Cable TV and Cable Internet! I live 1,000 ft from the end of the cable line. Cox refuses to extend the line to our house unless A) We get a petition signed with 30 signatures of folks who will get cable, or B) We cough up $20K.
That said, KE, I hear you on the decent Andouillie (sp?). The stuff we get at work is OK, but the stuff available at the grocery stores is pretty junky. I'd really like to find a Chorizo that I like. I have gone so far as to go to a couple different Mexican grocery stores and tried their house-made bulk Chorizo. Way to much white vinegar. I'll probably have to make my own, using a recipe that calls for red wine vinegar.
While I was up in MI, I couldn't find gumbo file powder to save my life, until I talked to the spice vendor at the country club I worked at.
I have noticed that even within the Tulsa metro area, some grocery stores OF THE SAME CHAIN will carry items more suited to that locality. The place we lived at when we first moved back has a booming Latino population, as well as a booming Asian population. The Wally World in that area has a huge ethnic aisle. I distinctly remember canned tomatillo puree. I tried finding some at the Wally World in the small town we live in now, and nope, not there. Heck, they are lucky to have FRESH tomatillos. I can't even get a local beer at the local Wally World. However, if I go to the Wally World on my way to work, they have it. Go figure.....