On The Americanization Of Non-American Foods

America. It has become a country built on immigration. People from all areas of the globe now live in this country, and many of the cultures from other areas have now come here. Some areas may still have very little diversity, but the big cities in this country have become melting pots.
The traditions and customs of other cultures cannot realistically be practiced by everyone. A person that wishes to be well-rounded would find it unpragmatic to try to learn everyone's culture. But in these melting pots of culture there is still a way to experience the ways of others: food.
There are plenty of restaurants around that serve the meals of other ethnic groups. Eating various dishes from around the world is a great way to get a taste (no pun intended) of other cultures. But something is now happening that I find disturbing. Many of these restaurants have altered the recipes from the original to cater to American taste buds.
Although I have always been known as a picky eater, I do not condone these changes. When I order pork fried rice in a traditional Chinese restaurant, I get pork fried rice with some of the Chinese vegetables mixed in. When I order the same thing at a more Americanized restaurant, I get pork fried rice with peas and carrots! It simply isn't right.
The same thing has happened at Spanish restaurants. The original recipe for Spanish rice contains rice, vegetable oil, onions, peppers, tomatoes, cilantro and various spices. Yet when a dish I ordered came with a side of Spanish rice, what did I find? Peas and carrots!! Do I look like Forrest Gump? Is this what everyone thinks appeals to the American taste buds? I simply don't get it. Sadly, many recipes for Spanish rice on-line list the peas and carrots in the ingredients now.
But this is not the only change. It is merely the most obvious one. Many cultures that enjoy spicy foods have changed the spices to ones that are less harsh. Although I am not a huge fan of spicy foods, I am still an advocate of purity. If a dish is too spicy for someone, then that person should not order spicy food. The act of trying to cater to everyone has resulted in neglecting those that want well enough left alone.
I am no chef and I don't know many recipes to pinpoint the changes that have been made to all of them. But I do know that I have been in restaurants where I could tell that I was experiencing the real deal. I also know that I have been in places where it was blatantly obvious that there was nothing at all traditional or culturally significant about the meal I was eating. My point is this: if a restaurant wants to serve the dishes from another region it should do just that. It should not fiddle around with the recipe to make it more acceptable to the masses. If people want to eat the food of another country, then that is what they should eat.