American Food Bucket List

Last night my Mom asked me what I would like to eat for the five dinners I have left in America. After getting past the fact that I only have so few meals left before I go, I started to think: what are the foods I will miss the most while in Morocco?

Don't be misled: Moroccan food is excellent. This is the land of couscous, tajine, stews cooked in conical clay pots, and pastilla. There's no doubt I'm going to eat really well over the next 10 months. But as anyone who has traveled outside of the United States know, there are certain things you either can't get abroad or just aren't done right.

So below is my American Food Bucket List. These are things I've eaten, or want to eat, before my departure.

1. Barbecue. Fortunately for me I spent the last few weeks in Houston. Texas barbecue is hard to beat, and I made my ritual migration to Goode and Company. There is nothing like their brisket and jalapeno cheese bread. Though barbecue refers to anything cooked over open flame, American, and particularly Texan, barbecue is special.
2. Sushi. While not an 'American' food, I'm not expecting to find many sushi restaurants in Morocco. I didn't encounter any in Rabat two years ago, and living in Fez, which is not on the coast, I feel like my exposure to any seafood will be minimal. While in Houston I visited Hokkaido, my favorite sushi spot, twice and literally gorged myself.
3. Pizza. I love good, Italian-American pizza. Ridgefield is chock full of pizza restaurants, some of them better than others, but all of them better than Moroccan pizza.
4. Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies. This is my sentimental pick. Everyone loves his or her mom's chocolate chip cookies, and since I won't be getting any for awhile I asked her to whip up a batch for me before I leave. 
5. Burgers. I love burgers. To me a burger is the perfect version of the perfect food: the sandwich. There are burgers in Morocco, but they aren't the same. The patties are uninspiring. They are dressed with a salad. Worst of all, it is very hard to find American ketchup. Almost all restaurants, except those aimed at tourists, have watery and sweet European ketchup. A burger without rich, Heinz ketchup might as well not be called a burger. I had burgers twice in Houston and plan to eat one as often as I can before Sunday.

What would you miss if you were away from American food for a long time?