On being American

It's a strange thing, and I still don't know how to respond when I'm confronted with being American. Most of the young people travelling in Australia and New Zealand are European, mainly English, so they already have a certain image of Americans which is proving seemingly hard for them to shake. The most common questions I get are as follows, in order of frequency:

1. Isn't everyone in America like, really, really fat? Aren't there McDonald's on every corner?
2. What are you doing here? I thought Americans never left their own country...
3. So do you live on the Jersey Shore? Do you know any Guidos?
4. What's the deal with the electoral college?
5. Peanut Butter and Jelly?

On the first, and most common question, I have a lot of thoughts. If that is the first thing you ask when you meet an American, you obviously don't know a lot about the U.S., but how do you know we are fat? T.V. shows that have reached this part of the world, like the O.C., America's Next Top Model, Lost, Gossip Girl, etc, certainly do not depict the majority of America's hefty public. Neither do the backpackers that are likely the only Americans Kiwis meet, who are usually eating off 5 bucks a day; not enough to make someone fat. If it is just because we originated disgusting fast food, fine, but there are just as many McDonald's per capita here as there are in America. And, I saw a drive-thru Subway on the South Island. Come on. Jamie Oliver does put a really nice spin on it though, watch the chef/activist here giving his TED talk.

On the second, I wish I could fight it with everything I have, because I have a lot of friends who love to travel more than anything, but on the other hand I do have a friend who doesn't even have a passport. He is 24.

On guidos...I can honestly say I am upset at missing out on the phenomenon that seems to be revolving around this new show. If Kiwis are talking about it...

On the fourth, I usually stick with my defensive mechanism. Fine, the U.S. is really a huge country, but sometimes I can't help but think that with these questions, they show just as much ignorance as they are trying to pin on me as an American. I may not be well versed in the American political system, but my British housemates have never even heard Benny and the Jets before...and Sir Elton John is one of their very own!

As far as peanut butter and jelly goes, it's childhood in between two slices of bread with the crusts cut off. It is clearly the most amazing sandwich ever created.