What is American food? Apple pie? Fried chicken? Ramp salad? Squirrel casserole? All of the above?
The definition of American fare has been passionately tussled over since Columbus first sailed the ocean blue, and since then, outsiders have often had a more interesting and delicious interpretation of our “trademark” products than we have.
(It took Italians in Italy to invent pasta sauce and the Chinese to throw peanuts into a wok).
That delicious pattern appears to be continuing: Another outsider has stepped up to home plate to (hopefully) reveal the magical possibilities lying dormant in our slumbering cuisine.
James Beard award-winning José Andrés teamed up with the National Archives to open up a six-month pop up restaurant dubbed the America Eats Tavern to fully embrace and ponder the conundrum.
Born in Spain, Andrés’ goal is to get Americans to think–before we eat–about why we’re putting ketchup on our French fries, the sociopolitical implications of mac n’ cheese, and whether or not Big Brother is responsible for our cravings and desires.
Check out Andrés’ interview below, and get ready to dig into America Eats when it opens on July 4 at 405 8th Street NW in D.C. If this man single-handedly ushered in the small plates movement, surely he can tell us what mac ‘n cheese signifies.
TOPICS: Eat to the Beat, Kathleen Willcox