American cuisine, specifically. But, I can’t remember ever seeing a corn dog-selling establishment proclaim itself a preparer of “American Cuisine.” It seems that in the restaurant business the word “cuisine” is usually reserved for more exotic fare like Thai, Peruvian, Greek, Persian, or Indian, as if, at some point, the owners of such restaurants misinterpreted “cuisine” to mean “fine food” unstead of just “style of cooking,” which is the proper definition. Correctly speaking, a particular cuisine doesn’t have to be fancy, as noted in the corn dog example. Nevertheless, the term “cuisine” has popped up below restaurant names across America, usually written in the fanciest script available. “Bangkok Thai Cuisine,” “Razavi – Persian Cuisine,” and “Punjab – Fine Indian Cuisine,” for example. Well, I can see how it looks better than writing, “Razavi – Iranian Food,” though it’s really the same thing.
“Thai Cuisine” is the most common; I can’t recall ever seeing a restaurant proclaim “Bangkok – Thai Food.” (And seriously, if the place is named “Bangkok,” what are the chances they serve fajitas?) If they are trying to sound ultra hoity-toity, then they write, “Cuisine of Thailand” or even “Cuisine of Siam.” Worse, “Siamese Cuisine” makes me wonder if they serve spicy house cats. Oh, well excuse me for thinking they just served chicken satay. Jeez.
Curiously, Mexican restaurants have failed to exploit this “cuisine” silliness, at least for the places serving the basic stuff like enchiladas, chiles rellenos, and carne asada (all of the above include Spanish rice and your choice of pinto or refried beans). I’ve never seen a “Maria’s Mexican Cuisine” or a “Pancho Villa – Cuisine of Mexico.” Apparently, Mexicans just eat “food.” Sad, really. (In fairness, some of the fanciest “high-end” cooking in the world is taking place in Mexico and Mexican restaurants. But that’s another story.)
Well, my camera is ready. If I ever see a sign that says, “Bangkok – Thai Food,” you’ll see it here first.
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