners, some fast food chains are known for operating at late hours. The classic [[TheFifties Fifties]] MaltShop or GreasySpoon is very often a diner, helping to immortalize the image of the diner in places far beyond where they are usually found. As with pizza, admitting to be a fan of one of the chains is a bad idea in front of fans of local diners.\\

* Chop cheese: Another meat and cheese sandwich (albeit rooted in Arab culinary traditions rather than Italian), and comprised of seasoned ground beef, onions, and melted cheese mixed with lettuce, tomatoes, and other condiments that depend on the location, all stuffed into a sub roll. It is indigenous to New York City (where it originated in Arab and primarily Yemeni-owned delis) and especially the Bronx, where it has become a beloved part of the black New Yorker culinary lexicon, though it is also extremely common in eastern Upstate (especially Albany and Troy) and can also be found with some regularity in Connecticut.

* The classic form of this argument is probably in Philadelphia with its famous cheesesteaks. Two establishments--Pat's King of Steaks and Geno's Steaks--both claim to be the original place where someone chopped up some thin-sliced steak, tossed in some onions, topped it with cheese, and put it all in a long roll. To add to the sense of rivalry, they are right across the street from each other, at the intersection of 9th St. and Passyunk Avenue in South Philly. Both have capitalized on their fame and now attract large crowds from out of town. True to expectations, many local aficionados reject both Pat's and Geno's for another place; the most popular responses are probably Tony Luke's,[[note]]Originally South Philly, now a small chain[[/note]] John's Roast Pork,[[note]]Also South Philly, about quarter mile from Tony Luke's, which is also noted for cheesesteaks despite the name[[/note]] D'Alessandro's,[[note]]Lower Roxborough in Northwest Phily, usually with a line out the door. It won a 2023 ''Philadelphia Inquirer'' poll for Philadelpha's best cheesesteak. Note however the standard non-Roxboronian critique that while the sandwich is in fact amazing, it might not be worth waiting 30+ minutes for in the shop's absurdly long lines, especially when the weather is garbage.[[/note]] Jim's,[[note]]Actually one of two locations now under separate ownership--the one on South Street is famous for attracting that bar street's late-night revelers, while the one in West Philadelphia is a neighborhood favorite[[/note]] Max's,[[note]]North Philadelphia, at Broad and Erie; this is Black Philadelphia's flagship steak place. The steaks are positively enormous--a full long hoagie roll stuffed to the brim with meat and cheese. Max's is where Donnie gets his first steak in ''Film/{{Creed}}''; the line shown in the film was unrealistically short.[[/note]] and Steve's Prince of Steaks,[[note]]Northeast Philly. It's a small chain, but consensus is that only the original on Bustleton Ave. actually competes.[[/note]] with the aficionado's preference frequently being [[CreatorProvincialism the one closest to their neighborhood]].[[note]]There's also Donkey's Place across the river on Haddon Ave. in Camden, NJ, which Creator/AnthonyBourdain proclaimed to have the best cheesesteaks he had ever had. Aficionados usually give due respect to Donkey's because of its adherence to old-school technique (frying up massive batches of real shaved ribeye and chopped onions on a gas-fired flattop grill in the middle of the restaurant), "traditional" generous proportions (by weight, probably the same as Max's), and the nod from Bourdain, but also [[NoTrueScotsman move to put it in its own category]] because (1) it's served ''only'' on a kaiser roll with white American cheese (a configuration unique to Donkey's) and (2) the restaurant is only open on weekdays at lunchtime, plus one Saturday each month (also at lunchtime), meaning basically nobody who doesn't live or work nearby can eat there unless they make a specific pilgrimage. (The regular customers who keep the place afloat mostly work at the nearby Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and the various businesses that serve the hospital's workers.)[[/note]] Still others have their own preferred holes-in-the-wall. Still other people reject the hegemony of the cheesesteak and declare for the lesser-known Philadelphia roast pork sandwich, where the top contenders are Tony Luke's (again), John's (again), and Tommy [=DiNic's=] (in the relatively [[StealthPun tony]] Reading Terminal Market in Center City).

Somewhere in the middle, you can find all sorts of sit-down restaurants that serve higher-quality stuff than what you'll find at, say, UsefulNotes/McDonalds, but cheaper than the average steakhouse. Frequently these will be "short order" restaurants, which in terms of speediness and food quality lie somewhere between fast food and regular restaurants. The classic "short order" restaurant is probably the diner, a particular kind of GreasySpoon that is typically open all day and all night (or else has very short closing hours), and is ''very'' SeriousBusiness in the Northeast, where it originated (particularly UsefulNotes/NewJersey). This category typically includes such restaurants as Waffle House, Denny's, IHOP, and more. Other restaurants in this class will term themselves as "cafeterias" (get your food from a steam line, and pay up front) or "buffets" (self-serve, all you can eat). Both have become popular in recent years not only for the massive gorging this allows, but also the convenience of getting your food immediately. Other mid-range American restaurants are sit-down, casual dining establishments, known as "bar and grills" for their attached bars, serving as a poor man's steakhouse for when the family wants to go for their weekly steak dinner. These places are the closest American equivalent to a British or Irish pub. Comedian Steve Hofstetter once genericized all such restaurants under the category of "[[KitschyThemedRestaurant TGIO'ChiliBee's]]", including such chains as TGI Fridays,[[note]]Was originally a New York City singles bar--indeed, was the ''original'' singles bar, in New York or elsewhere. Its founder literally started it as a way to meet single women, there being few good ways to do so at the time (1965). As such it still focuses on easy-drinking alcoholic beverages and "fun" food.[[/note]] O'Charley's,[[note]]Makes occasional gestures at being faux-Irish-pub, though it's not really committed to the bit.[[/note]] Bennigan's,[[note]]Faux-Irish-pub, and actually somewhat committed to the bit. Not as common as it was in the 1990s-early 2000s, going from 300+ locations to around 25 around 2007.[[/note]] Chili's,[[note]]Faux Tex-Mex, though the ribs are apparently decent for a chain[[/note]] Applebee's,[[note]]The most generic of the lot.[[/note]] Ruby Tuesday,[[note]]Tries to be "classier" than the others, though nobody's buying it.[[/note]] Longhorn Steakhouse,[[note]]Faux-Texas themed[[/note]] Texas Roadhouse,[[note]]Also faux-Texas themed[[/note]] and Outback Steakhouse.[[note]]''Super''-[[LandDownUnder faux-Australian themed]][[/note]]\\

Somewhere in the middle, you can find all sorts of sit-down restaurants that serve higher-quality stuff than what you'll find at, say, UsefulNotes/McDonalds, but cheaper than the average steakhouse. Frequently these will be "short order" restaurants, which in terms of speediness and food quality lie somewhere between fast food and regular restaurants. The classic "short order" restaurant is probably the diner, a particular kind of GreasySpoon that is typically open all day and all night (or else has very short closing hours), and is ''very'' SeriousBusiness in the Northeast, where it originated (particularly UsefulNotes/NewJersey). This category typically includes such restaurants as Waffle House, Denny's, IHOP, and more. Other restaurants in this class will term themselves as "cafeterias" (get your food from a steam line, and pay up front) or "buffets" (self-serve, all you can eat). Both have become popular in recent years not only for the massive gorging this allows, but also the convenience of getting your food immediately. Other mid-range American restaurants are sit-down, casual dining establishments, serving as a poor man's steakhouse for when the family wants to go for their weekly steak dinner. Comedian Steve Hofstetter once genericized all such restaurants under the category of "[[KitschyThemedRestaurant TGIO'ChiliBee's]]", including such chains as TGI Fridays,[[note]]Was originally a New York City singles bar--indeed, was the ''original'' singles bar, in New York or elsewhere. Its founder literally started it as a way to meet single women, there being few good ways to do so at the time (1965). As such it still focuses on easy-drinking alcoholic beverages and "fun" food.[[/note]] O'Charley's,[[note]]Makes occasional gestures at being faux-Irish-pub, though it's not really committed to the bit.[[/note]] Bennigan's,[[note]]Faux-Irish-pub, and actually somewhat committed to the bit. Not as common as it was in the 1990s-early 2000s, going from 300+ locations to around 25 around 2007.[[/note]] Chili's,[[note]]Faux Tex-Mex, though the ribs are apparently decent for a chain[[/note]] Applebee's,[[note]]The most generic of the lot.[[/note]] Ruby Tuesday,[[note]]Tries to be "classier" than the others, though nobody's buying it.[[/note]] Longhorn Steakhouse,[[note]]Faux-Texas themed[[/note]] Texas Roadhouse,[[note]]Also faux-Texas themed[[/note]] and Outback Steakhouse.[[note]]''Super''-[[LandDownUnder faux-Australian themed]][[/note]]\\

** On that note, one thing foreigners will find most shocking is how many processed, pre-packaged, ready-to-eat meals Americans eat. While certainly not uncommon in other countries, pre-packaged dishes are ubiquitous in America. The microwave is the most used implement in most American kitchens, at least since it became a mainstream item in the late 1980s.[[note]]The first home microwave ovens were introduced in 1967, but they didn't become affordable to the general public until the late 1970s.[[/note]] A culinary phenomenon predating the microwave is the "TV dinner", which became popular in the 1950s (originally intended to be heated in the oven). Today, a massive part of Americans' diets are comprised of boxed meals that contain all you need besides water, a pot, and a stove, such as the beloved Kraft Mac & Cheese, or microwaved meals served in a variety of plastic and cardboard dishes. While there are many potential reasons for this, the most likely explanation is that Americans spend more hours working on average than most other developed countries, and unlike most developing countries, both parents in an American household typically have full-time jobs. As such, there's no one "homemaker" parent to do the labors of cooking a meal for an entire family, and little time for either parent to do so. This explanation has some credence given the fascination with ready-to-eat meals that other work-heavy developed countries (such as Japan) have. Other explanations include a simple cultural love of convenience, or the fact that many basic ingredients (such as vegetables, stocks, sauces, and fresh meat) are more expensive than in other countries. Also, it is worth noting that many parts of America—especially poor and rural parts—are labeled as "food deserts", meaning they lack any grocers that can supply them with fresh food. Some entire communities have no access to food that isn't frozen or heavily processed.

#Main dishes typically contain meat, which, like everything else in the country, is often served in large portions in restaurants. The United States has topped the list of meat consumption per capita for decades, due to vast expanses of grazing land that have enabled it to have large amounts of cattle. The cowboy ''is'' a stereotype of Americans, after all. As a consequence, almost every American meal will contain a meat dish, and real meat tends to remain cheaper than alternatives and facsimiles, unlike many other parts of the world. That said, there is a growing interest in vegetarianism and veganism in the US, and more restaurants are offering meatless options, even fast food chains. Given the diverse food culture from all over the world, many meatless dishes from cultures where they are common (such as South and East Asia) are also available in America.

** As mentioned above, Greek pizza is another variant native to New England that is characterized by a chewy, oily crust that comes from being baked in an olive oil-laden pan instead of directly on the rack, along with a thicker, chunkier sauce and relatively light cheese placement (the blend usually being cheddar and mozzarella). Greek pizza restaurants are usually branded as a "House of Pizza" or something similar and typically also serve Greek fare in addition to the usual bevy of grinders, pasta, and fried appetizers (gyros, souvlaki, Greek salads, spanakopita, and baklava are pretty much universal). While distinctive, they are also divisive; while good Greek pizza places ''do'' exist, the general consensus is that your average "Gus's House of Pizza" is going to be a lower-quality place that mostly caters to townies and drunks and has a late closing hour and low price as its main selling point. The style most likely originated in Connecticut from a Greek-Albanian restaurant owner, and was widely adopted throughout the region around the 60s and 70s by Greek, Albanian, Armenian, Lebanese, Syrian, and Turkish restaurant owners.

Outside of California the term "Californian" is nearly synonymous with vegetables, particularly avocado (a major California crop). Californians put avocados on burgers, sandwiches, salads, omelettes, sushi (the "California roll", including avocado, cream cheese, and imitation crab meat), and (some) Mexican food, sometimes in the form of guacamole. In the case of the non-Mexican food, the menu usually mentions whether the dish has avocado in it. Due to the mega-diversity of the state and the influence of pop culture from Hollywood, "Californian" may also evoke connotations of fusion cuisine and combining various styles of cooking together for new experimental dishes (California-style pizza and the California Pizza Kitchen chain being a good example).\\

Although America is very firmly beer country today, it wasn't always so. In [[UsefulNotes/TheThirteenAmericanColonies the colonial period]] and up until the presidency of UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson (more or less), hard cider and applejack--a freeze-distilled brandy made from cider--were the drinks of choice for Americans. In fact, at least one major successful presidential campaign during that era[[note]]That of UsefulNotes/WilliamHenryHarrison.[[/note]] openly played up the image that the candidate was a [[RatedMForManly rough-and-tumble man's man]] who lived in a log cabin and loved drinking cider. The vast open spaces of the Great Lakes and Mississippi Basins had yet to be settled by whites, and so America--strange to say--was grain-poor. So they made their drinks from apples--which were easy to grow in America's climate and terrain--instead. New England was also big on rum in the colonial period, buying molasses to distill into rum with the proceeds of its triangular-trade shipping fees ("[[Theatre/SeventeenSeventySix Molaaaassssses to rummm, to slaaaves]]...")\\

A peculiarity of the Northeast that ought to be mentioned is the intense regionalism of industrially/commercially produced food here. Because industrialization took hold in the Northeast before anywhere else in the U.S., including in food, Northeasterners are used to having far more localized branding in their mass-produced food products than elsewhere. The biggest example of this is with Pennsylvania's junk--''*ahem*''--''[[InsistentTerminology snack]]'' food scene, where besides the ubiquitous soft and hard pretzels, there's at least a half-dozen companies making potato chips and other snack foods for the local market, plus a good number of others focused on sweet confections. These range from companies like Herr's[[note]]Yes, like the Herr's Salt & Vinegar chips Jim Halpert and Karen Filippelli loved so much in ''[[Series/TheOfficeUS The Office]]''. They really are that good, by the way--and the kettle-cooked Herr's Boardwalk Salt & Vinegar ones are even better.[[/note]] and Utz with a strong regional if not national presence to companies like Middleswarth (based in Middleburg, PA) that serve a handful of counties in the middle of nowhere in the Pennsylvania mountains. These regional brands also tend to be a little more old-school in flavors and techniques; Utz fries some of its kettle chips in ''lard'', and a few of the other brands like to toss in some beef tallow.\\

* Related to the above is the "garbage plate", also originating in UsefulNotes/{{Rochester}}, which starts with a base of home fries, macaroni salad, and baked beans, and is then topped with some sort of meat (typically one of the aformentioned regional hot dogs, such as michigans or white hots, or alternatively hamburger patties), before being dressed with mustard, chopped onions, hot sauce, and (depending on the establishment) meat sauce and served with several slices of buttered Italian bread. You can expect jst about any hots joint in the greater Rochester area to have its own spin on the classic garbage plate, though this grows less likely as you head further east or south.

* The 2000s have seen another variety of pizza restaurant arise in Northern California, upscale pizzerias serving Italian-style pizzas with a high degree of authenticity (i.e. wood-fired brick ovens leaving scorching on the crust, as well as proper mozzarella and Italian toppings/recipes such as margherita, often run by recent immigrants). San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area are the main center of this new style; expect long waits for a table and $20 pizzas.

** On that note, one thing foreigners will find most shocking is how many processed, pre-packaged, ready-to-eat meals Americans eat. While certainly not uncommon in other countries, pre-packaged dishes are ubiquitous in America. The microwave is the most used implement in most American kitchens, at least since it became a mainstream item in the late 1980s.[[note]]The first home microwave ovens were introduced in 1967, but they didn't become affordable to the general public until the late 1970s.[[/note]] A culinary phenomenon predating the microwave is the "TV dinner", which became popular in the 1950s. Today, a massive part of Americans' diets are comprised of boxed meals that contain all you need besides water, a pot, and a stove, such as the beloved Kraft Mac & Cheese, or microwaved meals served in a variety of plastic and cardboard dishes. While there are many potential reasons for this, the most likely explanation is that Americans spend more hours working on average than most other developed countries, and unlike most developing countries, both parents in an American household typically have full-time jobs. As such, there's no one "homemaker" parent to do the labors of cooking a meal for an entire family, and little time for either parent to do so. This explanation has some credence given the fascination with ready-to-eat meals that other work-heavy developed countries (such as Japan) have. Other explanations include a simple cultural love of convenience, or the fact that many basic ingredients (such as vegetables, stocks, sauces, and fresh meat) are more expensive than in other countries. Also, it is worth noting that many parts of America—especially poor and rural parts—are labeled as "food deserts", meaning they lack any grocers that can supply them with fresh food. Some entire communities have no access to food that isn't frozen or heavily processed.

** And regarding cattle, dairy is handled a bit differently from the rest of the world. Dairy products almost exclusively use cow milk, with goat milk (and meat, for that matter) being difficult to find and expensive. Milk itself is bought pasteurized and homogenized but otherwise normal, with shelf-stable milk only being used to stock people's [[Main/CrazySurvivalist nuclear/biological/zombie survival bunkers]]. Milk is almost always sold in either half-gallon or one-gallon plastic jugs, with distinctive handles to help carry and pour, though tall, narrow cartons made of coated paper are also available, especially for smaller quantities. (One-pint cartons of milk are iconic symbols of children's school lunches across America; from the 1980s through about 2000, they were likely to [[FaceOnAMilkCarton bear the faces of missing children]].) Glass bottles were once prevalent, and are still available in some places; they are often found in use for "premium" milk (usually unhomogenized and organic). (Of course, none of this will strike most foreigners as especially weird; if you want weird milk packaging in North America, go to Canada, where they sell the same kind of pasteurized, homogenized, non-shelf-stable milk in ''plastic bags'' And no, not in a bag-in-a-box--the fridge is just full of plastic bags full of milk.) The forgoing of shelf-stable milk is mostly due to the "cattle culture" as most people in America were rarely far away enough from a ranch to buy fresh milk, even before the advent of refrigeration. Today, most major cities are near enough to good cattle-raising land that the milk you get will be local, as the climate is mild enough even in summer to make transportation by refrigerated trucks economical. That said, there is growing interest in non-dairy milks concurrent with the rise of interest in veganism in the country.

** Americans are, however, relatively conservative in their cheese tastes, going mainly for firm, salty, mild-tasting cow's milk cheeses and processed cheese foods imitating flavors thereof. Predominant varieties include Cheddar, Colby (similar to Cheddar but softer and milder), Monterey Jack (similar to Colby but white and sometimes sold with minced hot peppers mixed in as "Pepper Jack"), Colby-Jack [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs (a hybrid of the last two)]], Mozzarella (the cheese of choice for pizzas), Swiss[[note]]a derivative of Emmentaler[[/note]] (no self-respecting deli doesn't offer sandwiches with Swiss), Feta (no Greek restaurant will go without liberal Feta usage, and many Middle Eastern restaurants will also include it due to the fact that its flavor profile works well with their food), "Mexican" (could be any number of things, although commonly it's either an imitation of ''queso blanco''[[note]]A fresh, crumbly farmer's cheese with OK-at-best melting characteristics[[/note]] or imitation Oaxaca;[[note]]Basically Mexican mozzarella[[/note]] the closer you are to an area with a large Mexican-American population, the better a shot you have at finding the real deal), Parmesan (based on Parmigiano-Reggiano and generally sold ground-up and used as a condiment or garnish), Provolone (only vaguely similar to the Italian cheese of the same name; how vaguely depends on how far from the East Coast you are, with East Coast versions being a reasonable facsimile[[note]]With Philadelphia and New York having particularly good versions; the extra-sharp provolone used on Philadelphia's roast pork and roast beef sandwiches and available for its famous cheesesteaks is, if not authentic, then good enough that visiting Italians overlook the dissimilarity.[[/note]] and more distant ones... um... not), cream cheese (a mild, spreadable cheese [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin made from cream]], vaguely reminiscent of several European soft cheeses), Cheez Whiz (a yellow processed cheese spread), and of course, American cheese and its derivative, Velveeta[[note]]Also note that there's American ''cheese'', which is similar to Cheddar/Colby, and "Pasteurized Process American Cheese Food Product", which is the individually-wrapped slices that most people think of when they hear "American cheese"; both PPACFP and Velveeta are specifically designed to melt well rather than to taste good in unmelted form, though people are much more likely to eat PPACFP without actually heating it than they are to eat Velveeta that way[[/note]]. There is an increasing interest in imported and artisanal cheeses--artisanal cheddar production in the US has been a movement since at least TheNineties. With ''very'' rare exceptions (almost all involving cream cheese), cheese is only eaten with savory dishes as opposed to sweet ones. (So, e.g., the English custom of eating apple pie with a sharp Cheddar is met with confusion and mockery in the U.S.)

** Americans are, however, relatively conservative in their cheese tastes, going mainly for firm, salty, mild-tasting cow's milk cheeses and processed cheese foods imitating flavors thereof. Predominant varieties include Cheddar, Colby (similar to Cheddar but softer and milder), Monterey Jack (similar to Colby but white and sometimes sold with minced hot peppers mixed in as "Pepper Jack"), Colby-Jack [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs (a hybrid of the last two)]], Mozzarella (the cheese of choice for pizzas), Swiss[[note]]a derivative of Emmentaler[[/note]] (no self-respecting deli doesn't offer sandwiches with Swiss), Feta (no Greek restaurant will go without liberal Feta usage, and many Middle Eastern restaurants will also include it due to the fact that its flavor profile works well with their food), "Mexican" (could be any number of things, although commonly it's either an imitation of ''queso blanco''[[note]]A fresh, crumbly farmer's cheese with OK-at-best melting characteristics[[/note]] or imitation Oaxaca;[[note]]Basically Mexican mozzarella[[/note]] the closer you are to an area with a large Mexican-American population, the better a shot you have at finding the real deal), Parmesan (based on Parmigiano-Reggiano and generally sold ground-up and used as a condiment or garnish), Provolone (only vaguely similar to the Italian cheese of the same name; how vaguely depends on how far from the East Coast you are, with East Coast versions being a reasonable facsimile[[note]]With Philadelphia and New York having particularly good versions; the extra-sharp provolone used on Philadelphia's roast pork and roast beef sandwiches and available for its famous cheesesteaks is, if not authentic, then good enough that visiting Italians overlook the dissimilarity.[[/note]] and more distant ones... um... not), cream cheese (a mild, spreadable cheese [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin made from cream]], vaguely reminiscent of several European soft cheeses), Cheez Whiz (a yellow processed cheese spread), and of course, American cheese and its derivative, Velveeta[[note]]Also note that there's American ''cheese'', which is similar to Cheddar/Colby, and "Pasteurized Process American Cheese Food Product", which is the individually-wrapped slices that most people think of when they hear "American cheese"; both PPACFP and Velveeta are specifically designed to melt well rather than to taste good in unmelted form, though people are much more likely to eat PPACFP without actually heating it than they are to eat Velveeta that way[[/note]]. There is an increasing interest in imported and artisanal cheeses--artisanal cheddar production in the US has been a movement since at least TheNineties. With ''very'' rare exceptions (almost all involving cream cheese), cheese is only eaten with savory dishes as opposed to sweet ones.

** Americans are, however, relatively conservative in their cheese tastes, going mainly for firm, salty, mild-tasting cow's milk cheeses and processed cheese foods imitating flavors thereof. Predominant varieties include Cheddar, Colby (similar to Cheddar but softer and milder), Monterey Jack (similar to Colby but white and sometimes sold with minced hot peppers mixed in as "Pepper Jack"), Colby-Jack [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs (a hybrid of the last two)]], Mozzarella (the cheese of choice for pizzas), Swiss[[note]]a derivative of Emmentaler[[/note]] (no self-respecting deli doesn't offer sandwiches with Swiss), Feta (no Greek restaurant will go without liberal Feta usage, and many Middle Eastern restaurants will also include it due to the fact that its flavor profile works well with their food), "Mexican" (could be any number of things, although commonly it's imitation Oaxaca; the closer you are to an area with a large Mexican-American population, the better a shot you have at finding the real deal), Parmesan (based on Parmigiano-Reggiano and generally sold ground-up and used as a condiment or garnish), Provolone (only vaguely similar to the Italian cheese of the same name; how vaguely depends on how far from the East Coast you are, with East Coast versions being a reasonable facsimile[[note]]With Philadelphia and New York having particularly good versions; the extra-sharp provolone used on Philadelphia's roast pork and roast beef sandwiches and available for its famous cheesesteaks is, if not authentic, then good enough that visiting Italians overlook the dissimilarity.[[/note]] and more distant ones... um... not), cream cheese (a mild, spreadable cheese [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin made from cream]], vaguely reminiscent of several European soft cheeses), Cheez Whiz (a yellow processed cheese spread), and of course, American cheese and its derivative, Velveeta[[note]]Also note that there's American ''cheese'', which is similar to Cheddar/Colby, and "Pasteurized Process American Cheese Food Product", which is the individually-wrapped slices that most people think of when they hear "American cheese"; both PPACFP and Velveeta are specifically designed to melt well rather than to taste good in unmelted form, though people are much more likely to eat PPACFP without actually heating it than they are to eat Velveeta that way[[/note]]. There is an increasing interest in imported and artisanal cheeses--artisanal cheddar production in the US has been a movement since at least TheNineties. With ''very'' rare exceptions (almost all involving cream cheese), cheese is only eaten with savory dishes as opposed to sweet ones.

#Main dishes typically contain meat, which, like everything else in the country, is often served in large portions in restaurants. The United States has topped the list of meat consumption per capita for decades, due to vast expanses of grazing land that have enabled it to have large amounts of cattle. The cowboy ''is'' a stereotype of Americans, after all. As a consequence, almost every American meal will contain a meat dish, and real meat tends to remain cheaper than alternatives and facsimiles, unlike many other parts of the world. That said, there is a growing interest in vegetarianism and veganism in the US, and more restaurants are offering meatless options. Given the diverse food culture from all over the world, many meatless dishes from cultures where they are common (such as South and East Asia) are also available in America.