American Cuisine as an Expression of Globalization
In America, the burger stands as a national symbol beside the American flag, the bald eagle and the white house. Americans attribute their fame to the burger; billions of people eat and adore it each day. Local food variations get into the global market then spread around to other communities which may either be geographically closer or nearer to the source. The replaced product will, in turn, be transformed by local, cultures, and produce (Edge, 2009). The new product will subsequently reenter the global market to be spread throughout the world once more. According to Inda & Rosaldo (2007), as long as there is continuous interaction of the local and global markets, this process has the potential to continue. How these products spread across the globe varies, but whichever way, the globalized product will always be viewed with an individual cultural perspective. This paper will look at how the traditional dishes consumed by Americans are an expression of globalization.
The cheeseburger, for example, was a combination of German and American food cultures. The classic cheeseburger, however, reaches to more countries than just these two. It is defined as two white bread buns, a beef patty, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and ketchup. The cheeseburger is a simple meal complimented by French fries and a coke. The ecology of the mid-west is highly fertile and able to produce large amounts of wheat, hence called the bread basket, leading to America’s love and copious consumption of bread. Beef in the burgers also hails from the American plains, but the French and English taste influenced its cultural love. Ground beef was however invented by central Asia and later adopted by European countries such as Germany.
The history of ketchup is more complicated as tomatoes were discovered in Mexico and later exported to Europe. The widely used condiment was created as a result of combining vinegar and tomatoes during the trade between Europe and Asia. The lettuce has been used in several American dishes even though it is said to have less flavor and few nutrients. Combinations of all these ingredients create the classic burger which in spite of being thought to be American, its roots spread across the globe. The burger was initially created to be used as a meal that was fast, nourishing, portable, on the job, and quick to devour. Even though being a meal of a small and cheaper variation, it also became successful in establishments of high prices and fine dining (Edge, 2009).
On a national scale, the fact that different American states, as well as various individual cultures producing the ingredients regionally, has affected the burger. The United States, being a heterogeneous country, produces burgers that differ from each other. Hamburger America, a food documentary, showcases burgers from all regions of America, hence aptly showing their differences. There is a sharp contrast in the burgers of New England, with those of Memphis and Tennessee deep-fried hamburgers as well as the green chili cheeseburgers and the butter burger. The differences are brought about by particular condiments, ingredients, and cooking styles, all of which are rooted in their respective cultural regions (Inda & Rosaldo, 2007). The only limiting factors are the tolerance of the taste buds and the imagination.