SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Inspired by a post by Jemina, I'd like to know what things are like around where you live!

Please share local music, recipes, photos, cultural events...things you wish people from outside your country/province/county/town could experience to get a "taste" of life where you live!

:D which requires some love for one's local culture, which I haven't. :D But I'm looking forward to reading other members' posts.

Gabi wrote: ":D which requires some love for one's local culture, which I haven't. :D But I'm looking forward to reading other members' posts."

Haha, fair! But there's not a food that you would miss if you never had it again? Or that other countries you've visited "don't get right?"

Allison wrote: "Haha, fair! But there's not a food that you would miss if you never had it again? Or that other countries you've visited "don't get right"?"

Hm ... let's see? What's typical here? Drowning everything in remoulade ... barbecueing everything that didn't make it up the tree in time ... beer, beer and beer? - The answer is: nope :D.

I'm going to have to leave the group, GR, and the internet if someone starts posting about typical Finnish stuff. Or I could just add a pre-emptive disclaimer denying that any of that has anything at all to do with me!

Wow! This was supposed to be a 'like' subject, but it is turning into a 'dislike' one. On my part, in Montreal area, there is plenty to like, starting with the great variety of food, many cultural events and shows and low crime rate. Last Sunday, I went with my son to the 2020 Montreal Auto Show, then went for lunch in Montreal's Chinatown. Normally, when in downtown Montreal, I would go to my favorite deli restaurant (Reuben's), to eat a juicy, big smoked meat sandwich before visiting the bookstore on the other side of the street, but since Chinatown was next to the Auto Show venue, I went there instead.

LOL! This wasn't meant to be divisive. My goodness! A patriot I may not be, but goddamn, the local pretzels are something else. Also it's Girl Scout cookie season, which is one of the best times of the year. My favorite are Thin Mints and Peanut Butter Patties.

(Chocolate peanut butter is one of the foods I proselytize. I don't see it almost anywhere else, and the salty/sweet thing is just so good!)

I've moved around all my life. To date, I've lived in 5 countries and 14 American States. So, there isn't anything I yearn for from a local perspective so much as things I miss from the various cities I've lived in. There's a rotisserie chicken restaurant I visit whenever I go to Fort Campbell, KY (I was there last week and had three trips to culinary heaven). I also have a favorite BBQ place in Memphis. I remember an amazing Thai restaurant (in Afghanistan of all places) that haunts my dreams. It was so good. I could list for days the flavors of the world, but I'm still adding to that list.

Preston Lancashire where I reside is a very central city in the UK, lots of cultural links, Coketown in Dickens's Hard Times was inspired by the city (then a town), Daniel Defoe visited, so did Bloody Assizes Judge Jeffreys. We are close to the coastal towns like Blackpool, lots of great pubs, The famous Harris museum & gallery, a library that actually opens on Sundays, and genuinely lovely people

Well, I’ve been a New Englander my whole life. So we do Seafood better than 99% of other places I’ve ever been.

Was born in Maine so I’m very familiar with Maine Lobstah (and love it).

Live in Rhode Island now and we have “Rhode Island Style Calamari” which is my favorite way to eat it. I’m always disappointed when I order it out of state and it doesn’t show up with all the right toppings.

We also have quahogs. Basically giant clams. We have quahog festivals- which are great. Stuffed quahogs are a favorite...

Then we have Del’s lemonade which is a frozen lemonade. Their trucks are everywhere in the summer.

Clam cakes... I can’t remember if this is available outside of RI/New England..

Hot Weiner’s from Olneyville system... I’m sure I’m missing some. We also have great Italian food but that’s less specific to Rhode Island.

What toppings come with RI calamari?

Portland, Oregon now:

Dungeness crab especially in the form of crab cakes
Two large rivers and 14 bridges. I adore the St John's bridge:

https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/aut...

Seeing Mt Hood rising over the city from some spots
The ocean isn't very far nor are the Cascades (mountains)
Relaxed/casual attitudes
Lots of Festivals and events including the Naked Bike Ride (not for me)
Fairly good public transport

We moved here, because it's one of the few US cities that offered most of what we liked when we lived in Paris: same climate, arts orientated, food orientated and good public transportation

@Allison They top it with pickled hot peppers! You find a place that serves the good stuff, fresh, with a good crispy fry job, it’s to die for.

If I see it on a menu a lot of the times I usually just order that as my entree. Lol. I don’t like to share.

So I'm from the land of blue crabs and Old Bay. I.... do not like seafood, though I don't mind a good crab cake. The state party, a crab pick, is just my worst nightmare though. However, I do love me some Berger Cookies https://www.bergercookies.com/

I am from Argentina and there are a few things that we consider "ours" and that are absolutely delicious.
First of all, sweets. Alfajores are the most delicious thing anyone could taste. You have chocolate, fruit, dulce de leche flavors and they are all perfect. Dulce de leche is a local thing and it's like nutella, but much better. Please try it, and not just dulce de leche ice cream.
in foods, we have Asado. Which I believe is similar to barbecues, but not really. It's a cut of cow meat and it's cooked for hours until it's tender and yummy and it's our tradition.
and in beverages, mate is our local, amazing drink. It's hot infusion with yerba mate and you can have it sweet or sour or you can have it with icy water and juice.
(I think I am really bad at explaining this, but this are the things I'd miss the most if I left the country).

Nanu wrote: "I am from Argentina and there are a few things that we consider "ours" and that are absolutely delicious.
First of all, sweets. Alfajores are the most delicious thing anyone could taste. You have c..."

Nanu, those sound great! Any restaurants that you think do it best, or a picture? I want to see them and I don't trust that we'll get results that show what you mean.

I rode my moose to work today. New Hampshire, yo.

Melani wrote: "So I'm from the land of blue crabs and Old Bay. "

Ditto. Only I love steamed Chesapeake Bay blue crabs. Takes me ages to pick/eat them but it's such a decadent experience. It's like having a sloppy food orgy in public with your clothes on. When you're in the middle of it it's an all-absorbing sensual feast … afterward, covered in Old Bay and dripping crab juice, you're suddenly shamed with the realization of what a horrible spectacle you've just made of yourself. You look around guiltily and … find that no one has paid your overindulgence the slightest attention. You've gotten away with it! (Again!)

The best part about where I live is its proximity to other places. I'm an hour from both DC and Baltimore so there's a whole world of restaurants, museums, art galleries, zoos, aquariums, historical sites (including several of the most historic American Civil War sites such as Gettysburg and Antietam). We're 3 hours from the Atlantic shore and the same from the mountains of western Maryland and eastern West Virginia.

Our downtown is pretty if you're into Federalist period architecture and church spires; and it's becoming much more upscale with a good number of dining establishments and a growing number of microbreweries/micro-distilleries.

Frederick County used to be mainly agricultural (dairy farms, corn, and orchards) but we've become a commuter community for the metropolitan Baltimore-DC area. Farms are being gobbled up by housing. Still, the sweet corn grown here and the apple/peach orchards of the county grow very high quality produce.

If the fall weather is cooperating, the ancient, low rolling mountains are extremely pretty in the fall.

Not a bad place. If only the traffic was getting better not worse.

Allison wrote: "Nanu wrote: "I am from Argentina and there are a few things that we consider "ours" and that are absolutely delicious.
First of all, sweets. Alfajores are the most delicious thing anyone could tast..."
I don't know any restaurants, sorry. But here are some pics of the things I described:

These are the best national alfajores ever and you can find them on the US (I think). The brown package is chocolate, light blue is dulce de leche and green is fruit.

This one is my favorite mass market dulce de leche brand a picture of its consistency.

Asado made at home vs for too many people in festivals and large events.

This is the mate as it usually is served with water at about 80°C and tereré, it's summer version wich is usually yerba mate with lemonade or some fruit juice depending on preference.
(no, the brands don't pay me for advertising 😜)

Hahaha!

Awesome, I'm going to have to look out for these. I love trying local treats ^^ We have a version of asado I think (like carne asada) that is popular in our Latino communities. If it's anything like what you're talking about, it's excellent!

My husband brought home about 12 Alfajores from Argentina and they are in fact, extremely yummy!!

there are a lot of varieties of alfajores on Amazon. When I worked downtown in Houston, one of the tunnel restaurants was an empanada place (I love them) and they made their own alfajores originally and then they switched to a purchased vaiety

CBRetriever wrote: "Portland, Oregon now:

Dungeness crab especially in the form of crab cakes
..."

Dungeness crab is a very local favorite here too. There are crab pots visible from where I type this and at night I can see flashes from the lighthouse on Dungeness Spit. I forget that, despite the name, they're pretty widespread along the PNW coast.

My favorite local food is... coffee. So many choices. I know that NW Washington is in some eyes infamous as being the home of Starbucks but they're actually a minority presence here. Even out here in a very rural part of the state there are more little coffee stands and independent coffee houses than I can count.

That's not my overall culinary favorite though. It's been 40 years since I lived in New Mexico but I still retain a fascination with green chile and the cuisine there that's built around it. There's something about combination of the flavor and heat that makes my senses come alive. I was so happy when one of the local groceries started carrying green chile from New Mexico. We've tried to grow it here but it's not the same.

One thing that has struck me culturally living in the PNW is that the local tribes are often equal partners with local town and state governments in preservation and historic projects. The most recent here was a walking trail that documented the history of native peoples in this area. The local tribe provided the historical information and a stunning totem pole marking the start of the trails. Many locals in town helped fund it and thousands of people turned out for the dedication. There's a lot of unfortunate history there but everyone is trying.

So I live in Buckinghamshire, one of the “Home Counties” - the counties just outside and around London, and it’s VERY small town England around here. There’s not much local flavor, other than the typical stuff peculiar to all of England. That said, there are a lot of events organized on a local level, especially for kids, which is great. There is no reason to be bored or at a loss for things to do. Also, as members of the English National Heritage Trust (actually, 2 organizations- English Heritage and the National Trust), which manage the properties and historical sites in England we can visit all manner of famous locations nearby.

I live in the Upper Hunter in NSW, Australia.

My Australian favourites:
Tim Tams
Toast and Vegemite
Lamingtons with whipped cream. (Note: in Australia, whipped cream on a lamington is not usually sweetened, and is just cream beaten until it's fluffy.) A lamington is sponge cake in a cube, dipped in chocolate sauce and rolled in desiccated coconut.
Tiger prawns - mmmmmmmmmmm
And of course, a hamburger is not complete unless it has beetroot on it.

Very locally, we have Hunterbelle Cheese, who make their own brie, camembert, marinated feta, and have their own milk. (Non-homogenised) They also make gelato, of which my favourite flavour is Ferrero Rocher.

Allison wrote: "(Chocolate peanut butter is one of the foods I proselytize. I don't see it almost anywhere else, and the salty/sweet thing is just so good!)
"

Hard co-sign. This is one of the reasons I love my in-laws' Ohio roots: Buckeyes!

Buckeyes are one of my Illinoisian (sp?) friends' Christmas traditions and it's delicious. Although we do the crisped rice version to reduce *some* of the sugar, at least lol

Leonie, I've had Tim Tams! Although a friend who'd lived in Australia said they used to be be able to make like straws for tea or cocoa out of them and that was a failure. But Tim Tams in tea was still nice.

Travis wrote: "... This is one of the reasons I love my in-laws' Ohio roots: Buckeyes!..."

The weirdest place I've had these was at a little chocolate shop in France nestled under the walls of a castle. Was it a culinary lure for tourists from Ohio? Or perhaps the lure of peanut butter wrapped in chocolate is universal.

@Travis and Allison - I have family in Ohio and I love Buckeyes! They are one of my favorite treats.

Raucous wrote: "Travis wrote: "... This is one of the reasons I love my in-laws' Ohio roots: Buckeyes!..."

The weirdest place I've had these was at a little chocolate shop in France nestled under the walls of a c..."

Definitely not universal, though very potentially a tourist trap! What American and maybe British person? (without allergies) doesn"t at least know someone who likes that combo?? Sound off, people of the world, who likes PB&Chocolate?

I remember maybe a decade or so ago I asked an Aussie what he thought of the combo and he had to pause to think. "I could see it being...okay," he said. I think now it's become a bit more widespread, but at the time, friends who'd emigrated there said they could not find any candy like that, and their perennial request in care packages was Reese's. Even America's hat, Canada, is replete with people who tell me that the burnt flavor of the peanut with chocolate is weird. They'd rather have orange with chocolate, which I find...upsetting.

Oh, my, if I could eat only peanut butter wrapped in chocolate for the rest of my life I would (quickly) die happily. Although, strangely, I am not a fan of Reese’s Pieces. Too much candy coating.

Leonie wrote: "I live in the Upper Hunter in NSW, Australia.

My Australian favourites:
Tim Tams"

When we were downunder my mom lurrrved Tim Tams. We can get them here but the flavor selection is limited.

I live in a suburb of Sacramento California. Sacramento has the reputation of a big city with a small town feel. Not really true. As time goes on, the city is growing up and though has quite a few suburban enclaves; it is becoming more and more urban. It has become a foodie destination and is billed as the "farm to fork" capital of the world. It is also the capitol of California so there is an atmosphere of civic activism on everything (climate change, immigration, police brutality, LGBTQ, etc). I think Sacramento is a hidden gem (yes I work for the State of California but I honestly feel this way ;-)). Two rivers intersect: The American River and the Sacramento River. Sacramento has 32 miles of bike trail that go along the American river so it's gorgeous and theoretically one can ride or run for 64 miles unimpeded by cars. It is located 80 miles from the Sierra-Nevada Mountains and 80 miles from San Francisco. Once can conceivably enjoy the ski slopes and the beach in a given weekend. Also compared to the other California urban centers, it's still affordable to live here (though that too is changing). Weather is somewhat unpredictable but it's mostly very hot in the summer and cold (by California standards) in the winter. I went lunch after the Women's March this past weekend and walked past this mural:

Travis wrote: "This is one of the reasons I love my in-laws' Ohio roots: Buckeyes!"

I’m from Dayton, so I’m a hell-to-the-yeah on Buckeyes. There is no commercial candy that’s as good as homemade Buckeyes.

If you visit Dayton, a must-stop is Marion’s Pizza, the best pizza on God’s green Earth. It’s super thin crust, more of a pizza cracker than what most people call pizza, but damn it’s good.

I also lived in Cincinnati for 7+ years and the only thing I miss about that city is Skyline Chili. Cincinnati-style chili is a thing, and it is different from every other kind in the world. When my in-laws first moved there they were under the misapprehension that Cincy chili has chocolate in it. I don’t know where that idea comes from, but NO. Hell no. (Mother-in-law made it once. It’s disgusting.) One of the secret ingredients is cinnamon.

You can tell a tourist from a local by the way they eat their Skyline. There’s a difference. No, I won’t tell you what it is. That would take the fun out of it.

Two good reasons to come to Montreal: poutine and smoked meat! And you can even combine the two together. Enough said!

Monica, that is such a fun mural! And if might add, well framed by the photographer, with the tree ^^

I'm in Philly, so I guess the usuals are Soft Pretzels and Cheesesteaks.

Cheesesteaks are actually good - but Cheez Whiz is gross and not actually a requirement. (Also, only tourists go to Pat's and Geno's, and there are better places.)

Chicken cheesesteak hoagies are also really good.


For soft pretzels, the Pretzel Factory is kinda "fast food" version, but it's really good. I love the Pretzel Dogs, but I eat them really sparingly 'cause the calories are huge.

Michel, you should tell folks what a real poutine and smoked meat are. Most Americans assume poutine is just what we call "loaded fries" which is any sort of cheese with usually bacon and some sort of seasoning. And smoked meats here are much thinner--salami, pastrami etc. Montreal's is unique!

Well, I miss the Mexican restaurants and taquerias in nw Nevada.
The most 'unique' food here in Missouri is fried ravioli and it's awful everywhere that I've tried it.

Gabi wrote: "Hm ... let's see? What's typical here? Drowning everything in remoulade ... barbecueing everything that didn't make it up the tree in time ... beer, beer and beer? - The answer is: nope :D."

That actually sounds pretty great, with the exception of the remoulade. That'd be a "nice, but only now and then."

Micah wrote: "Frederick County used to be mainly agricultural (dairy farms, corn, and orchards) but we've become a commuter community for the metropolitan Baltimore-DC area. Farms are being gobbled up by housing. [...]

Not a bad place. If only the traffic was getting better not worse."

The town I live in, or I should say city now, about 1.5 hours from LA, is much the same way. A coworker said that 25 years ago it was over 50% farms, and I'd assume a lot of the people who lived here worked on them. Now it's becoming a de facto suburb of LA. In the real estate bubble, McMansions sprouted like weeds, and in our current multi-unit housing bubble there's a 1000 unit condo/luxury apartment development under construction. It's rapidly losing its "rural, largely PoC area between Santa Barbara and LA" soul to strip malls, upper middle-class whites, and congestion.

What a bummer. I've got to give it up for the local Mexican food though. I'd never heard of sopes or grocery store tamales before I moved here, and I love them!

Allison, you are right about Montreal smoked meat being unique. Due to the spices an preparation process, its taste is very different to that of pastrami or other cold cuts used in the United States. If you stop for example at the Reuben's Deli Restaurant in downtown Montreal, you will be able to eat a very thick sandwich made of rye bread, with a minimum of two inches (that's the regular sandwich) of juicy, flavored smoked meat that will melt in your mouth. You can ask for either lean, medium or fat meat (I recommend the fat meat, despite its artery-clogging properties, as it is impossibly good). On the subject of poutine, it is basically a mound of french fries toppled with cheese curds and lots of hot brown gravy. Poutine is routinely served with some extra add-on as per the customer's wishes (bacon bits, wieners bits, pulled pork, diced chicken, steak bits, lobster, peperoni or any combination of those ingredients). I prefer my poutine to be made with 'soft' fries cooked in animal fat rather than vegetable oil and want as well plenty of cheese curds melting under a thick coat of gravy. My idea of a dream meal is a huge, thick super smoked meat sandwich eaten with a side dish of poutine, the lot eaten at the Reuben's Deli, which happen to be across the street from one of the largest bookstores in downtown Montreal. Pig out, then go read! What could be a better way to fill a day?

This thread is unexpectedly making me very hungry!

*stares at smoothie*
*sighs*

Oh and on Ohio buckeyes, my grandparents had a buckeye tree, and the buckeye seeds (?) are so pretty and smooth. As kids we'd gather them up just to enjoy their color and how they felt in our hands (and possibly my grandma encouraged it because it would also help in tidying up her yard). But we never had the candy. I'll have to ask my mom about that!

I live in the Atlanta, GA area. We have amazing traffic, highly recommended if you like time to really soak in the scenery and accurately count the construction barrels! There are many areas with worse traffic, but I’m confident ours has a special flavor.

Seriously though, I’m pretty clueless about the local culture. It’s not something I seek out. There are definitely things in the area I like, but they aren’t unique to my area.

I do miss that “Spouse Like a House” ice cream flavor at my local Handel’s when I lived in the Akron, Ohio area, but even that wasn’t local flavor – it’s a chain, just not a very big one. And yes, I love Buckeyes. The candy, anyway. I have no opinion about either the team or the nut, neither of which I've ever seen in person.

I've eaten a lot of chocolate in my travels, but I've yet to have a Buckeye. I'll add it to my food bucket list.

Allison, I can assure you that Canadians are fond of the peanut chocolate combo. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are for sale everywhere and in my experience, were the first to sell out at vending machines. Chocolate shops in Toronto (of which there are many) have many nutty combos available

I used to work across from this place....it was a daily challenge not to eat chocolate for lunch

MM!

Perhaps I have found a secret enclave of quebecois seeking to destabilize the choco-peanut butter industry. I am glad greater Canada sees reason ^^

Speaking of "See's" I must say that my family's favorite chocolates are See's. We're originally from California and I have fond memories of going to the stores to hand select which goodies I wanted in my personal box which was meant to last me a month or so but never survived the week.

Allison wrote: "Speaking of "See's" I must say that my fami..."

Oh, yes I've tried a few things imported from Sees, they made me appreciate peanut brittle.

I'm also a big fan of cookies and a Toronto cafe called La Gourmand wins the best cookie award every year. They are so popular you can often get them fresh out of the oven, crispy on the outside and hot and gooey in the middle.

@Michel- The last time I had smoked meat, it was from Schwartz’s. I haven’t been to Reuben’s, but I’ll be sure to stop by next time I take a weekend trip there.

I did love Schwartz’s sandwiches though. And even the cafeteria style seating. Met some interesting people!

Sarah, Schwartz's is also a top Deli restaurant in Montreal, not far from the Reuben's. Both places claim to be the best Deli in town and it is really a toss up to choose between the two. However, I found the meat at Schwartz's a bit dryer than at the Reuben's, which is why I favor the latter. The Reuben's entrance is at street level, but you then have to go down a rather steep set of stairs, to finally arrive in a long, fairly narrow dining room with (very) tight boots (at least for my extra-large belly). The Reuben's is at the corner of Ste-Catherine (the main shopping street in downtown Montreal) and McGill. If you use the subway (the easiest way, as parking in downtown Montreal is both complicated and expensive), come out at the McGill Station and go up to Ste-Catherine Street level.

Beth wrote: "...there's a 1000 unit condo/luxury apartment development under construction. It's rapidly losing its "rural..."

Yep. When your quaint little rural town suddenly has condos downtown going for $1,000,000 you know your not in a quaint rural town anymore.