Quick Picking on American Food

Sorry for another delay in the Vietnam story but I have to get this off my chest.  I am doing it on my blog because I really don't need to start a fight on Facebook with someone I don't know.

A few days ago a woman I know in Japan posted this on her page...

Should American food be given UNESCO World Heritage status?

She was referring to the fact that Japanese food is being considered (or has been chosen) to be given the status.  A lot of people commented simply, "No."  I said No because I don't feel American food is entirely original since most of our main dishes are based on foreign dishes where as Japanese food is unique to Japan.  I felt fine with people saying NO.

But I got angry with the comment from one Japanese person that said, "No. 　American food is fatty and greasy. generally, most people from middle of the age in America are overweight."  I really just want to respond to him with the old, pot calling the kettle black.

Now I will admit that I agree that a lot of Americans are overweight.  However, I feel that there are a lot of other factors that contribute to this and that it is not based on American cuisine.  I feel that Americans are overweight because,
a) We have larger portion sizes.  Steaks the size of plates, spaghetti big enough for three people, colas bigger then your head.  And let's not forget the Big Gulp!
b) We have cheap all you can eat buffets and free refills on soft drinks and juice.

c) We have poor public transportation and it isn't popular to ride a bike (or it's too cold to ride a bike).  People spend long commutes in their cars, drinking and snacking.
d) Though there is a pressure to be thin, it isn't as high as in Japan where many women skip meals and pregnant women are asked to diet.
e) Our genetic make-ups are different.  My husband constantly over eats and never gains weight.  I eat half of what he does and still pack on pounds.
f) We don't drink teas but instead stick to higher calorie drinks like sugar-filled coffee and cola.

Now I know foods like McDonald's, cheese pizza, and Taco Bell are greasy.  But you could say the same for many popular Japanese foods.  Have you ever eaten...
a) Gyudon- or beef bowls.  Places like Yoshinoya and Sukiya pack a lot of calories for little nutrients.
b) Yaki-Niku- or BBQ  I know they offer vegetables but most of the time I go out with Japanese friends we just end up ordering lots and lots of red meat and rice.
c) Ramen and Gyoza- fried dumplings  These foods are delicious but filled with grease.
d) Tako-Yaki- Fried Octopus balls.  A lot of batter and little octopus.
e) Katsudon- or fried pork cutlets Ebi Fry- fried shrimp  Enough said.
f) Cup of Noodle, UFO, Instant Ramen  My husband ate this for breakfast yesterday and whenever we have a "bring your own lunch to school" day, a lot of the male staff just eat this.
g) Yaki-Soba Sandwhich- a hot-dog bun filled with fried noodles.  Carbs + Carbs
h) Curry Rice  Places like Cocos Ichiban curry can't really be called non-greasey, can they...?

I don't criticize these fatty Japanese foods because I know that a lot of Japanese people don't eat them everyday.  The same goes for Americans.  I might be biased because I am from Iowa (aka farm country), but most of the people I know eat things like baked chicken, brown rice, and corn on the cob for dinner.  Unlike Japan where karage (fried chicken) or stir-fry are common dinner foods, my mother never deep fried anything for dinner and rarely used a fry pan.  If we wanted fried chicken, we had to go out because she wasn't going to cook it.  When she made things like pork chops or roast, she would mostly serve them plain without sauce.  She would add salt and herbs and maybe some water, but that was it.  The same for her veggies.  We regularly ate things like carrots, corn, and broccoli as is.  We never got white bread, only wheat, and she wouldn't add butter to her sandwiches.  We only drank skim milk and weren't allowed sugar cereals for breakfast.

Again, my family isn't the healthiest, but we aren't the worst and I get angry when Japanese make generalizations and cheeky comments about American food.  One day at elementary school we had a fired pork sandwich, cabbage doused in vinegar, and strawberry mousse for lunch.  One of the teachers said, "Oh look, it's an American lunch box."  I couldn't help but say, "Actually, my American lunch boxes always had a cheese sandwich, carrot sticks, and an apple.  Plus skim milk instead of whole."  Japanese lunch boxes are low in calories because the tiny boxes don't pack much, but they are often filled with things like small hot dogs, fried rice, fried shrimp, fried egg, etc

When I used to bring my lunch to the Jr High all of the students made fun of me because I did things like eat broccoli raw, eat tofu without frying it or adding sauce, and because I didn't have an extra large carb like rice or bread.  One woman said to me when I was eating the Japanese lunch, "Do you like Japanese food because it is the healthiest food in the world?"  At the time we were eating salmon that had been fried with cheese on top, white rice, and vegetables soaked in vinegar and soy sauce.  I said no, that I liked it because it was delicious.

I think the biggest surprise to my husband was when I went home for six months in 2008 and lost weight in America.  I came back to Japan about 15 pounds lighter and I hadn't been on a crash diet in America, just ate normally and walked a lot at work.  However, it only took about two months in Japan for me to put the weight right back on.

I know that American food is unhealthy and that Americans make unhealthy choices, but so do the Japanese.  The world is full of stereotypes and I need to try harder to ignore them.  But it can be hard when, living in a small town in Japan, it feels like me against everyone.