I never have it on cheesesteak but I’ll eat celery with cheez whiz until I am foundered.
I just realized, there’s no Tuna Hotdish or Mac n’ Cheese?!
Mission burrito
Suck it, San Diego!
What about the real San Francisco treat, cioppino?
45 years ago when we lived in Lafayette we cooked from the local ladies’ cookbook, “Talk About Good.” Gumbo in there had okra. Can’t testify to the post Cajun fad versions.
As for crawfish, we can get it in a local restaurant, but it is Chinese crawfish and nowhere near as good as it was when we lived there. Now I could get good etouffee near where my daughter lives, but that place was run by a Cajun. A smart one. He closed down in December 2019.
Filé is certainly not a “fad version.” It goes back at least to the 1800s, if you look through Google Books,.
I was referring to the cheapening of commonly found Cajun food after the fad, where Cajun meant throwing some seasonings on things and blackening everything that didn’t move.
As for gumbo file: from here
Not all gumbo recipes call for filé powder, but a true “filé gumbo” should have both filé powder and okra.
But I certainly don’t want to get into a no true Cajun discussion here.
I wouldn’t trust a spice web site on the history of gumbo. There are those that do combine the two, but typically it’s one or the other and the type of gumbo dictates what the thickener is. Feel free to read up here. The Southern Foodways Alliance does a good job of food history.
Agreed! Especially as I understand it, gumbo itself evolved out of a tradition of put whatever you got in the pot style of cooking. So say any one thing is required or forbidden is IMHO against the spirit of the whole dish.
You may now argue as much as you want about what ingredients you prefer which is fair (I’m on the filé side but only because I don’t like okra)! Of course, you could instead just gang up on me for interfering, which is both fair and traditional to the board!
Sure. The argument here, as I understand it, is that gumbo must contain okra for it to be gumbo. It most certainly does not. (I prefer the okra type to the filé type myself. But any gumbo is good gumbo.)
I don’t use okra, and rarely filé. A good dark roux will thicken gumbo. I add additional flour before the roux is completely cooked so it will thicken well.
However, gumbo does require the Holy Trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper. I don’t care what any book says about that. You could make something good without those ingredients but that ain’t gumbo.
I will then accept that what I make is not gumbo. Celery isn’t food, celery is some sort of stringy, rope-like plant monster, probably related to Yellow Musk Creepers or similarly deadly creatures. Eating of their many-stranded wires encased in dull, green goo is a torture that should only be visited upon the most vile, Krampus-worthy children.
It is sorely lacking in pleasing flavor, while simultaneously having the texture of something my cat sicked up after a marathon grooming session.
It’s only possible merit is fiber, or the entertainment value of it’s crispiness, of which the former is easily found and the latter is sadly lacking in any stewed variation.
In short, get it gone from my (no-longer legitimate apparently) gumbo!
[ ETA: Yes, I will die on this hill, probably taken out by some sick celery fan’s braided celery-thread garrote as I burn you all down with my mighty flamethrower. ]
Creole. We’re talking Cajun here. They are totally different cuisines.45 years ago the only passable Cajun restaurant in New Orleans was a branch of Don’s, though that is hearsay since why go to New Orleans for Cajun food, especially when you lived in the heart of Cajun country.
Cajun food in general comes from making do with what was available. As they say, Cajuns will eat any damn thing. There are tons of variations of everything, but Cajun gumbo has okra as a standard. Maybe someone has a jambalay with couscous. Doesn’t mean it would be a jambalaya.
The main thing about Creole gumbo is it has tomatoes; Cajun does not. Okra is more common in creole gumbo, too. Look up recipes for authentic and specifically Cajun gumbo, and you will see many/ most without okra, and even without filé.
Clearly, I’m not going to convince you, so I’m going to drop it now.
Well, not if you don’t count the Canadian tradition of a stuffed turkey, mashed potatoes, some veg, and gravy (oh, and a relish tray) and pumpkin pie as a Thanksgiving dinner. 
To me, the greatest American food is a hot dog. It goes with the most American of sports: baseball. It was definitely invented in the United States.
Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet …
A San Diego burrito only has fries in it if it’s a “California burrito”. Otherwise, the filling depends on the protein. If it’s a carne asada burrito or a carnitas burrito, you get guacamole and pico de gallo. If it’s a fish burrito, you get cabbage, beans, and white sauce. If it’s a chile relleno burrito, you get lettuce, tomato, and enchilada sauce. If it’s a shredded beef burrito, then it’s just shredded beef, plus the stewed tomatoes and onions and peppers that were cooked with the beef.
What about rice-a-roni?
While they do have that jingle they don’t have ‘San Francisco Treat’ trademarked or copyrighted.
It’s-It you mean.
Even though they’re in Burlingame.
Not just the US mainland
Just as a data point - here, on the southern tip of Africa, there are easily a dozen places I can get poke just within 5 minutes of me. It’s been that way for a few years, so if it’s “trendy”, it’s not slowing down.
If I wanted biscuits and gravy, I’d have to make it myself. Ditto many, many of the dishes mentioned here, like gumbo. “Cajun” here means throw some spice on some chicken and blacken it.
Poke is a very successful export. Not quite at the burgers or Tex-Mex level, but certainly way, way above any other regional American cuisine.
That’s very sad. Have you never, once asked yourself “I wonder what Native American cuisine is like?”
Roast Turkey.
Corn on the Cob
Hot Dogs
Buffalo Wings
Chocolate chip cookies
French Dip
Biscuits and Gravy
Fajitas