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The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Volume IV - 2012 148  American food culture and acculturation The conventional “melting pot”, whereby diverse ethnic groups constantly influence American culture, and the long-term evolution process erodes ethnic distinctiveness, is no longer valid (Ueltschy, Krampf, 2001: 14-31). Today, the American cultural complexity has to be explained by the Anglo conformity, the melting pot, and the cultural pluralism (Alba, Nee, 1997: 826). Now, “salad bowl” is a more preferable term to explain the diversity of American cultures (Gabaccia, 1998). That is, immigrants can decide if they want to assimilate into the Anglo-American culture, fuse with to create a hybrid cultural mix, or maintain their cultural distinctions, which represent cultural plurality. Apparently, ethnicity in America is no longer something to hide or be forced to assimilate (Harris et al., 2005). Ethnic food, or non-American food, is an in fl uential, social communicator, which conveys ethnic values in terms of tradition and history (Inness, 2001). Immigrants do not necessarily bring the actual food, recipes, and utensils toAmerica; yet, they live with the memories of their old-country foods and the foodways which they preserve within their family, and later introduce to others through events, celebrations, or commercialisation (Rahn, 2006: 30-46). For Americans, ethnic foods mean those that come from so-called “foreign” cultures, not the ones that already assimilated to American food culture, such as British fi sh and chips or spaghetti and meatballs (Inness, 2001). Since cultural values (e.g., symbolicmeaning of food, preferences in tastes) are not entirely comparable and translatable (de Mooij, 2005), local and ethnic foods are unequally appreciated (Mintz, 2002: 24-32). Normally, consumers are more attached to their native food. Yet, values are changeable, as proven by German and Italian foods which were once more foreign to Americans. Particularly now that German and Italian descendants have become parts of the host American culture (Inness, 2001). Even with the fear of cultural differences, Americans often suspend ethnic prejudices and open up to cross-cultural culinary exchanges.As such, food acculturation has occurred peacefully in America because it involves pleasure in seeking new tastes and experiencing different cultures, as well as economic exchanges (Barbas, 2003: 669; Gabaccia, 1998). Moreover, dining places only propose slight threats during ethnic socialisation. For Americans, ethnic food re fl ects not only a desire to differentiate pleasure, but a symbolism of connection with their own diverse culture (Lu, Fine, Thai Food: A Gateway to Cultural Understanding