The USA is a big country and the food is very diverse from state to state. But, no matter where you are in the good ol’ USA, it’s no secret that the portion size you order could feed an entire army. Start your day with a delicious American breakfast or brunch. Fill your plate with everything from eggs, to pancakes, to grits, to lots and lots of bacon. If you’re in NY, don’t miss out on pizza, bagels, or a hot, fresh deli sandwich for lunch. Stop by Coney Island for hot dogs and soft pretzels. If you’re in the south, indulge in some barbecue or famous Cajun cooking. On the west coast, have some shrimp tacos from a food truck or In-N-Out burgers. America is home to every fast food restaurant you could imagine, and it’s hard to know when to stop eating. Especially because there is so much delicious junk food like Oreos, funnel cakes, corn dogs, milkshakes, ice cream cake, etc. The list goes on and on! That’s okay though…if you’re on any type of diet or you have food restrictions, every state has some grocery store or restaurant with ingredients catered to your needs. Just be careful what you eat. Many travelers claim putting on lots of weight when they go to the United States.
Home of all-you-can-eat buffets
Breakfast:
Pancakes, Waffles
Einstein Brothers Bagels
Bagel and ‘schmear’ (cream cheese)
Grits
Eggs Benedict
Biscuits and Gravy
National Dish:
Hamburger/Cheeseburger (and Fries)
Fast Food:
McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, Taco Bell, Subway, In-N-Out, Steak N’ Shake
Pizza:
Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Papa John’s, Little Caesars
Deep Dish (Chicago Style), New York Style
Restaurants:
Chipotle, Noodles and Company, Panera Bread, Hard Rock Café, Five Guys, Freddies Burgers, Denny’s Diner, TGI Fridays, Planet Hollywood, Waffle House, Wendy’s
Sandwiches:
NY Deli Sandwich (Pastrami on rye)
Philly cheesesteak
Corned-Beef
Navajo frybread
Reuben Sandwich, Horseshoe Sandwich
Footlong, Polish Boy
Hawaii Laulau
Sloppy Joe
BBQ:
Smoked Ribs, Beef Brisket, Pork Shoulder, Pulled Pork
Cajun Chicken
Hot Dogs: Coney Island, Chicago Dog, Corn Dogs, Chili cheese
Delmonico Steak
Seafood:
Maine Lobsters, Wild Alaska salmon, Shrimp (Bubba Gump)
Clam Chowder, Chesapeake Bay blue crabs (Maryland), Dungeness crab,
Catfish, California Roll, Lobster Roll, Cioppino fish stew,
Shrimp and Hushpuppies, Crab Cakes, Oysters Rockefeller
Mains:
Pot Roast
Smithfield Ham, Tasso Ham
Chicken Fried Steak
Meatloaf
Buffalo Wings, Bison, Buffalo Burger
Thanksgiving Turkey
General Tso’s Chicken
Macaroni and Cheese
Chicken and Waffles Green Chili stew
Hoppin’ John peas and rice
Collard Greens
Gumbo (stew of seafood or sausage, rice, okra, tomatoes), Jambalaya,
Brunswick Stew, Son-of-a-bitch stew
Chili Con Carne
Potatoes O’Brien
Cowboy beans
Spam
Fusion:
Tex-Mex food, Creole Cuisine, American-Chinese cuisine
Pies:
Apple, Blueberry, Cherry, Blackberry, Raspberry, Peach
Frito Pie
Huckleberry
Funnel Cake
Sides:
Tater Tots
Fries
Snacks:
Potato Chips (Lays, Pringles)
Fortune Cookies
Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich
Popcorn
Po’ boy sandwich
Blueberry Muffin
Hoagie Sandwich
Buttermilk Biscuits
Thin Mints (Girl Scout Cookies)
Cupcakes
Cheese Curds
Oreos
Hershey bars
Sauce:
Tabasco
Santa Fe Grande chile pepper
Sourwood honey
Dessert:
Donuts – Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ Donuts
Boston Cream Pie
Key Lime Pie
Twinkies
Banana Spilt
S’more (roasted marshmallow and chocolate sandwiched between cracker)
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Blueberry Cobbler
Candied Yams
Ben ‘N’ Jerrys Ice Cream
Snow Cone
Persimmon Pudding
Ice Cream Cake
Jell-O
Cheese:
Monterey Jack, processed American Cheese
Drink:
Free refill sodas: Coca Cola, Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, 7 Up, Sprite, Sunkist
Powerade, Gatorade
Sweet iced tea, Snapple, Kool-Aid
Milkshake
Eggnog
Root Beer
Coffee:
Starbucks, Tully’s Coffee
Beer:
Budweiser, Bud Light, Miller, Rolling Rock, Michelob Ultra, Coors, Old Milwaukee, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Anchor Steam, Lone Star, Brooklyn Lager, Blue Moon, Samuel Adams, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Wine:
California, Napa, Sonoma Zinfandel, Dry Creek Vineyard
Hard Liquor:
Bourbon, Jack Daniels
Cocktails:
Long Island Ice Tea, Cosmopolitan, Mai Tai
Irish Car Bomb
Bacontini
Hana LaRock is originally from New York, though has called other places around the world her home for the last two years. She currently lives in South Korea as an English teacher and freelance travel writer. When she’s not working, she enjoys writing, reading, spending time with her dog, and of course, traveling. You can find her at www.hanalarockwriting.com.
