What phrase describes the Half-Smoke's status achieved through grassroots adoption?
Answer
"Everyman's Dish"
The Half-Smoke achieved its iconic status in Washington D.C. not through official culinary endorsement or high-end restaurant menus, but through widespread, organic adoption by the general population. It became known as the "Everyman's Dish" because it originated and thrived as accessible street food, particularly rooted in the African American community centered around the U Street area. This grassroots popularity—the fact that it was accessible to everyone, regardless of economic status—lent it an authenticity that refined or imported dishes often lack in defining a city's true culinary heart.

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