American Food
美国食品
不少人以为在美国典型的晚餐应该包括以下这些菜：一块又大又嫩的牛排、一整个火烫的烤土豆、一盘新鲜碧绿的蔬菜色拉，再加上面包和牛油。随后，还有在上面加了冰激凌的苹果派和咖啡 ，作为甜点心。
美国人真的是吃上面所描写的晚餐，而且常常是这样吃的。在美国，牛排店是很受欢迎的地方。在夏天的几个月里，很多家庭在后院自己烤肉，还使用一种特制木炭煤球的烤炉来烤牛排。说真的，真不好说哪一种餐是典型的美国餐。
美国是一个大国，而她的人口似乎来自世界的每一个角落。同她的人口一样，美国菜和它的的食品也是来自世界的每一个角落；所以无法来定义到底什么是真的美国餐。几乎所有的美国 餐都是来自于其他国家，有的食品真是受欢迎，几乎遍地皆是，处处有卖。
几乎在美国的各个城镇里，中国餐厅是必不可少的。虽然这些中国餐厅里面的菜对真正的中国人来说根本不是中国菜，但是美国人喜爱那些中国餐厅里的“炒面”和 “杂碎”。（所谓“炒面”其实里面根本没有面，而“杂碎”顾名思义就是大杂烩。【译者注】）你也可以在超级市场买到这一类的中国食品。很多美国人，就像其 他地方所有的人一样，对陌生的食品常常是敬而远之，没有尝试的热情；但是美国人从来没有感到中国菜是陌生的食品。
近来，墨西哥餐在美国也很流行。塔果（一种在脆的玉米饼里放奶酪、生菜和肉糜的食品【译者注】）在美国很有市场。在机场的休息室的食品柜里和学校的食堂里 都备有塔果。同样的，在美国的墨西哥餐与墨西哥的墨西哥餐也是不一样的。尽管如此，成千上万的美国人对墨西哥餐还是发疯般的喜爱，而且超级市场里有各式各 样辣的墨西哥食品，包括塔果、布利多（一种用面饼包菜、肉、鸡蛋和奶酪的食品【译者注】）、艾奇辣德（一种用面饼卷各种豆泥的食品【译者注】）等等。墨西 哥餐甚至进入了美国的快餐市场。
快餐现在几乎成为美国的一个标志了。在快餐厅里，你不必付高价，但是你会得到快速的服务。每一个快餐厅都有它自己特别的地方。有的快餐厅主要提供汉堡、炸 薯条和热狗，很普通的美国餐。另一类，来自美国南方的快餐厅，就是供应炸鸡、凉拌卷心菜和发面的饼干。而在美国东北部的沿海地区，各式各样的海鲜食品就放 在小摊上出售。你可以买到蛤、虾、鱼片和炸薯条。
意大利餐虽然是外国的食品，但是却成为了典型美国餐的一部分。意大利面条、普通面条，通心粉和比萨饼，在美国到处可见，随时都能买到。当美国人出国访问的 时候，发觉在意大利吃饭就像在国内吃饭一样亲切，因为所吃的食品竟然如此熟悉。当然也有美国奇特的意大利食品，就像“美国式的杂碎”，你大概不会相信，就 是通心粉加牛肉糜，再加番茄酱！
当移民进入美国的时候，他们就把他们的食品也带入了美国。经过多年以后，这些菜和食品就被列在美国餐厅、学校食堂、和家庭的菜单上了。美国的食品真是国际性的食品，美国餐厅里的菜单也是国际性的菜单。
Many people think that the most typical American meal is the following: a big, tender steak, a hot baked potato, a fresh green salad, rolls and butter. For dessert, apple pie with ice cream, and coffee.
Americans do eat the meal described above, and they eat it often. Steak house restaurants are very popular places. In the warm summer months many families have backyard barbecues, and cook steak over charcoal grills. But it's really not possible to describe one meal as typically American.
The United States is a large country with a population that comes from almost every corner of the world. Like its people, American food comes from around the world, too. So American food is impossible to define. Typical American food is nearly always food that come to America from another country. Many of these foods are so popular that they are found everywhere.
Almost every town across the country has a Chinese restaurant. It may not serve food that anyone in China would recognize, but Americans love their chow mein and chop suey. You can also buy these Chinese foods in the supermarket. Many Americans (like people everywhere) are not eager to try strange foods, but they never think of Chinese food as strange.
One of the newest kinds of adopted American food is Mexican food. Tacos have become popular very fast. They can be found in airport lunchrooms and school cafeterias. Of course Mexican food in the United States is different from that made in Mexico. But millions of Americans are crazy about it, and supermarkets offer all kinds of spicy Mexican food, including tacos, burritos, and enchiladas. Mexican food has even entered that fast food market.
Fast food is almost a symbol of America. At a fast food place you get your food quickly and you don't pay very much for it. Each fast food restaurant has a specialty. Some of them server mainly hamburgers, french fries, and hot dogs, pretty ordinary American food. Another very popular fast food, one which comes from the South, is fried chicken served with coleslaw and baking powder biscuits. Along the New England coast all kinds of seafood are offered at little stands. Most of the food is deep-fried. You can get clams, shrimp, or pieces of fish, all served with french fried potatoes.
Maybe Italian food is the foreign food that has become most typical in America. Spaghetti, noodles, macaroni, and pizza are all eaten everywhere in the United States. When Americans go abroad they find eating in Italy almost like being home because the food is so familiar. Of course, there are peculiar American dishes such as "American chop suey" which, believe it or not, is macaroni, ground beef, and tomato sauce!
Whenever immigrants enter the United States they bring their foods with them. With time, many of these foods are added to American menus in restaurants, schools, and at home. An American menu is truly an international menu.
