from Paul Graham | by Paul Graham

When I think about the food I grew up eating, the best word to describe it is "caricature." Wonder Bread is a caricature of bread, "American cheese" is a caricature of cheese, Red Delicious apples are a caricature of apples.

Lots of other cultures have been characterized by some kind of fakeness. E.g. Victorian culture had a fake refinement and grandiosity. Mid-century American culture was a fake consumer cornucopia. It looked good from a distance, but if you actually bit into one of those apples...