Shiner beer isn’t often found outside of Texas.
I’d miss Tex Mex food.
I replied Boudin to this thread yesterday, but apparently one word posts aren’t accepted and I failed to notice so
BOUDIN, BOUDIN, BOUDIN
So true. At all the colleges I’ve visited so far, I ask if there’s a good bagel place in the area. Sometimes, people look at me oddly but if they’re from NY/NJ or certain parts of Pennsylvania they know exactly what I’m talking about.
Good white pizza is hard to find, and I firmly believe that NY has the best pizza in the U.S.
Italian bread fresh from a bakery in the Bronx? It doesn’t compare to fresh from the panetteria, but it’s the best we’ve got.
And finally, I’m skeptical of knishes from non-Jewish delis, of which I think NY has the best.
I think it would be hard to find a baked potato topped with shredded brisket and BBQ sauce outside of Texas.
Good bagels, soft pretzels, cheesesteaks, and, of course, Tastykakes. The first three they claim to have outside of Philly, but they speak lies.
Pygmy Rugger, I know exactly what you mean - I’m going back to school in Santa Fe come January, and can’t wait to dig into anything with some decent green chile. Nothing in the world is as good.
Canfield’s diet 50/50. I’m fairly addicted to it.
Mitchell’s ice cream–a very local (made in town) and excellent ice cream.
Lebanon bologna, which is only made in Lebanon, PA.
Wilbur Chocolate, hard to get unless you mail-order. The factory is about an hour away, and I’ve never seen it sold other than as an ingredient. The do make candy bars and such, but I’ve never seen it sold anywhere other than the factory.
Ring bologna, the best comes from Berks County. There is the variant Hot Bologna, which is ring bologna pickled with red pepper flakes. You can have my share.
Coal candy. Never actually ate the stuff, but it really does look like coal.
I understand Mallow Cups are hard to find elsewhere.
Club Sandwiches, which are actually candy, and not stacks of lunch. And they are delicious!
Hot bacon dressing, which is definitely best if you make your own (not sure if this is common anywhere else in the world). Best served over iceberg lettuce next to a bowl of PA-Dutch-style chicken potpie (no crust on that stuff!).
Does anyone else eat scrapple? I think it’s foul, but it’s pretty popular here.
When my brother lived in Idaho, I had to mail Utz brand potato chips to him. Apparently, he couldn’t find an acceptable POTATO chip in IDAHO. He’s not well, I’m sure.
I’ve shipped Tastykakes all over the country for people.
Long johns. It’s a donut-shop thing. I’ve never seen one outside this area.
Mmmmmmmmm…home food!
Oh yeah, and fried peach pies from The Varsity. They taste just like the ones my ancient grandmother used to make from scratch and fry in her even more ancient iron skillet on her also-ancient wood cookstove.
Outside of The Varsity in Atlanta and Sprayberry’s Barbecue down in Newnan, GA, I don’t know of any place that still makes them.
(These are basically the original, and much tastier, forebear of the Hostess fruit pie. Anyone else know of someplace the home-style variety can still be found?)
Cheese Curds, especially of the fried variety…
Poutine is pretty hard to get outside Quebec and its immediate vicinity, not that I’ve suffered any great longing for it; but I have never met a non-North American who is familiar with the concept of actual maple syrup.
Man I’m gonna miss that stuff! Fried Lebanon bologna sammiches. Cold with butter and cheese. I’ll have to get it shipped I guess.
Others:
Hogmaw
decent pizza
Slippery Beef Pot Pie
cheesesteaks
Koegel hot dogs and coney sauce from Angelo’s
Springfield’s local dish, called the Horseshoe.
Once you get past the suburbs, few people have even heard of them.
Hot chicken. Specifically, Prince’s Hot Chicken, hot-hot on two slices of white bread, slaw and pickles on the side. My culinary goal in life is to make good hot chicken one day.