Jaymes

So your problem is one of semantics? Sadly for us all, we are limited in our ability to communicate. In most instances, we are forced to use language. Which, having been created by mankind, is imperfect. So when the rest of say, "interior Mexican food," we mean, "as opposed to TexMex with chili gravy and Velveeta all over everything." And we all understand ourselves just fine.

La Cocina de Michoacana does interior Mexican food. La Cocina de Michoacana is the type of restaurant that I referenced above, simple food, simply prepared.------ The problem with using the term interior Mexican food is that is a catch-all for Mexican standards: ceviche, moles, cochinita pibil, huachinango Vera Cruzana, bisteca Tampiquena, etc. You can get these offerings in many places in Austin, Houston and San Antonio, but they're just aproximations... Having just returned from Michoacan, which I personally found to be in the interior of Mexico, many of the dishes I've eaten at Cocina de Michoacana are identical to many of the dishes I ate in Michoacan. Furthermore, Cocina de Michoacana has several quite sophisticated, complicated dishes that I have not found on other menus in Austin -- dishes that are nobody's idea of "simple food, simply prepared." But whatever. Some things are just stupid to argue about. Ya' know?

La Cocina de Michoacana does interior Mexican food.

Cajeta. Get a jar of the regular 'quemada,' and also a squeeze bottle. And if you go down to Nogales, as you should, I'd suggest some cheese, although there are some markets in the Mexican sections of Tucson that sell excellent cheese. In 'Nogo," the coffee is a good buy. And Rompope, too, which I'd think might be tough to come by in RI. Get the Santa Clara brand. So good for making Tres Leches cake.

We currently have three threads going on chilled soups. I believe they all contain some interesting thoughts, tips, ideas and recipes for the wonderful cold fruit soups of summer.

Yeah, probably a smart move, especially since you've got your hands full fending off all those grumpy Philadelphians. And you're right....to include a mention of BBQ, anytime, anywhere, does immediately "spark a battle." You probably have to steel yourself to prepare for the BBQ article. And go into training. And plan an escape route. And predetermine a good place to 'hole up' until the ensuing and inevitable fracus dies down (well-stocked, of course, with some of that good ol' Lockhart brisket).

Fascinating piece. Interesting how often when one investigates the food of any particular region, one discovers their version of BBQ. And no mention (that I could see, anyway) of sauce. So once again, it's all about the meat.

And of course, as others have mentioned, a list including all of the uniquely "American" favorites would be waaaaay too long to fit into one article. But I do think leaving out BBQ was grievous, no matter what lame excuse you gave. You easily could have listed BBQ and then said something like, "From the Carolinas to Texas, from Kansas City to Mississippi, BBQ may vary in types of sauces, heat sources, and meats, but BBQ is all American, all the time." So the "too wide a region" thing doesn't wash. And after the BBQ blurb, you could have said, "Watch for a more in-depth exploration of BBQ in an upcoming issue." Would have been smart to have piqued interest. But leaving it out entirely was just a glaring omission. (Can you tell I'm a BBQ aficionado? ) Other than that, compliments to you, Jon. Just so happens I've lived in many of the places you did mention and have traveled to all of them, eagerly sampling the regional cuisine as I went. I was really impressed with your knowledge of the 'locals,' their food, history, traditions and preferences. Several times, I found myself thinking, "Oh, he must be from there to know that." But then you went on to make a similarly spot-on observation about a different locale. So, congratulations. Well done.

Mabelline, thanks for that idea. I've found a cold zucchini soup recipe that I think I'm going to try sometime this coming week. And I think I'm going to smoke the zucchini first. Might give it a nice twist. Chilled Zucchini Soup 1 T olive oil 1 large yellow onion, medium dice 1 T chopped fresh garlic 8 cups chicken or vegetable stock 4 large zucchini, sliced (or broccoli, cauliflower, yellow squash, asparagus, etc.) 1/4 cup dill 1 T curry 8 oz. sour cream or plain yogurt In bottom of soup pot or Dutch oven, heat oil. Brown onion and garlic. Add stock, vegetables, dill and curry. Cook, covered, until veggies are tender. Cool. Transfer to blender or food processor. Add sour cream or yogurt and puree until smooth.

I think borscht can be very refreshing in the summer. And there are several ways to make quick and easy shortcut versions. I'll admit that sometimes I just take a jar of pickled beets (a good, high-end brand) and remove the beets, and then add some yogurt or sour cream and lemon juice, replace the lid and shake until the whole thing is frothy. And also there's this version: 1 33-oz jar borscht shredded beets 8 oz sour cream or plain tangy yogurt 15-oz can crushed pineapple in juice Put all ingredients (including pineapple juice) in a blender and puree. Serve chilled.

and here we've been, up here in pennsylvania eating tomato sandwiches our whole lives, never realizing it was a southern thing... Having spent a few years 'up north,' I often saw tomato sandwiches. But of the yankees with whom I chatted, none could recall eating them over the kitchen sink. But all the southerners seem to.

When I was about twelve, we used them. Until somebody shoved one into the corn at a slight angle. Not enough of an angle to see the metal prongs poking through the kernals. But enough to bite into. And to break my front tooth in half. And to have to get a crown. Which I've had to replace at least five times through the years. Until finally that tooth gave out and had to be pulled. So to answer your question... No. My family and I don't use them. We have wonderful little dishes shaped just like a cob of corn. You put some butter into it and spin the cob. Voila. Cob gets buttered without all that mess. And you get to keep your front teeth.

Well, they may not have been round, but every southerner I've ever known is very familiar with 'kitchen sink tomato sandwiches.' Not so fancy, but basically the same thing. Thick slices of garden-ripened tomatoes between slices of white bread slathered with either mayo or Miracle Whip. You eat these while leaning over the kitchen sink as the juices run down your arms to your elbows. A GRAND southern tradition.

This actually sounds quite good to me....sort of a Mexican gazpacho with meat. Thanks. And....I've got a plethora of zucchini from my garden. Been looking for a cold zucchini soup. Did google it and found some recipes, but wonder if anybody out there might have a recipe that they use and would recommend. Thanks.

I made that trip in reverse last summer. Found some pretty good food along the way. Especially in Walla Walla which, it turns out, has an excellent Thai restaurant. Don't know if your route takes you through there, though. If it does, I'll see if I can find where I wrote down the name of that restaurant. Terrific tom kai gai and green curry.

I made this for dinner this evening. Our markets are full of fresh asparagus, and all the talk about chilled soups here on eG finally got to me. Bicycle, this soup was delicious. Thank you so much for sharing.

Well, welcome! And learning to navigate the search engine will be a great boon to you. There's just so much to discover here.

Actually, there has been a great deal of chat here on eGullet (in several threads) about Angel Biscuits. They are a large part of a great many folks' childhoods. Here is one thread with lots of hints and tips: "Biscuits"

I think these are all particularly good ideas. Thanks, Snow.

All good advice, but if you really want to endear yourself to the family, go to the store and get some of those throwaway aluminum bakers. That way, they don't have to worry about scrubbing it clean, much less hanging onto a large breakable dish, worrying about the name sticker falling off, and then getting it back to you. Send all food in disposable containers that the family can just toss.

With Cajun, as with most cuisines, it's not really an either/or proposition. "Omit" is not a word one often hears when discussing the legendary cuisine of bayou country.

Spicy Cajun-style fried okra. Y'all.

Well, as far as I'm considered, you shouldn't have to apologize for saying that you would much prefer typical Cajun cuisine over typical vegan cuisine. We all have our preferences and there's nothing wrong with that. And in this case, I suspect you're part of a vast majority.

Also: similar descriptions could be applied to vegan food:bright, sparkling, fresh, savory, etc etc. I thought vegan was not a regional style, but a lack of animal ingredients. One can have Vegan Cajun food no? And why can vegan food not be tasty? (I guess that's what your remark implied?) Clearly vegan food can be tasty. And bright, sparkling, fresh, savory, etc. But, by eliminating at least half of what most folks think of as a common food source, is obviously decidedly more limited than Cajun. Which includes practically everything that grows, swims, flies, crawls upon this earth. Cher.

Maybe silly to repeat what others have said, but many Americans are quite well-traveled and have indeed been exposed to good coffee elsewhere. And have come home to higher expectations. And have opened independent coffee shops that are well-supported. But it does take some effort to seek out these places. What I do is to telephone the concierge desk of a local large hotel and ask about independent coffee shops. If I'm in a locale too small to have a large hotel with a concierge, I get out that time-honored, low-tech resource, the telephone book. In a town of any size at all, there will be several small coffee shops listed.