Hi, Wally:
Since it's November and we're about to celebrate Thanksgiving here in the
states, you might talk about that. Turkey, the staple of Thanksgiving
celebrations throughout the US, is an indigenous bird which Benjamin Franklin
once sought to make our national symbol. (As you probably know, the bald
eagle won.) I'm sure you can find Web sites that will tell you all about the
Pilgrims, Native Americans and the whole Thanksgiving tradition.
Here in New England, seafood is very popular and, in my opinion, the
varieties of fish and shellfish that are caught in the Atlantic waters off
New England and Canada are far superior, overall, to seafood from other parts
of the world. With few memorable exceptions, such as the to-die-for salmon in
Ireland and incredible dishes from the American South, whenever I travel and
try local seafood, I am usually disappointed by its blandness. New England
clam bakes, which include clams, mussels, and lobsters (only the kind that is
native to the New England region) are still very popular in the summer. One
tradition that seems to have died out is cold salmon and peas for the Fourth
of July. Also, my English/Irish grandmother, who died in 1971, used to make
something called finan haddie, which is smoked, salted cod, I believe, in a
milk or cream sauce, usually served over potatoes. (Man, do I miss that!)
Although each region of the US has special dishes and traditions that were
influenced by various groups (Native, French, English, Spanish, African,
Italian, Asian, and on and on), many of us have memories of bland,
meat-and-potato childhoods. Julia Child is the person most often credited
with improving the American palate, and from my perspective, cuisine in the
US improved greatly once she burst on the scene in the late 60's/early 70s
with her TV show "The French Chef," and American tastes in general have
become much more discerning and sophisticated since then. I'm sure the rest
of the world assumes Americans eat most of their meals at McDonald's -- or in
Jimmy's case, Wendy's -- but that's really not the case.
Hope this helps, even if I never even got to succotash.
Take care,
--Bob
