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Aren't Friday Fish Fries a big Wisconsin only thing. I remember when I lived there that it was very common. Not sure if it reached across other state lines since.
One thing I forgot about Wisconsin.....cheese curds. Cheese curds are sold everywhere in Wisconsin. Not something you can easily get in other cities/states. Be it gas station, grocery store, gift shops, cheese curds are sold everywhere in Wisconsin.
Aren't Friday Fish Fries a big Wisconsin only thing. I remember when I lived there that it was very common. Not sure if it reached across other state lines since.
Friday Fish Fry has always been huge here in Buffalo and Western New York. Prior to the 1950s the preferred fish were pike from the Great Lakes, now beer-battered haddock is the most common. I probably should have included this on my Buffalo list, nearly every bar, restaurant, market, church, VFW hall, etc has Friday fish fry. Even the nearest pizza take-out and Jewish deli have fish fry during Lent.
I probably could also have included clam stands, although they have waned in the last few decades. They used to pop up all over the city in the summer, and although still around they are fewer than in the past.
Like Wisconsin, Upstate NY is also dairy country, and cheese curds have been becoming more popular here, maybe as poutine and topped-off pierogi plates are now showing up in more places. There is also a lot of early German settler influence in this part of the state, which along with the Polish means lots of sausages, cold cut varieties, etc.
Not unique to Buffalo, obviously, but also not as common in most of the country.
edit: Oh, and good bread. I never thought finding good bread would be such a big deal until I went to the South. Even what passes for "good" elsewhere is anything but good. I found really good rolls at a store in Houston once, and when I asked the baker she said that the dough was actually shipped half-baked from Boston before finish baked at the store.
Last edited by RocketSci; 11-15-2021 at 11:04 AM..
I used to think teriyaki places were everywhere, but apparently they're mostly a Seattle thing. Actually the trend seems to have faded but they still exist.
They sell bagels all over every city in the country. Perhaps they suck compared to NYC, but I still don't think bagels qualify in this thread. I could walk across the street to the local coffee shop and pick up one right now if I wanted to.
Personally I've never been able to understand the NYC Pizza and bagels hype. I get both every time I am in NYC and I never find either particularly amazing.
Were the bagels from a Jewish deli? I've never eaten pizza in New York.
Aren't Friday Fish Fries a big Wisconsin only thing. I remember when I lived there that it was very common. Not sure if it reached across other state lines since.
Yes, mostly Milwaukee which had a big Catholic (Polish) influence, dating back to when they couldb't eat meat on Fridays. Lake Michigan had an active fisheery then, and lake fish is very different from pelagic seafood. Few Americans have ever eaten fresh-water seafood, except farm-raised catfish nuggets.
I never heard of cheese curds in my childhood. I think they are something new, creaated by the roadside "cheese haus" tourism industry to get rid of their junk byproducts with short shelf life,.
South Louisiana supermarkets also often have local brands of pasta and spaghetti sauce different than what's in the national chains. Some are even advertised as "Creole Italian" in the New Orleans area.
for Miami I would probably add Stone Crabs....while I have had them in Vegas (at Piero's), that is not an item one finds in the vast majority of US cities. Never saw Stone Crabs on the menu in CA or NY, among other places.
Carne asada fries (lol)....cannot recall seeing these on many menus outside of SoCal--specifically, San Diego.
I love the carne fries!!
There used to be a place in Bklyn that did them. The owner was from SD
Goodrich Dairy outlets in Nebraska. Sold only dairy products, but most had a couple of tables and would make you an incredible malt on a green Hamilton Beach mixer. One in every little Nebraska town. I think the city outlets now actually have a menu of ice cream delights. Worth a landing in fly-over country.
Friday night fish fry in that part of the world was Missouri River carp, fresh caught, but on a lucky week might be catfish.
Central Nebraska, big thing is Sunday Brunch -- families from all over the county congregate in the livestock auction barn in the county seat (pop. 300) for gossip and farm-raised chow.
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