Would you like a block of cheese on the side?
One of the first things you notice when traveling is that the food is different. It doesn’t matter if you are overseas or just in another part of the States. And when you love something, you can’t imagine why other people don’t love it, too.
People in Pennsylvania like a big breakfast with scrapple, and anyone not from that area would cringe if it was served to them. Same goes for fluffernutters in Massachusetts, cheese curds in Wisconsin, and crawfish in Louisiana.
This week I’m in New Mexico visiting family, and this is also where I grew up. But I’ve lived on the coasts these last several years, and I’m morelikely to live near a gluten-free bakery than an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Take the meal above. This was taken at a basic mid-range restaurant. The thing that threw me off was that each table got a huge block of cheese along with bread and butter before we even opened our menus!
An almost all-veggie lunch
But it isn’t all like that, and those of us on the coasts who brag about our farmer’s markets and fresh fish could learn a thing or two about middle America and their backyard gardens. I have had a garden-grown dish at almost every meal, and I’m a little bit jealous of the convenience of fresh veggies a few feet from the back door (though I’m not jealous of the work that goes into it!).
New Age Drinks=unsweetened tea
At the grocery store, there was a huge liquor department, which we don’t have in Washington. And a big section of the store was devoted to beauty products, which is also unusual for Seattle.
But the funniest part had to be the beverage aisle, which advertised “New Age Drinks” on the sign. When I looked down the aisle, all I could see aside from soda was unsweetened tea drinks, which is hardly New Age!
What has been your most adventurous food find while traveling? What kind of food do you miss when you are away from home? Let me know in the comments.
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Betsy Talbot writes about carving the lifestyle you want out of the life you already have. When she’s not writing, she’s paring down, saving up, and getting ready for a year of travel with her husband Warren.
About Betsy
Snails. Chicken Feet. Shrimp heads. Tripe Soup. Pig Ears. Eating new foods is one of the best parts of travel. It takes you out of your comfort zone and gets you some respect from the locals. Oh and it’s usually a delicious surprise.
I’m not nearly as adventurous gastronomically as Mike, but one of the things I love about travel is trying the local offerings. They are part of the flavor of the area, and are part of what I remember the most about a trip. We love fresh-caught snapper in Florida, crawfish in Louisiana, and bbq sandwiches in Alabama. Hawaii is all about fresh mango and papaya, shave ice, poki, and mahi mahi. And I love England for the fish and chips, Indian food, and banoffee pie (toffee/banana yumminess!).
Mike, I keep hearing about how delicious pig’s ears are! Have you seen the show with Andrew Zimmern where he travels all over eating local food? We used to love watching that show before we gave up cable.
Angela, banoffee pie? That sounds delicious!
In Sweden, we had what I’m told was a typical Scandanavian breakfast of sliced meats and cheeses, along with pickled vegetables and herring. They also have large crackers spread with a kind of caviar that is squeezed from a tube. The Swedes also have an affection for watery yogurt that I don’t quite understand.
Caviar in a tube! That actually sounds pretty handy for making those fancy toppings on little crackers at all the swank parties I don’t get invited to.
Love the blog!
My husband and I travel in the US a lot from Canada. So favorites in the far away places: beignet and cafe au lait in New Orleans, Hatch chili in New Mexico (and all those salsas!), artisan cheese in Vermont, California olive oil and Napa Valley wine, Arizona oranges and grapefruit, South Carolina sweet potatoes, Georgia pecans, Stone Hill wines from Missouri. We love visiting local farm markets when we travel. Food tends to be a favorite trip souvenir!
Anne, you hit almost all my favorites! I haven’t tried the Stone Hill wines from Missouri yet, but I love all the others you mentioned. As I travel around the US I’m always amazed at the number of Canadian license plates I see – not only are you guys traveling a lot, you are doing it by car/RV. Very cool to see a BC plate in South Texas early in my travel days – what an amazing drive!