Happy 234th, America!

Today is Independence Day in my native country, the wonderful mess of a (comparatively) young nation that is the United States of America. For all of my liberal, not-overly-patriotic ways, I do love where I come from. There are certain things that could--and do--only come from America, and for all its faults, it is things like these that make me love the good ol' US of A, things most non-Americans could never love in the same way we do. Without further ado, then, a list of contributions (some, admittedly, dubious) from my homeland:

- The Naked Cowboy

- Goober Jelly

- Baseball; American football; Basketball

- Lite beer (I don't agree with this, but it is quite popular, so thanks to the Miller Brewing Company.)

- Superman

- Meatloaf...and, for that matter, Meat Loaf

- The Ringling Bros. Circus

- the light bulb

- 24-hour diners

- Rock n' Roll, Jazz, and Blues music

- hot dogs and apple pie

- Slim Jim Beef Jerky

- Band-Aids

- peanut butter (as it should be) and marshmallow Fluff...and the great combination of these two, Fluffernutter sandwiches

- the first walk on the moon (and the Moonwalk as we know it, for that matter)

- SUPERmarkets and wholesale clubs and superstores

- the twist and Hammertime!

- drive-thru fast food (and the McDonald's Happy Meal, and now-retired "Supersize" option)

- Scrabble

- The Muppets and Sesame Street

- SUVs

- the International House of Pancakes

- the Big Gulp, curiously absent from Copenhagen's 7-11s (though I could be mistaken)

- Crayola crayons

- spray cheese , spray butter, and colored ketchup

- the telephone

- Lilly Pulitzer clothing--"country club wear"

- child beauty pageants (and of course, the Miss America pageant)

The list could go on, but you get the idea. Happy happy birthday, America. (And thanks again for the Fluffernutter and the rock n' roll.)