The Focus of This Lesson is American Cuisine

Table Etiquette

Grammar Points

What comes to your mind when you think of American food? Hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizza?

You're definitely on the right track with these dishes; however, you'll see in this lesson how there are a

lot of different kinds of dishes that don't come to mind when you think of American food.

Regional Dishes

First, let's talk about table manners. Table manners may differ slightly in different regions, but we will

give you a safe standard that you can use in most situations. In general, we don't lift plates off the

table. This goes for soup bowls as well. Americans also consider slurping rude, and you should eat

soups without noise. When you're in the middle of your meal and you put your pieces of silverware

down, rest them on the left and right side of your plate with the handles on the table. When you're

finished, place them completely on your plate pointing diagonally left. Of course, chew with your

mouth closed.

As you know, the United States is made of many different people from many different cultures. This

means that different areas of the country are known for their specialty dishes. These dishes will

definitely have clear influences from different immigrants, but nonetheless they have become

American over time.

A popular example is the influence of Mexican food. You can find countless taquerias in the state of

California, and Tex-Mex is the term describing the food that blends both southern and Mexican

cooking. This includes foods such as chili con queso, chili con carne, and fajitas, which are all

particular to this region. Tex-Mex cooking also uses a lot of beef and cheese in cooking. Spices

that are not typically Mexican can also be found in Tex-Mex dishes.

Other regional dishes include Italian food, which has changed from the food the original immigrants

who came to the United States cooked. A popular dish that has been modified and spread is pizza, now

a common fast food for many. Another popular common food is Chinese food. This too has changed

over time with Western influences, and it is now very different from the cuisines found in China. The

Chinese food found in the United States contains a lot of meat, which is different from the original

Chinese food that has a lot of vegetables.