It is often said that America is the melting pot of the world’s cultures. Although there are many different cultures an ethnicities represented in the United States; through the struggles and rapid formation of American society, America was able to have a very distinct culture unlike any other. However, Americans are always on the prowl to find the best of the best, and will often incorporate something from another culture.
The United States culture is viewed around the world as one of the most appealing and interesting, especially in China. The Chinese are fascinated and want to be apart of anything and everything American. This can be seen by the overwhelming popularity of several American fast food chains, MacDonald’s, KFC, and Pizza Hut. But one aspect of the American culture that has swept through China is the famous people in America, specifically the NBA stars. Lebron James specifically is adored in China. I have had the opportunity to experience this first hand. When asked who my favorite NBA player was, I simply said “Lebron” and the entire room got really excited, many of them telling me that Lebron was their favorite too. Many of the boys wanted to choose James as their English name. From my own personal experience in China I saw a general desire to emulate the American culture in the Chinese youth.
Most of American food is only “American” because many of the popular dishes we eat are actually things we learned from other countries, granted many of these dishes have been Americanized. But ultimately our pizza, pasta, tex-mex, and stir-fry are all taken from other countries, and we Americans are forever indebted. Our diets would not be the same, and we would miss out on many delicious foods if we had not adopted these styles of cooking and food.