All-American Menu (W4)

If there was a restaurant that I was creating that would be “All-American,” I would choose only the foods that people all over the country would eat. Things that would be labeled as “southern” or “Cajun” or any other region would not be on my list. I would want something that every American would either eat or hopefully have eaten. The first choices are pizza and cheeseburgers. However, I feel like there are other foods that do not get the recognition that they deserve.

For example, a dessert that my restaurant would have is apple pie. Honestly, I have no idea why apple pie is considered “All-American,” but it is, and it sure would be a delicious end to a hotdog or steak dinner. Both of those remind me of a basic American cooking out on the grill. During the summer months, many people love to cook out on the grill and just have parties for the sake of fair weather and fair tidings. Chicken (or Buffalo) wings are another thing that I would add to my menu, because that is another food that I think that people eat all over the country whether it is for a football game or snacks to watch a movie with. Although it may seem childish, I also think that macaroni and cheese (of course of a higher/ fancier standard) would be served at my restaurant. I know it is something that a lot of people have grown up with, so recreating that with an adult twist (like adding chicken or shrimp, depending on the order of the customer) would be an interesting take on a classic.

In my opinion, drinks are important as well and coffee, pop and beer are all crucial for the menu. I honestly do not drink any of those drinks (for various reasons), but they all define America in their own special way. Coffee is important to many Americans because of the fact that America is a country on the go. With people working crazy hours just to pay for the house they cannot afford to the students cramming to study the night before an exam; people just love coffee.  Pop (although referred to as “soda” or “soda pop” in other parts of the country) is consumed by all sorts of people in every region. Families have it in their coolers when they are going to a picnic, parties have it, college students drink it, their parents drink it; a plethora of people love it as well. Some people like it because it tastes good, others like it because they have grown up with their parents drinking it so they in turn drink it, and others use the caffeine in it to wake them for whatever reason they need to be awake. Beer is another thing that a variety of people drink at different occasions; however all of them are social events: college parties, sports events, family get-togethers and of course just small social gatherings with friends.

These are just a few ideas of what I would put in my menu. They are basic, simple and straightforward. In their own ways, they define America and reflect what it means to be an American.

Food Teachers (W3)

Throughout my life, my father has always taught me how to cook since he was always the parent that would be creative and cook whatever he thought up. There have been life lessons that he has taught me through food; patience mainly. However, when my mother was willing to teach me some family recipes that I had grown to love over the years, I was very excited to begin. There were two in particular that she taught me how to make that I absolutely loved and was more than willing to be an astute student.

The first was what my family called “Surprise Packages.” It consists of a mixture of shredded American cheese, mayonnaise, mustard and hardboiled egg pieces, chopped ham, and of course buns. Taking me through the process was enjoyable. After taking the time to hard boil the eggs, we diced them up and put them into a boil. Then we added mayonnaise, mustard, and cheese. (I do not remember the exact amounts, although the cheese is relative because no matter how much cheese you have, you never have enough in my opinion.) As I looked at the combination of ingredients in the bowl, it does make a person reconsider if they really do like it; however, I knew how awesome it tasted and sights are everything to me. So we then place the contents of the bowl onto buns that created the perfect little sandwiches. After wrapping each sandwich up with tin foil, we placed them in the oven and waited for the cheese to melt and the buns to get crisp. It was such a great time learning how to make a simple food that I loved to eat.

The second thing that my mother taught me how to make was “No Bake Cookies.” Now the recipe for this I am sure I could find on Google if I wanted to because I know many people that make these and bring them to parties. I also have seen these sold in stores. However, no matter where I eat them or see them, they are never as good as how my mom makes them. That is because although she uses the same ingredients as everyone else: vanilla extract, oatmeal, chocolate, butter, milk and peanut butter, she just adds way more peanut butter to the mix. Yet, no matter how much peanut butter she puts in, it is never overbearing in taste. That is the key. That is why her No Bakes will always be the best to me because I honestly love peanut butter.

When I learned these recipes, I did not really learn too many life lessons (since they were simple and straightforward); however, I did get a wonderful experience with my mother. I do not really talk to her that often, but the times I got to learn family recipes with her was absolutely great and I do cherish those moments. It is surprising when the person you did not think could be a teacher for cooking becomes one right in front of your eyes. My mother is proud of these recipes and I am proud to know how to make them because of her.

Family Food Memories (W2)

It is weird that something as simple and small as a cheese dip is something that represents my family. It started as a tradition that my dad, sister and I would do every Friday. After work, we would decide what we wanted for “Pizza Friday” as we called it. A lot of times we would eat pizza; however it was really just whatever bad food we wanted to eat for the night. One of the options that we could have was Cheese Dip. It was a combination of melted Velveeta cheese dip, medium spicy salsa and chopped up hamburger.

This meant simple dip meant a lot to my sister and me. Not only was it delicious, but when we were very young, it was just something that we could eat that was not healthy. For my sister, it was probably a trick my dad used to introduce her to more vegetables (since she was an extremely picky eater). As we started growing older, my father would give us knives (that were like the safety scissors of knives so that we did not hurt ourselves), but sharp even to cut cheese. Then after we were slightly older and were able to comprehend oven and stove safety, my father allowed us to cook the meat and put the entire concoction together. It was one of the first (if not the first) thing my sister and I learned to cook. We loved cooking with our father and it was simple enough that when we were old enough to remember how to make it, we tried to impress our father that we could do it on our own. This was the first step in the process of my father teaching how to cook other foods that were much more difficult; such as a turkey dinner for Thanksgiving.

Cheese Dip is a very simple dish. It led to such a tradition for my father, sister and me. We still make it to this day. My sister made it for my father and I right before I went back to school. Although it is just a dip that is hardly enough for a full meal, it is something that we cherish. It brings us together and is truly a childhood memory that will always remain special to me. It is proof that is the little things in life that makes the biggest impact.

Remembering Home Through Food (W1)

Let me preface this by saying that, growing up with divorced parents since I was young, I have had two homes. When thinking about those homes in terms of food, each have memorable moments; however in completely different ways. My father created food all the time by just putting ingredients together that he thought might taste good while my mother usually made things that were originally from a box or from the freezer.

My father’s parents were from West Virginia so they brought a lot of southern cooking into the family and passed them down to my father, but the food that resonates most with me was a soup that he created which he calls, “The North Eastern Cheddar Cheese Soup.” Considering I do not even like soup, the fact that this is one of my favorite foods and that I always want it when I go home, shows how amazing it is to me. My father would create foods with my sister and I saying, “What do you think would taste good with this?” and depending on if our responses were logical, he would add it. Together, my sister, father and I made this soup. All it is is cheddar cheese soup that contains bacon, peas, and small potatoes. There is just something about it that makes it feel like home whenever I eat it. I do not know if it is because of its name or if I just have completely mentally associated it to going home, but with my father, I always think of “The North Eastern Cheddar Cheese Soup” when it comes to food.

My mother never really had the cooking “pizzazz” that my father had, but there was one recipe that went through her family that I really enjoyed. I always liked whenever I could to get her to make it for me. It was called “Surprise Packages.” Having it was an extreme rarity, but it was one of the few things I remember her making and it was delicious. Ham, an egg, mustard and mayonnaise mixture, and cheese baked in a bun was the perfect recipe. It is the first thing that I think of when it comes to my mother’s household in terms of food.  

Although my parents’ families have a multitude of passed down recipes, the simplest thing as a sandwich and a soup are the things that really make me think of home in terms of food. The “Surprise Package” might not be something that sounds appealing to others, but I do not really look at either of these foods as shame-based foods. These foods are mainly just fun things that my family stumbled upon and enjoy making. That is what food is to both of my households; enjoying the food and the people you make it with.