American Food Today
Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are,” the saying goes. We Americans are so many things at once. You see it in our food—dishes like bulgogi tacos, Thai larb burgers and Texas brisket ramen that reflect the tastes of generations of native peoples and those from around the world who’ve settled here and commingled. While our nation is vast and diverse, growing up I didn’t see folks who looked like me—Indian-born and raised in New York City—in food magazines and TV shows. That’s in part why, for the last 20 years, I’ve chosen to ponder that uniquely American culinary magic that happens with the amalgamation of communities through my books, as the host of Top Chef, and recently with my Hulu show Taste the Nation.…