American Culture

[Sammy Boy]

Hi everyone, I am trying to find out more about "American Culture".

I believe this is the most appropriate section to ask (it does not really feel like "Entertainment" to me).

What I mean is, I don't know what American culture is (when I say "American", I am referring to North America, in particular USA).

I went to USA years ago to see my cousins and really enjoyed my stay, however I don't think I really did many "American" things as opposed to "tourist" things (such as going to the Grand Canyon, Universal Studios, UC Berkeley, etc.).

So I wanted to know if USA has any particular types of foods or cultural traditions (I think something like Thanksgiving?) that most people take part in?

Other things that come to mind are frequently used words, or favourite past times and/or hobbies that many in the USA enjoy doing.

I am not sure if these are the right kinds of questions to ask, but I hope you get the gist. Thanks.

[mechana2015]

Due to the size the US, and the heavily varying backgrounds of each region, traditions and customs differ, sometimes strongly. The main universal things I can think of across the whole country that are 100% US only...are 4th of July (Independence Day) and Thanksgiving. Most other widespread events (such as christmas, Valentines and Halloween) are celebrated the world over, and therefore, while widespread and popular in the US, they're hardly unique, especially since many holidays started in other countries.

Other than that, the foods, customs and cultural traditions are regionalized and you'll get different answers from different sections of the country. I'll post about Southern California later if somebody doesn't beat me to it.

[Ante Bellum]

Baseball and apple pie, that's how the saying goes. It's not entirely true, but baseball is a pretty big sport. Meh, I'm just saying.
I don't know about California, but here in Minnesota we have our own regional things. Not so much culture-wise, but our State Fair is somewhat of a big deal. Foods consist of...just about anything normally edible, then deep fried and on a stick. Seriously, there's things like deep fried candy bars (on a stick), deep fried pickles (on a stick), and some other greasy fair staples such as cheese curds and mini doughnuts. Speaking of, it will be starting any day now.
Otherwise, a number things we have around here come from the German/Scandinavian areas. Our activities are based off the fact that we have a lot of farmland, lakes, and woods, and cold winters as well as warm summers. People camp, fish, hunt, drive ATVs, snowmobiles, go boating, stay at lodges and cabins up North...it's pretty big for nature in the Midwest. For tourist attractions we have the Mall of America, to name one of the most well known.
And for some words, around Minnesota the term "hot dish" is used in place of casserole. People get confused about that a lot. Other than that, I can't really think of extremely unique words.
Watch for lutefisk. Don't eat it. That is all.
That's all I can think of for now, even for a small state like us we have a few things lying around.

[Bobtheduck]

American food:

Hamburgers, in most stories, were said to have originated in the US, though the name lends itself to Germany. They were, most certainly, first SOLD in the US, in Wisconsin.

Besides that, my favorite all-American food is Biscuits and Gravy. This is primarily a southern dish, but one with much more widespread appeal than, say, grits. Gravy is a rather loose term (much like "curry" or "pizza") but Biscuits and Gravy is much more narrow in definition. The gravy should be made with sausage and lots of flour, to make it thicker than gravy that usually accompanies meals of chicken or beef or pork chops. The biscuits (not to be confused with what the commonwealth countries would call biscuits, which we call cookies... Wiki says scones fit the American definition, but that doesn't seem quite right, either) need to be a certain type, too. They should be flaky and easily fall apart. In any case, biscuits and gravy is a very important American dish.

Another American dish that people don't often think about, because the dish as a whole originated in Italy, is Pizza. Pizza may have originated in Italy (in Naples), but in a very different form than most people are used to today. There are essentially three types of Pizza known worldwide, and all three originated in the US. Those are California Pizza, Chicago Pizza, and New York Pizza. There are, of course, many other varieties, but they don't tend to travel as far as those three, and this includes native Italian pizzas.

As far as American customs go, well... There are a lot of things that have come out of the US and made their way into other nations. Our particular form of Government (a democratic republic) has made its way into many other countries, albeit with slight alterations. There is also an overall love for individualism, if it often only manifests itself as an idea rather than a practice. This probably stems from European culture, but I think in no other nation has it developed as strongly and ubiquitously as in the US.

Due to such an emphasis on individuality, you'd be much better off discussing state cultures than a national one, and even then, in big cities you won't find much solidarity. The state of California is even further set apart, acting as a sort of America in Miniature, broken into 2 or 3 (depending on who you ask) portions: Southern, central, and Northern. Southern California has a strong LA and Hollywood influence, which tapers off when you go toward San Diego. Central California is all farm town. Dairy farms and orchards and such. Northern California is influenced by San Francisco and, to a lesser extent, by Sacramento. At the very least, there is a huge divide, "culturally" between Southern and Northern California. Northern California is where Berkley is, and that half of the state is often the source of protests. Political discussion and arguments seem to be much bigger in the Northern half of the state, due to the Berkley influence. This isn't to say they don't exist nationwide... Just more concentrated there.

Oh, and American Football has long since replaced Baseball as the most popular sport in the US, though world football (or soccer, as we call it) is a slowly rising star, mostly due to immigrants.

[Warrior4Christ]

Not so much culture-wise, but our State Fair is somewhat of a big deal. Foods consist of...just about anything normally edible, then deep fried and on a stick. Seriously, there's things like deep fried candy bars (on a stick), deep fried pickles (on a stick), and some other greasy fair staples such as cheese curds and mini doughnuts. Speaking of, it will be starting any day now.

Ha, I had come across deep fried guacamole.. on a stick one time browsing the interweb. I must admit, it stands fine on its own without being deep fried...

Another American dish that people don't often think about, because the dish as a whole originated in Italy, is Pizza. Pizza may have originated in Italy (in Naples), but in a very different form than most people are used to today. There are essentially three types of Pizza known worldwide, and all three originated in the US. Those are California Pizza, Chicago Pizza, and New York Pizza. There are, of course, many other varieties, but they don't tend to travel as far as those three, and this includes native Italian pizzas.

What exactly is the difference between these pizzas? Are they officially called by their city names? (Can you go to a pizza shop and order a "Chicago pizza"?)

[ShiroiHikari]

Yes, State Fairs are usually kind of a big deal in the Midwest. Not sure about other regions, though. Also, in Oklahoma (and probably elsewhere), many people go do outdoors-y things over Labor Day weekend-- that's pretty American. XD

A very Southern thing to do around New Year's Day is eat blackeyed peas, which aren't even really peas, they're more like beans. Supposedly it's for good luck.

Also, if you do come to the South/Midwest, be sure to try chicken fried steak! Ooh, and iced tea.

[Etoh*the*Greato]

As for the Pizza Varieties, yes, you can actually call them officially by their names. There are other differences, but primarily the difference is in the crust. Chicago style is what is known as "deep dish" with more of a bread bowl for crust, going deep, and adding layers upon layers of toppings. New york style is wide and floppy, suggesting that you fold it before you eat it. Another that is seen primarily in the US is St. Louis style. We're the home of thin crust, although the difference between regular thin crust and St. louis style is the cheese. We deviate from the standard of mozzarella, opting instead for something like Provel.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Okay. Interesting. We just call the three pizza thicknesses - thin, classic and deep-pan.

[Etoh*the*Greato]

It really goes beyond the crust itself. There are also differences in the sauces used, the cheeses used, as well as types of toppings.

[mechana2015]

Yes, State Fairs are usually kind of a big deal in the Midwest. Not sure about other regions, though.

Most of California does County Fairs, possibly due to several of the counties being state sized.

[ShiroiHikari]

Yeah, California is way bigger and with more people than, say, Oklahoma.

[Etoh*the*Greato]

For more on state fairs...

[Sammy Boy]

I have found the responses really interesting, thanks everyone.

I have a few more questions:

1. How did baseball come about as a sport (I am assuming it originated somewhere within the USA)?
2. Is Biscuits and Gravy a national dish (i.e. something everyone knows about regardless of which state they are from)?
3. I believe people eat turkey on Thanksgiving. What was the reason behind this (as opposed to something else, such as beef or chicken)?

[Etoh*the*Greato]

Question 1: Ansuhed!
Question 2: Yeah, pretty much everyone knows about it. It's something you'll find available in most restaurants that serve breakfast.
Question 3: This goes back to the thanksgiving myth (myth as in it's largely blown out of proportion from what actually happened). The plymouth settlers (hereby known as "the pilgrims") were having a hard time trying to get their act together to survive winter. Enter the Indians (specifically the Wampanoag Tribe of the North Eastern United States), who in their kindness and generosity (something not often returned by the british settlers) taught the pilgrims to survive in their new climate and environs, leading the way to the success of the Plymouth colony.

In celebration of their new partnership and bounty, the tribe and the pilgrims decided to hold (according to the Myth) a harvest festival. As Turkey was a plentiful wild bird, it is thought that they were the meat of choice at the festival, although in all likelyhood there was plenty of fish and other fowl as well.

An interesting cultural fact that will put you ahead of most Americans: This was not the first known thanksgiving festival held on the continent, or even by americans. There is an earlier one held on the Virginia colony in 1619 (as opposed to Plymouth's 1621 date), and going back even further the spanish settlers of florida arrived and immediately held a thanksgiving mass on their landing site in St Augustine Florida, in September 1565.

[MasterDias]

Question #2: Most people would probably know about it, but it tends to be more of a southern thing, I think. It's quite common where I live, Texas.

[Sheol777]

I am from the east coast (New Jersey specifically) and biscuits and gravy are not too widely spread here, but they are available.

Here instead of the 'state fair' phenomenon, we go to carnivals. Which are a traveling 'fair' of sorts where there are rides, games and junk food.

Also diners are EVERYWHERE in New Jersey. I know they exist elsewhere, but we seem to have the market cornered on them.

Also the way americans celebrate St. Patricks Day is laughable to the Irish.