What This Guy Ate (and Learned) While Biking Across America
What This Guy Ate (and Learned) While Biking Across America
By Kerry Diamond
When James Marshall, British by birth, moved to the United States, one discovery shocked him the most. Americans, he noticed, seemed down on the idea of America. What happened to all the great ideals this country represented to immigrants like him? And more importantly, what had happened to the America dream?
Marshall, a filmmaker, wanted to investigate. He and a friend, photographer Todd Williams, decided to embark on a 28-day cross-country motorcycle journey in search of the American dream and document the entire trip. Using social media, they would ask people to put them up for the night and they would work to earn their keep, all the while interviewing people about their lives, hopes, and careers.
Marshall and Williams gave themselves a food budget of $250 each. (Their other costs — equipment, film crew, video production, etc. — were covered by a Kickstarter campaign and some funding from the brand Cole Haan.) The resulting 8-part series, available for free on Vimeo and iTunes, is an endearing look at life across this country. There are heartwarming moments and beautiful scenery throughout, but some sober truth, too. Hard work and big dreams, they discover, don’t always equal success.
We checked in with Marshall to hear more about his great adventure and to learn what he ate while traveling from place to place. “It was a fun, exhausting journey,” he said. “I’ve never been happier to see the Pacific Ocean.”
PHOTO: Courtesy of The American Dream Project
When did the idea pop in your head ?
The idea for “The American Dream Project” first came to me in the spring of 2014. As in immigrant here, I could see how critical America was of itself. It seemed that everyone and their dog was talking about why America was a bad place, why we are different from each other, and that the American dream was over. I think it’s important that we look inward and constantly challenge ourselves; that we sometimes just stop, take a moment, and look at what we have accomplished. I wanted to put a spotlight on what I see: some of the people and places that I believe make America great.
PHOTO: Courtesy of The American Dream Project
A lot of folks gave you a place to stay. Did they also feed you?
Thank God, yes! It is really challenging to eat healthy while on the road. Wondering/hoping what we would be fed became a fun game. Would we get a home-cooked meal? Would it be an old family recipe with secret ingredients? Would we like it? Would there be homemade cake?
What were some of the most memorable meals?
We had some great meals, but I must first mention the most memorable drink. The second episode shows us stopping in Rendville, Ohio, a tiny town of just 35 people. After working our bums off all day we were rewarded with a few sips of genuine moonshine. Whoa! It was like drinking paint stripper! I’m still not sure if I actually enjoyed it, but it was definitely memorable. It was so strong. I think my insides were burning. I could barely speak after taking a sip.
And the food in Rendville was also super good. Our hosts Corlyn and Ted put on a real spread for us. Actually, the townspeople all brought something to contribute to an elaborate feast that fed the entire crew. Very sweet, and generous people. We had barbecued chicken, basted in a secret and spicy family recipe that was so good it made time slow down. There were huge bowls of colorful salads: reds, greens, yellows… all locally sourced. There were also huge bowls of different rice dishes that were full of surprising flavors. What I enjoyed most was that it normal for everyone to contribute to the meal and to welcome strangers into their town.
PHOTO: Courtesy of The American Dream Project
Was it weird staying with strangers?
Yeah, a little, but you get used to it pretty quickly. It’s like staying round your Auntie Val’s house. You love being there, but you’re worried about breaking the china or using too much hot water in the morning. You want to be respectful of their home and their generosity, and it’s great to stay for a short while and then be on your way. I was always worried about overstaying our welcome.
When you were driving from destination to destination, what did you do for food? I saw you drinking some gas station coffee, which couldn’t have been fun.
The gas station coffee wasn’t fun — but it was like brain rocket fuel, strong enough to keep me mentally awake for hundreds of miles on the motorcycle. As for food, I’ve been an athlete most of my life so I really try to eat healthy when I can — with the occasional blowout of course. We’d stock up on fruit and the healthiest things we could find in the hope our little stockpile would last until the next oasis of healthy in the desert of junk food.
PHOTO: Courtesty of The American Dream Project
Were there a lot of protein bars involved?
Too many for my liking! I have always been a fan of protein bars, because they’re great when nothing fresh is available. But I stopped enjoying them so much after surviving on them when I ran across the Sahara — that’s another story for another time. But, while they are a little harder for me to stomach now, they are still a good substitute when there is little choice available. And, of course, I always had back-up Snickers bars if the going got tough.
Did you lose weight? It seemed like a physically grueling trip.
I lost about 10 pounds, which I think was due to stress. I had passed my motorcycle test just a few weeks before we left New York City so I was constantly worried about crashing the bike. There were a couple of very close calls where I hit things in the road, or had to swerve to avoid someone texting while driving. That scared the heck out of me.
Did you stick to the $250 per person limit?
Yes, pretty much. The $250 was for food and lodging. I think I went over a little, and Todd was left with a few bucks. We had to stay in a motel during the horrendous storm between Missouri and Iowa [Episode 4]. I was honestly scared for my life! We should have stopped hours before, but we just kept on going. It was so stupid to drive in those conditions. Eventually, it got so dangerous that we had to find a motel and dip into our slush fund.
Did the project change you?
Yes, it did. I am less worried. I realized how much I enjoy meeting and listening to strangers. We all walk past so many people every day, and now I wonder more about each of them. Who are they? What situation do they go home to each day? What makes them laugh? What have they been through to put that expression on their face today? I try harder to give more people the benefit of the doubt: Yeah, that a–hole was rude to me, but maybe he has a sick kid at home and is just having a crappy day. We’re not really that different from each other.
PHOTO: Courtesy of The American Dream Project
What surprised you most about the project?
I was really surprised how people we had never met before just opened up their homes to us. We were complete strangers to them. They put a roof over our heads, fed us, and on some occasions, they even gave us warmer clothes to wear. Their first instinct was to be kind and to trust.
Our perception of other people in America is mostly wrong. I traveled 5,000 miles across the U.S., met hundreds of people, from so many different backgrounds, ethnicities, religious beliefs, sexual persuasions, and social classes, and can honestly say that the vast majority of these people are kind, considerate, and have the same fears and needs as the rest of us. Yes, there are a few a–holes that are just bad apples, but in my experience, these are the tiny minority and they get too much of the spotlight. There really are more good people than bad, and we really do have more in common than not.
PHOTO: Courtesy of The American Dream Project
You made a stop in Braddock, Pa., and saw Chef Kevin Sousa’s Superior Motors restaurant in the works. That’s a big project that a lot of the food media is watching with interest. Any observations about Braddock and that project in particular you can share?
I cannot say enough good things about the place or the people. It was an honor to witness the rebirth of a town that has been truly challenged. Braddock had been a steel superpower, a goliath of global industry that was crippled by the deindustrialization of America. Without jobs, 90 percent of the community up and left, which totally decimated the town. The town was then taken over by gangs and drugs, and almost pushed over the precipice.
Now, over a decade later, and with the strong leadership of Jon and Gisele Fetterman [the mayor and his wife], the town is on the verge of a complete 180. The gangs have gone and the town has an impressively strong togetherness.
Kevin Sousa and Jon Fetterman aren’t just building a restaurant; I believe they have also created a tipping point for Braddock. They have food education programs, a community-managed farm, and now a community-driven restaurant that will be staffed by local residents, trained by Kevin himself. This restaurant could be the final piece of the puzzle for Braddock to start a really great new era.
Any general food observations from the road?
Yes. It is really tough to eat well when there are strip malls and cheap food available everywhere. I saw huge signs for pizza, burgers, burritos, and hot dogs all at unbelievably low prices. After spending hour after hour, day after day, driving through town after town, I would think about the obesity problems we face across the country. Coming from a single-parent family, I now appreciate how hard my mum worked to feed us healthy food. I had a lot of time to think, and this occupied me a great deal.
It made me think of the stories my grannies told me about England during and after the second World War: Food was scarce and people across England were starving. Fast food didn’t exist and all store-bought food was rationed. People were encouraged to “Dig for England,” meaning to grow their own food in their yards. And they did, out of necessity. It must have been tough work, but they did it. America is a place full of resourceful and resilient people. Could we now “Dig for America?” and grow our own food to combat the rise of obesity?
These people are dreaming big and changing lives:
Is this the most important food truck in America?
