I’m reading a book written by an immigrant from Germany post WWII (she doesn’t give an exact year, but early 50’s seems to fit). Her perspectives on American food were interesting. Here’s a few exerpts:
“Salt on fruit? Yes, I learned fast that Americans put salt on and into almost anything–watermelon, meats, a meticulously prepared meal–they do not savor the various flavors of different foods–it is salt, pepper, and sugar en masse with everything! The other puzzle was the bread…..”
“Yes, it was bread, at least to him. He showed me the wrapper: WONDER BREAD. I I nodded. Yes, I understood. For once, no puzzle there! Wonder is Wunder in German and I understood why Americans called their bread a wonder–it was a total wonder to me that they could exist on such spongy, gooey stuff. I was greatly disturbed to think that I would never again have a crust of real Brot–dark, strong in taste, with a hard crust and a hearty bite to it.”
“I also swore I would never use a can opener. What a lazy way to cook! Didn’t those American housewives have any pride? After I had recovered from the shock of seeing my first supermarket, I formed my own ideas about American food. They had too much of it and most of it was in cans and plastic. I would never use canned goods; I would never become a lazy housewife. One of the first jokes I heard in America was told to me by another immigrant. An American mother called her little son for dinner. The boy shook his head. ‘How can dinner be ready?’ he asked. ‘I have your can opener!'”
Saw this thought at the Dr.s office: “We were given imagination to compensate for what we aren’t. We were given a sense of humor to deal with what we are.”
Perspective!