Near or Far?

[lamble]

I've just started to pull an article together for the first "celeb" unchained feature. I've been in touch with a guy here in Seattle that has ridden some of the remotest roads on the face of this planet and who has experienced food of all sorts, so the fact that his favourite comes from very near to home is a surprise.

It got me thinking, my fav would be a Brit dish, closely followed by a crab tostado I had in Silver City about 5,000 miles from what I consider home.

Would your all time dish be from your childhood? Are we predisposed to our formative years of conditioning?

Do we all fall back on comfort food, or do folk think, "ah, a salad would be just what I've always wanted" ?

How far would you travel for your favourite?

[BubbaZanetti]

Shepard's Pie, without a doubt.

[dancogan]

My favorite would have to be a submarine sandwich from a little Italian deli anywhere around Boston. They had the best (that probably meant least healthy) meats and cheeses. And they put oil and vinegar on the subs, not mayonaisse or mustard, and hot peppers. We used to measure how hot the sub was by how many glasses of cold milk we had to drink while eating it. I grew up in the Boston area and you could get unbelievable subs at many of those little deli's. Don't know if you still can or not

[tessler]

Across the bridge to Brooklyn. And I'd have to hazard a guess that something as simple as a slice of Neopolitan pizza from Pino's pizzaria was probably my favorite taste-sensation followed closely by a White Castle from Bay Ridge or a falafel sandwich from "King's" in Park Slope.

Pino's is still there, but moved a few doors down and is basically unrecognizable. White Castles dot the entire city and though there's still a falafel joint on 7th avenue in Brooklyn, my fav now would be Alfanoose down on Maiden Lane in lower Manhattan.

[Belquar]

The very best rueben I have ever enjoyed came from Johnny McGuire's Deli in Durango, CO. I went there often while living in Durango. There were a lot of really great culinary experiences in Durango. My stomach and most of the rest of me consider it the best place I have ever lived.

For a really far....there was this place in Japan called the Flower Girl. Little restaurant/cafe where we used to get these really awesome cucumber sandwiches. I was only 7 or 8 at the time, but I distinctly remember those sandwiches. The bread was so lightly toasted. Crusts cut off. The cucumbers were perfect and there was some sort of creamy orange colored sauce that had a little bite to it.

[osbornk]

Would your all time dish be from your childhood? Are we predisposed to our formative years of conditioning?

Do we all fall back on comfort food, or do folk think, "ah, a salad would be just what I've always wanted" ?

How far would you travel for your favourite?

I'm a southern country boy who moved to the city years ago and moved back to the country when I retired. My favorite foods are from my childhood and my favorite place to get it is in Cana, VA (on the outskirts of Andy Griffith's hometown of Mount Airy, NC). They have a buffet at lunch for $4.99 that goes up to $6.99 at supper and I would choose a meal there for my last meal.

I would get biscuits and gravy with fried chicken, country ham, smashed taters, green beans along with some other country vegetables and top it off with banana pudding. Of course I would have to have sweettea (is there another kind? and it is one word).

Simple food for simple folks. I always remember my Granny that died over 35 years ago cooking on a cookstove heated with wood.

[Belquar]

I'm a southern country boy who moved to the city years ago and moved back to the country when I retired. My favorite foods are from my childhood and my favorite place to get it is in Cana, VA (on the outskirts of Andy Griffith's hometown of Mount Airy, NC). They have a buffet at lunch for $4.99 that goes up to $6.99 at supper and I would choose a meal there for my last meal.

I would get biscuits and gravy with fried chicken, country ham, smashed taters, green beans along with some other country vegetables and top it off with banana pudding. Of course I would have to have sweettea (is there another kind? and it is one word).

Simple food for simple folks. I always remember my Granny that died over 35 years ago cooking on a cookstove heated with wood.

Next time I attend my family reunion, I'll have to stop by and pick you up. My great grandfather is buried right down the road in Abingdon. The reunion used to be at my great aunt's house in wytheville. It is now held at my other Great Aunt's house in Mt. Airy.

My Great Uncle Clarence Rae does the pig.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f229/belquar/P9150732.jpg
My great aunt Virginia (Ginny) makes these rolls that are the best you ever had. It is an incredible feast. For the first time in 15+ years, we had the entire clan together last year. I am so glad I made it a priority last year since it was the last one my Grandfather would attend.

If you love southern cooking, there is no better place to eat than at Ginny's the second weekend in September.

[BubbaZanetti]

My favorite would have to be a submarine sandwich from a little Italian deli anywhere around Boston. They had the best (that probably meant least healthy) meats and cheeses. And they put oil and vinegar on the subs, not mayonaisse or mustard, and hot peppers. We used to measure how hot the sub was by how many glasses of cold milk we had to drink while eating it. I grew up in the Boston area and you could get unbelievable subs at many of those little deli's. Don't know if you still can or not

the college i used to work at in central mass had these amazing little Italian subs every other wednesday. i have no idea what made them so good as the rest of their fare was generally "average" but they sure knew how to do those little sandwiches (and the monthly meatloaf) just right. i sorta miss that cafeteria.

[sgborgstrom]

Not sure I can specify one meal or type of foodstuff to declare as my" favorite" there's just too much out there to sample.

For me the company and location of the dining event is as important as what the actual food is. Years ago I would go down to the southside of Chicago to eat fried chicken at a non-descript cafe/diner with some riding friends. The food was the least important factor in drawing me back week after week. I can almost taste the cheeseburgers I would get coming back into the city after a long ride through the cornfields. Also not to miss were the "burritos as big as your head" rides we would go on.

Here in Washington, there's a seasonal hotdog stand in Port Townsend that hits the spot after a day of logging roads. There's a place up off the North Cascades Highway that serves great tater tots, to be eaten at a picnic bench beside a river.

Sometimes the meals that inspire the greatest sense of "all is right with the world" are those taken while sitting on a rock, scooped out of a freeze dried food pouch with a spork.

[lamble]

Shepard's Pie, without a doubt.

Tell me with lamb not beef!

Beef is cottage pie, lamb is shepards pie...sheep shepard--sheep herd's. Even in a place called the British Pantry over here in Redmond, they use beef...if the Queen finds out she'll be very annoyed.

Here's a tip, well two and honestly I am giving away a secret here...add HP Brown Sauce to the minced lamb and then using a good strong mature cheddar, grate some in to the cooked mince and veg before adding the potatoe top, as well as sprinkling (a good hand full) over the top!

[lamble]

My favorite would have to be a submarine sandwich from a little Italian deli anywhere around Boston. They had the best (that probably meant least healthy) meats and cheeses. And they put oil and vinegar on the subs, not mayonaisse or mustard, and hot peppers. We used to measure how hot the sub was by how many glasses of cold milk we had to drink while eating it. I grew up in the Boston area and you could get unbelievable subs at many of those little deli's. Don't know if you still can or not

That should throw a challenge down to someone. Can you still get a 3 glass of milk sub, what about a 4 glasser?

[tessler]

Tell me with lamb not beef!

Beef is cottage pie, lamb is shepards pie...sheep shepard--sheep herd's. Even in a place called the British Pantry over here in Redmond, they use beef...if the Queen finds out she'll be very annoyed.

Here's a tip, well two and honestly I am giving away a secret here...add HP Brown Sauce to the minced lamb and then using a good strong mature cheddar, grate some in to the cooked mince and veg before adding the potatoe top, as well as sprinkling (a good hand full) over the top!According to Stephen Sondheim... shepherd's pie is peppered with actual shepherd on top...
:D

:whistle

[lamble]

If it were to be the last meal, I'd still go for a proper bacon and brown sauce sandwich. Not buttered bread. None of this healthy bread or super crusty stuff either, plain white bleached starch flour, as unhealthy for you as it gets. British style bacon/cut so the gammon joint stays on and not just the US style streaky stuff. Now I might daly over smoked or unsmoked, but as it's my last meal, perhaps a rasher or two of both (who needs to count calories at a last meal...I'm surprised that 'the last supper' didn't have a dessert trolley somewhere in the picture...I would have). Dip the bread in the hot bacon fat until it takes away the dryness and just starts to crisp up, then add brown sauce.

Please note, apart from working on Thursday's unchainedworld.com launch with all it's foody stuff and rider places, I've been laid low with flu since last Wednesday and haven't eaten solids for four days....this is torture! Plus if I cough myself into oblivion, my actual last meal would have been a panini, where the turkey and cranberry were joined by a salad leaf mix that got toasted too. Disgusting damp and bedraggled looking thing. I must live on, well at least until Thursday!

[lamble]

According to Stephen Sondheim... shepherd's pie is peppered with actual shepherd on top...
:D

:whistle

It is worrying, especially as Shep is usually the sheep dog's name.
On balance, beef would be better than actual sheep herder or sheep herder's dog, but still not as good as lamb.

[osbornk]

Next time I attend my family reunion, I'll have to stop by and pick you up. My great grandfather is buried right down the road in Abingdon. The reunion used to be at my great aunt's house in wytheville. It is now held at my other Great Aunt's house in Mt. Airy.

My Great Uncle Clarence Rae does the pig.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f229/belquar/P9150732.jpg
My great aunt Virginia (Ginny) makes these rolls that are the best you ever had. It is an incredible feast. For the first time in 15+ years, we had the entire clan together last year. I am so glad I made it a priority last year since it was the last one my Grandfather would attend.

If you love southern cooking, there is no better place to eat than at Ginny's the second weekend in September.

When you're in Mount Airy, drop by the Hungry Farmer Restaurant on Rt 52 for a good meal. If you're familiar with this area, then you know what a Decoration is. We have ours the second Sunday in August where everyone from near and far meets at the graveyard where their families are buried and decorate the graves. It is not just a family reunion, it is a neighborhood reunion. Families then get together and have their reunion with tons of homecooked food. My family generally have between 50 and 60 members eating at my cousin's house.

It's a Southern Thing.

[lamble]

I must point out that, as of this coming Thursday, you'll have a central repository for all these delicious places to visit. It's been a mission since I spent several years working for the Man and his corporate cash, trying to establish a standardised goal of uniform blandness.

There's just too much good stuff out there to accept anything less. But finding it!

I've appraoched BMWMOA to see f there's any tie up, so we'll have to wait and see.

[Pat Carol]

Tony Paco's hot dogs in Toledo, Ohio are the best.

PC:dance

[OfficerImpersonator]

I must point out that, as of this coming Thursday, you'll have a central repository for all these delicious places to visit. It's been a mission since I spent several years working for the Man and his corporate cash, trying to establish a standardised goal of uniform blandness.

There's just too much good stuff out there to accept anything less. But finding it!

I've appraoched BMWMOA to see f there's any tie up, so we'll have to wait and see.

I finally just figured out the "unchained world" reference. All along I thought you were referring to a desire to eliminate eating at chain restaurants, but it turns out you're just expressing your fondness for a traditional BMW driveshaft. :)

My favorite meal would involve some serious riding between courses.

1. Appetizer - crab cakes - Fog City Diner - San Fransisco, CA
2. Main course - alder-plank grilled Yukon River Sockeye Salmon, garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus - Ray's Boathouse - Seattle, WA
3. Dessert - back home for a pint of Ben & Jerry's.

Since we're riding between courses, there won't be any alcohol :(

[The_Veg]

Way too difficult to pick out overall faves, but some things I gerw up with come to mind. My mom would sometimes make a Madras curry with shrimp that was always a special treat. No indian heritage in my family; she got the recipe from an Indian couple she and my dad knew in Michigan before I was born. Another thing I always looked forward to was when Mom made what was known as the Black Cake, which is a very dark, bittersweet chocolate cake flavoured with pure cocoa and a wee dram of coffee, iced with a custard icing. To kill for! I have both recipes and have got good at them, and Mom is still around but she doesn't like to cook anymore- so when I make the 600-mile trip to visit, we usually go out for most meals.
My hometown (Tuscaloosa AL) has a much better culinary landscape than when I lived there, and no visit would be complete without a a meal at The Globe. This restaurant is on a very old storefront space that oozes and reeks charm, and was founded by two guys who knew each other from acting in a lot of the same plays with the local community theatre group (theatre people will get where the name comes from then). The Globe started in the early 90s on the then-popular wave of combining cultures on the menu, and then changing the menu every couple of weeks. These days they've pretty much settled on a standard menu, and Mom and I always have trouble deciding what to have but one of my faves there is a Thai Emerald tiger-prawn curry.
I also agree with many responses here about food encountered on the road. Sometimes the food itself is the star, other times the setting makes it. I hope I never stop enjoying examples of both. :)

[lamble]

Unchained: Let's just say it works on many levels and is more than just coincidence.



I finally just figured out the "unchained world" reference. All along I thought you were referring to a desire to eliminate eating at chain restaurants, but it turns out you're just expressing your fondness for a traditional BMW driveshaft. :)

My favorite meal would involve some serious riding between courses.

1. Appetizer - crab cakes - Fog City Diner - San Fransisco, CA
2. Main course - alder-plank grilled Yukon River Sockeye Salmon, garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus - Ray's Boathouse - Seattle, WA
3. Dessert - back home for a pint of Ben & Jerry's.

Since we're riding between courses, there won't be any alcohol :(

[RichardCook]

I am in a slightly different position. I have eaten in great restaurants all over the world including Michelin 3 star restaurants in Europe. The best meal possible is the one I have when I get home. I am not exaggerating or saying something politically correct. My spouse is the best cook I know. So I only have to walk from the garage to the kitchen!

[lamble]

I am in a slightly different position. I have eaten in great restaurants all over the world including Michelin 3 star restaurants in Europe. The best meal possible is the one I have when I get home. I am not exaggerating or saying something politically correct. My spouse is the best cook I know. So I only have to walk from the garage to the kitchen!

I tend to agree that we gravitate towards homely. Which is why we become predisposed to a dietary style. In the UK we didn't historically have access to mediterranean vegetables, having the harder root crops from our climate. These take longer to cook, so we went the stew and broths route, with animal based fats rather than olive oils. I still find comfort in a bowl of steaming stew.

I read recently, that when forced back to this diet, due to WWII rationing and imports being severely reduced, the nations health improved, as a result of a far healthier diet (although "going-without" would have been a hardship, it appears even short term reductions in "excesses" helped).

There's a distinct trend across europe to move dining back to the localised family fayre, rather than the mid 80's haute cuisine of all show and no substance. Even the French are making a move away from the cloyingly thick sauces that smothered everything.

Let's hear it for home style but recognise all those different homes.