I have always thought that one of the best things about travel is getting to experience other cultures through their food. So far the US has been a fat-laden fantasy. “Hardee’s” sells a burger that has a 2/3 of a pound patty! I could barely count the layers of cheese and bacon at “Sonic” and “Jack in the box” passed the grease transparency test so well that I could see through the wrapper and almost half of my hand!
Fast food is a fascinating culture. A regular sized drink is often the size of an Australian large, there are a thousand different options to add onto any meal (real chunks of lime in my diet sprite really rocks!) and even more options for the meals themselves!
Today I went to a ball game. This great institution has many links to food too. Beers (at $8 a pop, my hosts Dave and Dianne were too kind in buying them for me), hot dogs and peanuts that are still in their shells!
Some like to propogate the fat multinational America ideas, but the thing that I love the most is that there are places that you can only find in one state, one city, or even just one suburb. Just as all cultures have their own iconic foods, America has its own entries & they are so much cooler than McDonalds or KFC.
Having eaten like I have never eaten before, I keep telling myself that Scotland will be the place where I will start my diet. Time to get back onto a healthier lifestyle (though I could be getting low-carb burgers over here, where the buns are replaced with lettuce…. yet somehow I never do). Of course, chances are I will give in to fried breakfasts, fat-rich haggis & deep fried mars bars. Oh, the woes of being a gastronomic traveller.
Thank heavens my fingers haven’t quite swollen enough to fit on individual typing keys. We’ll see if tomorrows lunch can fix that.
Tim Goldsmith 