I longed for artificial bacon bits, melted cheese in a shade of yellow unknown to nature, and creamy chocolate fillings, sometimes all in the same product. I wanted food that squirts when you bite into it or plops onto your shirt front in such gross quantities that you have to rise very, very carefully from the table and sort of limbo over to the sink to clean yourself up.
In his book "I'm a Stranger Here Myself," Bill Bryson shares his humorous observations about American food culture after returning to the U.S. after two decades. He expresses a nostalgic longing for overly processed food items that are whimsically indulgent. Bryson describes a desire for artificial flavors and textures, highlighting how these products often seem absurd yet enticing, creating a vivid image of the everyday dining experience in America.
His reflections on food illustrate a unique blend of humor and critique, as he yearns for the messy, gooey meals that can leave a dining experience chaotic but memorable. The exaggerated way he describes food that splatters and overflows captures the essence of culinary excess that he finds both amusing and curious, revealing his struggle to reconcile his past with the contemporary American lifestyle.
