Kultur 7

For my first Kultur assignment, I decided to focus on the USA Kulinarisch page. I've travelled in Europe and Asia, and always find that foreign opinions of American food are, first of all, very interesting, but also sometimes a little bit misguided. This German website did not disappoint. I decided take a look at the "Fast Food" recipe section, and found that the German opinion of American food is a bit exaggerated, or perhaps misguided. For examples, under sandwiches, the first item was smoked salmon Finger Sandwiches, and a description of American afternoon tea. I also found it very funny that, when describing a bacon cheeseburger, the article reads, "Die Amerikaner lieben Speck." (Americans love bacon). Whether this was meant to be a jab, or simply a statement of fact is unclear, but either way it is funny considering the amount of meat that makes up the menu at any given German restaurant. This love of meat is something that is evident from the recipes, especially the repeated explanations and descriptions of barbecue and comfort food related items, like ribs. Furthermore, in the Regionale Rezepte, comfort food, "Cowboy Cooking" and other meat heavy cultural foods are emphasized.
In addition, peanut butter is listed on the website under specialties. I suppose peanuts are not as widely used in Germany as they are in America. More humourously, Fudge and Fried chicken are defined as American Specialties, specifically southern. Overall, I found the articles to be humorous, but also a reflection on how Germans perceive America, whether positive or negative.