What would you serve as the best local food?

[Spitfire]

Inspired by posts in the Oyster thread, came to think about this:

You are host to a party of forreigners. People who has never been to your country before. Might even be from a totally different culture.
What would you serve them?
What food/drink should they try in order to know your country and your culture?
Pictures please!......:essen:

 

[Haversack]

A few years back, an old friend and her German physics professor boyfriend were staying with us and we walked over the hill to a little hole-in-the-wall diner/bakery for breakfast. He ordered both the Hangtown Fry and Crabcakes. He got rather excited about these dishes because they was both exotic and authentic American cooking.

 

[scottyrocks]

Well, if youre talking about the most common fair that represents, Id get cheeseburger deluxes. There are at least a few diners around here that serve out-of-this-world CBDs. Dont forget the slaw and half-sours.

Pizza - any one of a bunch in Brooklyn, especially. Nowhere else, not even Manhattan, can compare with Brooklyn pizza.

And I might as well throw in NY bagels, nova and cream cheese with a little herring and cream sauce on the side. Yum.

 

[rkwilker]

Well here in NC we would do some eastern style NC barbecue with all the fixins. MMMMMMMMMM gooooood!

 

[Atticus Finch]

Well here in NC we would do some eastern style NC barbecue with all the fixins. MMMMMMMMMM gooooood!

Yep. "Foreigners. People who (have) never been to (my) country before. (Who) might even be from a totally different culture", actually visit me fairly frequently. When they do, I try to serve them food they can't get in Wisconsin. I serve them things like pepper-cured country ham and eggs, bar-b-que and slaw, oysters, collards, grits, boiled shrimp and brunswick stew.

AF

 

[Caity Lynn]

Steak, mashed potatoes, greenbeans, corn, and Mama's Blueberry cobbler for dessert.

 

[barra063]

I'd have to serve wine from the local region which is about 20min drive away. Of course this would also entail a trip for some cellar door tastings.

http://www.barossa.com/site/page.cfm?u=3

 

[GallatinHatMan]

Carolina has barbeque? Real barbeque? (Ducking and running)

 

[JennyLou]

Although I'm not a big fan of it, I would take a guest to a local Mexican food restaurant. Their all over So Cal.

 

[Diamondback]

To be honest, I've yet to find any real "Northwest regional food"--maybe that's 'cause what little gets hyped locally is geoduck (pronounced GOO-ey-duck--makes no sense to me either!), salmon or Dungeness crab, all of which are no-nos for me due to nasty fish and shellfish allergies.

I'd suggest the salmon-bake at Tillicum Village if you want "genuine Northwest"--you don't get more "original" than Native, right?--but wouldn't be going myself due to lack of non-seafood fare available.

 

[Tomasso]

Chicago-Italian beef sandwiches, hot dogs and pizza.

Miami-Cuban food and stone crabs.

New York- Deli and pizza.

 

[John in Covina]

American food is a little tough to point out, we have taken so much from our immigrant ancestors. My cousins like to go to In-N-Out for burgers when visiting from Denmark. Here in Southern California we are blessed to have such a wide varity of ethnic restaurants Cuban to Chinese to middle Eastern to italian, Greek, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian. It's bst just to ask, what haven't you had? Then go from there.

 

[St.Ignatz]

In Philadelphia the cheesesteak is now being called a "Philly Cheese Steak" at corner roach coaches. Our big corporate deli, WaWa (Lenni Lenape for Canada Goose) calls ever thing on a long roll a Hoagie. So much for philly food. For real Philadelphia food I say scrapple and Pepper Pot Soup.

 

[lolly_loisides]

I'd have to serve wine from the local region which is about 20min drive away. Of course this would also entail a trip for some cellar door tastings.

http://www.barossa.com/site/page.cfm?u=3

Red wine & Roo steaks Mmmmmm.....

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Homemade clam chowder, grilled salmon, corn fritters, wild rice salad, sauteed sherried mushrooms, broiled tomatoes, maybe fresh corn on the cob since it's incredible up here all summer long, probably a fresh blackberry cobbler, maybe fresh peach ice cream as well.

 

[KY Gentleman]

Fried chicken or barbeque (KY has good BBQ, too).
"Home fries", cornbread, pole beans.
Sweet tea and Chess Pie.
Maybe a side of Burgoo. (KY game stew).

 

[Chas]

BC Oysters.
Wild caught Spring Salmon (known to others as Chinook). NEVER FARMED. If somebody ever serves you farmed fish, they need educating. If it ain't this color, don't eat it. Bad for you, bad for the environment.

Blackberry Cobbler. They grow wild here all over the place. We have awesome blueberries and strawberries, too.
Pacific Halibut. Contender for the best eatin' fish on the planet.
BC Wines (good, and getting better every year)
Okanagan fruit - the peaches are amazing; it's like getting your face washed with peach juice)
Organic lamb and pork chops from a couple of organic farms that I know of on Cortes Island on the coast of British Columbia. Unbeatable.

 

[Spitfire]

First of all I would find a nice country inn.
Preferably with a view over the sea.
We would start out with pickled herrings and a cold glass of Aquavit (snaps)

After that, I would order a tray with the tradiditional danish "Smørrebrød"

And a nice glass of cold beer.

 

[JennyLou]

Fried chicken or barbeque (KY has good BBQ, too).
"Home fries", cornbread, pole beans.
Sweet tea and Chess Pie.
Maybe a side of Burgoo. (KY game stew).

Sounds mouth watering, but what is chess pie?

 

[KY Gentleman]

Sounds mouth watering, but what is chess pie?

It is a vanilla-custard pie with about the same consistency as cheesecake.
Its pretty sweet stuff, too!