Food is an iconic part of the USA’s annual 4th of July celebrations. But what exactly is “American” food?
By Katherine Leonard, TWR Fellow ‘20
The United States celebrated its 243rd Independence Day this past weekend, a holiday that is both embedded in tradition and challenged by criticism. The Fourth of July is a complicated holiday. Many people associate it with the unfulfilled promise of freedom, questioning why we choose to celebrate the independence of a nation where liberties are still limited for many, and sovereignty has been established atop stolen land. Despite this, most people who are familiar with the holiday identify it with parades, fireworks, and barbeques. When celebrating the Fourth of July, waving the flag is just as patriotic as cooking burgers and hot dogs on the grill.
On this holiday alone, Americans consume 375 million burgers and 150 million hot dogs. That’s enough hot dogs to stretch from D.C. to L.A. more than five times. There is even Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, which is held every year on Independence Day. Joey Chestnut, who has now won the competition 14 times, has been heralded as an American icon.
The importance of barbeque food on this holiday has made burgers and hot dogs synonymous with American food. This begs the question, however, as to what American food really is.
One thing that America prides itself on is being a melting pot. This comparison holds true when you consider that the U.S. is a country made up of immigrants. No person living in America - except for indigenous peoples - can claim ownership of this land. The country is populated with foreigners who came to the U.S., voluntarily or involuntarily. If the U.S. is truly a melting pot, then why do we categorize American food as perhaps the most standardized food there is? We as Americans limit ourselves to hot dogs and burgers when we associate our national identity with this food when in reality, there is so much more to food in America.
It may seem strange that identity is closely linked to food. But when you think about the things that normally contribute to how we perceive ourselves - social groups, ethnicity, and family - we see that food is often a common denominator. Food facilitates social interaction. People interact with friends while dining out. Connections are made by sharing recipes. Food is also important in family ties. For many families, food is an opportunity to bond over meals or share family history.
This relates to how one’s upbringing can impact identity. Favorite foods as a child become “comfort foods” as an adult. And these “comfort foods” will look different depending on one’s ethnic identity and cultural background. We learn to love certain foods through interaction with people we identify with. We find pride in the food that feels like it belongs to us.
For these reasons, food is a marker of individual and group identity. Food can be an affirmation of cultural belonging or a vehicle for bonding across lines of difference. Because food is part of the universal human experience, it is a tangible way for us to connect with others, learn about different cultures, and represent ourselves.
Sociology professor and food researcher Christopher McAll argues that generalizing individual identities, narratives, and circumstances is a key way that power hierarchies and social inequalities are maintained. This occurs when catch-all terms are used, like “homeless”, “immigrants”, or “refugees. Reducing individual identity to homogeneous terms negates the uniqueness of each culture. When you diminish the diversity of culture, you also diminish the diversity of food that exists within it.
McAll wonders whether food can be used to create new and individualized identities. If people begin sharing the foods they identify with, we will begin to see the blurring of lines where differences used to occur. We will see the uniqueness of different cultures, but also how cultures blend, and new and old converge.
There is power in recognizing food as a catalyst for cultural expression, socialization, and identity. When people define their cuisine beyond a static and generalized understanding of traditional food from their home or host country, they claim the power that is derived from different forms of belonging. Incorporating new ingredients from different regions of the world to create a new recipe may evoke tastes both new and old. This type of multiculturalism reflects the culinary creativity that exists in America.
McAll argues that changing how we view food can spark fundamental social change. If we start to recognize how food reflects identity, we allow for expressions of cultural identity to flourish in America. Burgers and hot dogs no longer have to be the only American food. Instead, the U.S. can recognize that there is no single identity and allow for various foods to symbolize national pride.
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Sources:
McAll, Christopher. “Bringing Equality down to Earth: Food, Identity Reduction and the Five
Dimensions of Well-Being.” Anthropology of Food, Dec. 2020.