Have you ever thought about the types of cooking done in different areas of the country?

Well, I know that I didn’t think about it much. However, one day I was sitting and talking to my sister-in-law about a Thanksgiving dinner. She looked at me and said that I was raised ‘northern’. When I asked her what she meant, she explained about what a Texas Thanksgiving dinner at her house would have. You see, I like food; but, I don’t think about where the different customs come from, I just like food. She gave some lists.

her list;
Baked or fried turkey, cornbread dressing, brown beans, sweet potato pie, giblet gravy, fruit salad, pea salad, some Mexican dishes, ham,brisket,rolls, mashed white potatoes, assorted cakes

my list:
baked turkey, white bread stuffing, green beans, juice gravy-no giblets, mashed white potatoes, tossed iceberg lettuce salad, cranberry sauce or relish,pecan pie, mincemeat pie, pumpkin pie, white bread rolls,

There were some other things that she would fix; but, I can’t remember them right now.
I had never heard of grits or biscuits and gravy until I had traveled south in the USA. Then there are things like gumbo, shrimp `etuffee (not sure I spelled it right), red bone gravy, greens(not spinach), blackeyed peas, purple hull peas, poke salad, boudin…..

The lists go on and on. Isn’t it amazing that there can be such choice all within one country. It’s called regional cooking, and the differences from one area of the country to another are amazing. Growing up, BBQ was meat cooked in BBQ sauce. I have learned since that the meat is usually smoked and the sauce is served on the side later. The mind can boggle with all of the possibilities. Remember that the differences in types of cooking, go along with the differences in the people that go with it. I’m glad that people are NOT all alike, for we would be bored silly otherwise. The fact that food changes with the people is rather exceptional….that doesn’t even cover the cooking and the people in other countries.