I traveled through North America for 5 months and these are the most typical things I ate
In 2017, I went on the trip of a lifetime. I spent 4 months in Canada and then traveled through Eastern America for another 3 weeks, from New York to Miami. It’s the most, most, most fun thing I’ve done in my life so far.
One of the (hundred thousand) fun things I did there was—of course—eat. I gave myself permission to eat whatever I wanted for 5 months. I was finally in North America, so now I could eat the way only people in North America can! These are the 9 most typical things I ate during my trip.
Poutine
If you want to clog your arteries, eat poutine a few times. This authentic Canadian dish consists of fries topped with cheese and a generous portion of gravy. It’s so disgustingly greasy that it’s actually gross, but it’s also irresistibly delicious. Deliciously gross, in other words. I think the best comparison is kapsalon. I think poutine is the main reason I came back from my trip at least 5 kilos heavier.
Maple syrup
The maple leaf is Canada’s national symbol. Once you set foot in the country, you can’t escape it: it’s on their flag, on their coins and on just about every piece of tourist merchandise. The country’s most famous hockey club (from Toronto) is even called the Maple Leafs. Another thing you can’t escape in Canada is maple syrup. I went to an actual Maple Syrup Festival and it was amazing. I got to taste countless types of maple syrup—which I did—but my favorite part was the overly enthusiastic people. Why don’t we have a stamppot festival in the Netherlands? Or pancake parties?
Lucky Charms
I already hinted at it: I ate shamefully unhealthily during my trip. My breakfast definitely didn’t consist of yogurt with muesli and fruit or whole-grain sandwiches (did you know you’re being seriously fooled there?!). No way—I happily ate my bowl of Lucky Charms every morning. For those who don’t know it: they’re breakfast cereal with all kinds of colorful shapes in it. There’s so much sugar in it that I wouldn’t be surprised if one bite of Lucky Charms caused a rotten tooth. What am I saying—a completely rotten set of teeth.
Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons (also affectionately called Timmy’s by Canadians) is Canada’s national pride. It’s a chain where you can mainly get coffee and donuts. A kind of Starbucks, then. I didn’t find the coffee particularly special, but hey: Canadians love it, so I did too. What I mostly remember is that my Canadian fellow students would all get their coffee at Timmy’s in the morning and then—very cutely—wait in line for the bus. They didn’t push ahead; they politely joined the back of the line. Canadians really are the kindest people on the entire planet.
Deep dish pizza
When I lived in Canada, we often went on trips. A weekend in Chicago, which was about a 10-hour drive from Waterloo (where I lived), was something we’d simply do. YOLO really was the motto of our lives (and still a trendy expression back then). In Chicago, we ate deep-dish pizza. It’s a pizza baked in a special pan, which gives it a very thick, high crust. Literally a deep pizza. I think I didn’t eat anything for a week after eating one of those pizzas.
Philly cheesesteak
One of the stops on my trip through Eastern America was Philadelphia. The city is known for the Philly cheesesteak: a white roll with a huge pile of thinly sliced meat and lots of melted cheese on top. Written down like that, it doesn’t sound particularly special, but it was genuinely delicious. Around this time, I also realized that North America isn’t exactly the ideal continent for vegetarians.
New York cheesecake
You can’t be in New York and not eat cheesecake. That’s like going to Vienna and not ordering Wiener schnitzel. Or not eating macarons in Paris. Anyway, that’s what we did: ate cheesecake in New York. And it was a delicious and fun experience. If you’d like to make it yourself sometime, this New York cheesecake recipe is a must-try.
Jambalaya
It sounds like it comes from a tropical paradise somewhere in the Caribbean, but Jambalaya really does originate ‘just’ in New Orleans, Louisiana. This rice dish is somewhat similar to Spanish paella, which we’re all familiar with. It’s packed with vegetables and meat—or even crocodile, if you want (see the next section).
Alligator meat
During the day, we saw the alligators lying in the swampy area beside the highway; in the evening, the animal was on our plates in a classic New Orleans restaurant. I had to swallow hard when it was placed in front of me, but honestly: it’s tasty. It resembles chicken, both in flavor and texture. I don’t know whether I’d order it again anytime soon—for fortunately, I don’t have to face that dilemma in Dutch restaurants—but it was fun to try. A fitting finale to the 5-month-long ‘Eat like it’s your last day’ tour.
