Auburn, Maine, U.S.A. – America has no food. The country’s greatest culinary contribution was probably the invention of McDonald’s and its golden arches, the logo that defines American food culture in the minds of many Europeans.
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Who would believe that this country actually has food that varies from region to region, that there’s more to American cuisine than s’mores, soggy burgers, or greasy, oversalted fries?
Take lobster, for example.
Maine’s coast borders one of the most lobster-rich bodies of water in the world: the Gulf of Maine, named after the state itself.
Lobster is so deeply tied to the region’s culinary and cultural identity that it even shows up on car license plates.
I was genuinely surprised when a traditional Maine lobster roll was placed in front of me at Red’s Eats. A bun, filled with cold lobster and a side of warm butter.
I had never eaten lobster before. How would I have? I’m from deep inland Germany, almost seven hours from the nearest coast. I had imagined something fishier, slimier – not the almost meaty texture lobster actually has.
But that wasn’t all. During my time in the U.S., I didn’t just get the chance to see live lobsters at the Boston Aquarium. I also got to hear how they’re caught.
Another YJI student, Carlos Fra-Nero from Lewiston, Maine, works as a lobsterman on a fishing boat.
It was fascinating to listen to him. He talked about these animals with a matter-of-factness I’ve rarely seen before.
Part of regional pride, he explained to me, an apple cider donut in hand. He’d brought it along like it was nothing, which is exactly how people treat things that are quietly iconic where they’re from.
But the apple cider donuts were my favorite thing I ate in Maine. I could have gobbled an entire tray of them.
Above, a classic Whoopie Pie at left, and the author’s favorite confection, an apple cider donut, at right.
New England has produced a truly incredible fall pastry: the only sugar you taste is the natural sweetness of Maine’s apples.
The donuts are quite different from the Whoopie Pie, a sweet sandwich made of chocolate cake and filled with a marshmallow cream so sugary it almost stings on your tongue.
It was the kind of sweetness I had expected as an American cliché.
My cultural highlight, though, was probably the Baked Bean Supper.
From English class, I associated baked beans with a British breakfast: white beans in tomato sauce, served with sausages, fried egg, and toast. A hearty breakfast.
Maine put a different spin on the whole thing. Pure Maine, someone told me, as I arrived at half past four for an early dinner at the Sixth St. Congregational Church in Auburn.
The church turned into a full-on community feast. People met regularly, brought food, chatted, and ate together. It was a simple, but filling meal while chatting with others.
The baked beans themselves were New England style, made with pea beans and red kidney beans, very different from their British counterparts. These were heartier, richer, and had way more flavor. I liked them even more.
Then there were the red hot dogs. The first time I saw them, I genuinely thought someone was trying to poison me. They look aggressively artificial.
But apparently they are a New England classic, and once I got over the unusual color, they actually worked surprisingly well with the slightly sweet beans and homemade rolls.
On the table: mac and cheese, of course, an American classic and one of the first things Europeans think of when imagining American food.
There was also something called American chop suey, which turns out to be macaroni with meat and tomato sauce. Macaroni, I learned, is a very American thing.
I ate what I could of Maine while I stayed there, and I left determined to remake some of these foods back home in Germany.
I’ve already looked up how to make apple cider donuts at home, which feels like the most honest review I can give a place.
Lina Marie Schulenkorf is a Correspondent with Youth Journalism International from Germany who spent about six months in Maine.
