Episode Details

Snobby Europeans love to say that Americans have “no cuisine, no culture, no history.”

Let’s refute this belief.

We’ll begin with food. First, Americans brought hamburgers and Coca-Cola to the world. The French (and many others) will immediately sniff and say, “That doesn’t count.”

Really?

And foie gras does? That’s a dish that is prepared by force-feeding a poor duck. Now that’s really classy and sophisticated. Big Macs start looking like haute cuisine.

Moreover, America’s unique cuisine doesn’t end with a cheeseburger and a Coke. We’ve either invented or popularized:

• banana splits


• brownies


• buffalo wings


• cheesesteaks


• corn dogs


• cotton candy


• corn on the cob


• doughnuts


• fried chicken


• fudge


• garden burgers


• grits


• hot dogs


• ice cream cones


• Jell-O


• macaroni and cheese


• mashed potatoes


• onion rings


• pancakes


• peanut butter and jelly sandwiches


• pecan pie


• popcorn


• Popsicles


• potato chips


• Rice Krispie treats


• root beer float


• shoofly pie


• sloppy joe


• submarine sandwiches


• the Twinkie.

Not only does this list prove that Americans have plenty of dishes that are uniquely ours, but this list also explains why we are so incredibly fat.

Obviously, American cuisine isn’t the most nutritious cuisine on the planet. The point is that we invented plenty of dishes. Besides, it’s impossible to find any national cuisine that is 100 percent healthy.

Since the Japanese live the longest, they have arguably the best diet around. However, even the Japanese eat plenty of deep-fried foods and white rice. And they often wash it down with beer or sake.

Yes, Americans have one of the least healthy diets on the planet; on the other hand, I’ve never found a country that can make salads that are as delicious as the ones you can find in California.

Finally, America is better than any other country at welcoming (and eating) exotic food from all over the world. Try finding non-Italian cuisine in Italy.

The other insult Europeans like to fling at Americans is that we have “no culture.”

Really?

That’s funny because it seems that no other country does a better job of exporting its culture than America does. It’s hard to go anywhere on the planet and meet people who do not know about American music, television, books, movies, sports, and cuisine (which includes the fast food it invented).

Cultural snobs will say all that doesn’t count and that it’s not real culture. Who decided that?

Why is the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark not as culturally significant as Schindler’s List? They are both masterpieces (and they happen to both be directed by the same American).

Is Michael Jordan not as important as Roger Federer, the Swiss tennis player?

Is Elvis less important than Mozart?

If American TV is so bad, why do I see it in every country I go to? It’s hard to go anywhere and not see The Discovery Channel. Every major country copies American Idol and other popular TV shows.

The world copies American culture. The copying of American culture is so pervasive that most people who complain about “globalization” are really complaining about “Americanization.”

Snobs insist this is al