In preparing my statements for the Fulbright scholarship I have been refining what I think about foreign language education and the relationship between cultures. For me, language requires a social context. This got me thinking about why is it that young Europeans are required to learn English, but made wary of the American lifestyle?
Whether this is a result of less-than-stellar diplomacy, an issue from the Freudian subconscious, or an attempt to thwart the homogenization of cultures is unclear.
I am particularly interested in the German attitude toward Americans. Every German citizen that I have ever met has been warm, welcoming, and hospitable; and for the most part has accepted that certain aspects of American culture have become part of German Alltag. But why is it that with our increasingly interconnected societies, the American stereotypes still persist?
The most persistent of these typifications is that of the American diet. I look forward to addressing this topic in my research if selected as a Fulbright scholar.
In the meantime, I am calling out to everyone to help me out. What do you eat on a daily basis? What foods do you remember fondly growing up? What’s a regional specialty where you live?
my daneschien if you are selected to do research on this subject i would love to hear about your findings!! this sort of thing is my bag baby
in an effort to help you out and answer your questions, i would say that what i eat now is vastly different compared to what i ate while i was growing up. as a little tike we often ate macaroni & cheese, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, spaghetti-os, ice cream, processed little debbie snacks, pizza, and green beans. now, however, i stay away from processed foods as much as possible and LOVE LOVE LOVE me some broccoli, salmon, peanuts, just better-for-you type foods, though i haven’t been as lucky in separating from the desserts, but you already knew that. where i live, there is the infamous Skyline Chili 3-way which is essentially a plate of spaghetti, Skyline’s chili, and a pile of cheddar cheese that reaches towards the heavens. Cincinnati also is famous for its ribs a la Montgomery Inn–something about their barbecue sauce just puts your taste buds in a state of bliss. other than that, i would say that us Midwesterners enjoy more of the classic home-cooked style of cuisine as opposed to the more exotic thai and sushi restaurants. they exist here, they just aren’t as widely embraced as compared to, say, the west coast.