Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yes, it's important. I think I would have a hard time in a small town with limited options or in a community of any size that has only chain restaurants.
Whenever possible, I like to cook as weird as that may be to say as a man. My dogs love trying to be taste testers
So, it is not overly important as long as their is a variety of good foods to be bought at grocery stores.
Can find many of those most places in the country
My Dad did most of the cooking, except for the Italian food (Mom was Italian), when I was growing up. As he used to say, most of the chefs are MEN. My Grandpa actually did work as a chef for a while. Probably where I, and he, get our love of cooking.
If you can get the ingredients, which you usually can, you can make any kind of cuisine your heart desires.
I didn't used to think food mattered as I moved around the country (a lot!) until the last few years and I've decided that the availability of some really good restaurants has had a lot to do with how much I have enjoyed living in some areas. And sometimes, you can live in a small town with great food. Portland, Maine (even Brunswick, Maine) has some VERY good restaurants. I agree also with the poster who mentioned my hometown (city) of Seattle. Great restaurants of every kind and many with great scenery out the windows!
Conversely, we disliked Charlotte, NC very much for alot of reasons, not the least of which was the terrible dining scene. Lousy (!!!) restaurants when we lived there 10 years ago and it really affected our opinion of the area.
Cooking at home is great (in fact, it's a favorite past-time of ours and we appreciate good markets) but going out to great restaurants isn't the same thing. They are mutually exclusive in my book.
And so, to answer the question: It's VERY important in our experience. Especially now that we are empty-nesters!
I thought I'd like to give Newark (NJ) some props.
All things aside, Newark has an awesome variety of food.
I was in the Ironbound section at the Newark Penn Sation and we thought to explore the quaint neighborhood. We ended up going into this semi-fancy Portugese restaurant and ever since that experience I've been nothing but craving Spanish(Spain)/Portuguese food. It's a Portugese area, so I'm assuming it was the cities specialty, but kudos to Newark on what it offers in terms of food.
There was plenty of other places I wish to soon check out in that area.
~
NYC- obviosuly, it has amazing food
New Orleans- Some of the best food outside of the NYC area (IMO)
The Jersey Shore- Pick a boardwalk, and you'll fall in love with the food.
Philadelphia- I dream of having another authentic Philly Cheese Steak (It's pretty much all I ate when I was there)
Baltimore- I don't think I was there long enough to have a good experience because I usually hear great things about Baltimore's cuisene.
New Haven- Gotta love the underrated places with top-notch food. (I loved New Havens Pizza)
Next on my list... Buffalo! (wings)
Last edited by BPerone201; 01-27-2010 at 04:31 PM..
You get spoiled by cooking yourself and, for me, I'm too lazy to get dressed properly and go through all the effort of driving through traffic to get to a restaurant, very impatient if I have to wait in line or even wait for the food and check to arrive. And then if I do go, and the food is sub-par, it'll be months before I go to another restaurant, takes me time to recover.
I can make my own outstanding pizza, with a little effort. And anything else.
What I really appreciate living here is all the cheap fruits and vegetables.
When I travel elsewhere in this country, my curiosities always take me to the grocery stores in other parts of the country to compare prices and quality.
With that research, I'm feel so lucky to be living here.
Where I came from, fruit was so expensive it was rarely part of my diet there, now I eat cheap fruit everyday without busting my wallet.
Food is very important. Oh food.
History. I am fine with cooking for myself from local produce, but the major problem is that most states in the US do not have local crops. I don't have to eat what I am used to, I just need produce to work with. Take Illinois, they grow corn for industry use, there is not much in the way of produce grown in the state. In fact, much of the goods (cattle) used to be shipped in on railroads from places like Iowa. That's a problem for me.
I assume regions in the US don't have local cuisine because people (Migrants,Germans) did not consider food when they moved here. In the Midwest people moved there because that was the land they could take, not because the land was good for crops.
Access.I love, the fact that if I don't have a pot and pan and feel hungry I can eat real food like red beans and rice or blacken salmon as takeout down in Baton Rouge. In Chicago, Cedar Rapids, the MidWest in general, you have two options: pizza made with artificial pillow dough stuffed with enzymes and dough conditioners and god knows what or hotdogs. I ordered "shrimp" bisque in a restaurant in downtown Chicago and I was told the restaurant doesn't carry rice or potatoes. A restaurant that carries no starches...ok?
In the south, I do run into problems like finding bread flour, apparently because bread isn't a real southern thing; this makes keeping a sourdough starter a pain. Although I have heard of grandmothers in my southern town with sourdough starters. In Chicago, our supermarkets (Dominick's) doesn't even carry rye flour. I thought they grew rye in the MidWest.
Also, if I am employed with a company, I would like a place that I could suggest we could go and eat. When you are in the corporate world you have no other choice than to eat what is available at restaurants. This blows.
Also, I don't enjoy bringing rice or potatoes into work and having people look at me like I am an alien, asking weird questions about a freakin potato. Unlike some people here, I come from a heritage that has food that uses spices, so I can't bring my food to work, or people will say "Wow ...that smells good." Then the questions start, my god! It's complicated, leave me alone, no it doesn't come in a box!
I love the fact, that in Mexico you can walk on the street and eat all fresh food. Pinas, tacos, pico de gallo, carne de res, etc. Even in England you can order a potato and chili with nothing fake about it. Same in West Africa and in some places in New York where there are heavy Caribbean, middleeastern, etc. populations. But in Chicago , where these populations are not numerous, local politicians inact laws to prevent street food vendors from setting up shop because that's not what they are used to eating.
I understand why food is horrible in the USA. The longer you are able to keep food, the more money you make. McDonald's has a +20% net profit margin with it's frozen beef and bread that stays fresh for a month.
So, I will not be moving to anywhere like Kansas City or Iowa - although Bread and Circus in Iowa City is one of the best Markets/Buffets in America - because I have to have produce and at least a decent food vending/restauarant environment. If it weren't for Chipotle you probably wouldn't be able to find rice in this country outside of Louisiana.
So yeah, unfortunately, I will be moving. And the place I move to will be a place where people are more like me. I tried the let's live in harmony deal, but the problem is others understanding you, they never will.
This is why I will probably move to Mexico. I am now thinking about starting a post for the best eateries in America list....hmmmm...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Not at all
