Frickles, “As American as Apple Pie”

Can I just write a whole blog about food, yet not feel like a glutton? Let’s see. I’ll be honest, we love to eat. It’s a good time. And as a globally-minded citizen, I must say that I appreciate wine and food from everywhere. We probably eat Mexican (I could never have enough salsa or avocados in my life), Thai (lime, peanuts, lemongrass and coconut milk, yum!), and Indian (savory curries and naan) the most. But we love all things Mediterranean (French, Italian, Greek, Moroccan) and many other types of ethnic food.
It got me wondering, what is American food? I love Alice Waters, Tom Douglas and creative ‘fusion’ cuisine, but I wonder what do people think of as distinctly American? I now know that the Argentines dominate the world of beef. But when people around the world think American, I cringe if all they think is McDonalds, or hot dogs...
Today we were wandering around Georgetown (one of the cutest neighborhoods I know of in D.C. with great little boutiques and interesting architecture everywhere). Since we were with people we met in Texas, we decided to go to Barbeque for lunch. Now I don’t know, technically, if D.C. is above or below the Mason-Dixon line; if it is considered to be part of the North or South? But this place took their barbeque seriously, they had SIX kinds of bbq sauce, did you even know there was that many?!
Memphis- sweet/smoky, molasses-based
Carolina- thinner, vinegar-based
Savannah- mustard seed-based, good on chicken
Texas- spicy
Kansas City-tangy
And one more, so many, I couldn’t even remember them all…
This got me wondering if this is the most distinct American food? Moving to the south gave me an appreciation for southern food (Lo’ Country Boil and all), since it seems to be the most unique in the country. I mean I know we have salmon in the Northwest, and New England has clam chowder and lobster; but on the whole, it seems like the south has the most distinct variety of ‘American’ food. I could be wrong, and am open to people’s opinions…
But we feasted on appetizers of mini- corn bread muffins with honey butter, chicken wings, frickles (yes, fried pickles) and fried jalapenos, pulled pork, brisket, mac ‘n’ cheese, collard greens, sweet tea and all kinds of goodness. I know most of you reading are on the west coast, and this may sound repulsive to you- it would have to me at one point- so you’ll have to take my word for it. It was awesome. If you ever go to the south, promise me, you’ll at least try it. After all, it’s as ‘American as apple pie.’