The United States of America gets a bad rap. Some of it’s justified, sure – the USA, like any country, has its share of social issues, and their coffee is disastrous – but a lot of the “anti-Americanism” that seems so prevalent outside the country comes down, I think, to tall poppy syndrome more than anything else.
I just got back from my second trip to America, and like any country, has it great points, too. The people are friendly (when they’re not driving), stuff is cheap, and whatever you’re into – from museums to theme parks – there’s so, so so much to see and do.
The best thing about the USA though? The food.
American food is something special. It might not seem it, at first, but that’s mostly due to how much American culture has propagated across the world. Burgers are just burgers, hot dogs are just hot dogs. Only, they’re not.
Consider this, the Bacon Cheese Dog from Skooby’s – one of the finest hot dogs you’ll ever put in your face:
The picture doesn’t even do the Skooby’s dog justice, because you can’t taste a picture. It’s delicious; the bread is kind of sweet, which is a strange – but very nice – contrast to the smoky flavour of the sausage. Throw some bacon bits on top of that, hand-cut fries seasoned with a great blend of spices, and a fresh lemonade, and you’ve got yourself a a pretty decent meal.
Or you could visit the famous In-n-Out, a chain of burger joints that only exists on the West Coast of the USA. At a glance, an In-n-Out burger looks like any other cheeseburger, but they taste so good. It’s not just how ridiculous and indulgent the secret menu’s 4 X 4 is (four patties, four pieces of cheese!); even if you stick to stuff on the good old regular menu, like a cheeseburger of Double Double, the burgers are delicious. As for the animal fries? Any time your fries are so covered in toppings that you need a fork to eat them, you know you’re onto a good thing.
Other highlights from the trip (which I don’t have pictures of, sadly) include the shakes and buffalo wings from the Cafe 50s on Vermont Ave, and the Macaroni and Cheese Burger from the Cheesecake Factory. Macaroni Cheese and Burger. America, you’re amazing.
