Regional Questions

[Mama]

Originally Posted by pacanis

I had to read your posts for a couple weeks to realize where NOLA was.
Just call me a slow yankee, lol.

Spork, you forgot someone from GA to let us know when Vidalia onions become available

Mid-April!

[PrincessFiona60]

Originally Posted by Mama

Mid-April!

[Claire]

I DO NOT at all think it should be a requirement. I understand the privacy fears. It is just easier to tell people what to buy, where to get it, if they give a regional reference. several times I've asked for help and I've always had my hometown in my leader. There are only 3500 people in my town, and believe it or not, I live nowhere near Chicago, in a quite rural community. Now I can get most of what I need in my home town, but when I first moved here, I could not buy any kind of short grain rice at all. Just plain old store brand long grain rice. Now, I'm a pretty experienced home cook, who has lived in much of the U.S.A. But even recently, a friend wrote me that I could find toasted sesame seeds in the "Asian Aisle" of "any" grocery store. Of course that friend has lived exclusively in Hawaii and Virginia in the few decades I've known her. It is no biggie, I can toast my own. Now, I do have a few feet of one side of one aisle of the grocery store with Asian ingredients. Nowhere near a full aisle.

the thing is, never assume you can get an ingredient "everywhere", and if you're asking for instructions to a specific dish, or asking where to find something (I've had people from this site send me food, and have told them where in Madison to find specific ingredients)(No, I don't live near enough to Madison to go there for even monthly shopping, especially in the winter).

I especially enjoy it when people wrote in about their specific problems in lots of geographical areas, and have received many hints about recipes from different cultures. I'm known for throwing a dinner party and giving a regional theme, which challenges all of our little gray cells.

I'm just saying, if you want specifics, and you really want help, and no one is stalking you (and yes, I have a good friend who does have a stalker), just give us an idea of where you are.

[pacanis]

Thanks Mama!
I was afraid the cold spell might have harmed them.

[spork]

LOL! I wish mama and others would post a easy-to-use cut-n-paste FAQ of great smilies to supplement our VB forum. For those graphically talented, I'd even suggest a proprietary DC smilie challenge.

For those who post a skeletal question, most never log back in for an answer.

[PrincessFiona60]

Originally Posted by spork

LOL! I wish mama and others would post a easy-to-use cut-n-paste FAQ of great smilies to supplement our VB forum. For those graphically talented, I'd even suggest a proprietary DC smilie challenge.

For those who post a skeletal question, most never log back in for an answer.

I second both comments

We've helped lots of people who never come back.

[Zhizara]

Originally Posted by Alix

You guys are all so helpful to others! Perhaps when you go to answer a question and you feel you need more info, you could ask the poster? Often people stop by for just a short time to get their question answered and don't realize how much information they need to offer in order to get help.

Excellent idea, Alix!

[buckytom]

i completely agree with gb. it should not be a requirement.

in fact, skeletal questions are merely a beginning. it's up to the rank and file along with the op to flesh them out. this is DISCUSS cooking, afterall. not the dictionary of cooking, where a single (or a few), all encompassing answers define the subject at hand.

[LPBeier]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

+ 100 To everything!! ~~~~ It should be required at registration to at least say what State you live in....

I live in a state of confusion, Uncle Bob, does that count!


Other than that I live in the PROVINCE of British Columbia!

[simonbaker]

I think it would be nice to know at least what state or country you're in. Availability for certain products are not available in rural area's. Also on the thread'whats your weather lik today" it would be nice to know what part of the country they are coming from. I'm in SD.

[AnnieDrews]

This is a good topic. I don't think listing your location should be mandatory at all.

But one thing that might help would be if the poster could at least say what part of the country they live in. Example: Southwest, Northwest, Deep South, Gulf Coast region, etc. If outside of the U.S., they could post what part of the world they are in...Asia, Europe, Australia, South America, etc. I think that would be a good way to give some info that shouldn't be harmful to the poster's privacy.

I know, for myself, there are definitely ingredients, etc. that have been discussed here that I had no clue about. But I'm really enjoying learning about what others eat and how they prepare their dishes.

[simonbaker]

Ditto. Well said.

[buckytom]

lol, simon. sd = san diego, south dakota, southern delaware, state of deliciousness???

j/k.

annie, a regional reference will only work in some discussions. like cornbread, or clam chowder for instance.

on the other hand, i can mention a dozen korean ingredients in a dish, but people who live within my region, heck, people in my state whose only exposure to korean culture are those odd soap operas on cable tv would have no idea what i was talking about.

but, they might learn a thing or two from the discussion as you'd mentioned, and maybe try to find what we were talking about. of course it helps to be as open as possible with info if you need help, but that should be up to the individual member.

[Claire]

I guess one thing that applies here is something I've never seen in the DC family (no, not Washington, DC!), but have in magazine articles and TV shows: You should only buy foods fresh, local, and in season.. OK, what planet? Then a recipe posted that calls for an ingredient that no way in ##** is fresh and in season where the chef is (usually NYC). On the other hand, I've lived in Hawaii, and mangoes come in season .... all at once. Many people are allergic to them, and you need about a zillion recipes for them if you have a tree (I didn't, so benefited from friends' bounty). I never, in those years, paid for an avocado, papaya, mango, lime, or coconut. So if I'd been on this line w/o identifying my location it would have been funny (my favorite of the above is still green mango salad, but now I have to pay a buck and a half for each mango, and what the market bears for the limes!). In those days I could any Asian ingredient and great fish ... well, anywhere. Now it can mean a day trip to another city!

[simonbaker]

Originally Posted by buckytom

lol, simon. sd = san diego, south dakota, southern delaware, state of deliciousness???

j/k.

annie, a regional reference will only work in some discussions. like cornbread, or clam chowder for instance.

on the other hand, i can mention a dozen korean ingredients in a dish, but people who live within my region, heck, people in my state whose only exposure to korean culture are those odd soap operas on cable tv would have no idea what i was talking about.

but, they might learn a thing or two from the discussion as you'd mentioned, and maybe try to find what we were talking about. of course it helps to be as open as possible with info if you need help, but that should be up to the individual member.

South Dakota.......Great places, great faces....Mount Rushmore

[buckytom]

i've always wanted to see the black hills and badlands ever since i read about teddy roosevelt and gutzon borglum's experiences there.

i'm a mountain man that never left nyc.

[PrincessFiona60]

Originally Posted by buckytom

i've always wanted to see the black hills and badlands ever since i read about teddy roosevelt and gutzon borglum's experiences there.

i'm a mountain man that never left nyc.

I live out here and still haven't seen them. Just seem to drift by on the way to Mom's. By the time we go past, the Interstate branches into 2 and the route we need heads south, completely missing the Dakotas.

[simonbaker]

Originally Posted by PrincessFiona60

I live out here and still haven't seen them. Just seem to drift by on the way to Mom's. By the time we go past, the Interstate branches into 2 and the route we need heads south, completely missing the Dakotas.

I love NYC I have only been there once, briefly. We are looking at going there for a family vacation, stay a few days the take a train up to Washington Dc. Recomend any good reataurants?

[buckytom]

lol, only about a thousand!

tell me what you like and your budget, and i'll give you a bunch.

oh, and stop by cbs (where i work) for a tour.

[Barbara L]

Originally Posted by buckytom

lol, only about a thousand!

tell me what you like and your budget, and i'll give you a bunch.

oh, and stop by cbs (where i work) for a tour.

One of the best days of our vacation in 2008! James and I will never stop singing your praises BT! One of the nicest people we have ever met!

BT said I was the only one who took pictures of all the equipment!