“American food gets an unfair rap these days,” writes MSNBC food writer Jon Bonne in a recent article listing the “10 foods that make America great.” From hamburgers to potato chips to apple pie, Bonne notes, “it’s easy to forget how many extraordinary homegrown delights are still served on tables across the land.” And — reminiscent of the BBC’s top-ranked British foods — the savory meats and tasty treats on the list offer a strong rebuke to radical animal-rights activists and nutrition scolds.
Animal-rights activists such as PETA, which seeks “total animal liberation,” of course don’t want animal products consumed at all. Unfortunately for those who want to liberate meat from your diet, 80 percent of the items contain meat or milk — including clam chowder, pastrami, ham, hot dogs, and oysters.
The news wasn’t much better for the nutrition nags at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which boasts of “finding something wrong with practically everything.” Of course, they’re not fans of the clam chowder, hot dogs, or ham. But item number 3 on Bonne’s list, shoofly pie, must certainly raise CSPI’s ire. It’s simply “crust, with molasses and crumbs. Nothing more.”
