A “Little” of the American Culture

     By Louana Fancello, Belgium

When I say “America” what are you thinking about? Big country, celebrities, movies, big cars, famous cities, …? But what is the most famous topic in this country? The FOOD of course! In the United States, a lot of people come from various countries, bringing their traditions and food.

     Before I left to come here, I was really afraid of gaining a lot of weight. Actually, you just have to find a balance between the foods, your free time and sport … For example; you can follow a healthy diet during the week, and allow yourself to eat any kind of junk food on the weekend.

     Also, the most important thing when you have free time is to move and do something. If you stay at home and watch movies, you will be tempted to snack between your meals.

     Then, one of the biggest problems here in The United States is the constant exposure to food. Wherever you go, you can see that the food is unnaturally shiny and perfect; I mean you always want to try something which is different from your country. Most of the time, the color of the food is attractive. For example, the arrangement of the fruits and vegetables in the supermarkets will make you hungry.

     As The United States is a big country, the size of the portions is proportional. Everything is really big everywhere and it is difficult to refuse.

     They are not only difficulties about following a healthy diet. Another problem is the price. The prevalence of obesity here is awful. Why? Because healthy food is really expensive so we can say that it is not only the people’s fault. When you compare the prices and the time that you spend to buy food, it is easier to choose the junk food like hamburgers,hot-dogs, tacos,… than a salad or something healthy.

     To conlude, as it is my first time in this country, I don’t really pay attention on what I eat, I just motivate myself to go to the gym in order to enjoy my stay here. We are always criticizing people who suffer from obesity, but when we take a closer look at the situation, we can see that the rate of obesity is relative to the country. How people can eat healthy if the see publicities for fast-food everywhere, which are so attractives? Fran Lebowitz, a journalist said: “If you’re going to America, bring your own food.”