A heated discussion with several friends Friday reminded me of my distaste for the American palette. The argument stemmed from a grilled cheese sandwich conversation.
You see, the average grilled cheese sandwich is made up of two of the worst items Americans consume: fluffy white bread and American cheese.
The American diet has gone to hell in a handbasket, and I don’t see any hope of turning back.
I developed my taste buds while I grew up in Uruguay with my parents. There, like most of the rest of the world, the bread is flaky and the cheese smells terrible. They have rejected the preservatives and color-enhancers that American food must contain to make it marketable.
When did our society’s taste buds go awry? How can people stomach so much processed food?
Maybe the change happened when companies began packaging food in easy-to-eat, on-the-go single-serving morsels. Americans have little time to sit down and enjoy a well-prepared meal.
Quite possibly, the change has been a gradual result of company marketing to please consumers. If you want to give the kids a quick lunch with no preparation, just hand them a Lunchables pack. Not good-tasting or nutritious, but colorful!
We have bought into the common misconception that brightly colored foods are good tasting and good for you. Never mind that the oranges are painted orange, or that the apples are visibly waxed.
We also put up with processed meat. We know there are gross things mixed into our hot dogs and bologna slices, but we eat them anyway.
Somehow, Americans have lost the ability to differentiate between good and bad tortilla chips and salsa. Why trust a salsa company named Hunt’s?
Cheap wine proliferates at grocery and liquor stores. Wine is not for getting drunk; there’s beer and tequila for that. Wine is a delicacy to be savored and enjoyed.
The same goes for cheese. After enjoying a thickly spread Camembert or a dish topped with grated Asiago, the appeal of Kraft Singles is completely unimaginable. It would be just as easy to slap a slice of provolone or Swiss cheese on a sandwich to improve taste.
Also, when did salt become synonymous with taste? It’s understandable when your taste buds are diminishing, but not for the rest of us. I am disturbed by the popularity of those little microwave ravioli or stew cups. They contain an enormous percentage of our daily sodium intake.
For such a health-conscious society, it’s surprising we have the highest percentage of overweight people in the world. Food products in many other countries lack nutrition labels, but people seem to be faring better than us.
The French probably have one of the fattiest diets in the world, but they still manage to suffer less heart attacks than Americans. They enjoy a myriad of cheeses, rich pastries and many creamy sauces without clogging their arteries. Maybe it’s the antioxidants in the wine (which is good - even if it’s cheap - because it’s French). Luckily, the general attitude there is that if it’s tasty, it doesn’t matter if it’ll kill you. That comment is from a personal observation during a disappointingly short stay.
Had I not been influenced early in life by good food, I may have grown up enjoying American cheese with the rest of my fellow citizens. Luckily, Spartan students have the opportunity of enjoying the edible pleasures of the world without leaving East Lansing.
Several bread stores in the area bake excellent baguettes, among other selections that do not resemble sponges (i.e., Wonderbread). I can think of four Asian food markets where any curious person can experiment with new cuisine. I recommend trying vegetable potstickers with soy sauce; they’re very easy to prepare and hard not to like.
As for local restaurants, it’s incredibly easy to find near-authentic food. Students can choose from Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Greek, Mexican, French, Ethiopian, Indian or Middle Eastern. There are many more ways to fix common meats and grains than may be expected.
Food is so much more than just sustenance, it’s an everyday pleasure we should enjoy and make the most of every day.
Eating a Nutri-Grain bar on the way to class is understandable, but when you get back, spend a few extra minutes to fix yourself a sandwich on sourdough with sliced meat (optional), provolone, fresh lettuce, tomatoes and real mayonnaise.
If fat and cholesterol are an issue for you (and they are for me), consider vegetarianism. I am a vegetarian myself, and it has done wonders for my cholesterol level, allowing me to partake in other indulgences. Admittedly, I occasionally enjoy a well-prepared dish containing meat, but very rarely.
I wish I could cry out to America: “Watch out! You could be using a tastier cheese on that grilled sandwich!” Sadly, I imagine many people are satisfied with their American cheese, but why would you be? There’s so much more out there.
Tell Ryan Weltzer, a State News intern, why American cheese is superior to Camembert at weltzerr@msu.edu.
