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The Top 5 Foods I Would Recommend to New Americans
And none of them are hot dogs, hamburgers, or pizza.
When travelers come to the U.S. for a visit or immigrants move here, I imagine they are curious about “American food.” What exactly is American food? Is it the food you see in American movies and TV shows? The food sold by our fast-food chains, some of which have expanded globally?
As the daughter of immigrants, I grew up eating 90% Chinese food at home — whatever my mother cooked. My parents occasionally ordered pizza (especially after my younger brother started working at a local chain) or took us to Burger King or McDonald’s for a meal (usually when on vacation away from home).
When I volunteered to work in the school cafeteria in elementary school, I would not only get to leave class early but I would get a free lunch. That’s when I discovered American food: tater tots, enchiladas, burritos, meatloaf, spaghetti, and all the other dishes my mom didn’t know how to make. I loved it all and never realized these were just poor imitations of really delicious items when lovingly made at home or in small batches at a mom-and-pop-owned restaurant.
When I grew older, I bought microwavable burritos, canned sloppy joes, canned spaghetti-o’s, and other packaged convenience food to try out more “American…
