I remember being in elementary school and we would feature a different country and study it. Our studies included everything from the clothing to the customs to the food. So I remember growing up and thinking that your ethnicity determined the type of food you ate. If I was Italian I would eat Italian food, if I was German I would eat German food, etc. Ok so that is not really the case today, but I love the idea of spending more time enjoying, contemplating and learning about the food we eat.

Oktoberfest in Big Bear

What I have slowly started to discover is that you can participate in ethnic food adoption. I am English, Irish and Dutch yet I don't eat the food of my people on a daily basis...hell not even a regular basis...hell what is the food of my people?

Today the food we eat is based on the culture that we have adopted for that night. We eat Japanese one night and Italian the next and yet we think nothing of the culture, the tradition or even the origins of the food we eat. Is that truly what food is all about?

Guinness Factory in Dublin

I think in America we have it all wrong and we could really learn more from the Europeans and their food traditions and their enjoyment of the food of their people. For example, when we were in Ireland 2 years ago we were enthralled by the Irish pub. This was a location where families...yes even babies in the bar... gathered to share their day, have a few beers, enjoy good food and even better company. This was a location that was not a job but a career. We met a young man, of coarse he was named Patrick, and he was an apprentice at a pub and his career was going to be in pub management and his dream was to own his own pub. Do we have anything at all like that here in the states? No, we work in the food service to get through college or as our first job in high school. Or here in Southern California you are in the food service if you think you are going to become an actor.

***Side note: I had never heard so many waiters/waitresses tell me they are really actors until I moved down here. In Northern California the waiters/waitresses really are just that...waiters and waitresses***

Look at the French and their bistro tradition or the Italians and their multi-course meals with a passion for great wine, locally grown produce and fresh food. Or even look at the Middle Eastern cultures with their amazing food traditions surrounding such events as memorials or weddings and the symbolism behind what they eat and when.

In the United States what are our food traditions? What do we savor? Our food traditions seem to be based on fast food chains and high fat, high sugar and immediate gratification. We have such a combination of other cultures that we have nothing to call our own anymore. I know that some people would argue that we have food regions...the crab cakes of Maryland or the fried chicken of Georgia but that is not the food of the United States. I have found amazing pleasure out of enjoying other food traditions. I don't mean to offend anyone only to enjoy and experience that which is not mine. I just want the experience of sitting back and enjoying food for all that it is worth and recognizing the true intent...reveling in the hard work that went into its preparation, the hard work that went into growing the ingredients and the meaning surrounding when and why it was eaten.

Sure I am English, Irish and Dutch but I am adopted...adopted to the food that I am savoring and experiencing at that time. I love the different cultures, traditions and celebrations that are co mingled with food. I love the Oktoberfest traditions of beer, brats and sauerkraut to celebrate the harvest. I had the opportunity to celebrate the Chinese New Year this year with our neighbors and loved the food, family and festivities. As many of you know I love Hanukkah...not because I am Jewish...but because I love the tradition, the potato latkes and matzoh ball soup...and the 8 presents aren't bad either. And I love the experience of traveling to different countries and getting away from the tourist traps and experiencing new people and new food. Some of the best food I have eaten came from exotic locations and along with that came some of the best travel memories. Such as The Black Lion Pub in some Dublin suburb in Ireland eating Irish potato chips and apple cider...or Mr Lams this random Chinese restaurant in Ireland that was open until 2am. Or the taco cart on some street corner in Puerta Vallarta where they cut the meat off the spit...too die for. Or eating fresh lobster at a hole in the wall in Costa Rica with local beer and a beautiful view of the ocean.

I guess what I am getting at is that in the U.S. we often lose sight of what food is all about....the taste, the experience, the memories and the company. We don't often take the time to sit down and enjoy. So I am off to pour myself a great glass of wine (don't worry the dog is here), watch some trashy reality tv (seriously I can't be all culture and class) and savor being at home with my great pets, my feet up after a great run and a beautiful full moon out the window. Cheers!