# Regional Food Names **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 30, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597 "2012-11-30T18:46:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/21 "2012-11-30T22:38:50Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > I’ve heard “American Chop Suey” around here, I think meaning elbow noodles, ground beef, and tomato sauce. That never had a particular name where I grew up. Seems to be a New England thing. I never heard of it til moving up here. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/22 "2012-11-30T22:58:28Z")
I don’t know how regional this is, but since moving to New Jersey donut vendors have given me strange looks when I’ve asked for a ‘‘cinnamon roll.’’ I guess they call them coffee rolls out here. And pizzas are called ‘‘pie.’’ ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/23 "2012-11-30T23:52:30Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Of course nothing varies like the names for submarine sandwiches. Subs, hoagies, heroes, grinders, wedges, combos, Dagwoods, Italians, torpedos, po’ boys, and it goes on. Sometimes like po’ boys the name has stretched far from it’s origins. Moving from Ohio to NYC, I had to learn to call them “heroes.” Then re-locating back to Ohio, I had to re-learn “subs.” But not as difficult as learning, then unlearning “merry/marry/Mary.” And how about soda/pop/soft drink/coke? ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/24 "2012-12-01T05:44:21Z")
Around the Smokies, regular milk is called sweet milk as opposed to buttermilk. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/25 "2012-12-01T06:12:40Z")
Gotta say, back in HS Jazz Ensemble the director gave us a song called “Big Al’s Italian Beef” We all snickered mightily, supposing a phallic reference. Even though my hometown (Madison, WI) is just two hours from Chicago, “Italian Beef” was completely unknown to me until I moved to Chicagoland. Having lived here for some years, I now know an “Italian Beef” as a delicacy, depending on where you get it from 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/26 "2012-12-01T15:54:45Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And how about soda/pop/soft drink/coke? Don’t forget “soda water”. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/27 "2012-12-01T17:45:36Z")
In some parts of the upper Midwest your sloppy joe is called a Maid-rite. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/28 "2012-12-01T17:46:29Z")
> [@Tethered\_Kite](#): > > In some parts of the upper Midwest your sloppy joe is called a Maid-rite. A sloppy joe and a Maid-Rite are different. Read my post above about loose meat sandwiches (which is a MaidRite and also called a tavern.) (Unless there is a pocket somewhere that uses the terms interchangeably. A Maid Rite is not cooked in a tomato based sauce. It’s usually not cooked in any type of sauce at all, though some will use a little broth or bouillon.) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/29 "2012-12-01T17:56:40Z")
To illustrate: [This is what I know as a Maid Rite, a tavern, or a loosemeat sandwich.](http://mediacrit.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/maid-rite.jpg) [This is what I know as a "sloppy joe](http://drmommyonline.com/hub/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/sloppyjoe.jpg). One has sauce, the other doesn’t. I really like sloppy joes. I’m perplexed by the appeal of Maid Rites. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/30 "2012-12-01T17:57:51Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > A sloppy joe and a Maid-Rite are different. Read my post above about loose meat sandwiches (which is a MaidRite and also called a tavern.) > > (Unless there is a pocket somewhere that uses the terms interchangeably. A Maid Rite is not cooked in a tomato based sauce. It’s usually not cooked in any type of sauce at all, though some will use a little broth or bouillon.) Yes, we’ve had this discussion before. Hah. In towns around where the Maid-rite franchises were run people don’t seem very discriminating about the label. The only one I don’t use is “loose meat.” That image just. . . ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/31 "2012-12-01T18:01:09Z")
> [@Tethered\_Kite](#): > > The only one I don’t use is “loose meat.” That image just. . . … does describe exactly what the sandwich is. That said, a sloppy joe ain’t prettier, and sounds like it should be a term like “dirty Sanchez” and “Cleveland steamer.” ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/32 "2012-12-01T18:04:32Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > My family always calls it slumgulleon. > > StG Slumgullion is New England style clam chowder with shrimp added. > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > In Sheboygan, a sloppy joe is generally called a [_hot tamale_](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=553670). Curious. I have friends in the Winnebago area that call them “Spanish Hamburgers”. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/33 "2012-12-01T18:17:56Z")
Like **Polycarp** , we called the hamburger / tomato / macaroni dish goulash growing up in rural northern Indiana. We also called bell peppers _mangoes_ and sweet corn _roasting ears_. **Panache** , you can add _cold drink_ to your list of carbonated beverages. I don’t know if it’s just a Nashville area thing or not, but that’s what you’ll hear them called about 1/3 to 1/2 the time here. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/34 "2012-12-02T00:28:15Z")
> [@GameHat](#): > > Having lived here for some years, I now know an “Italian Beef” as a delicacy, depending on where you get it from 😉 What is it? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/35 "2012-12-02T00:34:44Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > What is it? Spice rubbed roast beef, usually top round or top sirloin, thinly sliced against the grain, dunked in a flavorful jus with Italian seasonings, served on a particular kind of bread roll, somewhat similar to a sub loaf. It is often served with roasted sweet peppers and/or giardiniera, a spicy blend of vegetables and peppers in vinegar and olive oil. The sandwich is often ordered “dipped” or “wet” in which it is quickly plunged in the jus. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/36 "2012-12-02T01:08:08Z")
> [@For You](#): > > Curious. I have friends in the Winnebago area that call them “Spanish Hamburgers”. Per Grandma Mercotan, folks are strange over there near that little lake. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/37 "2012-12-02T01:24:52Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And how about soda/pop/soft drink/coke? Knew a guy who actually called it “soda pop.” ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/38 "2012-12-02T01:28:23Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > Knew a guy who actually called it “soda pop.” Also “sody pop” and “sody water”. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/39 "2012-12-02T01:43:30Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > There are many types of kebab. You’re thinking of shish kebabs. Döner kebabs are basically the Turkish/Middle Eastern equivalent of a gyros. (And “gyros” is the singular like “kudos”, although it’s used intermittently here. We do say “yee-ros,” though, and not “jie-roe.” > > Let’s see. I learned yesterday that a “snag” is Aussie for sausage. I was taught by a Lebanese friend of mine that “Shish” was the style of cooking, and “Kebab” was the meat. If you made it with chicken, it would be Shish Tawook. I’m sure someone can comment here..am I remembering this correctly? -D/a ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597/40 "2012-12-02T02:12:15Z")
> [@missred](#): > > Like **Polycarp** , we called the hamburger / tomato / macaroni dish goulash growing up in rural northern Indiana. Add some cheese on top and it is Johnny Marzetti. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regional-food-names/642597.md?page=3)