Learn all about the top five dishes you just have to try while traveling in the US
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| Chihiro: Top 5 American Dishes You Have to Try and Top 5 Desserts for the Sweet Tooth. |
| Ryan: Hey everyone, Ryan here. I’m pretty sure our listeners all have an image in their minds when we say this... the usual hotdogs, hamburgers... |
| Chihiro: And we’ll talk about those and other foods in this lesson! |
| Ryan: So, maybe you shouldn’t listen to this on an empty stomach! |
| Chihiro: First, before we get into the food, let’s talk about some general table manners. |
| Ryan: Right, some table manners might be different from the table manners you know of in your country. |
| Chihiro: For example, don’t lift your soup bowl to your mouth, in some countries, with liquid dishes this is permitted, but if you’re eating a traditional American meal, it’s considered bad manners. |
| Ryan: Right. Also, chew with your mouth closed and don’t slurp your soup. |
| Chihiro: And when you’re done, leave your fork and knife on the right side of the plate pointing diagonally up. This shows that you’re done with the meal. If you’re just taking a break, leave them resting on the left and right side of the plate with the handle part on the table. Table manners may differ a little in different regions, but those we just mentioned should be pretty standard. |
| Ryan: Okay, enough with the manners, on to the food! Keep in mind listeners, the food that was chosen wasn’t based on official research, we just decided ourselves! We chose 5 popular foods, and then 5 popular junk foods! |
| Chihiro: Okay, the first on our list is... Hamburgers!! The food with the meat patty, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and cheese between a bun. Apart from being famous due to the many fast food restaurants that serve hamburgers, there are hamburgers that are gourmet and can still earn points for being a proper meal. |
| Ryan: Some say it originated when a person at a fair in Hamburg, New York, which is named after Hamburg Germany, replaced sausages for beef to put in sandwiches. Others say it was because a man known as Hamburger Charlie started serving meatballs in a sandwich at another fair. |
| Chihiro: Either way, the dates were both around the 1880s. Since then hamburgers have grown on the American people and today there are a variety such as turkey burgers, chicken burgers, buffalo burgers, and people have their own preferences in toppings as well such as avocado, bacon, chips, ham, chili peppers and so forth. |
| Ryan: Sounds good. Okay, the next one is a pretty good one too. Buffalo Wings! |
| Chihiro: Nice, despite the name, buffalo wings are fried chicken wings coated in sauce. The name comes from the sauce that they are smothered in. |
| Ryan: Right, the sauce is usually spicy and is made from cayenne pepper and melted butter. They’re commonly served with celery sticks with blue cheese dressing. |
| Chihiro: The food has several stories to its origin. One is that in the 1960s a lady named Teressa Belissimo thought of frying chicken wings on the spot then tossing them into cayenne pepper when she heard that her son was coming over with some friends. She served them celery sticks with blue cheese while they waited. |
| Ryan: And the other story is told by Teressa’s son, stating that one night their bar was full of many people buying a lot of drinks. He wanted to serve them something delicious to go with their drinks and that’s when his mother came up with the idea. These days, buffalo wings are served as appetizers at many restaurants, and are also called hot wings. |
| Chihiro: Okay, the next one is from the south, it’s Jambalaya! |
| Ryan: That’s a Louisiana creole dish made of meats, vegetables, rice and stock. The name is thought to be from the French word jambon which is ham and aya from a West African language meaning rice. |
| Chihiro: And like the name, the dish is a combination of European influence from the early settlers, and the Africans who came to America enslaved. |
| Ryan: Chicken and sausage with andouille is cooked or smoked first, then the vegetables and tomatoes, along with seafood are put in. At the end the rice and stock are added and everything is left to simmer. |
| Chihiro: But the Cajun way of cooking it is to use a cast iron pot and no tomatoes are added, which is why it's brown. Many may think it looks similar to the Spanish paella, which probably does have an influence. |
| Ryan: Okay, next one. We have to mention this. The salad made of green leaves, usually being romaine lettuce, croutons, and parmesan cheese covered in dressing that has lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, egg and some black pepper. The Caeser Salad. |
| Chihiro: You can find this salad on almost any menu in a typical restaurant, and if you’re not feeling sure of the salad you want, you can never go wrong with this one. |
| Ryan: Like other foods, there are several stories as to who invented the salad, but a popular misconception is that it is named after Julius Caeser – but it’s not! One story is that it was invented by an Italian born Mexican named Cardini Caeser who had a restaurant in Tijuana but lived in San Diego. |
| Chihiro: The other story is that a man named Paul Maggiora made it for an American in the air force. Either way, the two stories are from around the 20s. |
| Ryan: Okay, another favorite, Pizza! |
| Chihiro: We cannot NOT mention this food! |
| Ryan: Right, the flat usually circular dough that is topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and other toppings of choice. The pizza in the US comes from the Italians, but flat bread with olive oil and seasoning could be seen in other ancient societies. |
| Chihiro: And different areas of the States may have different ways of making the pizza. For example, Chicago is popular for their Chicago style pizza, which is made of a thicker crust and chunkier tomato sauce. |
| Ryan: Pizza is a favorite among Americans for parties, as it's easy to pick up the phone and order a box. Many families would have the number to the local pizza shop on their fridge. There are many toppings of meats and vegetables you can choose from, and different sizes as well. |
| Chihiro: Okay, let’s talk about our junk food now. |
| Ryan: What’s on your mind? |
| Chihiro: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich. |
| Ryan: Good one. Take two slices of bread, smother peanut butter on one slice, and strawberry jam on the other. Put it together and you have your snack. Chihiro: What’s next? |
| Ryan: A drink, Root Beer |
| Chihiro: Mmm, I love root beer! It’s a carbonated drink originally prepared using sassafras. |
| Ryan: Many who are unaccustomed to this drink may find the taste to be strange, disgusting... or pretty good. In other words, you like it or hate it. What’s next? |
| Chihiro: CadBury Mini Eggs |
| Ryan: Oh, those are great. Since they’re seasonal only during easter, you can’t find them year round. |
| Chihiro: Right, they’re little egg shaped chocolates that are coated in a pastel colored candy shell. Sounds like a typical chocolate snack, but these are reeeeally good. What’s next? |
| Ryan: The licorice snack, Twizzlers |
| Chihiro: They’re the ones that come in a pack and you have to tear a strip off from the other. Strawberry is a popular flavor, but other flavors are also sold. Also known for its straw like shape, being hollow in the middle. |
| Ryan: And the last one? |
| Chihiro: Jelly Bellys!! |
| Ryan: Nice! They’re the small jelly beans that come in a variety of flavors. The box has instructions on how to combine flavors to get a different tasting flavor. |
| Chihiro: And there are 50 different flavors, that also have their own colors! |
| Ryan: Okay listeners, we’re going to stop there since my mouth is watering now. |
| Chihiro: Mine too and I’m getting pretty hungry. Go ahead and try any of the foods you haven’t if you go to the states. You won’t regret it! |
| Ryan: Except maybe the root beer. |
| Chihiro: Bye for now. |
| Ryan: See you all soon. |
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