Some of the fast food can be quite delicious and it is almost always inexpensive. The restaurant chains may lack interesting variety, but you will usually be assured of good service, consistent quality and clean facilities. Most were introduced by the early European immigrants but modified to take advantage of the locally available ingredients and to conform to local tastes. Fried chicken, meatloaf, baked potato, corn, baked beans and apple pie would be considered traditional American dishes. Regional Cooking varies from state to state and is highly influenced by the types of ingredients locally available, as well as the cultural background of the people that settled in the area.
Southern cooking has definite African influences.
Cajun cooking, from the New Orleans area, is a spicy mixture of Spanish, French and African styles. California cooking is known for the use of fresh fruits and vegetables in interesting combinations with Asian, Mexican and Spanish flavorings. Roast Turkey Ethnic Foods of all sorts are popular everywhere in the US and readily available in most areas. Italian cuisine is popular everywhere, from fast food pizza to gourmet Italian regional cuisine. The same is true of Chinese cuisine.