Adapting to the American Cuisine

 Jaico George

ESL INTG 100 

October 16, 2022

Final Draft 

                                                       Adapting to the American Cuisine 

    My tastebuds are getting a good education. In the United States I can see people who are from all around the globe enjoying their own cuisine. As part of living in this country, I have to get used to American food and food from different parts of the world. It was a challenge that I had to face when I first moved from the land of spices. Coming from a culture where people use spices for most food, it has been hard adjusting to American cuisine. Although it is quite difficult sometimes, I must admit that this journey is quite exciting, and I think getting used to new food helps me understand the American culture better.    

      

    Getting used to use fewer flavors and spices in my food was the first thing that I had to adapt to. As I mentioned earlier, Indian people use a lot of spices in their food. Some of the main ones are chilly powder, turmeric, coriander, black pepper, ginger garlic, and others. Growing up in India, I was used to eating spicy food every day. It was almost like I couldn't  survive without it. For example, during summer, people would make a soft drink, which is mildly spiced, and it helps them to cool down their body. After coming to U.S I slowly started using fewer spices, and sometimes I use hot sauce, siracha and jalapenos to spice up my food instead. One of my friends joked and asked me, if I would like to have some bread as a side dish with my spices after seeing how much spices I add to my food. I am no longer eating that many spices that I used to eat and I feel a little nostalgic. 

    In addition, Indian food takes a lot of time to prepare compared to some of the American food. Vegetables and meat are brought from the local market or from a bazaar and it is mostly fresh. For an example, my family depends mainly on food from local market, and they go to market every single day. Since frozen food is kind of expensive in India, and its a new trend, a lot of people prefer to make their food at home from scratch. It might take a couple of hours sometimes even to make at least one dish. In the United States I can find anything ready made and is much easier to cook and it saves a lot of time. This is something that I like about American food.  Since I have access to Microwave and ovens in my home in Chicago, cooking is much easier and I can save a lot of time and energy and use that time for something else. 

    Finally, I am still working on eating with a fork and knife. Indian people prefer to eat most of the food with their hands. Eating with hands gives us a chance to feel and taste the food better. The only time I used spoon was when we have soup or anything liquid. I also noticed that this is something that I share with a lot of other cultures. Since this is my greatest challenge in getting used to the American cuisine. I hope of that I will get used to use fork and knife just like any other American does. 

    After living in the United States for the last five years, I have tried different cuisines such as chin ease, Thai, Mexican and Italian. Some I liked very much some I didn't. However, experiencing all these other foods that I am not familiar with helps me to understand other peoples culture better. It helps me to realize how they are influenced by this food, and traditions, and I hope that I will get used to the American cuisines the more I live here. Sometimes I really miss eating with my hands and using a lot of spices. Getting used to eating food that is different from my own culture is challenging, but I love new experiences and different flavors. I am pretty sure my tastebuds thank me for all this new experiences.