What are your Favorite Regional Foods??

[April20]

O''Charley''s honey mustard dressing used as a dip. O''Charley''s is a restaurant chain here in the southeast. I''m not sure how wide their region is.

Golden Flake "Sweet Heat" potato chips. They''re the official chip of the Talladega speedway!

In all seriously, when I lived in Seattle, I was in some serious withdrawl from the above. My mom would mail the chips to me and when I went home, I''d buy the dressing and bring it back with me. A friend of mine tried the dressing and really liked it and told me I ought to call and see if they''d ship it to me. I called the corporate office and told them my plight. The gal I talked to was so, so sweet. She told me that they don''t normally sell to the public, but that she would be more than happy to sell me a restaurant sized jar. I asked her if she wanted a credit card and she told me to just mail her a check!!!! So I did and my salad dressing showed up about a week later!

I got so bad about the chips that I actually ordered a case online. I missed the UPS delivery and then drove to pick it up. I had to go to the UPS warehouse to pick the box up. They were fascinated that I ordered a case of chips. They were so so good!

Now that I''m back in the SE, I don''t eat either of these things that often, but when I want it, I can have it!

 

[lucyandroger]

Date: 3/29/2009 5:40:40 PM
Author: TheBigT
Bagels.


There are things all across the US that are called bagels, but they just...aren''t.

YES!!! I miss my bagels

I''m a native NYer and I miss bagels, pizza, good chinese food...

DC is great for a lot of things but not for NY food!

 

[jcrow]

oh gosh! the food here is amazing... and if i ever leave, i''ll totally + utterly miss it.

boiled crawfish
boudin
king cake
crawfish ettouffee
dobage cake
beignets
rice and gravy.

oooh... there''s SO much to list!

 

[KatyWI]

CHEESE CURDS!!!!!

 

[AprilBaby]

I SO miss Philly Cheesesteaks, soft pretzels, Tastycakes and GOOD pizza!

 

[AGBF]

Everything authentic that has been described and which I can envision has sounded delicious! Rather than duplicate some of the New England specialties (I grew up in Connecticut), let me mention some things from my husband's home that may be more unique!

Pesto (which has become amazingly popular in the United States); focaccia; and cheese focaccia are peculiar to the region of Italy from which my husband comes. Pesto is originally from Genoa (Genova), in the province of Liguria, Italy. It is a paste made from fresh basil; pine nuts; garlic; and olive oil. The Genoese use it on a special pasta when it is fresh and sometimes serve it "with the advantage"-peasant style to the workers and others with hearty appetites. When it is served, "with the advantage" (I cannot type it since this is not Italian, but Genoese dialect), it is served with boiled potatoes and string beans. The cook books will tell you that no pesto is as good as the pesto of Genoa, because the basil grown there is special...perhaps affected by the salt air of the Mediterranean Sea. I, personally, would not want to be subjected to a taste test, however!

Focaccia, also, is originally Genoese. It, like pesto, has started to spring up all over the United States in recent years. The focaccia of the United States bears very little resemblance to the focaccia of Genoa, however!

First, in Genoa, focaccia is only available in the early morning. Second, focaccia is only available from the local place that has the special oven for baking pizza or focaccia. One cannot bake it just anywhere! Third, it is very thin and the crust is very tender and fresh. It is not heaped with toppings. Certainly not cheese. Sometimes one can buy onion focaccia, with some onions on top, which is delicious! It is a very light breakfast; very, very tasty!

Last is cheese focaccia. Cheese focaccia is the only one of these three specialties that is not Genoese! Cheese focaccia is from Recco! Recco is in Liguria, too, but further down the coast. It is the home of cheese focaccia, a true delicacy!

Cheese focaccia is everything that focaccia is with some melted cheese as well. I remember it as a kind of baklava that is not sweet, but flakes and melts in your mouth...thin crust and melted cheese togther!

Buon appetito!

AGBF

 

[rockin11]

Shrimp and grits
grits of any kind
hush puppies
crawfish
mullet w/ grits and gravy
cornbread(NOT yellow w/ sugar!)
fresh veggies(seasoned w/ a ham-hock or something else not good for you)
fried green tomatoes
blue crab
BBQ
http://www.stanselrice.com/ we order this rice..it is the best..you can really taste the difference! we have all of our friends hooked!

When we lived in Germany I

all of the traditional foods..we really enjoyed the yummy pretzels and brats w/ the best crusty rolls that were sold on the streets.

**Can you tell I LOVE to eat?

 

[iheartscience]

I love Devil Dogs so much! We don''t have them in the south so whenever my mom''s family visits from Boston they bring us lots of Devil Dogs. And the last time I went to Boston for my cousin''s wedding, my uncle dropped off a bunch of Devil Dogs for us at our hotel. I also love a good lobster roll when I''m in Boston.

I was born and raised in VA and what I love the most are the fried oysters! There are a couple of oyster festivals and I love to go and eat as many as I can. There are a select few restaurants that serve amazing oysters, too. I also love steamed and raw oysters, but nothing is tastier than a fried oyster! I do enjoy the occasional pork barbeque sandwich (VA style, NOT NC style!), but I''m not a huge barbeque fan typically because most of it is too greasy for me.

 

[klewis]

AGBF- I''ll come for breakfast at your place!
BTW I have just read about your avatar on another thread and having always assumed that the cello player was you I now discover it''s your daughter. I thought you looked youthful!

 

[bebe]

Tex-Mex

Blue Bell Ice Cream (from Brenham Texas)

Gulf Coast Shrimp

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 3/29/2009 6:26:43 PM
Author: klewis
My all time favourite is a combination of food and location - home away from home. A breakfast of Poori Masala with cococnut chutney served in the tiny Mandapam at the Bright in Kerala. The waiter tiptoeing across the stepping stones balancing a tray with your breakfast, the fish swimming around your feet and the birds chattering away in the trees and the smell woodsmoke from the kitchens of the nearby houses drifting across the compound and the relative quiet. It''s a delicious combination.

Sounds wonderful, klewis! Kerala is on my long list of places to see. How long did you spend there?

 

[monarch64]

The only thing I can think of here is morel mushrooms. (Southern Indiana, but I''m pretty sure they''re a native midwestern fungi). I used to "hunt" them every spring growing up, and when I moved away I would have DREAMS about them every year around April. I am DYING to go find some, we just need some warm nights and some 70 degree days. I like them best battered in flour and salt and pepper and fried. Yum. Need mushrooms. Get in my belly!

 

[AGBF]

Date: 3/29/2009 7:32:34 PM
Author: klewis

BTW I have just read about your avatar on another thread and having always assumed that the cello player was you I now discover it''s your daughter. I thought you looked youthful!

Even she is no longer as youthful as she once was, Mr. Lewis! She was only 10 years old when that photo was taken and now she is 16! She is very musical, though, and I am not! I sing, but I cannot play any instruments (except bad, right-handed piano). She plays many instruments!


AGBF

 

[klewis]

Almost 3 years was the longest stretch - I hope you get to go.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Favorite foods of the Northeast...

LOBSTER
clam cakes
dough boys
Fenway franks
Ben and Jerry''s
Maple Syrup

 

[klewis]

Date: 3/29/2009 7:58:02 PM
Author: AGBF

Date: 3/29/2009 7:32:34 PM

Author: klewis


BTW I have just read about your avatar on another thread and having always assumed that the cello player was you I now discover it''s your daughter. I thought you looked youthful!

Even she is no longer as youthful as she once was, Mr. Lewis! She was only 10 years old when that photo was taken and now she is 16! She is very musical, though, and I am not! I sing, but I cannot play any instruments (except bad, right-handed piano). She plays many instruments!



AGBF

Singing is musical!

 

[katebar]

I live in the north of Australia so it would have to be
Mangos and Pineapple
But I was born in the south of Australia and that has to be
King George Whiting
Crayfish
And for TGal guys benefit Fritz

 

[atroop711]

Date: 3/29/2009 5:08:48 PM
Author: elle_chris
pementos de Padrón (Peppers from Padron Spain,) i can''t find them anywhere here and you can only get them in the summer, fall months in spain. They''re addicting. One of the best things I''ve ever ate.

brooklyn pizza.

Brooklyn pizza? You have to come on over to Manhattan on E. 14st...best pizza around at PETE''S A PLACE the
square pizzas are too die for..and reg. pizza too!

 

[atroop711]

Date: 3/29/2009 5:40:40 PM
Author: TheBigT
Bagels.

There are things all across the US that are called bagels, but they just...aren''t.

nothing like a NYC bagel...YUmmmm H&H and Davids Bagels

 

[Loves Vintage]

Brick-oven blackened thin crust pizza in New Haven! People will wait up to four hours at times to get a seat at Sally's or Pepe's on Wooster Street.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 3/29/2009 8:00:05 PM
Author: klewis
Almost 3 years was the longest stretch - I hope you get to go.

Wow! I thought for sure you would say one month at most. We will make it there, but probably only for 10 days max. Were you working there? If yes, just curious what type of work would take you to Kerala!

 

[Amandine]

Being from Michigan, and now living in Atlanta, here is what my DH and I miss:

DH fell in love with Bell''s Beer, a small brewery in Kalamazoo (yes, there really is a Kalamazoo!

). When we visit, my parents will order a couple cases of his favorite variety, Double Cream Stout, which is only available in the winter. We actually returned to GA a few weeks ago with more! Then his Mom called a few days ago and she had found a couple more cases, and when they come to visit they will bring it along. If his Dad doesn''t get to it first...

We miss the pizza at Bilbo''s, particularly the wizard. Yum!

We both miss Kogel''s Hot Dogs, the vienna beef in the casing. I had bought four packages to bring back with us...and forgot them!

We forgot them in August when we were home, too.

I also miss fresh caught fish, like perch and walleye. And all of my family''s traditional foods like homemade paczki, lebkucken and springerle cookies, homemade sauerkraut, and my Grandma''s two varities of kliesl (not sure if I spelled that right). I really miss the excellent farmer''s market near my parent''s house.

And probably more then anything, all of the fresh local fruit. I grew up doing a lot of u-pick...and now plan my visits in July around blueberry season. Its also why my bridal shower was when it was...so I could take home blueberries, my absolute favorite fruit!

 

[elle_chris]

Date: 3/29/2009 8:33:58 PM
Author: atroop711

Date: 3/29/2009 5:08:48 PM
Author: elle_chris
pementos de Padrón (Peppers from Padron Spain,) i can''t find them anywhere here and you can only get them in the summer, fall months in spain. They''re addicting. One of the best things I''ve ever ate.

brooklyn pizza.

Brooklyn pizza? You have to come on over to Manhattan on E. 14st...best pizza around at PETE''S A PLACE the
square pizzas are too die for..and reg. pizza too!

I live in Manhattan

Not sure if I ever tried Pete''s Place but the closest I''ve ever had to Brooklyn pizza in the city, was Joe''s on Carmine st. in the west vill.

And yes, I stand by that brooklyn has the best pizza!! lol...

 

[April20]

Date: 3/29/2009 7:25:02 PM
Author: rockin11
Shrimp and grits
grits of any kind
hush puppies
crawfish
mullet w/ grits and gravy
cornbread(NOT yellow w/ sugar!)
fresh veggies(seasoned w/ a ham-hock or something else not good for you)
fried green tomatoes
blue crab
BBQ
http://www.stanselrice.com/ we order this rice..it is the best..you can really taste the difference! we have all of our friends hooked!

When we lived in Germany I

all of the traditional foods..we really enjoyed the yummy pretzels and brats w/ the best crusty rolls that were sold on the streets.

**Can you tell I LOVE to eat?

Shrimp and grits is one of my all time favorite things. Grits are something I could eat every single day, there are endless ways to prepare them!

I LOVE hushpuppies. I don''t think I had one the entire time I lived in Seattle. Everytime I mentioned them, people looked at me like I was nuts. They had no idea what I was talking about.

We currently have several zippy bags of fat back in our freezer. My husband is hording it to make fried corn or season other veggies (when I''ll let him use the fat back). There is nothing like veggies fried with fat back or cooked w/ a ham hock. You just can''t have it every day like so many members of my family did growing up.

 

[April20]

Date: 3/29/2009 7:06:12 PM
Author: KatyWI
CHEESE CURDS!!!!!

So I''ve had these once. A gal bought some and brought them into the office. They kind of squeaked when I bit into them. Is that normal? I''ve never had them since the day she brought them....

 

[anyname]

oooooooh. i wish there were Hong Kong egg puffs near me, they have them in NYC, but that''s a 4 hour car ride and it still doesn''t taste the same. I also miss these fried egg white doughnut type dessert that''s coated in sugar and filled with red bean paste. In fact, i miss all the food from Hong Kong. *droool*

 

[anyname]

oh, and i would kill for a fresh mangosteen...mmmmmm

 

[princesss]

Date: 3/29/2009 7:28:46 PM
Author: thing2of2
I love Devil Dogs so much! We don''t have them in the south so whenever my mom''s family visits from Boston they bring us lots of Devil Dogs. And the last time I went to Boston for my cousin''s wedding, my uncle dropped off a bunch of Devil Dogs for us at our hotel. I also love a good lobster roll when I''m in Boston.


I was born and raised in VA and what I love the most are the fried oysters! There are a couple of oyster festivals and I love to go and eat as many as I can. There are a select few restaurants that serve amazing oysters, too. I also love steamed and raw oysters, but nothing is tastier than a fried oyster! I do enjoy the occasional pork barbeque sandwich (VA style, NOT NC style!), but I''m not a huge barbeque fan typically because most of it is too greasy for me.

YES YES AND YES!!!

 

[icekid]

Chicken wings (what the rest of the country calls Buffalo wings)! They must must must be from Buffalo. I refuse to eat them anywhere else. Duff's are my favorite, but you could get chicken wings at basically any pizza place in Buff and have them be better than anything I can find here.

and PIZZA! What the heck... in all of Philly and Delaware, we've found TWO places with good pizza! Honestly, Philly loves junk food- you'd think you could find some decent pizza...

eta- and my recent trip to Paris has made me long for French macaroons. Sooooo good.

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 3/29/2009 9:53:53 PM
Author: princesss

Date: 3/29/2009 7:28:46 PM

Author: thing2of2

I love Devil Dogs so much! We don''t have them in the south so whenever my mom''s family visits from Boston they bring us lots of Devil Dogs. And the last time I went to Boston for my cousin''s wedding, my uncle dropped off a bunch of Devil Dogs for us at our hotel. I also love a good lobster roll when I''m in Boston.

I was born and raised in VA and what I love the most are the fried oysters! There are a couple of oyster festivals and I love to go and eat as many as I can. There are a select few restaurants that serve amazing oysters, too. I also love steamed and raw oysters, but nothing is tastier than a fried oyster! I do enjoy the occasional pork barbeque sandwich (VA style, NOT NC style!), but I''m not a huge barbeque fan typically because most of it is too greasy for me.

YES YES AND YES!!!

Hahaha I''m glad you''re on my side! Okay, so guess what I had my fiance pick us up for dinner because of this thread? Pork barbeque sandwiches and a side of coleslaw for me! Mmmm...so not healthy but hey-my lunch was healthy so it balances out!