Sue's Bookshelf: Tracing the Origins of America's Favorite Dishes

Charlotte Jewish News April 2022

By Sue Littauer

“Food Americana: The Remarkable People and Incredible Stories Behind America’s Favorite Dishes” by David Page, creator of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”

When I noticed this book on the shelf of the Levine-Sklut Judaic Library and Resource Center, I was intrigued, mainly because it was written by the creator of “Diners Drive-Ins and Dives,” but also because I was wondering why it was on the shelf of a Judaic Library. It turns out that David Page is Jewish, and his company produced the first 11 seasons of the popular show.

The title of the book is also intriguing. Notice that it’s not titled “American Food,” but “Food Americana.” American food would bring to mind such staples as hot dogs, hamburgers, mac and cheese, s’mores, pancakes, and chocolate chip cookies, to name a few. But “Food Americana” reminds you that there are many everyday foods not on this list — foods that are staples in our American diet.

And now we have the essence of David Page’s interesting and entertaining book. Go ahead. You can name the foods in a heartbeat that have formed our national cuisine from a world of flavors, including pizza, tacos, barbeque, Southern fried chicken, sushi, bagels, chicken wings, chop suey, and ice cream.

One chapter in “Food Americana” is titled “Made in America: Our Love Affair with Chinese Food.” According to Price, historically, Chinese restaurants offered a refuge for minorities unwelcome elsewhere, including Jews and African Americans. To the families of Jewish immigrants, eating Chinese food was seen as a big step toward fitting in.

Like so many other Jewish families, it was a tradition in my family to eat Chinese food on Sunday nights. In fact, one of my earliest food memories is eating Chinese food with my family at the Nanking Cafe and Tea House in Washington D.C., which opened sometime in the late 1940s. Since that time, there has been an explosion of ethnic restaurants in America. As stated in the book, “There are more Chinese restaurants in America than all the McDonald’s, Burger Kings, Wendy’s, and KFCs combined — at last count more than 50,000.

I would never have imagined this number, but just look around you. There are Chinese restaurants in every strip and shopping mall in America. When you add Italian, Mexican, sushi, barbecue, deli, and ice cream (which Page traces back to China, Italy, and France), you see how deeply Americans have embraced foods that originated throughout the world.

Michael Stern, a noted expert on food and travel in America, said of “Food Americana,” “Page celebrates America’s iconic dishes: what they are, where they came from, and where they are going … who loves them and why. It’s a gold mine of information, told not just with facts, but with beguiling anecdotes and good humor. This is a book that shows how deeply and brilliantly (and deliciously) what we eat defines who we are.”

If you’re looking for a relatable, unusual, and fascinating book, then I highly recommend “Food Americana,” which can be found on the shelf of the Levine-Sklut Judaic Library and Resource Center.

By Sue Littauer