Regional "food quirks"
I am sure that in nearly every area of the country there are things people do with food that perhaps aren't seen or done in other areas of the country.
While growing up in eastern North Carolina and working on my grandparents tobacco farm, one of the things I got accustomed to during work breaks that has carried over into my adult life, was to pour a package of salted peanuts into my coke. Today I still find it both a good treat and a comforting memory of "the good old days". Anyone have any others to share?
raleighfoodlover
Jan 19, 2005 11:13AM
I'm not sure if it's just a Philadelphia thing or an East Coast thing, but some of us here put ketchup on scrambled eggs.
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In that same "ketchup weirdness" category, I like ketchup on my fried rice (to my mother's horror).
I also like ranch dressing on my pizza (a California thing) and mayo on my french fries (something I picked up from a South Carolinian, although I hear the French and Canadians do the same).
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Another East Coast (diner) thing is gravy on French Fries.
Mayo on fries is very European. Belgians especially, put it on their "frittes"
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Born and raised in California and I've never heard of Ranch Dressing on pizza! I do like Ranch Dressing with onion rings, though.
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Me either. Pizza?
Though, the original Ranch Dressing is a California product (Hidden Valley Guest Ranch near Santa Barbara) (thought that guy at Hidden Valley actually first made it in Alaska).
Anyway, I think Ranch Dressing can be considered a California thing (that has since travelled). And, they put it on darn near anything. Especially buffalo wings. But, I have not heard of putting it on pizza until now.
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Ranch dressing on pizza a California thing?
Goodneess.
Don't be so silly. Even the hicks in College Station, Texas (A&M) have been doing that for eons.
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Good to know y'all are doing pizza right in TX! I thought ranch+pizza was a universally loved combo until I was eating pizza with some East Coasters and they looked at me like I had a monkey up my butt.
Maybe they just don't know what's going on over on that side of the continent.
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But of course you have to ask for a side of Ranch if the plate includes hash browns.
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i think it's universally loved by cardiologists
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I think when you grow up in between New Haven and New York, you want to spoil your pizza as little as possible. To me, ranch is an antidote for crappy pizza.
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please extend the southern range of the New Haven to NY to read New Haven to Central NJ. Ranch Dressing on a pizza makes jfood shudder and that's from an Essex/Union Couty NJ perspective.
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I had Ranch Dressing on white pizza once (and I LOVE white pizza) and the whole concoction was VILE.
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That's strange, considering we've been doing that here on the East Coast(in CT, at least) for quite some time now, though blue cheese is more common.
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mmm. It is a California thing isn't it? In high school everyone ate pizza with ranch, and now I have a hard time eating pizza without it. It just makes the pizza that much better.
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Hmmm, I've lived in California for a long time, and this is absolutely first time
I've ever heard of this.
So, uh, where in California is this a regular thing?
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It's not uncommon in Southern, IN,
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NoCal too. Mainly with younger people. My sons always have eaten it with ranch dressing. Not me though.
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I don't eat it that way, but I have seem many people in the LA basin eat it that way. I'm a CA native.
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Everywhere? That being said, I'm a college student and it's pretty universal among my crowd.
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It might be a SoCal thing -- we definately did it when I was a kid growing up in SB. (I still do, although I need better ranch dressing to dip in)
Pepperoni Pineapple Pizza with ranch mmm.
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If ranch dressing on pizza (and just about everything else) did start as a California thing it's more related to age than it is region. I don't think I know anyone over 35 who puts ranch on pizza. But growing up in SoCal everyone my age put it on everything.
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Round Table serves several pizzas (my favorite is the Italian Garlic Supreme) with Ranch as the sauce base instead of tomato sauce. They're everywhere in CA.
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We have Round Table up here in Washington, but I haven't ever seen them use ranch dressing as a sauce on pizza here. The Sam's Club here makes a "Buffalo Chicken" pizza as a take-and-bake. I tried a sample, and that pretty much put me off the idea of ranch dressing as a pizza sauce forever.
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In the Sacramento area for sure!
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My boyfriend and I decided that the only thing that ranch dressing doesn't taste good on is pancakes. Hard lesson.
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I have never heard of Ranch on Pizza. Maybe it's something we don't do in Canada.
Gravy on fries however is classic - Poutine. Also love mayo on my fries.
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woohoo mayo on fries - me too!!!
thought I was the only one..I get some real strange looks when I ask for a side of mayo with my fries.
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I've taken to eating fries with mayo too, but I thought it was a weird thing I got from my cousin. But she also takes mayo and stirs it in her refried beans - !
I'm in California, by the way.
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mayo on fries was the Wisconsin way.
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I am SO Jealous!! I would love to try some Poutine!
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All you need to make yourself a poutine (which won't be exactly like the ones in Quebec but close enough to get the general idea) is: French fries, brown gravy poured generously over top and (this might be harder to find) white cheddar cheese curds (no mozza is not authentic "poutine" cheese).
There are regional variations of "poutine" and imho it's just not made right at New York Fries or McDonalds...best place for poutine is in Quebec...ask just about any Quebecer and they'll have their fave place for poutine that they're fanatically loyal to.
Oh, and one tip: If you're ever in say Montreal and order a poutine please make sure you don't pronounce it "Pooh-tain" that is a french slang for a "working girl." The easiest (safest) english pronunciation is "Pooh-tin" :-)
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I am definitely asking for Pooh-tain with extra gravy!
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Hey now - I lived in Edmonton for 16 years and people LOVE ranch with pizza there...and deep fried zucchini, hot wings, all the good greasy pub food. Oh and poutine too - and from back East, chips dressin' n' gravy :)
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Ouch! canuck here - just to clarify - gravy on fries does not poutine make. Proper poutine is gravy and cheese curds!!
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Brown gravy on french fries with a slice of melted cheese---heaven. In Brooklyn we called them "Disco Fries." I don't know why though, maybe it was because it was commonly ordered after 4 A.M after a night of bar hopping/clubbing.
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The French Canadians that I knew liked vinegar on their fries and then there is that wonderful French Canadian dish, poutine. Fries with cheese curds and hot brown gravy.
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What about Vienna Red Hots (hot dogs) and Italian beef sandwiches ... old Chicago favorites
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What about how those things don't taste good anywhere except Chicago? I'm in Los Angeles now and have been for some time and I still get Italian Beef cravings. There isn't anywhere that has a good one...sad.
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this is a 2 year old thread, but if you are craving your italian beef, they have opened up a chicago shop in buena park, Portillo's. Just like the one's in Chicago and I believe they will soon be opening up a second shop.
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Well, let's bring this thread back, I say!
I'll give this Portillo's place a chance.
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Portillos is pretty good. I've been carting frozen packages of it across country for years.
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The first thing I thought of was vinegar on the fries! I'm from Chicago but I have Canadian cousins who introduce me to this and now I like to dip my fries in vinegar whenever I can!
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Specifically MALT vinegar on fries! I've heard it's a Canadian thing... used to have an order of that and a hot chocolate with my sisters after ice skating lessons.... =)
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I would think it hailed from the English who quite often put vinegar on fish and chips. This is quite popular along the mid-atlantic seaboard with fresh cut or boardwalk fries.
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Yes and in Nova Scotia we put malt vinegar on our fries - you should try it :)
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Vinegar on fries is actually a British thing; my mom and dad (both basically English, though born in Canada) thought ketchup on fries was an abomination. Vinegar (and preferably malt vinegar) with lots of salt was the only way to go. I have to admit, nowadays, I go either way; some times the vinegar, some times the ketchup. Haven't tried the mayo yet, but it sounds interesting.
And of course poutine is the definitive French-Canadian dish.
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mayo as a dipper for fries is addictive.
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folks in utah dip their fries in "fry sauce", a condiment similiar to thousand island dressing. they also have a donut/sopaipilla pastry they call a scone, served with honey-butter.
haven't had pizza with ranch, but ranch dressing originated in santa barbara, california.
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Fry sauce is fabulous, and all fries in Utah come with it, which is strange, because the moment you leave Utah, you must learn to make your own! (ketchup and mayo. really not that hard) but everyone will look at you funny when you do.
I lived in Utah for one year in high school, and still sometimes think that I wouldn't mind being offered frie sauce with my fries!
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In Mississippi, only University of Southerm Miss. grads dip their pizza in thousand island dressing. Seems to have started at the "hot" pizza spot in Hattiesburg.
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I love thousand island (preferably homemade, not bottled) and pizza! My sister and I eat it. We had a babysitter in Virginia when we were little who got us started on it. People always look at us like we are crazy, and then they are eating it with us by the end. We are in Cali now and I hate Ranch on pizza. But, Im not really that big of a ranch fan in the first place...
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Or better yet hot chinese mustard on Fried Rice
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When I moved to Iowa (from CT), I discovered ranch on pizza. Might be because the pizza is so bad... but the Iowans claim it as "an Iowa thing." Hmmm.
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jfood, I'm a Nutmegger who transplanted to the Midwest 8 years ago, and I've never seen a sloppy joe here. The natives prefer what they call a Maid-Rite, or a loose-meat sandwich, which is essentially a sloppy joe sans sauce. They're actually pretty vehement and regionalist about how their sandwich is NOT a sloppy joe, as if they would never deign to sauce their beef.
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Okeedokee,
- we can add Iowa as a Blue State (A Red State representing the sauce on the Manwich).
- on the other side of the coin you mentioned they put ranch dressing on pizza
Oh what a wonderful world.
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In the college town in Texas where I live, tortilla chips and salsa are served at practically every restaurant - but some people (namely, the college set) like to eat tortilla chips with ranch dressing, hence the nickname "sorority sauce" for ranch. And we have ranch on pizza here, too.
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ranch dressing on EVERYTHING seems to be a California thing -- or maybe now an American thing.
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I think that's not uncommon. I used to do that.
Just don't put ketchup on your hot dog.
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My wife, who's from Taiwan, puts soy paste on her eggs. This is very common in Taiwan, and it's actually very tasty. Now I do it too.
David A.
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My wife's (New Englan