Eating like an American

As an international student, reading Eating American by Sidney Minte was particularly interesting as it gave me a perspective into how an American views their own national foods and dining trends. The message came across clear however, that Americans do have to be more conscious about their eating habits as "over half of their calorie consumption comes from sugars", in comparison to what it was decades ago. In addition, many Americans prefer to eat "convenient" foods which can be made quickly and tend to forgo nutrition value for more time for other activities. A capitalist mindset has also increased the frequency in which Americans dine out. Nevertheless, this does not mean that all Americans are becoming unhealthier by the day. Demand for organic foods is growing in addition to the vegetarianism movement, which now has a membership of 7% of the population.

On another note, I also feel that the introduction of other national foods into America still needs some improvement. Living in NYC the last 2 years, I was not able to find find a single Thai or Vietnamese restaurant that served authentic dishes and had not replaced the original ingredients with something more "Westernized". Adding cream to a dish, instead of using coconut milk, or replacing fish sauce with salt are 2 common trends, which in my opinion, totally ruins the food. Yes, I understand that in order to stay in business, restaurants have to adjust the food so that it fits more to the liking of their customers but at the same time, I feel that doing so abandons the identity of the food. I would prefer to see more restaurants try and maintain the authenticity of their national foods instead of allowing it to become Westernized or made into a "fusion" dish. I feel that once customers are exposed more to what the dishes would really taste like, they would appreciate the food much more.

In order to promote better eating, I think it is crucial that Americans be taught how to eat a nutritious diet at a younger age, not after they have suffered the consequence of an unhealthy diet. By educating at a young age, children will be more determined to maintain a healthy diet and eventually, this approach will continue onto adulthood. Stricter government regulations on fast food commercials would also help reduce the incidence of Obesity in this country.

Questions I have based on this reading include:
- Should the government add higher tax rates specifically to fast foods?
- How significant is the fast food industry to the countries' GDP?
- Will importing more exotic foods from other countries have any effect on American's dieting?