Over at the Sociological Images blog (always a great and thought-provoking read), I came across a post including a video of an American (that is, United States of American) "ethinic" foods section at a German supermarket. I it's a little window of opportunity to see what foods other cultures identify with my culture. Basically, in this case it looks like it's boxed baking mixes for sweets, chocolate syrup, marshmallows, and TONS of BBQ sauce. I was happy to also see maple syrup and some cajun/creole spices, as I think those are some truly American foods. But where (oh where?!) are the peanut butter and ketchup?
Here is the video:
Anyone's ideas of what foods represent a culture are shaped by their personal experiences and biases about that country. Still, I can't help think I would do a better job of making up this section. Maybe it's because culturally, I'm American, and as is pointed out in the post, what other countries associate with your culture might not be an accurate representation.
What foods would you put in the American foods section of this supermarket?
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