Episode 139: The Unique Flavors & Culture of United States Foods

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Paige:  You are listening to “Coffee with Gringos”. I’m Paige Sutherland.

Ian: And I'm Ian Kennedy.

Paige: And, today we're going to talk about food, particularly food that you have in whatever state that you're traveling to, driving through, what have you. It's on my mind—I just did a cross-country road trip. Literally went east to west in the US and ate the stereotypical food at every state that we were in. It's kind of what you do when you're doing a road trip. Today we're going to talk about some of those famous foods, what some of these cities and states are known for, and hopefully, you can come to the US one day and try some of it. So again, listeners as always if you get lost, check out that audio guide and transcript online at www.dynamicenglish.cl. So, Ian—I can't start this off without talking about my home city of Boston. We are traditionally known for our seafood because Boston is right on the ocean—the Atlantic Ocean—and the most famous is New England clam chowder. If you go to Boston, that's what you get—you have to get the clam chowder. I’m sad to say I've never actually had it because I don't eat seafood. I know…

Ian: What??

Paige: Yeah, it's a thing that I get made fun of a lot in the New England area because you can't be from the Boston area and not like seafood, but that's me. So, but for people, listeners out there who like seafood, you have to try the clam chowder. I've heard it's really good and it's what our city is known for and it's fresh because it's literally right by the ocean.

Ian: I can't believe that you're from Boston and you don't like clam chowder. That’s crazy.

Paige: I know, it's like a sin. It’s not good.

Ian: It is kind of like a sin, but it's so good. I make up for it for you because I love clam chowder. I actually have a can of clam chowder in the pantry right now in the kitchen so hopefully, we'll eat it soon but what's so nice about clam chowder is, for listeners, it's sort of it's like a very thick soup. So, you have a very thick-like white soup that has a few different spices in it, and it of course has potatoes and vegetables and clams. And again, if you don't like seafood, it's probably something you're not going to like. But if you're someone who likes seafood and also soups, it’s amazing. On a really cold day, to eat some clam chowder with some crackers or what have you—it’s a great meal. So, I highly encourage our listeners, if you are in Boston, especially, make sure to get it but if you're not in Boston, give it a try too. But that's where you're going to have it fresh and authentic and probably the best way to try it.

Paige: What about you, Ian? What's your city known for?

Ian: Yeah, so in Kansas City—in Missouri—we are really known for the barbecue. So, there's a long history of going back of different barbecue styles and traditions and techniques, and there are many, many, many different restaurants and places where you can go get different barbecue. So, it's very common for people when they have a party you're going to, the food is going to be barbecue or if you go to a football game—some sort of public event—it's a good bet that you're going to be eating barbecue. It's a really big point of pride for the city and the state as well because, in the US, you have a lot of competition with states saying that they have the best barbecue, right? Memphis, Tennessee says they have the best. All of Texas will try to say they have the best barbecue. Kansas City says it has the best barbecue. I'm very biased, but of course, I say that barbecue from Kansas City is the best. But there's just something great about it, you know, different styles of meat, vegetables as well with it but very high quality and there are so many different places. I couldn't even begin to name every barbecue restaurant that exists there so you would need an entire lifetime I think to be able to visit every single one of them. So, if you have the chance while you're in Missouri, especially in Kansas City, make sure to check out the barbecue. And you can't really go wrong, because there are so many choices.

Paige: Fair. No, I mean, I had it in Texas during my road trip only because that was the route I was driving through but it is just so delicious. You know, all the sauces and the spices that they have and just the variety. You definitely don't leave hungry. There's so much food.

Ian: Oh yeah, you're going to be stuffed. You’re going to feel like you're about to explode by the time you leave but it's a good feeling.

Paige: Hey, Ian. Did you know besides the podcast, Dynamic English offers one-on-one classes with native teachers from all over the world?

Ian: Really? But isn't it just a bunch of grammar lessons?

Paige: No, it's completely discussion-based and focuses on topics the student is interested in.

Ian: That's amazing. But what if I'm not living in Chile?

Paige: No problem. Dynamic does online classes. You can be living anywhere.

Ian: Great, but I'm a little intimidated to take the class alone. Can I join with a friend?

Paige: Of course. Dynamic offers group classes of up to four. Plus, for the next month, Coffee with Gringos listeners get 10% off individual or group classes. So go online to www.dynamicenglish.cl and mention that you are a listener and get your discount.

Ian: Well, I'm sold. Sign me up.

Paige: Another one that we have to talk about is also very close to Boston—New York City—and they are really known for their bagels. And I am a big bagel fan—I love bagels. I love bacon, egg, and cheese on bagels and the best bagel is by far, New York City. They are just the right texture, they're moist but not too fluffy and they're just absolutely delicious. So, if you go to New York City, you definitely have to try one of their bagels. There are shops everywhere, there’s so many and it's also part of their late-night food culture that you stay out really late from the bar and then you go to your local deli or corner store and you get a delicious bagel, and that's kind of your late-night snack. It's definitely great and I think in the US, we are a bagel culture where it's really hard to get a bagel in Chile or Santiago. But by far in New York City has the best so you have got to check it out.

Ian: It's funny you bring that up. I also like bagels and there are only a couple of different places in Santiago if I get lucky, I can if they're open, I can go and find them or get some real good delicious ones. But I, unfortunately, have never been to New York City still, so I can't really tell the difference between what would be a New York quality bagel compared to another one. So maybe you have that more sophisticated palate, so can you tell the difference when you eat a bagel from somewhere else compared to New York City, or is it hard to distinguish?

Paige: You really can honestly and there's not too much to a bagel. I've heard that it's like the type of water in New York that makes it a better bagel. I've heard stuff like that but it's really just once you have a New York City bagel, you're like, “oh, this is so good” that when you go back to the bagels from the grocery store, bagels from a different city, you can just really taste it. It's like when you buy a loaf of bread at the store and then you go to the bakery and buy a fresh loaf of bread and it's tough to go back to that grocery store bread after you've had the freshest, most delicious bread. So, that's kind of how I see it, but you're just going to have to try it, Ian.

Ian: Okay, good excuse. Another good reason for me to get up to New York City. Any excuse I can get is perfect.

Paige: I came here for the bagels.

Ian: I'm here for the bagels. Okay, another good one that we have is in a city that's in the south where you actually were just visiting a couple of weeks ago and this is New Orleans. In New Orleans, the food is very distinct and it's kind of known as a creole or a Cajun-style of food. So, Cajun cuisine usually involves spices, some vegetables like green peppers, onions, things like this, as well as other meats. So, you might see chicken, pork, beef, things like this but it's a very unique kind of cuisine in the US that has its roots in French culture since Louisiana used to be part of the French territory. So, you have a lot of these Cajun dishes that can be a little spicy, a little zesty, so you have foods like jambalaya which is rice mixed in with beef and pork and vegetables. You have what's called gumbo. So, gumbo is sort of like a rice and soup dish combined. So, it could be seafood or beef, chicken, whatever. You also have things like a po’boy which is sort of like a seafood or shrimp sandwich which is not that common to find in other places. So, if you go down to New Orleans, you're going to expect to have some good seafood but it's going to have a little bit of zest and spice to it. And again, it's very unique compared to the rest of the country. So, when you were just in New Orleans, did you have some good food?

Paige: We had delicious food. I mean, we drove all across the country and that was probably one of my favorite food stops and I don't even like seafood. I just liked the spices that they have, just good quality restaurants there but funny story we went to one of the top restaurants in the city, and you know how fancy restaurants kind of try to label things in a way that is just more attractive and playful and so there was this turtle Bolognese and sometimes in the US, “turtle” is used to describe something that's kind of fancy and so I was like, oh, that's weird. So, then I asked the waiter and I was like, “Oh, this is probably a dumb question, but is that actually turtle in the dish?” And they're like, “Yeah, it's turtle meat.” And I was like, oh, glad I asked because I do not want that. I thought it meant turtle Bolognese like it had all these different ingredients in it to make it kind of like a mixture but it was actually just turtle meat. And I guess that's a common thing that they eat there. It kind of tastes like turkey, but I was too afraid to try. I was like, I don't know if I want to eat turtle meat…

Ian: Fair enough. You're like, “I'll stick with the chicken or beef.”

Paige: Yeah, there was something about turtles, so cute and I was like, I don't want to eat that. But yeah, I would recommend going there. There's just so much food to try there. The next place that I've been to many times and I love this area—Wisconsin, particularly Madison. It's the capitol and it's surrounded by a lot of lakes and they just have lots of cheese. Wisconsin is called “The Dairy Land.” They have a lot of pastures and cows and they make incredible cheese and all kinds of cheese. My favorite is they have these cheese curds which are like balls of almost like a squishy, squeaky mozzarella that's so delicious. And you can just literally eat them out of a bag and pop them in your mouth, but they also have where they fry them and those are really good.

Ian: Fried cheese curds?

Paige: Yeah, yeah, it's basically like mozzarella sticks but the cheese is better and they're in little balls, so it's just delicious. And they have so many like farmers’ markets and stuff like that where you just go around and taste cheese all day and it's great.

Ian: Wow, that sounds like a dream, especially, obviously, if you like cheese.

Paige: Who doesn’t like cheese?

Ian: Exactly. And it's funny because it's so well-known with the state that people from Wisconsin are actually called “cheese heads.” You can say “Oh, okay from Wisconsin, you’re a ‘cheese head’”. And, you know, just because they're from there it's very associated and not to be taken offensively. You might even see at NFL football games; you might see people actually wearing a hat that has cheese on their head they’re so associated with that. So, it's quite a strange thing to be known for, I guess. But again, I've never been to Wisconsin, so I haven't been in the “Land of cheese” unfortunately but sometime in the future, I'd like to go up there and get crazy and try all the different types.

Paige: Yeah, it really is just delicious. Yeah, they do make the best cheese I have to say.

Ian: And speaking of cheese, another place that we've talked about before when we interviewed with one of our previous guests is, we talked about Chicago. And in Chicago, they're very well known for their pizza. But it's a very unique kind of pizza—this isn't normal pizza that you'd get. It's called “deep dish” pizza. So, a deep-dish pizza means is it's very, very thick and almost like a tall pizza. When I say tall pizza, I mean again, thick, so instead of thinking of a flat pizza with the flat crust, think the opposite. Think of a very high-raised crust, almost like where the name comes from a dish in a big pan or a dish, so it's very thick. You usually have to cut it with a knife just to even get it out and it's almost like eating a pizza pie—like a literal pie, compared to eating a piece of pizza. So, this is really unique to the city and when people come, they're so surprised. I've seen people try it for the first time and their eyes just get so big. They’re like, “Are we eating a lasagna? Are we eating a pizza? What are we actually digging into here?” And people in Chicago too, they have a lot of pride in which places they think are the best deep dish pizza places so good friends might even get in arguments about which place is the absolute best. So, of course, if you go to Chicago, you must try the deep-dish pizza and I guess, ask a local where to go and trust their word, because they know better than anyone. But I've spent a lot of time in Chicago, I always try to get a good slice when I go up there.

Paige: And for listeners, when we drove cross country, we got some deep dish because we were in the Chicago area and it's not a normal pizza where you eat three or four slices. Honestly, I ate one and I was full. It is so thick, as Ian said, that it's so filling that you use it, you use a knife and fork to eat it. You have one piece and you're like, it fills you right up.

Ian: More than enough.

Paige: Yeah. Great. Well, you know, these are just a few. Every state—almost every city—has their own thing that's unique and special to it. I know that everyone always kind of laughs of like, oh America is totally known for McDonald's and pizza and French fries and that's not true. Every kind of city has their own quirks and food that you should try and that's what's kind of cool about it. So, I recommend doing maybe a food tour of the US because there are lots of options. So, again, listeners, if you get lost, as always, check out that audio guide and transcript online. Thanks for listening.

Ian: We'll see you next time.

Ian: “Coffee with Gringos” officially has over one hundred episodes and we are among the “Top Podcasts in Chile”. And that’s thanks to you. But we are always working to grow our audience so make sure to rate sure to rate, review and share us.  

Key Vocabulary, Phrases & Slang:

 1.     stereotype (noun): a widely held image or idea of a particular person or thing that isn’t necessarily true.

a.     There are stereotypes for every culture.

2.     sin (noun): something considered bad, serious, or offensive.

a.     It’s a sin to go to Japan and not try sushi.

3.     pantry (noun): a small room or closet used for storing food.

a.     We have enough food in the pantry to last us for months.

4.     biased (adjective): unfairly prejudiced for or against something or someone.

a.     We will not tolerate the biased media coverage that is always being shown.

5.     moist (adjective): slightly wet or humid.

a.     The moist clothes made them feel uncomfortable.

6.     fluffy (adjective): light and airy in texture in food.

a.     The cupcakes you made were so fluffy and delicious!

7.     palate (noun): a person’s appreciation of taste and flavor with food.

a.     She has a sophisticated palate when it comes to seafood.

8.     zesty (adjective): flavorful, usually containing food spices.

a.     The food we ate in New Orleans was so fresh and zesty.

9.     playful (adjective): fun-loving; amusing; not serious.

a.     He gave me a playful punch on the arm.

10.  pasture (noun): land covered with grass suitable for animals like cattle or sheep.

a.     Wisconsin has a lot of pastures and lakes.

11.  squishy (adjective): soft and moist.

a.     The delicious cheese was very squishy in texture.

12.  squeaky (adjective): another name to describe cheese curds.

a.     Wisconsin makes the most amazing squeaky cheese I’ve ever had in my life.

13.  to pop (verb): to quickly put food in one’s mouth.

a.     I like to pop grapes in my mouth as I walk around the farm.

14.  quirk (noun): a particular behavioral habit.

a.     Each state and city have its own quirks and attractions.