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Russian and American cuisines

Within the first few weeks of living in Russia, I lost about 10 pounds
(4.5 Kilos). It did not take me long to gain all of it back, when I returned home … now I am on a diet (typical American cycle). No, this article is not going to talk about why Americans are so obese, but I merely wanted to use my scenario as an illustration for what I rediscovered about American food when I came home. It’s a contradictory statement, but American food is probably some of the best food in the world, as well as some of the worst food in the world. How can this be, you ask? Don’t worry, I will elaborate on this in full detail.

First of all, let me clear up one misconception about Americans and our cuisine. We do not only eat food from McDonald’s and Burger King. In fact, the last time I was in a McDonald’s was in Russia. Yes, we have a lot of fast food and chain restaurants to accommodate our busy lifestyles, but a lot of Americans (myself included), choose not to poison our bodies by eating at them on a regular basis. Fast food restaurants are one example of why American cuisine is some of the worst in the world, not only because they sell unhealthy food, but also because, here in the States, they are driven by the livestock and corn industries –  powerful lobbies that are poisoning our foods and wreaking havoc on the environment.

You see, the biggest difference between American cuisine and Russian food can be summed up in one simple truth: we don’t make anything from scratch. Everything we eat or cook at home comes in packages, and they are loaded with ingredients whose names I cannot even pronounce. Fortunately, many Americans are beginning to catch on to the fact that the food industry and science have been poisoning our food for years and many of us are becoming vegetarian, eating organic and avoiding foods with GMO’s. The market is finally beginning to shift to accommodate a healthier diet.

So then how is American food some of the best food in the world? It’s simple really. We are one of those countries that has been blessed with a diverse ethnic population and we get the benefit of adopting all of their cuisines. Russia also has this advantage, but there still remains a distinct “Russian” cuisine. Nothing we eat is truly “American” (okay, maybe hamburgers and Coca Cola). We’ve got every cuisine you could possibly imagine and we get to experiment with them all and see how they will taste with a new American twist –  in fact, we’ve coined this cuisine American Nouveau.

We’ve also developed very strong regional cuisines. America is big and food varies as you travel from state to state. I grew up in Maine, a coastal state known for its lobster. The southern states are known for having heavy, fattening foods that taste delicious. Louisiana has a heritage of French and Creole cuisine that is out-of-this-world and loaded with flavor. The New York tri-state area is a smorgasbord of ethnic and reinvented cuisines –  it is the culinary capital of our country. Texans like barbeque, Chicago cuisine has a lot of Polish influence, and California produces amazing seafood. In a small nutshell, real American cuisine has strong regional and cultural ties and is always open to experimentation.

American cuisine vs. Russian cuisine … sorry, but I’m going to root for my own country on this one, mostly because we have a larger variety. Nevertheless, I will always have a place in my heart for Russian cuisine, as it was all a part of the cultural learning experience.