American Culture is a Buffet

With the luxury of the world getting smaller due to technology and social media I have the opportunity to learn about other cultures better than a book or documentary describes. I myself am American, a Michigander, and central lower Michigan to be exact. While many cultures are more straightforward about what they present in identity I always go back to the question of "what is my culture?". On the surface it seems to be a lot of complaining, consuming and entertainment. But of course it goes deeper than that. 

Watching some videos on Youtube of foreign students speaking about what they see, it was very enlightening. Especially the concept of hugging one another. I will make no apologies, if I care about someone male or female and I have not seen them in some time or will not see them for some time I will give you a crushing bear hug. It is a physical way for me to show you what you mean to me. And apparently we put cheese on everything. I am not complaining. A burger isn't a burger without some good pepperjack.

The common thread was that no one could actually define our culture, so I will sum it up for everyone. We have used the phrase "America is a melting pot" for most of our history. America is more like a buffet. Each example is a metaphor for music, food, sports, language, careers, family and friend interaction, individual identity and whatever else makes a culture a culture.

Think of your favorite buffet restaurant. Most of the time it has Asian culture as a presentation, but we can use the steaming items we eat as a way to describe American culture.
You have:
-Options. Asian foods, Mexican foods, desserts of French influence, the fried goodies of the Scots, it's all there. Just like America. And with those options you will:
-Enjoy some and not the others. You might get addicted to one or two, and be totally disgusted with one or two. You might embrace the whole menu, or be really really picky.
 -You might go there with family or go by yourself. In either case, your plate will be unique to your individual tastes. And you might get disgusted with someone else's tastes or even how they act at the table. The tastes of your one self, and the group around you set that standard.
 -If some "higher up" comes around and starts changing or removing items, we will get angry. This is a metaphor for politics. We like it when things run smooth and we have what we need, but start changing things beyond our suggestions and you're going to get some angry customers.
 -It brings people of all social classes together in some respects. Middle class and low class both eat there. And of course make fun of one another.

"Melting Pot" as a term suggests everyone comes out the same in the end, yet we rarely do. America, the land of immigrants, would be a very boring place if it were not. Our diversity IS our culture. I'm going up for a second plate now, brb.