David Stairs
You know how they say a people is defined by what they drink? The British have their stout, Russians vodka, and the French wine. But what about what a people eats?
Of course, Americans would be on pretty thin ice with this one, considering the amount of junk and snack food they consume. Is there be a food that could definitively be called American?
I remember how mad it used to make me to go out to dinner with my Father and watch him order mac & cheese, the most prosaic item on the menu, the thing easiest to make at home, the dish every kid learns to make out of a Kraft box by age six. But if you search Mac & Cheese online you will find a surprisingly varied number of recipes.
When it comes to comfort food, mac & cheese is hard to beat. You remember eating it for lunch on those rainy days Mom shipped you off to bunk at Grandma’s. And online cooks are all vying for the “creamiest,” or “gooiest” or the “prize-winningest” version until I begin to wonder if this one food item plays a role in America’s long-term battle with heart disease.
Of course, there’s an infinite number of things one can do with M&C. Make it spicy with paprika or season it with curry for an Indian touch. Stouffer’s classic microwaveable version, my son Chris’s fave, comes with or without broccoli. But the thing that pushed me over the top to write this post were the fast food variations advertised on TV.
The first time I saw the Hungry Howie’s ad for mac & cheese pizza (limited time only) I thought, “why not?” I mean, the roots of the dish can be traced to 14th century Italy, so sure, get creative. But then along comes KFC with a mac & cheese wrap, and now I’m beginning to get a little grossed out. True, Americans will eat anything, as attested by some of the disgusting stuff available at state fairs around the nation, where almost anything goes. And yes, someone has already invented deep fried mac & cheese.
I think what I’m trying to say is that what fish & chips is to the English, and crepes are to the French, Mac & Cheese is to America. And if you can find a better contender, you are welcome to try.
David Stairs is the founding editor of the Design-Altruism-Project.
