In Arkansas, for example, there are three towns in a row; Stuttgart, Ulm and Roe, named for similarly spaced towns in Germany. The people there are proud to be Americans first, but also proud of their Germanic heritage. Once a year they celebrate their heritage and do themselves proud.
Over in Oklahoma there are two towns close together named Krebs and McAlester. Together they cook up special cuisine days celebrating their Cowboys and Italian heritages with spectacular events that draw people from hundreds of miles away.
In places that would seem unlikely, you can discover entire populations of Germans, the Polish, Bavarians and other ethnic groups from central Europe. And without much coaxing, they love to share their delightful foods, music and dance with you as well.
It doesn't matter if you are from England, Spain, Africa or the Middle East, your readers will be glad to take an evening, eat a bratwurst, enjoy a stout beer and for a little while, they too are just as German as anyone at that party.
It makes sense that the cultures of dozens if not hundreds of countries have snuggled down so comfortably almost side by side here. After all, America was comprised almost entirely of immigrants from every country across the globe. They wanted to be a part of the American Experience and yet as each new wave of immigrants arrived made their home here in America, they found it easiest to seek out the support of their countrymen and thus they usually ended up living near each other, if for no other reason than to hear their native tongues spoken occasionally. And within those communities, the the best traits of culture from “the old country” were beautifully reproduced to make those immigrants get over a little of their homesickness with familiar memories of the country they once called home.
The beautiful thing about life in America is that the different ethnic groups are not stingy with their cultures. When they are having a good time they love inviting people from other cultures to join in and learn their customs, taste their foods, enjoy their music and really get a good exposure to a people and culture that they would otherwise have had to travel around the world to see.
The American melting pot brought out a trait that seems to be common in most if not all of the ethnic populations around the world. And that is a very basic hospitality, openness to outsiders and excitement to share their cultural richness with anyone who wishes to join in. Add to that the natural American trait of friendliness and hospitality to strangers and you will understand why it is so easy to experience the whole world in right here at home.
In many cities in our country, you can take an evening and seemingly leave your common world behind and visit ancient china, Thailand, Persia or Tibet. Let the foods of these countries delight your mouth and give your taste buds some exciting new adventures as well. Let the ambiance and music that the natives who create these worlds for us transport us to their home lands just as magically as one of those special effects movies from Hollywood.
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Exotic Destinations * Be An Ethnic Writer * My favorite campsite * Robbers Cave * Indian Creek * Jasper Texas * Cold Water Canoeing * Getting Paid for your writing * Travel at Leisure. *
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