Local food you would miss if you moved away

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Well nothing here but from my hometown I miss a LOT of local restaurants. Where I grew up we didn't (and still don't) have a lot of franchise restaurants, so everything was local mom & pop style food. Add to it being Caribbean cuisine, the fact that the fish is always fresh off the boat... man do I ever miss fresh blackened mahi-mahi or cracked conch.
Or a harvey's fish sandwich (sans tomato because I hate those things)... So many different awesome foods. Also there are at least 3 purely breakfast places that I miss eating at... and one of the best italian restaurants and pizza joints ever.... fuck.
Thanks. Now I miss my hometown and the food.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

Well nothing here but from my hometown I miss a LOT of local restaurants. Where I grew up we didn't (and still don't) have a lot of franchise restaurants, so everything was local mom & pop style food. Add to it being Caribbean cuisine, the fact that the fish is always fresh off the boat... man do I ever miss fresh blackened mahi-mahi or cracked conch.
Or a harvey's fish sandwich (sans tomato because I hate those things)... So many different awesome foods. Also there are at least 3 purely breakfast places that I miss eating at... and one of the best italian restaurants and pizza joints ever.... fuck.
Thanks. Now I miss my hometown and the food.

Every time I think of mahi-mahi now, I will never forget the guy who set himself on fire serving flaming mahi-mahi tableside at a local floating restaurant here. Someone opened the door and the flames blew right back at his hair and caught it on fire, then a cook came running out of the kitchen and tackled him with a wet towel on his head and was quite a ruckus. LOL

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Every time I think of mahi-mahi now, I will never forget the guy who set himself on fire serving flaming mahi-mahi tableside at a local floating restaurant here. Someone opened the door and the flames blew right back at his hair and caught it on fire, then a cook came running out of the kitchen and tackled him with a wet towel on his head and was quite a ruckus. LOL

Good thing the cook didn't grab one of the grease towels instead.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

Hey! OP! I am from your neck of the woods... Hell, I am in Norfolk living now and I already miss Clotted Cream like it's the end of the world. I bring it back with me when I visit my parents.

Ever had Thunder and Lightning? Clotted cream and golden syrup on toast....

Also, if I were away I would miss Pork Pies. As much as I like North America, it really annoys me that 'pie' doesn't instantly drum up the image of meat in pastry. And Melton Mowbry pork pies are the best type of pie there is! (Especially the flavoured ones!)

Oh... and Picked Eggs, HP Sauce, Crumpets and proper Fish and Chips from the chippy!

 

[Fractral]

Fish and Chips would be the biggest. Nothing quite like an English chippy; I have fond memories of eating battered cod and chips soaked in vinegar on the seashore. Also, English chinese food. I don't care that it bares very little resemblance to 'proper' chinese food; it's glorious and I love it.
More locally, since I moved to the north east it's become a lot easier to acquire my favorite alcoholic drink, Mead. I'm not sure how big it is elsewhere but in Yorkshire it's fairly popular. I always try and buy a supply for when I visit my parents.

 

[baddude1337]

Hey! OP! I am from your neck of the woods... Hell, I am in Norfolk living now and I already miss Clotted Cream like it's the end of the world. I bring it back with me when I visit my parents.

Ever had Thunder and Lightning? Clotted cream and golden syrup on toast....

Also, if I were away I would miss Pork Pies. As much as I like North America, it really annoys me that 'pie' doesn't instantly drum up the image of meat in pastry. And Melton Mowbry pork pies are the best type of pie there is! (Especially the flavoured ones!)

Oh... and Picked Eggs, HP Sauce, Crumpets and proper Fish and Chips from the chippy!

Are you a proper Cornwall local? I'm from Devon myself, so the usual Cornish treats spill over in most places.

Never had T&L, but sounds really unhealthy, and therefore delicious.

Yes, pies over here usually relates to a savoury one, just like biscuits over here mean actual biscuits, and not cookies/donuts etc.

I'd also greatly miss scotch eggs as a nice little snack.

All those I would also sorely miss, especially crumpets. Scones is also something I would miss, those do go nicely with clotted cream.

Also, English chinese food. I don't care that it bares very little resemblance to 'proper' chinese food; it's glorious and I love it.

I strongly agree, my local(ish) Chinese takeout is my favourite, and I have had a lot of Westernised Chinese food. There's also a Chinese restaurant in my town that does a cook to order all you can eat on a Sunday lunchtime, and do an amazing sizzling beef Cantonese dish.

 

[Hoplon]

Everything from Greggs that hasn't been infected with salad.

but Baffle there are dogs in need of a poop everywhere! ;D

I missed most not being able to buy weird things like Econa West Indian hot pepper sauce. Also tunnock's Caramel wafers.

 

[baddude1337]

I also completely forgot about the quintessential British food pub. There are many franchised pubs that I would miss (Spoons has gotten a lot better the past few years, Toby carvery for unlimited roast potatoes, and Marston's with their build a burger are great) but there are a few independent ones local to my area that do great meals that you wouldn't get quite the same anywhere else.

 

[Starik20X6]

I suppose it depends how far away. Just moving to some other decently populated area in Australia, the only thing I'm going to miss from where I am now is mum's homemade cooking. Oh, and the chip shop from the next town over- by far the best takeaway chips around.

Once I leave Australia? All hell breaks loose. No more sausage rolls or meat pies? No more Arnott's Biscuits? No more Kraft Cheddar cheese? Smith's and Kettle chips? Twisties? I'd rather lose my legs than lose access to all that goodness.

EDIT: How the hell did I forget: VEGEMITE! Gotta love that bitter black paste of deliciousness.

 

[Azure23]

Well I live in New Orleans about five minutes from the famous Jacques-Imo's cafe, so I'd probably miss aligator and shrimp sausage cheesecake the most. But pretty much everything they serve there is excellent.

http://www.urbanspoon.com/rph/57/620959/574201/new-orleans-jacques-imo-s-cafe-alligator-cheesecake-photo#

 

[Jesus McChrist]

I hate living in Cleveland, but there are a lot of places I'll miss when I get fed up enough to move. Melt Bar and Grilled will be at the top of the list. The place is "gourmet" grilled cheese, the idea alone was enough to get my interest. With an excellent regular menu, some "of the day" items that I end up wishing were regulars, and a monthly sandwich that only returns the next year if you're lucky, there's always something to suit you. You know, as long as you want grilled cheese.

 

[chromatic fairytale]

Pizza.

What's that, there's many pizza places out there? No, that is not pizza. That's imitation pizza. The only real pizza is in New York.

This, to the letter!
I'm also shamefully obsessed with Applebee's, so if I went anywhere that didn't have it I'd be pretty sad. I hardly ever go, but... That appetizer sampler tho.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

I would miss Black Pudding and Mince Pies. When i visited Florida they never sold those.

 

[Xeros]

Can't get a good Philly cheesesteak anywhere except Philly. One of those smothered in whichever condiment I'm craving is a treat I just can't go without.

 

[Eddie the head]

I can't think of much. I know fry sauce isn't a thing on the east cost or the south, but I don't like condiments so I don't care about that. Beef Jerky is nice but if I needed to leave the states I could deal. When I comes down to it I don't have a complicated palate.

A Full English. I hear tell that American bacon is basically just stringy bits of fat. And proper pie. Shepherd's, Cottage, Steak and Kidney, Meat and Potato - none of them are right once you leave the North. Also the Barnsley Chop. Oh my god and Yorkshire Puddings. And Fish and Chips. You know I went on holiday to France three times for a collective total of 7 weeks and didn't see a single Chippy? Nor did I see Fish and Chips served in any restaurants.

Mostly the full English, though. I literally cannot think of a better meal than a nice, greasy Fry Up.

Oh yeah, and Pasties.

This has very little to do with what you said, but can I just comment that it's really odd that in the U.S we still call it fish and chips despite normally calling chips fries. Fish 'n fries there's alliteration there come on people! Whatever.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

oof that is a bit tough..I'm not sure why, but my city is literally booming with food joints, you can't go a square mile without running into 3-6 different restaraunts (1 or 2 out of the 6 are fast food sometimes, but otherwise it's sit down or carry out type places)

if I had to pick one that is *somewhat* local though, I'd say valentinoes purely for their breadsticks..sweet jesus, I've literally ate 16 breadsticks in one sitting from them before because they were just so fucking good (yes yes, that's alot of bread and I about died pooping that out the next day, but it was worth it.).

There are plenty of other local places that I don't care for but I know that many would die for if it meant keeping it open. (One of my friends used to work at runza, and he'd have people come in and literally order 200 runza sandwiches to go so they could take them home and stick them in the freezer until they came back to nebraska again.)

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

Pizza.

What's that, there's many pizza places out there? No, that is not pizza. That's imitation pizza. The only real pizza is in New York.

Fellow New Yorker here chiming to say this poster spouts sooth like you wouldn't believe.

Also, maple syrup based anything like snow toffee.

Making it somewhere else just isn't the same as tapping my neighbour's tree (he's ok with it) and boiling it myself.

Living in montreal for two years (2004-2006), I went to the snow festival twice. Those things almost made me lose fillings.

I'm not sure if this is really a local food but I've never seen it in the states... Maple Ice Cream. My ex at the time forced me to try it in Eaton Centre one time. It sounded absolutely horrible to me.

To this day, No ice cream has ever tasted as good.

 

[Godhead]

2 weeks away from Tucson, and I already miss my 24 hour access to chimichangas and Sonoran Dogs. The lack of a proper breakfast diner, real mexican food and chicago style pizza joint(no more 40 cent wing night for me) is also hurting my soul.

Edit: On the flip side, whenever I leave Virginia I start to miss that sweet, sweet barbecue and close access to crab cakes

 

[Zontar]

Living in montreal for two years (2004-2006), I went to the snow festival twice. Those things almost made me lose fillings.

I'm not sure if this is really a local food but I've never seen it in the states... Maple Ice Cream. My ex at the time forced me to try it in Eaton Centre one time. It sounded absolutely horrible to me.

To this day, No ice cream has ever tasted as good.

They are indeed a local thing, and boy do I love them. Make my own since I tap some trees myself for personal use. Home made syrup with pancakes made from scratch is the greatest breakfast there is.

 

[EvilRoy]

snip

I would have mention poutine, but Canada is so damn big you lose out on some of the local delicacies if you just go for the big one. unlike donairs I usually cannot pass one of those up. though it's hard to get the proper Montreal style cheese curds out here.

You know what I found out the other day? Nanaimo bars are a Canada only kind of thing.

As much as I would miss real maple syrup and poutine, I'm pretty sure I could come up with the stuff to fake them in other countries. Nanaimo bars are something I'm certain I couldn't replicate properly. I don't even eat them that often because they're basically diabetes in solid form, but not having the option would be the worst.