Money date No. 45: The most American hot dogs
Plus, summer softball, ice cream sundaes, the price of gas and building my travel fund
I’m writing this on July 4, not only Independence Day in the U.S. but also our country’s 250th birthday. On this day, I’m allowing myself a few minutes of pride for my country.
It’s a fraught time to be proud of the United States. We have a lot to fix and a lot to apologize for, and the man representing our country in honoring this milestone is a complete embarrassment. But this is my home, and it has its moments.
The simplest joy that comes to mind for me: The food.
It’s incredible to me that in the United States, I can eat any kind of food from anywhere in the world. And not only in the cities. In my small town, we have Mexican, Chinese, Italian and Greek restaurants. The most MAGA idiots in my county sit down regularly to eat wet burritos served by immigrants; it’s so normal here to eat food from another country, they don’t even notice they’re doing it.
Sometimes the food is exactly as it’s made in its country of origin, sometimes it’s been adapted by immigrant communities to take a form unique to the U.S. and sometimes it’s… Taco Bell. I love it all. I was taught as a kid that America is a “melting pot” nation, and it’s the one story about our country I still believe. This country is predicated on the fusion of cultures, and we’re really lucky to be part of that. If a hot dog is the most American food, it becomes even more American when you top it with carnitas and kimchi. Or when you buy it from a cart down the street from a Chinese bistro and a halal restaurant. Or when you eat it at your grandma’s house and she serves homemade pizzelles for dessert.
We’re obviously not “the greatest country in the world” and have never been. But it’s something to celebrate, I think, that a white girl from central Wisconsin can enjoy tortas and banh mi — alongside frozen pizza and tavern meatloaf — without ever leaving the state.
💡 A money date is an exercise I crafted for You Don’t Need a Budget. Subscribers can follow along in a private space after the paywall, and I encourage you to steal my questions to guide your own reflections!
