Friend: “What does ‘New American’ cuisine mean?”
Me: “They serve mashed potatoes, which are not called mashed potatoes, at about 3-5X the price of mashed potatoes.”
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OK, so I know: It's A Joke. But! I enjoyed reflecting on the question—it's really so distinct from other American food! I guess I see its influences most clearly from Nouvelle cuisine, interpreted via Alice Waters and co in California, then with growing international influences.
Like yeah, lots of places are just serving normal food with pretentions. But then, as a Californian, I can look at a menu for a new place and *instantly* tell if it's New American. It's odd… Here are menu excerpts from two popular SF restaurants. One is; one isn't. So clear!
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(…now is probably the time to confess that I have a cron job that archives menus daily from various New American restaurants around the city for later study and menu planning…)
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