NationStates Jolt Archive

Is America really a melting pot of culturals? Or is the Salad Bowl metaphor more appropriate?

Maybe a fruit salad.

I've always thought that soup or stew is a better analogy than either: unique elements mixed together in a common sauce.

A salad is mixed things that are still seperate in themselves, it doesn't quite fit America. Things tend to blur together in the US given a little time, hence the melting pot label. Just look at our holidays for an example. The traditions surrounding Xmas, Halloween and Easter are a mix derived from several cultures with a dash of American original thrown in for good measure.

I'd have to say the melting pot model still works best, although it's a slow melt.

A melting pot because all newcomers eventually come tangled in the giant mass of American "culture", hence losing their own.