Project Foodie

It's a different food world o

Carol (Unregistered) 2006-12-07 12:00:35

This reminds me of a trip to southern Utah last spring (and many other trips to "small town America"). Those of us spoiled by the great food in the Bay Area (and cities in general) forget that food has not changed much outside those zones and will rarely meet our standards. For one thing, they can't get/afford the good ingredients (unless they grow/make them... which is a real find), and knowledge of nutrition and gourmet cuisine generally comes from experience cooking in cities or high-priced cooking schools, neither of which is part of the woodwork in economically/educationally challenged areas. Usually the out-of-the-way gems are located near sources of tourists who have $$ and gourmet appetites, like a small Mex place we found in Escalante (not much of a town, but a very popular area for hikers, etc. due to the incredible natural beauty). Itâ€™s run by someone from urban Californiaâ€¦ as is not uncommon.

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There used to be...

Margaret (Unregistered) 2006-12-12 17:58:06

I have the book "Where The Locals Eat" that was published in 1998. It's a shame that this book hasn't been updated and put up as a web resource someplace. I found many of the choices in the areas where I am familiar to be credible. The editors, Magellan Press, culled "best of" lists from various local publications, critics and even reviewers. I liked having a short list of places I could at very least find a decent meal when I was traveling. Unfortunately, the publishers only have an updated version for Nashville--their home town. The global list is now somewhat obsolete...six years is a long time in restaurant years. However, the restaurant you mentioned, Jakes in Deadwood, SD, is mentioned as a winner in the "Best Restaurant in Town" category for the area. Chalk one up for Magellan Press.

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pam (Publisher) 2006-12-12 18:30:40

Carol - Sure they may not have cooking school behind them but I wasn't expecting gourmet food just interesting local fare. It seems in many places that equates to greasy diners

Margaret - Actually we found Jakes through the restaurant section of one of our tour books. Although, a book devoted to local food would certainly have been a much better reference...

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writer/blogger

Mimi (Unregistered) 2006-12-18 11:43:22

I live in a small town in Wisconsin. My observation is that the legendary small-town dinner food is mostly greasy. Is it bad? No, just greasy. My little town has two legendary hamburger joints. The locals and others rave about the burgers and they are good, just not what I would eat day after day. It's more about the legends than the burgers, I suspect.

All I can say is that small towns have been slow to move toward healthier fare. Frying is still big here.

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