I feel like every national cuisine eventually develops exactly one Simple, But Perfect, Dish. This isn't to say that the rest of the cuisine is bad or even "lesser" - in fact, there are definitely times when I'm not in the mood for The Perfect Dish - but there's just a certain something to that particular food that warms the heart and leaves one feeling like there is little to no room for improvement.
For all I complain about French food being overrated, croissants are, in my estimation, Perfect. The Liege waffle is also Perfect. Spanakopita: Perfect. Sesame balls with red bean paste filling: Perfect. Onion or garlic naan: Perfect. You understand.
You might be inclined to think that the Perfect Dish of the United States is the hamburger. I am inclined to disagree; there's too much room for variation and for excess. Better candidates — acknowledging, of course, that some of these dishes are not uniquely or originally yankee: macaroni and cheese, chili, cheese fries, chocolate chip cookies.
i think it might actually be the graham cracker and by extension, smores
✅ Simple recipe
✅ Little room, and in fact little need, for variation – with the minor exception of "marshmallow cook time"
✅ Warms the heart
✅ BONUS: At least two of the ingredients are, themselves, archetypally US American (cracker invented by weird Protestant ascetic mad about people jerking it; traditionally made with Hershey's chocolate rather than other brands)
Verdict: COMPELLING PROPOSAL.
