We Are What We Eat, a new series airing nationwide on public television in 2019 examines the story of American cuisine and how it got that way. Some dishes start out as local favorites and eventually wind up on menus across America, like New England clam chowder. Western migration changed what we eat in so many ways. The Chinese laborers brought over to lay the tracks carried with them both chopsticks and their own food traditions, that became chow Mein and eventually the All-American dish, General Tso’s Chicken, invented in New York City. Today there are more Chinese restaurants in America than there are McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and KFC’s combined. The trains also eventually added refrigerated cars and allowed fresh food to be transported across the country. There’s nothing more Italian than pizza, right? Wrong, that is an American creation. We Are What We Eat explores how American cuisine became what it is. Wars, historical events, technological breakthroughs and immigrant groups all helped change what we eat and helped to define the American dining experience. How about a big bowl of Tex-Mex chili or a frozen margarita or better yet, a hot pastrami sandwich from Eastern Europe and a bowl of gumbo. You may never look at your menu the same way again.