food for dinner in USA
We’ve already taken a look at what Americans eat for breakfast and lunch. Now it’s time to see what’s for dinner. In this post we’ll learn about some common American dinner food. First let’s learn about when and where Americans like to have dinner.
At Home or Out?
food for dinner in USA
For many Americans, the biggest question around dinner time is whether to stay home or go out. During the week, it’s definitely more common to eat dinner at home. On the weekend or special occasions like birthdays or holidays, people like to go out for dinner. Sometimes you need to make a reservation for dinner if you’re going to a popular restaurant on the weekend or a holiday. Whether at home or in a restaurant, dinner is a social meal. It’s a good time for families to talk about their days with each other, or to catch up with friends.
What’s for Dinner?
When kids come home from school, one of the first questions they’ll ask their parents is “What’s for dinner?” People eat all sorts of different things for dinner in the US. Generally speaking, you usually have a main course and some side dishes for dinner. Some people have desert after dinner, but definitely not every day. Let’s take a look at some common dinner foods.
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Main Courses
There are so many different choices for main courses that it’s impossible to list them all here. Typically, a main course will be a type of meat or fish. Here are a few examples of popular main course items:
baked/grilled/fried chicken
steak
pork chops
meatloaf
baked or grilled fish
pasta
tacos/fajitas
stew
vegetable stir-fry
As you can see, there are lots of choices for dinner. While pasta may be from Italy and tacos from Mexico, these are both very popular choices in the US as well. I probably eat pasta for dinner at least once a week. My favorite is penne pasta with vodka sauce and some parmesan cheese.
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Typically there will be 1-2 side dishes with the main course for dinner. Once again, there are too many options to even count. Here are some of the most common:
baked/mashed potatoes
rice
macaroni and cheese
beans
corn on the cob
grilled vegetables
side salad
coleslaw
bread
A lot of people plan their meals to have a protein (meat or fish), a starch (potatoes or rice), and some vegetables. This is what you might call a balanced meal.
Drinks and Desert
There are plenty of choices for a beverage at dinner – water, juice, milk, soda, tea, a beer, a glass of wine, or maybe a cocktail of some sort. It’s very popular to go out for dinner and drinks with friends where you’ll have a drink or two and a leisurely dinner. As far as desert goes, many Americans definitely have a sweet tooth. Common desert foods include cake, ice cream, and brownies.
So, how exactly are Americans cooking this food?
food for dinner in USA