Probably the most thrilling meals throughout the nation at the moment combines components from all types of cuisines. The issue: what to name it, and why a reputation issues. “New American” has change into a de facto time period, however what does it imply now? Welcome to The New American Problem, a mini-series exploring how we speak about modern American meals.

The photographer Bobby Doherty used the AI-image generator Midjourney to create the pictures featured on this article. Every picture depicts a dish that ChatGPT has recognized as “New American.”

If AI had been to open a New American restaurant this 12 months, it could be referred to as “Harvest & Fireside.” The menu would function fried rooster and waffles, burrata, Mediterranean flatbreads, sushi burritos, hanger steak, and chocolate lava cake. Chef Thomas Keller, of landmark Napa Valley restaurant The French Laundry, or Yotam Ottolenghi, who I assume would get a stipend to maneuver to America, would run the kitchen. Friends would dine in a setting “impressed by the pure fantastic thing about the area,” mentioned area unspecified, and luxuriate in a “relaxed, informal vibe” whereas listening to music by artists comparable to Avicii, Bruce Springsteen, Justin Timberlake, and The Black Eyed Peas.

This bonkers but boring fictional restaurant got here out of a latest dialog I had with ChatGPT, an OpenAI bot that may algorithmically course of and generate textual content responses. For the reason that New American time period originated over 4 a long time in the past, meals writers and platforms like Yelp and Google are nonetheless slapping the label on any restaurant menu across the nation that provides a glimmer of world affect, regardless of the label being famously murky. It’s change into a meaningless, perplexing catch-all for menus and cooks that don’t match right into a clearly-defined (French- or Korean- or Insert Delicacies Right here-shaped) field. 

So I’d hoped that ChatGPT—the machine’s powerful learning skills and prowess for the written word are spectacular—might assist make clear what New American food actually is. (Truthfully, take my job!) However after literal hours of back-and-forth, it’s clear this system is simply as drained and confused in regards to the time period as these of its sources: Us, the people. In truth, ChatGPT has emphasised simply how same-same meals writing has been over time. If we give the bot dangerous knowledge, it’ll spit out dangerous solutions.

I began easy. After I requested, “Clarify what ‘New American’ meals is,” ChatGPT typed again a paragraph very similar to one thing you’d learn in a highschool historical past class—typically hitting the appropriate notes, however in a dry and imprecise method. The delicacies “attracts on inspiration from various culinary traditions, together with these of varied immigrant communities in the US,” it mentioned. The bot supplied a pair examples of the “inventive mixtures of flavors and textures” one might anticipate throughout the class: “fusion dishes” comparable to a sushi roll with “Southwest flavors” and a Korean-style BBQ burger.

After I requested AI to generate an inventory of New American meals, the outcomes had been additionally bland and, at finest, vaguely spinoff of the “immigrant communities” the label is meant to explain. Grilled salmon with quinoa, that includes roasted greens for a “colourful, seasonal contact.” Shrimp and grits and beef tacos had been thrown in for good measure. And, out of the blue, the ramen burger, which “takes the basic Japanese noodle soup” and turns it into an all-American beef patty (in actuality, the noodles change into the bun).

I ventured deeper, requesting some pattern New American restaurant menus, and the outcomes had been fairly forgettable. My first question yielded smoked trout dip, grilled lamb chops or mushroom risotto, and a chocolate and salted caramel tart for dessert. One other got here up with an heirloom tomato salad starter adopted by pan-seared scallops and stone fruit crumble. For drinks, imaginary diners might select from glowing lavender lemonade or ginger and honey iced tea. Not dangerous, however not essentially drawn from “various culinary traditions.”