The National...

Completely random, but fun- I enjoy visiting different countries and hearing about their National... 

The National drink of Morocco is Green Tea- they always serve it to guests as a sign of hospitality and you can tell if it is quality Green Tea depending on if it has bubbles, which is a good sign. It is also sweet and served hot. 

The National plant (possibly flower?) of Scotland is the thistle- and yes I remember seeing some there. 

The National sport of China is Table Tennis- and they are hard core. I remember that in the first few weeks of training at our venue there were a couple of tennis tables set up so the Chinese workers could play during their lunch break after they had eaten. 

These make me wonder what the U.S. has dubbed its own. We are normally familiar with the motto, tree, or bird of a state but what about the country as a whole? I am aware that the National bird is the bald eagle- but what other objects embody our culture? I think that by knowing a country's national whatever helps you to better understand that country, its history and what is specific to its culture. I also believe that, if you scratch a little deeper than the surface, you can make discoveries by connecting dots with other information you are aware of. For example, the National sport of China is Table Tennis. Without really knowing the history of the sport I can hypothesize that maybe it is easier for everyone to play, regardless of age, gender or socio-economic standing. Also, I have noticed, especially being at the Olympics, that certain ethnicities are better at certain sports and certain countries are good as well. The fastest runners tend to be black people from developing countries, where as those good at hurdles are black people from developed countries. The best swimmers are white and from more developed countries where they can afford the proper training equipment. Asian cultures dominate at, what may seem to an American, the most random sports: shooting, table tennis, badminton. This is just scratching the surface myself and going off of what I have seen, heard and experienced. I haven't done any research but am interested in the idea of different nationalities or ethnicities being stronger in certain areas due to their genetics and environment (money, mountains, etc). Possibly, what strengths a certain group may have compared to another and why. 

It's kind of funny how in life we go from curious 5-year-olds always asking 'Why?' to young adults who, after years of being told without asking, begin to ask 'Why?' again. Only this time we want answers and if they mean that much to us, we can go out and do the research to find the answers ourselves. 

I can see already this topic has strayed- but I do believe that a lot can be inferred from a National ___. The eagle is very symbolic to Americans and Moroccans have shown me some of the best hospitality ever- I think the green tea represents their hospitable culture more than their love of tea. What else can we learn about a country and what they dub to be National? I hope that I remember this subject and am able to learn more about it. It almost has the feel for a good outline for a speech!