-----Original Message----- From: Thomas Seay <entheogens at yahoo.com>
>> had france or spain predominated in the colonies
>> would we have had the same
>> "US of A"? no.
>
>If only France had predominated...at least then we
>would have better food in this country. The English
>influence (Yuk) shows in our diet.
You'd be amazed how quickly you can get sick of overcooked vegetables and indistinct sauces in Europe. I've been in Belgium for just over three months and I'd kill for a good burrito. Yo quiero Taco Bell.
Besides, if you want to see what America might have looked like if the French had taken over, go to Quebec. Have you ever had poutine and tourtiere, washed down with Labatt Ice? Try it and then tell me how wonderful French colonial food is. :^)
Actually, food quality in general seems to me to be a bit better here, but at least half of that comes from fresher food and less factory raised meat. The real difference between the US and Europe in food has - surprise, surprise - more to do with the means of production than any other factor. If food is lower in fat here, it's because it's a lot easier to enjoy rabbit food when it's fresh and full of taste. Food preparation techniques don't seem radically better here, at least I can't see much difference.
Still, I miss having a whole aisle for Asian and Mexican food at the grocery store. No one in Belgium seems to have mango chutney or even teriyaki sauce, and you can forget about finding tortillas. But there are compensations. There were fresh pineapples and lychees at the farmer's market this morning - pineapples at 1 Euro a piece - from Cote d'Ivoire. They're better pineapples than anything I ever got in California.
Scott Martens