In this land of the brave, in this home of the free,

On the hills of Vermont, under Hollywood sun,

What so proudly we hail and wherein we agree

Is the habit and right of the people to run

On a local-traditional,

Nobly nutritional

Basis their eating, disputed by none.

When the cooks join the patriots, making a group

That will honor with monuments handsome and high

Pennsylvanian scrapple and pepper pot soup,

Or the cruller and doughnut, for which men will die,

And with simple sincerity

Boast to posterity

Waffles, tamales, crab gumbo, mince pie,

Then I'll flock with the tourists to national shrines,

To the scene of planked whitefish, and barbecued lamb.

Then I'll gape at historical dates, where the signs

Mark the home of roe herring, or oysters, or ham.

I will carve my initials,

Despite the officials,

On Maryland duck, or Connecticut clam.

In Missouri, men speak with a reverent hush

Of hot biscuit; in Delaware, peaches and cream;

Alabama, fried chicken, and gravy with mush.

O the food that has fed the American dream!

Hear the hearty variety, tasty or plain,

Of the cooking and eating our forefathers knew!

They were stayed with the blueberry muffins of Maine;

With Montana's jerked rabbit; Colorado's beef stew.

When mint julep and spoonbread were nourishing Lees,

Old Rhode Island pan dowdy and chowder made men.

Minnesota waxed great on red pudding and cheese.

Tennessee lived on muffins and pot-likker then.

In Ohio, the spiced apple-strudel is blessed.

Arizona men live on tortillas, they say.

Abalones are prized in the uttermost west,

And in Georgia it's terrapin soup every day.

In Wisconsin, the Watertown goose is supreme.

O the food that has fed the American dream!

O the baked beans and brownbread, the puddings and fish!

O the flap jacks and eggnog and apples and trout!

O the strawberry shortcake, that excellent dish !

O the corned beef and cabbage, the hot sauerkraut!

Where our forefathers ate, it would certainly seem,

Is the place I should visit, but what made them great

Was the food that they fed their American dream.

As for me, I shall eat as our forefathers ate,

With a local-traditional,

Nobly nutritional

Cook-book for roadmap, for baggage a plate.

I shall relish my memories, after this trip,

And the tale of my travels will be on my lip

Every day of the week-the magnificent theme

Of the food that has fed the American dream.