Northern and Southern Foods

mretzloff said:

People in the Southeast are almost as protective of grits as they are of BBQ. I would not suggest ever referring to grits as "polenta" in the Southeast. I made the mistake of once voicing my dislike of grits...Never again will I do that

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Ha, ha yeah, it's like beans in your chili. Or sour cream on your taco. We need a little fight to keep it fun.

natenaaron said:

I've wondered about Chicken and Waffles. Is the waffle savory or sweet? Another dish I have wondered about is Chipino (sp) I was told this was a west coast invention but I have seen it further east. Obviously I could be wrong. Is this a regional dish or is it an incarnation of all fishing locales?

Since you mentioned Chinese food I found this TED talk pretty interesting.

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Cioppino is a fish stew that was indeed invented in San Francisco; it is based of a dish from the Tuscan/Ligurian coast called Cacciucco. Which is delicious.

Pizza is easy:
1. Taxi to airport
2. Plane to Naples, Italy
3. Taxi to Sorbillo, via Tribunali
4. Eat pizza

Here is something that may be fairly regional- oyster roasts. They are really big in the South Carolina lowcountry.

DoctorShavegood said:

Ha, ha yeah, it's like beans in your chili. Or sour cream on your taco. We need a little fight to keep it fun.

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What is the general Texan consensus of sour cream on a taco? I knew about beans and chili, but have never heard this one before.

Edcculus said:

Here is something that may be fairly regional- oyster roasts. They are really big in the South Carolina lowcountry.

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Every time I cross the Mason-Dixon line I get my oysters roasted.

mretzloff said:

What is the general Texan consensus of sour cream on a taco? I knew about beans and chili, but have never heard this one before.

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Never been to Mexico and had REAL tacos, eh?

No sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and definitely none of that junky hot sauce. And NO hamburger meat for the filling and NO crisp tortillas.

Something like fajita meat, grilled with onion and maybe some peppers, with maybe some thyme and cilantro added as a topping, and served on a soft tortilla with a wedge of lime to squeeze on the taco before eating.

Simple but very, very good.

simon1 said:

Never been to Mexico and had REAL tacos, eh?

No sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and definitely none of that junky hot sauce. And NO hamburger meat for the filling and NO crisp tortillas.

Something like fajita meat, grilled with onion and maybe some peppers, with maybe some thyme and cilantro added as a topping, and served on a soft tortilla with a wedge of lime to squeeze on the taco before eating.

Simple but very, very good.

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Mike nailed it.

simon1 said:

Heh heh...I see what you're doing. And I agree.

I'd really like to go back to Monderno's in Piedras Negras and have the cabrito again...but I think I heard they closed down.

My aunt in Uvalde used to get with a Mexican woman she knew very well and they used to make tamales. That's a bunch of work. My aunt told me that she didn't speak Spanish very well and the Mexican woman didn't speak English very well, but they could communicate, even over the phone, just fine.

I wonder if their tamales would taste as good here as they did at my aunt's house.

I'd like to try the Chicago pizza and the Chicago dog, although I've had a dog in Dallas from a place that is owned by some people from Chicago. And I've ordered the Mary Ann buns and green relish, and some REAL sport peppers and made my own...but I didn't have the real Vienna beef dogs like the place in Dallas did.

I'd really like to try some REAL New England clam chowdah....I love even what I can get here.

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Were the dogs the natural casing or not? If not you haven't had a real Chicago dog.

Out of all the brands of hot dogs Vienna is my favorite. I like some of the New York dogs as well but they tend to be a bit greasy. Boars Head are OK as well.

And all dogs need to be served on the correct poppy seed bun.

Now nobody has mentioned Italian Beef yet. That has to be bought in Chicago because I have never found it better anywhere else. Not even Portillos because in Chicago they would be way down on my list.

+1 I think the sour cream is the Americanized Mexican addition. Growing up in south Texas and eating in a lot of small mom and pop restaurants it was never offered. Not until Taco Bell came onto the scene did I see sour cream. Carne Guisada is a good example of no cheese and no sour cream. Toppings should be just homemade salsa, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Simple and simply delicious.

Suticat said:

Boiled peanuts anyone?

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Peanuts in your coke.

One of my favorite meats of all time is country ham. I suspect it is more of a southern thing than a northern thing. Biscuits, country ham, and a splash of red eye gravy is about as close to perfection as you can get, in my book.

A few other regional foods I like:

1. Sausage balls. These are a party / get-together staple in my area, but my wife had never heard of them before we got together. Thanksgiving and Christmas wouldn't be the same without a bowl of these hot, greasy treats.

2. "Monroe County" barbecue. This south-central KY style of BBQ is my absolute favorite. Thin-sliced steaks of bone-in pork shoulder, smoked over hardwood. And the dipping sauce... the sauce! Supposedly the sauce is a concoction of cayenne pepper, vinegar, and lard. Yes, lard. Eat it and die, but die happy.

3. Bob White syrup. New Englanders and Canadians, disregard this one or you will have a conniption fit. Bob White is a "table" syrup - meaning there ain't a bit of "maple" in it. It is mostly just corn syrup. It has this intensely sweet, burnt-caramel taste that instantly reminds me of my childhood every time I eat it on a biscuit or a stack of pancakes. I suspect this one is more of a midwestern thing than a southern thing. Maple syrup purists would die if they put this stuff in their mouth, but if you grew up eating it, nothing else tastes exactly like it.

4. Pool room hamburgers. A southern thing, or just a rural thing? I don't know. But in many small American towns, there will be a pool room where locals can play a game of nine ball, and many of them have lunch counters. Behind the counter are a few old guys working over a flat-top that has fried literally millions of hamburgers. There is something about those decades and decades of hamburger grease
on that flat-top. No other hamburgers taste the same. If you find a pool room with an ancient, greasy flat-top grill behind the counter, and the only thing the guy makes is hamburgers... you just hit the jackpot.

+1 on the pool room hamburgers, it just sounds right. It reminded me of a drive-in hamburger joint we had back in the early 70's. They served root beer in frosted glasses along with the tastiest burgers.

Tacos in corn tortilla with only onions and cilantro on top. Homemade salsa and a wedge of lime. Mexican food mmmm mmm

I've lived North and South and nothing up North that is sold as fried chicken can compare to what you get in the South. Add to that Eastern North Carolina pulled pork BBQ. The North has some great ethnic dishes - some of the food I've had in Pittsburgh that had pierogies and kielbasa was amazing.

FonGu said:

The North has some great ethnic dishes - some of the food I've had in Pittsburgh that had pierogies and kielbasa was amazing.

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And don't forget Primanti Brothers

oc_in_fw said:

And don't forget Primanti Brothers

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+1

Edcculus said:

The southern tater salad recipes I grew up with are mayonnaise based. Dukes as a rule. Probably a bit of onion and celery and other spices depending on the recipe.

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We use boiled egg and celery in one of our family recipes. We always use Spicy Mustard for ours.

I grew up in NH and have very fond memories of French-Canadian meat pies and of Vachon snack cakes (imported from Canada). Seafood was great! I now live in Philadelphia and have become a big fan of a good cheesesteak (as opposed to the many mediocre ones) and terrific ethnic cuisines.

Speaking of New England, who remembers Moxie? I believe you can still find it in NH.

Biscuits and gravy?

Tralfaz said:

I grew up in NH and have very fond memories of French-Canadian meat pies and of Vachon snack cakes (imported from Canada). Seafood was great! I now live in Philadelphia and have become a big fan of a good cheesesteak (as opposed to the many mediocre ones) and terrific ethnic cuisines.

Speaking of New England, who remembers Moxie? I believe you can still find it in NH.

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Where did you grow up in NH? I'm from there.

Certainly remember Moxie, my Dad drank it. Hard to describe the taste. Sort of licorice?