I hate it when non-Americans say that there is no such thing as American food. 

I mean, most people think of the basics: hamburgers, hot dogs, and fries. But when I hear American food, I think of seafood boil, Texas barbecue, soul food, a New York slice, and, of course, halal cart chicken over rice.

Some dishes were created to accommodate the American palate, while others were made out of necessity, aiming to recreate a taste of home with the available ingredients.

And halal cart chicken over rice? Other than being my favorite cheap meal in New York, it is a testament to the creativity of immigrant communities, finding ways to fill people’s stomachs while reminding them of home.

I first fell in love with chicken over rice, out of all places in Miami. I went to the University of Miami, and about a 15-minute walk from campus was a Halal Guys franchise right on South Dixie Highway. It was my go-to guilty pleasure, and I went there an embarrassing number of times, until one day I walked up and I saw it shuttered, and I fell to my knees.

Though the franchise’s closure was a devastating blow, it ended up being a net positive, as in my senior year, I worked at an Italian restaurant right next door to the former Halal Guys location. I knew it must have been divine intervention, as I would have spent my paycheck and doubled my weight.

One of the things that surprised me the most when I first moved to Japan was the number of halal cart chicken over rice spots that are in Tokyo.

As I started to meet new people in the city, I would tell them I grew up in America, and their eyes would light up, and more than a handful of times, I was told that they loved American food, especially Chicken over rice.

I was a bit taken aback. I mean, I knew chicken over rice was a quintessential New York staple, but I never really associated it with being American food.