There is at least one thing that is better in America

Blueberry pancakes, jam, maple syrup, coffee and grapefruit juice. Cincinnati, Ohio, 2016.

The United States is in many ways a controversial nation. There are lots of incredibly awesome places and things, but also huge problems and dark shadows of history present in the society. I know that some people wonder, whether they should travel there at all. I warmly recommend a visit to the US for everyone who has the opportunity. There are countless reasons to go there, but here, I only concentrate on one, which alone is easily reason enough to visit America.

The breakfasts.

An omelette, rosemary potatoes, bisquit ("bun" for most Europeans, I think), jam, coffee and grapefruit juice. Memphis, Tennessee, 2017.

Often, the United States thinks that it is the best, greatest and first of the World. Considering breakfasts, this indeed is the case.

Even at worst, American breakfast is better than other breakfasts. Pancaces, maple syrup, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, French toast, coffee and orange juice. San Francisco, California 2015.

The American breakfast is usually constructed around pancakes, waffles or French toast. Eggs, sausages or bacon are often served with them - but only imagination sets the limit (I've seen a breakfast menu featuring T-bone steak served with pancakes). Serving sizes are such that those used to modest European breakfasts will easily manage until late lunchtime, or longer. As the United States is a very multicultural nation, there are countless local and cultural variations of the American breakfast, such as blue corn pancakes served by the Zuni in New Mexico - recommended!

Texans have, of course, over-Texasified the breakfast, too. A waffle shaped like the map of Texas. San Antonio, Texas 2017.

Nothing in this world is perfect, not even the American breakfast (even though it gets close). It is not the epitome of healthy eating, as there generally is a lot of sugar and fat. Thankfully, lighter options are usually available, as is fresh fruit. And, although the American coffee is sometimes very good, it often isn't. Luckily there usually is enough of it, breakfast often includes unlimited coffee.

Big coffee, Brooklyn, New York 2008.

What should you do in New Orleans?

You should go to New Orleans, and there you should...

...take a guided tour of a cemetery... 

...which are arranged, among others, by Save Our Cemeteries.

...listen to jazz...

...while sipping a cocktail.

....walk in the French Quarter (and Marigny, and Treme, and elsewhere).

...go paddlewheeler-watching on the riverfront.

...eat gumbo, eat red beans & rice, eat po'boys, eat beignets, and, well, eat. Recommended places include Dooky Chase's, Gumbo shop and Coop's place, but it seems that there is no way to get bad food in the city. We ate everything before thinking of taking pictures, so this bowl of gumbo is from Wikimedia Commons. Picture by Elliot Lowe (CC BY 2.0).

...stay in an old New Orleans house, like in Olde Town Inn as we did.

...ride streetcars.

...and go to Bourbon Street like everyone else, at least briefly.

Me kävimme New Orleansissa 22.-26.5.2017.

The world's best snack booths

Sausage in Vienna.

I am not what you would call a culinarist. I like good food as much as the next person, but as a rule, I concentrate on other things when travelling, and do not like to invest a lot of time in finding places to eat. Consequently, I often end up eating some kind of fast food, That said, I try to avoid international chains and eat at places ran and frequented by locals, when at all practical.

However, this does not (always) mean that the food I eat is bad. On the contrary, often fast, affordable and tasty are served on the same plate. Here are a few highlights I've encountered.

Tima-Irma, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
The hungry of Mostar, locals and tourists alike, have found their way to Tima-Irma ever since the days of Marshal Tito, and been hungry no more. As always in Herzegovina (and Bosnia, as well as in Croatia and Montenegro), Čevapčići is excellent, and so is everything else. Prices are reasonable. Tima-Irma also serves tasty local beer, which is not easy to find.

Look for this sign on  Onešćukova street, east from the Bridge.

Tima-Irma may be my favorite of all, and I have recommended it to many fellow travelers. They all have loved it and spread the word. I may have accidentally started a cult.

We have eaten at Tima-Irma in 2009 and 2012.

El Farolito, San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
This place, situated in the corner of Mission and 24th, serves burritos that may change your life. As a lot of other people want to eat there too, prepare for queues and chaos. The process of ordering and serving at El Farolito may be confusing for first-timers. First, one queues to the counter, where the orders are placed and paid. There one receives a slip of paper with a number on it, and beverages (I recommend one the Mexican fruit sodas), Then one tries to find a seat, or, if all seats are taken, remains standing wherever there is room. Soon, a waiter will be walking up and down the aisle, shouting numbers in Spanish and English. One should listen for the two last numbers on the slip received at the counter (it's a 5-number code but the first three don't matter). Note that there is no logical connection between the numbers and the order in which the food is served: if one has, for example, a slip ending in 56, the previous one may be 33, 48 or 71.

Somehow I failed to take any pictures in El Farolito, so this is from Wikimedia Commons, by Rick Audet of San Francisco.

Any inconveniences are forgotten when the food arrives - it is indescribably good. San Francisco is in general expensive, but Farolito's prices are reasonable. It serves some exotic (for North Europeans) specialties, like tongue burritos. The uninitiated, like me, may find some Mexican foods extremely spicy. I recommend Quesadillas: the cheese balances the burning chili peppers nicely.

It should be mentioned that the waiter in El Farolito is, at the time of writing, only person who has ever addressed me as "bro".

We ate in El Farolito in June 2015. Twice.

The sausage stand with the green bunny, Vienna, Austria
We visited Vienna very briefly. We were tipped by a local about a sausage stand behind the Opera House. It was a good tip.

The green bunny  is easily recognized .

There are about a dozen different kinds of sausages. We tried Waldviertel and Red Bratwurst. Both were excellent. I recommend local märzen beer, but you can splurge on a bottle of real Champagne if you feel like it. Prices are reasonable: we paid less than 10€ for two sausages and two beers.

We ate sausages in Vienna in August 2016.