March 2018
Coming to the USA is almost like being reborn as a wide-eyed child, in the sense that everything amazes me. Why is everyone so friendly? Why are drinking laws so complicated? Why is Texasweather terrible? But as a staunch foodie, nothing is more mind-boggling here than American snacks.
When I first arrived here, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich was one of the strangest creations I thought Americans could invent. We always ate jam on its own, or combined peanut butter with other less controversial condiments, such as butter or Nutella. Why this strange combination of peanut butter with fruit jam and how did it come into being? The closest version we have to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a butter and kaya toast, kaya being a type of coconut jam. Even then, we would never dream of combining it with peanut butter. More importantly, why would anyone call jam by the name of the semi solid dessert made with sweetened gelatin?
Yet another mind-boggling American snack is apple sauce. Why would someone eat something that looks like apple-flavored baby food? Furthermore, what are the rules behind this sauce-eating behavior? Would it also be socially acceptable to eat, say, sour cream by itself, as it is in fact one of the greatest inventions to ever exist?
The USA is a wonderful place to be, however I occasionally feel as though typical American snacks are something I might never come to terms with. So instead, I would be happy to introduce some of the popular desserts and snacks from Malaysia, such as cendol, where coconut milk and rice flour are rolled together to resemble little green worm-like delicacies, which are then displayed over a bowl of shaved ice and kidney beans. Or dodol, which is made by mixing the fruit with the most potent stench in the world – Durian, along with rice flour and coconut milk to create a thick, chewy, pungent stick of fudge.
Happy March Madness!
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Joanne Tan
Joanne is a second-year Masters Candidate at the Bush School of Government and Public Service pursing a Master of International Affairs.
When I first arrived here, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich was one of the strangest creations I thought Americans could invent. We always ate jam on its own, or combined peanut butter with other less controversial condiments, such as butter or Nutella. Why this strange combination of peanut butter with fruit jam and how did it come into being? The closest version we have to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a butter and kaya toast, kaya being a type of coconut jam. Even then, we would never dream of combining it with peanut butter. More importantly, why would anyone call jam by the name of the semi solid dessert made with sweetened gelatin?
Yet another mind-boggling American snack is apple sauce. Why would someone eat something that looks like apple-flavored baby food? Furthermore, what are the rules behind this sauce-eating behavior? Would it also be socially acceptable to eat, say, sour cream by itself, as it is in fact one of the greatest inventions to ever exist?
The USA is a wonderful place to be, however I occasionally feel as though typical American snacks are something I might never come to terms with. So instead, I would be happy to introduce some of the popular desserts and snacks from Malaysia, such as cendol, where coconut milk and rice flour are rolled together to resemble little green worm-like delicacies, which are then displayed over a bowl of shaved ice and kidney beans. Or dodol, which is made by mixing the fruit with the most potent stench in the world – Durian, along with rice flour and coconut milk to create a thick, chewy, pungent stick of fudge.
Happy March Madness!
---
Joanne Tan
Joanne is a second-year Masters Candidate at the Bush School of Government and Public Service pursing a Master of International Affairs.