kestrel

kestrel
2022-03-17 07:03:09 (UTC)

Prompt 158: Local Cuisine

158. Philly has cheese steaks, Chicago has deep dish, and New York has thin crust. Which city do you think has the best signature food style and why? Which one would you be the most likely to eat on a regular basis?
///

I've been a vegetarian for over two decades now, and an off-and-on-again vegan for most of that time. These days I rarely eat cheese (the main way I broke from veganism), though on occasion I eat pastries which I'm certain will have eggs in them somewhere. More regarding eggs in a bit, I suppose.

Someone sent me a message through this site recently, asking what sort of dessert-from-scratch I'd like to eat. I sent them a photograph of a fruit tart or something like that. It's one of those things that had some kind of custard or pudding filling or whatever, and then the top of it was dotted with all kinds of fruit. Strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, and maybe even mandarin oranges. I could likely eat something like that every single day. I could even just skip the custard part and eat the pile of fruit in a pastry crust.

Maybe it's just berries. One of my favourite things to eat is blueberries. Whenever I make or order pancakes, they will always have blueberries in them. Personally I like to dehydrate blueberries and then add them to the recipe. Dried blueberries have a much more appreciable texture, especially after they've been cooked and have taken in just a little water while in the pancake batter.

The place I'm moving to soon is known for its "Rocky Mountain Cuisine," and I did a little research on this. Hard passes on the steak and the bison burgers from me. However, another feature of the local cuisine would be cinnamon rolls, bearclaws, cherries, and huckleberry pies. So when I want a taste of the more exotic then I'll head into town and probably eat an entire pie in a single sitting. I've been known as the office's "cobbler gobbler," and can make short work of a blueberry crisp or cobbler for lunch. No regrets.

///

As I consider a more rural lifestyle, I'm considering eating eggs again. For the couple of years I lived in Nashville, a neighbour of ours raised his own chickens, and we bought eggs from him. Were I able to raise chickens - a very likely possibility, as these are useful, often-friendly homesteading animals - I'd be much more comfortable eating their eggs. You know what they eat when you raise them (or when your neighbours raise them), know how they're cared for, and essentially what you'll be putting in your body when you eat the eggs. Until I have a flock of my own to tend, or a neighbour does, I'll stay off eggs as a staple of my diet.

///

Closing thoughts:

Local cuisine where I live right now is regional, traditional seafood. I've not eaten it for close to 25 years.

Some parts of New England and upstate NY have the "garbage plate." It's basically a breakfast food sampler, with a little bit of everything on the menu. It easily covers an entire oval "platter" instead of a typical plate. I've even seen some of them served on converted hubcaps, they're so large. I can understand how some people find reasons to consider them repulsive (not least of which being the name), but with my inexplicable penchant for diner food and vibes... Merely the idea of eating one excites me. Were it not for my aversion to eating meat I'd likely be a protege of Guy Fieri.




Ad: