Must have food at whatever cost...

[charby]

Okay the couple of topics on food got me thinking. I imagine that everyone has a must have or favorite items that are in the kitchen and will buy no matter what the cost, even if they are generic or artificial flavored brands.

For me I must have real maple syrup not that flavored corn syrup crap.

Cheez-it brand cheese crackers, never cared for the Nips or generic brands.

Hot Dogs its has to be Oscar Meyer Beef Franks, Hebrew National or Koshers Best. Oscar Meyer is at every store, I'd only eat HN or KB if I could conveniently find it here in central Iowa.  

-C

[The Rabbi]

Maple syrup is for Yankees.

For me, Temeraire Dijon mustard.  The local Harris-Tweeter ran out and I panicked, thinking they were discontinuing carrying the item.  I bought two jars on line at some outrageous price.

[Nathaniel Firethorn]

I'd only eat HN or KB if I could conveniently find it here in central Iowa.

Ah, the miracle of the Internet.

Five stores within an hour's drive of Middletown, IA:

 Hy Vee Food Store
3140 Agency St
Burlington, IA 52601
(319) 753-1616

Hy Vee Food Store
939 Angular St
Burlington, IA 52601
(319) 752-3657

Hy Vee Food Store
1700 E Washington St
Mount Pleasant, IA 52641
(319) 385-2266

Hy Vee Food Store
2606 Avenue L
Fort Madison, IA 52627
(319) 372-5841

Notice a pattern?

- NF

[K Frame]

You know, I don't think that I really have any must have foods.

I'm a marketer's worst nightmare -- I'm a brand hopper.

I go with what's cheapest among those items that I know are good.

I have things that I prefer, such as Diet Cherry Coke, or Diet Lime Coke, but if Diet Cherry or Lime Pepsi is on sale at a significant savings over Coke, guess which one I'm buying?

There are also some brands that I will not, under any circumstance, purchase.



"The local Harris-Tweeter ran out and I panicked, thinking they were discontinuing carrying the item."

Harris Teeter did do that to me with Louisiana Brand hot sauce from Bruce Foods.

The stuff was INCREDIBLE. Excellent taste as well as decent heat.

Best part of the equasion? It was 79 cents for a bottle double the size of Mcilehny's $2.79 bottle.

No other store in this area carries it.

I've complained a number of times, but instead of restocking the sauce, Harris Teeter shut down the frigging store!

[Preacherman]

Well, Mike, since I live in Louisiana, I can always send you up a Care package . . .

My weakness is for English and South African foods that I just can't buy locally at any price.  Even in large cities up North or on the West Coast, I've not found many places that stock them.  Things like pickled onions, English cheeses (properly done, I mean, not the pallid American imitations) like Double Gloucester, Cheshire, etc., Christmas puddings, custard, digestive biscuits (both plain and chocolate-coated), and so on.  I have to order them over the Internet at outrageous prices if I want to have even a small supply.

Waaaaahh!!!

[charby]

I'd only eat HN or KB if I could conveniently find it here in central Iowa.

Ah, the miracle of the Internet.

Five stores within an hour's drive of Middletown, IA:

 
- NF

Ok Wiesenhemier..  

I don't live in Middletown, but it 5 miles from where I grew up and I live 150 miles from my hometown. I usually buy the HN at HyVee stores but being in stock when I go to the store is a different thing.

I looked up where I live now, Boone, IA and it shows HyVee but they didn't have any in stock when I was there over the weekend or even a empty spot on the shelf. Now in Des Moines, IA which is about 45 minutes away there is a measurable population of Orthodox Jews so all the grocery stores in the area they live carry KB or HN, but I'm not going to drive 45 minutes for guaranteed supply of hot dogs.  

When I see them in stock I usually buy several packs and toss them in the freezer.

-C

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

Top Ramen.

[K Frame]

"digestive biscuits (both plain and chocolate-coated),"

They're called Graham Crackers!

You can get them at any supermarket you want!

If you stick a chocolate bar and melted marshmallow between two of them you have a S'More, and those REALLY help you digest those half cooked campfire hot dogs.

Oh, I know, you want "Mrs. Hortense Thruppington-Snappergrash's Abominable Digestive, Restorative, and Curative Biscuits," available only from the chemist in Flatuent Fowl Upon the Green...

You know, is it any wonder that the British NEED digestive biscuits with some of the crap that they eat?




Preacher,

On a serious note, if you want, I have a recipe for an EXCELLENT English-style Christmas pudding which I got from a Canadian lady. It's labor intensive, but it's not as heavy as the suet-based puddings.

If you want it, I'll dig it out and forward it on.

[jefnvk]

Vernors over any other Ginger Ale.  Canada Dry just sucks.  And decent baked beans, something that actually comes in somethign besides tomato sauce.

And since I am diabetic, which pretty much rules out maple syrup for me if at all possible, the only sugar free syrup I'll buy is some Cozy Cottage brand.  It is the only sugar free syrup I have found that isn't watery and actually tastes decent.

Other than that, I'm kinda a 'no price is too low' type of guy.

[JAlexander]

Well, Mike, since I live in Louisiana, I can always send you up a Care package . . .

My weakness is for English and South African foods that I just can't buy locally at any price.  Even in large cities up North or on the West Coast, I've not found many places that stock them.  Things like pickled onions, English cheeses (properly done, I mean, not the pallid American imitations) like Double Gloucester, Cheshire, etc., Christmas puddings, custard, digestive biscuits (both plain and chocolate-coated), and so on.  I have to order them over the Internet at outrageous prices if I want to have even a small supply.

Waaaaahh!!!

Preacherman,

If you have a Cost Plus/World Market nearby, you might check them.  My wife's quite the anglophile and whenever we hit the World Market she has to get a few things.  Right now we have Ambrosia Devon Custard and Pim's Biscuits in the cupboard.

I hope that helps.

My only brand loyalty is to Coke and Dr. Pepper.

James

[The Rabbi]

Mike Irwin, you owe me a new keyboard with your comments on English food.

I spent some time at some university or other of theirs north of London in 1984-85.  If it werent for the Indian food I would have starved.  Vegetables were mushy peas or soggy brussels sprouts.  "Chips" came with every meal, including breakfast.  Anything that was the equivalent of roadkill ended up in a pie.  The plowman's lunch was a hunk of cheese, I think a roll or something, and some bit of noxious looking relish or chutney.  The progressive places had a bean sprout on the plate.  Beer?  Thin and appropriately named bitter.  I found out later that the English drink it warm because they have Lucas refrigerators.
And dont get me started with mayonnaise on baked potatoes.

[Brrlgrrl]

Beef, ribeyes to be precise.  Wine of course.  I think that's it- tender beef and decent wine.  California is good for some things....

[thebaldguy]

Pizza. Must have pizza. I usually make homemade pizza on weekends, but have it at least once a week for lunch at work. If I'm out of town or travelling, I search out local pizza joints.

My girlfriend thinks I'm crazy. I just love pizza.

[Bob F.]

Preacherman: are you speaking of the little pearl onions, pickled? They're fairly common here.

Not much else is!

[Bogie]

Shiner.

[Antibubba]

When I think "Must Have", it is those items for which substitutes exist, but if faced with a sub, then you'd really rather not.

So I have to agree on the Maple Syrup.  The first time I ate the real thing I was in my teens, and I thought something was wrong with the Log Cabin.  

Butter.  Ain't nothing like butter, hard as they try.

Sugar.  I just can't stand any of the "artificials".  I do like Stevia, but it isn't easy to find.

[Sindawe]

White Wave brand Organic firm tofu.  Others try, but they just don't have the right mouth-feel as the WW products.

Religious Experience "The Wrath" hot sauce.  There is no equal.

Honey.  Sweeten you tea, glaze your biscuits or brew it up into a tasty Adult Beverage.

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

Albert's Mexican Village Hot Sause.

Big bottles, green label. In DFW I buy it at Krogers. Made by one of my childhood friends. Before they bought the rights it was made at the mexican food joint across the street from my grandmother's home. It's one of my first and best gustatory memories.

Nectar of the Gods.

Regards,
Rabbit.

[Iain]

Things have moved on since 1984-5. Sure you can still buy bad food here, and people still boil their vegetables to water, but that's the case pretty much everywhere. Cheap nasty food and bad cooks are universal.

I'm not really sure to what you guys refer when you say we eat crap. A lot of the jokes, boiled beef and watery carrots just don't hold true in my experience. And anyway, we don't eat salsa con queso, which just sounds nasty - cheese sauce with salsa in it? No thanks. I'll make my own salsa, and eat it with herb roasted chicken and smash new potatoes roasted with olive oil and rosemary. That's summer food.

I am not brand loyal in any way. Actually what surprises me is that when I look up recipes on the internet nearly every US website I read references one or more than one commercial product in their recipes. Which often makes those recipes useless to me as I don't have anything like hot sauce in the house, but I always have green chillies.

Long live Queen Delia.

[mfree]

Every so often, I get a strong craving for penrose pickled hot sausages.

Pickled okra too.

[Chris]

Born and raised in Cincinnati, so I must have Skyline Chili from time to time.  Don't get started on it not being real chili.  I know real chili from my Army time, and appreciate the differences.  It is what it is, and I must have it.  A five-way (spaghetti, chili, mild cheddar cheese, pinto beans, and chopped yellow onions.)  And mint chocolate chip ice cream from wither Graeter's or United Dairy Farmers.

[SpookyPistolero]

I don't have much brand loyalty, it's usually what's cheapest. There are only two things I'll make a point to get, name brand Grape Nuts and Blue Moon beer.

[StopTheGrays]

Dried (cured) beef. I cannot find it in the Milwaukee metro area. I have to drive about 60 miles to Brandon and get it from the butcher up there. It is a hall but it is worth it.

I also have them process and butcher any deer I shoot during hunting season. The brats and sticks they make it into are the best.

[K Frame]

"I'm not really sure to what you guys refer when you say we eat crap. A lot of the jokes, boiled beef and watery carrots just don't hold true in my experience."


Most things like this have their origins in at least some fact.

Some of it could simply be guilt by comparison, given that France is known for its food and Britain is, well, known for its blood pudding, squeak and bubble, and bad teeth.

Come on, you get jokes, don't you?

[Iain]

Sometimes, but every attack on British food is an attack on Delia. And I won't have it.