Although I could be upset and pout because no one joined in in celebrating baby toes, I’ll forgive you for the moment and instead grit my teeth and offer to eat some fresh wild Pacific salmon (so much better than Atlantic salmon, and we don’t even mention farm salmon 'round here). Grilled with a light dill sauce, with green onion mashed potatoes. In return, I’d like someone to eat real, honest to gosh New York cheesecake for me. Just plain cheesecake is fine–you may have strawberries on the side, but not on the cheesecake, please. If any other area thinks their cheesecake is as good a New York’s, I’d be willing to experiment, but I had New York cheesecake a few months ago, and there’s something about it that makes it unique.
vunderbob I meant I could not think of any food items Iowa is famous for, I am not doing so well on clarifying what I mean today. Shibb I tend to be terribly naïve. I believe everything people tell me, and I am way to trusting.
Why “city chicken”? Because it’s a fake drumstick. See, it’s the darker pork, not “the other white meat”, so it’s roughly the same color as chicken legs, then it’s on a stick, like the leg bones. “City chicken” because those city folks don’t know no difference.
Here I am, not taking advantage of misstee’s naïveté. Me, tell her something suggestive to see if she’ll go for it? Perish the thought.
Okay, now I have two data points. To help quantify our survey, can you tell me if you are blonde and attractive? Just want to know if it’s something in the water.
I once almost had the other Iowa girl convinced that lakes were formed many years ago when clouds froze solid in the upper atmosphere (it’s cold up there, you know) and crashed to the earth, leaving a crater that filled with water as the cloud melted. Sometimes it still happens but places like Iowa and Minnesota are relatively sparsely populated so hardly anyone ever gets hurt. Tee hee.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of “Lake Trout” but I agree, it doesn’t sound too appealing.
More Baltimore specialties: We have snowballs. Blood orange and skylite! No one else has snowballs like Baltimore. Sno-cones and Italian ices just aren’t the same.
Yum.
And Berger cookies. A thick cake-like vanilla cookie with a half-inch of thick fudgy frosting on top. I used to be able to polish off a whole box all by myself.
Go to Cross Street Market and there is a place that sells Lake Trout sandwiches down at the far end, just past the raw bar in the corner. Or there was, but places like that in Baltimore seem fairly stable so I’m sure it’s still there, lo these many years.
There was a place, on Eastern Ave maybe, I’m having a mental block on the name right now, where we used to get these giant strawberry shortcakes for people’s work anniversaries and retirements. Don’t know if it’s still there, but those giant shortcakes were something else.
Aside to Misstee: I’ll take a beautiful redhead over a beautiful blonde most any day of the week. Even more so if she’s from Iowa. Double points if she’s strong enough to carry me home from the bar if I’ve had to many beers. (I think I’m treading in Vunderbob’s territory now)
The question is, how good does our reheaded MissTee look in bib overalls and a flannel shirt? If she’s hot in that getup, she can carry me home from the bar anytime
Kalley congrats! Twins to spoil and be the good aunt with the great presents for! What fun!
Ok, I’m willing to eat some authentic southern food (I know, I know, like that’d be a sacrifice) in exchange for somebody from the midwest eating a big ol’ plate of chicken paprikosh (I think that’s how that’s spelled). I just remember a chicken dish with teeny tiny dumplings and lots of paprika that I went into a near orgasm over while eatin’ it is all.
misstee Iowa beef and pork is some of the best beef and pork ever. That’s what Iowa’s got going for it. That and people who can put away beer like nobody’s bidness. Well, there is that weird noise U of Iowa fans make whenever the Hawkeyes score a touchdown.
More local Baltimore goodness:
We got a bushel of crabs Sunday and in addition to eating them, I picked a lot of the meat out of them and saved it. I was very careful while picking, and made sure I got big lumps of crabmeat.
I made homemade cream of crab soup, and now have two large Tupperware bowls of crabby soup (one in the freezer, one in the fridge) .
Mmmm, mmm, good!
Double points if she’s strong enough to carry me home from the bar if I’ve had to many beers. 
What fun!