American Foodie

Chocolate Praline Bars at Black's in Bethesda

My friend Sarah who has been living in Spain recently wrote an interesting post defending American food. I'm a self-admitted food snob and at my worst when a conversation turns to the Olive Garden, but I have to say there are certain things I love eating when I'm here and miss dearly when I'm abroad. Thankfully Berlin is a large, cosmopolitan city, so ethnic food abounds and if I hunt long enough, I can find sriracha and jalapenos. Other stuff is pretty much impossible to find, like unsweetened ice tea. All they've got is the artificially sweetened canned stuff or I have to go to Starbucks for a passion-fruit-shaken-light-iced-venti-you get the point. What's nice about American cuisine is that while there is plenty of gross stuff, there is also plenty of great stuff. Not unlike its demography, American cuisine is diverse and can't (or shouldn't) be reduced to one kind or type. Here are some of the delicious goodies this foodie has been munching away on during her 3 week trip home, and while they're not all "American," they all belong to America in some way. Guten Appetit!

A "Magic Bar" and cappuccino from Petsi Pies in Cambridge

Julia's pulled pork feast in South Carolina

Nachos with beef and a margarita at Rio Grande in Bethesda

Bagel and lox brunch in the backyard 

Beignets at Founding Farmers in DC

French cheese from Brooklyn