[Patty55]

Originally Posted by mikeod

Serious question. Is this a Northeast thing? I had several college friends from the Northeastern US who, for various reasons, found themselves in other parts of the country. When talking to them, I was baffled by their comments about food, housing, manners, and other regional differences. In their minds, if it was not done like they were used to growing up, it wasn't different, it was WRONG.

I've moved around a bit, and I've travelled throughout the country and it never occurred to me that regional differences were wrong, just different. I remember reading that Pizza Hut altered its sauce recipe in different parts of the country to account for regional preferences. I know that the Mexican food I enjoyed in San Diego is different from what I tasted in San Antonio. In all my years in SoCal, I don't remember people being so upset about regional differences.

You are absolutely right. I'm from Long Island, ask a Long Islander where they're from and they'll say "THE Island", New York City is "THE City"-LOL. THE City and THE Island have some great restaurants, they also have some terrible ones.

In this case, what makes different WRONG is that the restaurants here talk the talk and don't walk the walk. Everyone wants to capture the NYMA market, few have a clue what NY Italian food even tastes like. I think that if this restaurant was called KCPD the expectations would be different. On the other hand, at least they didn't call it NYFD-everyone knows that the FD are the cooks-LOL.

I really do wish there were more regional restaurants here, I don't even know what regional food from here is. I would like some good southern cooking, the kind of food people eat at home.

I have found that with Italian food Giovanni's and Toscani's "Get It". If you're specific about what you want they do it. Never had pizza from Giovanni's but seafood/linguine was very good. Toscani's almost always have broccoli rabe.

NYPD? It is what it is. The same way I tell McDonalds "no mustard" you have to ask for what you want.