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Beans Beans Beans... What Did You Grow Up On? - Regional Foods & Brands

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Phillip Dampier:
We all know Better Most isn't a real brand, but thinking about nostalgic foods, how about a thread about the unique foods and brands in your area that say home and family to you?

Here in Rochester, NY - we are known for a variety of products that originated here and/or are made here - Cool Whip, Jell-O, Ragu & Francisco Rinaldi sauces, the R.T. French's spice company, and perhaps the most unusual thing of all to ask an out of towner: "would you like a red or white hot?"  Yes, here in Rochester and lots of western NY places red hot dogs are sold right next to the white hot dogs, all thanks to Zweigles, a Rochester sausage and hot dog institution.

If you are lucky enough to have a Wegmans supermarket in your area (another gift from our city to yours), you might find them.

For baked beans, there is one major local favorite - Grandma Brown's, which is very popular in both Rochester and Buffalo.   Some slices of bacon and lots of brown sugar and into the oven... a picnic favorite around here...

What's your area's greatest foods and brands?

twistedude:
Duriong WWII (a lot of you may not know!--in fact, probably ALL of you), there was very strict butter and meat and sugar rationing.  But all I remember is 1) the white margerine, with the dark orange bubble in the center, which you had to spread yourself throughout the big cube, thus making it butter colored. and 2) a WONDERFUL recepe my mother had for sour cream pancakes (sour cream was NOT rationed!--it was so much better than pancakes made with butter!

My whole childhood, otherwise, and even during ther war! seems to have been awash with meat, sugar--and lots and lots of salads, which my mother mixed in a wooden bowl, which she would rub every day with garlic, and only riinse after meals. She would make the dressing in one of ther big wooden spoons, ands stir it with the wooden fork...they were delicious.

Chicago, 1941-45

Phillip Dampier:

--- Quote from: julie01 on April 05, 2006, 07:09:55 pm ---Duriong WWII (a lot of you may not know!--in fact, probably ALL of you), there was very strict butter and meat and sugar rationing.  But all I remember is 1) the white margerine, with the dark orange bubble in the center, which you had to spread yourself throughout the big cube, thus making it butter colored. and 2) a WONDERFUL recepe my mother had for sour cream pancakes (sour cream was NOT rationed!--it was so much better than pancakes made with butter!
--- End quote ---

My parents used to tell me about that.  They used to fight over who got to either break the dot and add it or who got to mix it up.  Apparently it was sold both ways.


--- Quote ---My whole childhood, otherwise, and even during ther war! seems to have been awash with meat, sugar--and lots and lots of salads, which my mother mixed in a wooden bowl, which she would rub every day with garlic, and only riinse after meals. She would make the dressing in one of ther big wooden spoons, ands stir it with the wooden fork...they were delicious.

--- End quote ---

I wonder how much of our society in our current war reflects at all on life during WWII.  I sense it's probably closer to what we went through during Vietnam, because I'm sure most Americans felt far more threatened by the Japanese and Germans than we ever did against Saddam or Ho Chi Minh.  It is amazing how weird things are when unexpected things you take for granted happen.  During a budget crisis a few years ago, they turned off all the expressway lights at night.  It was a very bizarre sensation.  Last year's Katrina impact on gas (and having it be unavailable at many stations here for a time) was unsettling as well.  All minor I'm sure compared to the profound impact a world war has on a country.

isabelle:
I am from Brittany, in the North West of France. The traditional food here is pancakes (brown wheat for main course, sweet pancakes for desert). But in MY particular part of Brittany, we call the main-course pancake "Galette'. At weekends, when we used to go to the seaside , we would always stop on the way back home to get us each a "galette saucisse", which is this brown-wheat pancake in which you roll up a grilled sausage - yummy!
Otherwise, we Bretons are known for loving butter, and SALTY butter at that, whereas in the rest of France they have salt-free butter - tasteless to us!

Phillip Dampier:

--- Quote from: isabelle on April 06, 2006, 04:53:59 am ---Otherwise, we Bretons are known for loving butter, and SALTY butter at that, whereas in the rest of France they have salt-free butter - tasteless to us!

--- End quote ---

I think I discovered that when our local grocer started carrying French-made butter.  Our grocer carries the President brand of butter, made in France, and when they say "salted" they mean it.  The salt almost seems more like sea salt - it's different from the usual salted butter.  The European butters with a higher butterfat content are relatively new to a lot of Americans.  Our butter, typically sold in more narrow sticks, usually contains less butterfat and is milder in flavor.  The big brand for a lot of us is Land 'o Lakes.  Plugra butter is also sold, among others.

Unsalted butter is fine for cooking/recipes, but is practically tasteless to me as a spread for bread or table use.

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