"American" Food

[siuyuk]

hello people,

i live and work in hong kong for the past 6yrs and as with any big city, it has many cuisines here.

i had someone tell me, noone says, "want to eat american?"
he says everyone thinks dan ryan's, ruby tuesday, tgif, hard rock IS american food.(i been jonesing for an applebee's)

my Question is,

what would you put on a menu that would best showcase "american" food?

let's say in a mall, 200seats, full licour lic. moderately $.

[teddy]

"Yankee Pot Roast and apple pie"

[mark1]

Well the obvious 3, if you keep them Amnerican, are hot dogs, burgers and pizza. Then lots of stuff that are ethnic cuisine items now accepted as American, like jalapeno poppers, quesadillas, nachos, gumbo and any other cajun dish. More American, should include Buffalo chicken wings, Southern fried chicken, caesar, cobb and Waldorf salads, hush puppies and on and on. Lots of things you could put on, depending on your price range and size of kitchen to pump them out.

[siksikaboy]

Funny. Years ago I was interviewed by the owners of Mirimar Hotel Hong Kong for a job in their new hotel in the Philippines. Their test was for me to prepare an American hamburger. From the bun out it was American and I got the job.

A good hamburger, French fries or onion rings, chocolate malt or shake and a piece of apple pie is as about as American as you can get. Sounds simple but to get it right is a task.

[jeanmarie]

club sandwich
chili cheese fries
chicken fingers with honey-mustard dipping sauce
ribs with dry rub and/or bbq sauce
smoked brisket
banana pudding

[siuyuk]

club sandwich
chili cheese fries
chicken fingers with honey-mustard dipping sauce
ribs with dry rub and/or bbq sauce
smoked brisket
banana pudding

i was just telling my wife last nite about chilli fries.
nachos the way bennigans (as i remember) made them,would be good too.
and club sand, hold the butter, cukes and hard boiled egg.put some meat in it and mayo. lol

banana pudding is a good one too. i would even venture indian pudding also, warm with vanilla ice cream. what is that again, corn meal and molassas?
gawd, i had so many down home receipes before i moved here.

fortunatly or not, they want a baker for breads and cheese cakes. this venue will be the first of what they want to do a brand. taking it to shanghi and beijing etc.
i have my 2nd interview mon.
200 seats in this one.
the space isn't finished yet and i have no idea what what the kitchen layout would be either.AND opening june.
it's a project i'd like but wish to have a little more time to work out some bugs with the new staff.

burgers will be a priority. hot pastrami i think would be a seller also.
i've eaten many times at the mirimar, in fact i had a private club on hillwood rd for 4 yrs.(near the jordan mtr exit) and there is a great shanghinese place just a few doors down from miramar.how'd you like the phillipines?
hong kong?

thanks guys, i can't help but see some horrors in space and flow in this project.
will be back with more info about it monday.

[firechef37]

I think you hit the nail on the head as far as the "big box" or chain-restaurants go.

My only question...what about the foods of America before it was America? Wouldn't that be far more American than some of the things listed here?

How many of the items mentioned got their start back in the "Old Country" and have just been "Americanized" for the chains to produce identical all across the country?

The US is too big to have any ONE cuisine and too many different cultures and culinary styles have come here for us to have a true "American Cuisine" in my humble opinion. Bill Murray calls us mutts in Stripes and we have been the "melting pot" for centuries.

[Fincher]

mustard based bbqs of the Carolina, Geogia, Fla,

Texas bbq, Kansas, city bbq.. you get the idea

Southern fried Chicken (marinated in buttermilk of course)

Grilled lamb chops with mint julep sauce has a nice american sound to it.

Maryland crabcakes

Lowcountry shrimp and grits

Pilau

Blackened redfish

coca cola

country fried steak

think anything native american

corn bread

smoked hock braised collards

Eggs benedict

(ceasar salad) -[sort of ]invented by an american resident working in Mexico

theres thousands more

[cheztom]

corn on the Cob
Chicken pot pie
ham and red eye gravy
mac and cheese
sloppy joes
corn obrien
baked potato
corn bread
cole slaw
t bone steak
steak
steak
ribs
steak
hamburger
fried chicken
baked beans
steak

[tigerwoman]

nyc american food

pastrami
corn beef
rye bread
knishes
pizza
grays papaya drinks and hot dogs
burgers
fries
apple pie
bagels and cream cheese

to name a few

I hate when my catering clients say they want "American" food - what the heck does that mean?????

[firechef37]

A lot of BBQ being mentioned here...The History Channel runs a food show now, go figure, and it is quite informative.

There show credits the invention of BBQ to the Bahamas and Western Africa. They include most "Americanized" sauces in there as well. The credit deep frying to Africa too. They call the pizza we know today an "Americanized" food as well.

A hand-full of items mentioned are honest to goodness American but I think we should be looking into the best changes made to a food of another culture that is now an "Americanized" classic? That could be fun...

[chefelle]

Hey--after the post on German chocolate cake--I did a little research. The Joy of Cooking says that German chocolate cake was invented by an American who just happened to have the last name "German". So there you go--you can put German chocolate cake on the menu as an American food!

Thanks, Jonesg for inspiring me to study some more!!

[Derek Cooks]

i been jonesing for an applebee's

This is very disturbing. While some may argue this, "American" food is fast, tasteless, fatty, carbo-loaded crap. Now native-American, ethnic-American, Tex-Mex, Asian-fusion...now you are talking about food...

We are a melting pot. And if the fire is hot enough to melt the pot, throw a steak on for me, will ya??

[firechef37]

'Bout time Derek...I've beating the melting pot combination of cultures and cuisines drum for a while here. The purcussion section was getting lonely.

Throwing meat on the fire is NOT an American thing...got a funny feeling that started way before 1776.

[Derek Cooks]

Well, okay then, just try and tell me that Atilla cooked his meat...ha! You still can't deny my tomatoes. Now THAT's American!!!!