MarketStEl

A beautiful essay, Brooks. But I often wonder whether reminders such as this one will have the desired effect on the "haves", who often seem to regard the "have-nots" or "have-lesses" as insignificant in the grander scheme of things. Last Thursday, The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting item as its "A-hed" (the fourth column on the front page, so named for the three-quarter-box rule over its headline; this is usually a lighter story). It was about the wealthy New Orleanians whose lives have been relatively undisrupted by the hurricane, and some of whom remain in their Uptown homes, living off generator power, helicopters landing in Audubon Park bearing supplies, and hired guards to keep the would-be looters at bay. Some of these members of the local power elite, it appears, already have a post-hurricane vision for New Orleans, and the city they envision rising from the flood is not the one that existed before it. Sure, they're saying that they don't intend for the current ethnic/racial balance to be upended, but -- if the story is to be believed -- not only do they want better municipal services, something which I imagine most of their fellow New Orleanians also would like, but they would like to see a lot fewer poor people in town. The article did not state this bluntly, but it seemed to me as if this group sees the hurricane as a golden opportunity to gentrify the Crescent City. In which case, they would destroy the city in order to save it and turn it into a mere simulation of itself--the very thing you railed against in your post above. One of the things that remains in my head from the summer I spent in the city in 1978 is not only its enormous charm and its infectious spirit, but also its pervasive poverty. A left turn off the outbound St. Charles streetcar puts you in some of the most fabulous affluent urban neighborhoods in the country; a right turn puts you in urban hardscrabble. I suspect that this state of affairs existed well before 1978, and I also suspect that some of the things that make New Orleans unique and memorable arise--or arose--from the cultures of the very communities that made up that urban hardscrabble. I've read some stories lately that suggest that these same areas are now a lot more dangerous than I remember them in 1978. (Could I safely get off the Desire-Florida bus to wait for the Louisa-Pontchartrain Park bus late at night now the way I did then?) I too would want to see those neighborhoods be made safe again, and I suspect it could be done without having to eliminate their residents. This may be a moot question, as usually, once the very poor leave an area, they are ill-equipped to return. But if it isn't, I would be very chary of any effort to rebuild the city by wiping them off the map completely. Please forgive my extended journey away from the dinner table. But it's hard for me to separate food from the rest of the place. (Not to mention that at the time, I was a "poor" college kid selling dictionairies door-to-door, and thus spent hardly any time in the better restaurants. I did catch a jazz set at Preservation Hall--a true museum piece, eat a delicious po' boy--well, several dozen of them--at a place on Magazine Street just below the Garden District, and receive my introduction to America's best fast food, Popeye's fried chicken, while there, though. Joy in New Orleans can be found at just about every price point.)

Vietnam Palace! It's been ages since I've been there. I'm not in any position to commit to any dining run right now, though.

And this week (Sept. 9)? Our first misfire. A reader recommended Cavanaugh's in University City to "Wingin' It" columnist Ron Varrial. Ron was underwhelmed with the output of this college hangout for Drexel and Penn students. (It used to be very close to Drexel; even though it's now just a half block from Penn's three biggest dorms, it still draws a healthy sample of Drexel undergrads.) For starters, they were soggy, not crispy, though he did manage to find one crispy wing buried in his pile. In the end, he had to run out and get some real wings--from Moriarty's, which, he wrote, remains his choice for best in the city. Of which speaking: I've seen several of you nominate other Philly places Ron has yet to visit. Why not send your recommendations in and see if he agrees?

Oops--missed that detail. 12 28-ounce bottles. The price isn't all that outlandish, then. But you can get it in less than case lots from Hometown Favorites directly.

I know, I know...I think it's a childhood thing. I just love it. I rarely make anyone else eat it, though. Plus, living in Manhattan (no grill - sigh), I grill so rarely that when I do, I usually make my own. Open Pit just happens to be the thing I keep in my fridge. That said, I DO prefer it to KC Masterpiece... ← Chaçun à son goût... Since you do make your own, though, you might want to try Ollie Gates' recipe. It's got a hint of sweetness--most Kansas City sauces do--but it's not molasses-y like KC Masterpiece; in fact, it's a lot more tangy, thanks to the cider vinegar. PM me if you want a copy.

Well, since we're cross-pollinating topics here, I might as well add another of my childhood faves to this list, since it falls into my second category (products that are common in one part of the country and unheard of anywhere else): Brooks Rich & Tangy Ketchup, which I mentioned on the Mrs. Dash thread. Magazine ads for this product touted it as "The ketchup for cooks, from Brooks. To be used in foods as well as on them." It's a great ingredient for any chili recipe. Growing up as I did in the Midwest, I'm familiar with the product, as it is widely distributed throughout the central United States. I don't think anyone on the East Coast has ever heard of it. In looking this item up, I found an interesting discrepancy, though. Hometown Favorites' Web site carries it in two sizes, 28 and 40 ounces. The 40-ounce bottle is a very reasonable $3.49. You can also get Brooks Ketchup from Hometown Favorites through Amazon.com. Take a look at how much Amazon's charging for the same 40-ounce bottle. I don't think that all the difference is due to incorporating shipping costs, for Amazon has those too.

Okay, I'm not getting why ketchup makes this list. You mean you all prefer to make your own? My own preference as far as ketchup is concerned is a product that may belong over on that "Mass-Produced Rarities" topic if it's still being made: Brooks Tangy Ketchup. I imagine other Midwesterners (resident or expat) hanging out here will recall this product. Ahhh....here it is, on Amazon.com, being sold by Hometown Favorites, one of the big online sellers of hard-to-find commercial food products. And why is hot sauce on this list? I had assumed that this was about shortcut products that you used instead of either making the same thing yourself or combining seasonings you already had. Seasoned salt falls in the latter category, and I see nothing wrong at all with using McCormick Season-All (or, if you prefer, Spicy Season-All. For a while, I would shake this stuff on cottage cheese the way I now do hot sauce.) Put me down as one who likes Barbecue Shake 'n' Bake for Pork too, though I haven't bought any in a while. Moving down the same road to the barbecue sauces...Open Pit??? Surely you could do better--at least KC Masterpiece, since I realize that it's not possible for most of you--or me, for that matter--to run out to the store for a bottle of Gates'. (I make my own, riffing off Ollie's recipe.)

Really nice! And it's also nice to see that their efforts are getting noticed by cheese connoisseurs beyond the region.

Getting most of my breakfast sandwiches out of a literal hole in the side of a building in Elizabeth, NJ there is no shortage of Taylor Ham in my life. Isnt it called pork roll outside of The Jerz.. ← It sure is known as "Taylor Pork Roll" on the west bank of the Delaware. ISTR it's made in Trenton--one of a few items left that "Trenton Makes, The World Takes." (Okay, not much of the world in this case.) As for its taste: About the closest analogue I can think of, both in composition and taste, is Spam. But the texture of Taylor Pork Roll is different from that of Spam, and it has a heartier flavor to boot--imagine what pork sausage might taste like if it were made of ham rather than other parts of the pig.

Oddly enough, I have to credit New Orleans with introducing me to my one honest-to-God fast food addiction: Popeye's fried chicken. The chain began in the city, and it was there where I first tried the stuff in 1978. However, thanks to franchising, I do not need to return to NOLA to have some.

This is actually a variation on the original topic, one that has been raised in other posts: products that are common in a given region and unknown elsewhere. One of the items I mentioned at the start is a good example of this--Campbell's Pepper Pot Soup. Campbell's soups are found on almost every pantry shelf in America. It's one of the best-known and oldest national food brands. (By way of contrast, I doubt many of you have heard of Bookbinder's soups. These are produced by a company somewhere in Wisconsin, I believe, for the owners of the historic Philadelphia tourist trap/seafood restaurant, and are all but impossible to find outside the Mid-Atlantic region.) But pepper pot soup is a decidedly local specialty, specific to Philadelphia and environs. Campbell Soup Company probably gets enough demand for canned pepper pot soup in the Mid-Atlantic states to justify their producing it, but it would make no sense for them to distribute it through their normal supermarket channels elsewhere, as most other Americans have no idea what it is. Those who do know what it is, but are not fortunate enough to live near Philadelphia, may now take advantage of retailers like the Vermont Country Store to satisfy their cravings.

Interesting. I never see this flavor on store shelves in Philadelphia. Until, that is, several cases of them wound up as a "Special Buy" at the local Save-A-Lot about nine months back. (Guess a plant made too many.)

Unlike in Manhattan, though, our street addresses increment with each numbered street! Next time, make it a point to head down to Front and Oregon to try Tony Luke's. I understand they now have an incredible simulation of the place in Manhattan. Just curious: Did your salesperson have silver hair, glasses and a beard? I tend to forget about Foster's when I'm in the RTM, but it is a very good kitchenware store. Even more mind-boggling is Fante's in the Italian Market. If they don't have it, you probably don't need it. Ben Franklin's desired epitaph is IMO one of the best epitaphs that never appeared on a tombstone. (It is displayed on a plaque next to the gravesite.) Another more famous one is that of W.C. Fields: "On the whole, I'd rather be in Philadelphia." So you made it to Old City on First Friday? Didja check out any of the galleries? How did you like the scene there? This is just me, but when I'm in New York, I use the subway to get where I'm going. It's not really possible to do that here, as SEPTA's rapid transit system is skeletal, but if you toss in the buses, you can get around the city easily on public transportation. I would recommend your using the Market-Frankford line or the subway-surface trolleys on your next visit if you want to venture into University City. I'll even give you an excuse to ride: Dahlak, 4707 Baltimore Ave. (SEPTA: Route 34 trolley from Center City--stations are at 13th, 15th, 19th and 22d Streets. Get off at 47th and Baltimore.) This Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurant is one of the most fun places to eat in the city. If you've never had Ethiopian food, the experience is unlike any other, except perhaps an authentic Moroccan restaurant (we have a couple of those, too--the best known is Marrakesh, on a small alley off South Street just west of 5th). Make sure you bring friends along--it's a communal experience. Owner Amare Solomon and his wife will make you feel most welcome. (I interviewed him about his restaurant while he was still employed in Penn's dining services. He has since left to devote his full attention to the restaurant and the revived business block that surrounds it. He was a catalyst in its revival.) What's the point of that? Seriously, you just hadn't learned the lingo. It is possible to order a plain steak sandwich, no cheese, but that happens so rarely that people aren't prepared. Just make sure you ask for a "steak," not a "cheesesteak." (Aside: Anyone else notice the local ad campaign Heineken beer has been waging for the past couple of years? Besides the obvious connection with the Eagles (the uniforms and Heineken beer bottles are the same color), I've seen a print ad in many locations--including on the side of pay phone enclosures--with the heading, "Cheesesteak, Heineken with.") The Spice Market is wonderful. Their spices are first quality, and priced well below what you pay in the supermarket. However, this being the Italian Market, there are places that sell larger quantities of commonly used spices even cheaper--the big jars of foodservice spices. I get stopped all the time by people asking directions. I thought it was just because I was emanating some sort of Midwestern vibe--even after all these years away from the region. Now I see it's really because I've picked up local customs. However, the word "Acme" still has only two syllables. Geno's hasn't been in business as long as Pat's has, true, but it has been around for quite a while. The owners have a major cleanliness fetish, which is why it looks so new. Both Pat's and Geno's have gotten facelifts within the past year or two. If you're going to do more of the Historic Square Mile, I'd also recommend to you the National Constitution Center, at the north end of Independence Mall. This highly interactive museum succeeds at making our basic charter of government come alive. Edited to add: Now could someone please tell me why the formatting isn't working in this post? I've looked over my tags three times and don't see any that aren't properly opened and closed.

Simple! That's because... <jingle> "Nobody bakes a cake as tasty as a Tastykake." </jingle>

They're a Philly product, known for decades as Goldenburg's Peanut Chews. Goldenburg's was acquired by Just Born of Bethlehem, Pa.--the makers of Marshmallow Peeps--and the Peanut Chews were dressed up in new packaging minus the Goldenburg name. A big ad campaign this spring announced the change locally. They are still widely available throughout the Philadelphia region.

Philadelphia--the source of the post that revived this thread--became a part of Planet Whole Foods when the company acquired Fresh Fields in the late 1990s. Even before the acquisition, Fresh Fields was aware that it had a reputation for being expensive--I remember one of their print ads announcing lower prices that ran with the headline, "We've learned that you want to eat our food, not invest in it." Still--then and now--much of what Whole Foods carries is still investment-grade merchandise. My local store, at 929 South Street, is directly across the street from a conventional supermarket (a Super Fresh), and I suspect that the competition helps moderate prices on products both chains carry. WFM's prices for national-brand goods at the South Street store are not all that far out of line with what one pays across 10th Street. In addition, the presence of WFM across the street has led to a larger selection of natural and organic products at the Super Fresh; where both stores carry the same product, the Super Fresh is sometimes less expensive but more often no less costly than Whole Paycheck. Locally, WFM does tend to stock a good deal of produce grown in the Mid-Atlantic region, with Pennsylvania and Maryland dominant in season, but surprisingly, you tend not to see Jersey tomatoes in any abundance in their stores. They also feature some products from local producers, including Genji sushi at the prepared foods counter and Betts' cheese spreads in the refrigerated foods-to-go case opposite the cash registers.* *The 929 South Street store, I understand, is designed along the lines of modern European supermarkets as opposed to standard American design. I was told that the then-chairman of WFM had visited a supermarket in Europe on a trip, was impressed by the layout and decided to emulate it in this store. The space is much longer than it is wide, as opposed to the nearly square layout of most US supermarkets. Your progression through the store begins, as usual, with the produce section, which is directly in front of you as you enter to the right side of the space. Off to the left of the produce is the frozen and fresh fish, with the meat counter and case next to that. The center of the store--a U-turn from the produce section and opposite the meat counter--is occupied by the bakery, salad/hot foods bars and cheese counter, with the juice bar to the cheese counter's left and the prepared foods kitchen/deli to its right. Once past the cheeses, you enter the general merchandise aisles, with frozen foods on the right and the dairy case at the rear. Groceries are in the first bank of aisles; cleaning products, vitamins, supplements and herbal products are in the second. Finally, the snack foods and ready-to-go refrigerated case are right across from the cash registers for the prime impulse buys or customers in a hurry. It is a rather pleasant shopping experience overall.

Paging through another discussion on this forum ("Slummin' it!"), I ran across a post that mentioned a product sold at The Vermont Country Store -- My-T-Fine pudding mix. Seeing this, I wondered, Why is this specialty goods purveyor offering for sale on its Web site something I could get on the shelves of any supermarket? Judging from the catalog description, the answer is: Because I can't just run to my local supermarket for a box. It appears this once-popular brand has all but disappeared from store shelves and has been reborn as a premium product. Rummaging through the shelves of the store's food section, I ran across many more products that I swear I have seen on supermarket shelves, such as: Durkee Famous Sauce Campbell's Pepper Pot Soup (Pepper pot soup is a Philadelphia New Year's tradition, and most area supermarkets carry it) Aunt Jemima Buckwheat Pancake Mix Seven Seas Green Goddess Salad Dressing And, of course, I Want My Maypo! How do these products survive if you can't find them at your local grocer? Why is it that these longtime kitchen staples are no longer staples? What other packaged foods do you remember growing up with that you no longer see, and wish you did (or are glad you don't)? While you're discussing these questions, maybe you might want to drop by the Vermont Country Store and shell out way more than you remember paying for these fine products to get a taste of mass-produced scarcity.

Ô, by the way: On a PC, hold down the Alt key while typing 0212 on your numeric keypad. I thought that the special sandwich at Ô' was a nice blend of savory, tangy and spicy, and that the bread was really good. I'm surprised they can sell them for so little money.

Apparently stephenc didn't send his suggestion to Ron Varrial in time. This week's Metro weekend edition has no recommended wings.

Where are the brand names? It can't be a Sandra Lee "Creation" without the Brand Names®.

Have you shared this with Ron Varrial yet? E-mail link in Post #1.

You want powdered Cheddar cheese from Vermont and don't want to wait until 9/30 to get some? Here you go. The Cabot dairy farmer co-op makes some of the best Cheddar in the country. Their powdered variety's awfully good too.

As of the news reports this evening, it looks like it may be years before New Orleans returns to anything resembling normal. Efforts to sandbag the breaches in two levees that protect the city from Lake Pontchartrain have been abandoned. The governor of Louisiana has ordered a mandatory evacuation of all persons remaining on the East Bank of the Mississippi in Orleans and Jefferson parishes; it has been reported that the pumps that keep the city and its suburbs dry are likely to fail, which means nine feet of water or more from the river to the lake, from N.O. East to Kenner. Quite likely, with this much water damage, much of the city's housing stock may well have to be demolished. I hope this does not have to happen, but depending on how long it takes officials to plug the levees, restart the pumps and drain the city, that is a worst-case scenario. Even if the structures remain sound, there will have to be a massive decontamination and cleanup effort. Tonight we mourn not only those who perished in Katrina, but the ruin of one of America's most fascinating cities.

Did she say "I want you to cut the ears in half" at some point downstream from this moment? Probably not. What was she thinking? Was she thinking? Or are there producers at her house that do all the thinking for her as well?

You should have bought him a big glass of milk.