How do I write a research paper on the cultural foods of America, China & Mexico

I was thinking about writing about the different types of foods consumed in those countries on a few of their major holidays and reflect the differences and similarities between the foods in the different countries.

Good idea. You could compare each country's traditional New Year's dinner, for example. What each food symbolizes, etc.

Take an approach you can get excited about. This stuff doesn't need to be boring. You can make a theme for your paper: "searching for the similarities." That is just the first idea that comes to mind for me. "In this paper, the cultural characteristics of American, Mexican, and Chinese cuisine are explored, and special attention is given to the the task of identifying the similarities among them so that cultural differences can be overcome via cuisine."

or

"In this paper, the cultural characteristics of American, Mexican, and Chinese cuisine are explored, and special attention is given to the ways in which the cultural characteristics are reflected in the cuisine.

DON'T FORGET: American cuisine consists of cuisine from other places. Besides the hot dog and apple pie, and maybe fast food, I don't know what kind of "American" cuisine exists... maybe I am wrong, though!!! :-)

I don't think it's a good idea to write about the Chinese New Year's dinner. It varies through the whole country. For example, in the north people have dumplings while in the south they eat Tangyuan, which is the traditional food for Yuanxiao Festival (15 days after the CNY) in the north.

Anyway, I recommend that you write something about some VERY traditional food. For example, moon cakes are only availabe during Mid-autumn Day, while Zongzi is only eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival. Dumplings are traditional, but not a bond to a certain holiday. You can compare Mid-autumn Day with Thanksgiving in America. It's the second most important traditional Chinese festival.