FC/OT: Franklin ranks Pennsylvania foods…

saturdaysarebetter

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Which is also how I eat my original (not sweet) Lebanon Bologna sandwich
Seltzer's Lebanon bologna is da bomb. I miss that stuff not living in central PA and I avoid meats now. We would make a trip on the weekends from Enola to Lancaster and bring back a bag of that along with bags of Sturgis pretzels from Lititz. I'm not a fan of cream cheese but in between Lebanon bologna, mmmmmmm.

I've never had scrapple.
 
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PSU87

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Different water, we’re aware down here.

It’s rare to find any bagels, pizza or pasta worth eating in the south. I’ve tried. So one day I’m in a Jewish deli in Cary, NC and I’m eating a bagel thinking damn this is good. I ask the waitress about the bagel and she says “we fly them in every other day. The owner used to have NYC water delivered but got tired of making bagels.”

On the flip side, NC bbq appears to be impossible to duplicate up north, plus nobody knows what I’m talking about when I order a chopped platter with greens. So there’s that.
Honestly, the "water" thing is a bit of a myth. Jeff Varasano is making some incredibly good pizza in Atlanta. He will explain the "water" thing to you if you have the time. I've had the pleasure of talking to him, and I have some of his sourdough starter.

The reason why vast swaths of the south have poor pizza and bagels is there simply aren't enough northern transplants. Once an area gets enough transplanted Yankees, the pizza and bagels get better.:cool:
 
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psuro

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Because "hoagie" has been appropriated to include other sandwiches like "tuna hoagie" or "roast beef hoagie" but a true hoagie is a fairly specific combination of meats...cappicola, sopresseta or genoa salami, prosciutto if you're feelin' froggy, American or provolone cheese.
it's gabba gool...not cappicola.

New Girl Facepalm GIF by HULU
 

ApexLion

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Honestly, the "water" thing is a bit of a myth. Jeff Varasano is making some incredibly good pizza in Atlanta. He will explain the "water" thing to you if you have the time. I've had the pleasure of talking to him, and I have some of his sourdough starter.

The reason why vast swaths of the south have poor pizza and bagels is there simply aren't enough northern transplants. Once an area gets enough transplanted Yankees, the pizza and bagels get better.:cool:
I live in the Triangle - the epicenter of northern migrants. We can’t fit any more Yankees. Seriously. Italian is horrendous. Bread is awful.
 

PSU87

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I live in the Triangle - the epicenter of northern migrants. We can’t fit any more Yankees. Seriously. Italian is horrendous. Bread is awful.
Bread....interesting.
I consider myself sort of an expert, and bake my own because good bread is honestly hard to find damn near anywhere these days.

I worked for a French company for a bit, and spent some time in Paris. The wife of one of our PMs was a trained French baker. She said that even in France, there's a trend towards laziness in bread baking, and finding truly good bread is getting harder and harder even there. Too many places making yeasted baguettes with machines, and told me ask for a "baguette tradition" if you want an actually decent baguette.

I honestly think it's more a sign of the times than any one particular area of the globe....Research Triangle included.

The bakery in my hometown in PA is long defunct, so good bread "back home" may not be what you once remembered.
 

Anon1683841811

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Bread....interesting.
I consider myself sort of an expert, and bake my own because good bread is honestly hard to find damn near anywhere these days.

I worked for a French company for a bit, and spent some time in Paris. The wife of one of our PMs was a trained French baker. She said that even in France, there's a trend towards laziness in bread baking, and finding truly good bread is getting harder and harder even there. Too many places making yeasted baguettes with machines, and told me ask for a "baguette tradition" if you want an actually decent baguette.

I honestly think it's more a sign of the times than any one particular area of the globe....Research Triangle included.

The bakery in my hometown in PA is long defunct, so good bread "back home" may not be what you once remembered.
I live near Longwood Gardens outside of Kennett Square. There is a French woman who bakes bread in her house just on the outskirts of the gardens. When she has bread available to sell she puts a French flag out on her porch. It’s fantastic.
 

bbrown

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I live near Longwood Gardens outside of Kennett Square. There is a French woman who bakes bread in her house just on the outskirts of the gardens. When she has bread available to sell she puts a French flag out on her porch. It’s fantastic.
That is an awesome area. I love Longwood Gardens and Chads Ford area.
 

PSU_Lions_84

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I live in the Triangle - the epicenter of northern migrants. We can’t fit any more Yankees. Seriously. Italian is horrendous. Bread is awful.

There is even a whole city in the Research Triangle area dedicated to northern migrants: Cary. Stands for "Containment Area for Relocated Yankees."
 
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PSUJam

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The only upside to BWW is all the flavor choices. The wings themselves are average at best. So many better local wing places in your general area than chain restaurants.
They are garbage. Straight garbage.
 

PSUJam

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Hard disagree - I've lived all along the east coast of the US, Germany, and Japan, and Pennsylvania has one of the best, most distinct food cultures I've ever seen. Not only do they get the best of the early Eastern European/Irish/Italian immigrants, but also a lot of Southern United States influenced cuisine by way of northern migration in search of work. My grandmother was from Kentucky but lived/worked most her life in Western PA. Breakfasts were stacks of fried eggs, fried potatoes, fried apples, crispy as f*ck bacon, sausage gravy, and chocolate gravy and biscuits (when you're 10 you don't know about cholesterol). Any local fire hall or church will have Sunday dinners of fried chicken, spaghetti and meatballs, pierogies/Polish sausage, hot sausage, and massive fish sandwiches. Living in VA, you have to drive days to find a good pizza place; in Bucks Co., you can throw a rock and hit a place that not only has great pizza, but hoagie's, pasta, roast pork sandwiches, etc. Not to mention all the diners and amazing Jewish deli's. Again, you cannot find a good let alone great Jewish (or otherwise) deli in the DMV.

Then you have the Pennsylvania Dutch/Amish stuff in the middle of the state. Wasteland? Not seeing it.
My grandmother was an OG that made pierogies with other women for the church sale in North Scranton. You can't get that shît anywhere else on the planet.
 

LionsAndBears

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Eastern PA guy here and I agree with CJF with 1 exception. I hate scrapple.

PS I was excited to try Primanti Brothers when they opened in SC but I was hugely disappointed. I wanted it to be good but it just wasn't. That sandwich is like something a small child puts together when they try to make their parent a sandwich.
 

Woodpecker

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Bread....interesting.
I consider myself sort of an expert, and bake my own because good bread is honestly hard to find damn near anywhere these days.

I worked for a French company for a bit, and spent some time in Paris. The wife of one of our PMs was a trained French baker. She said that even in France, there's a trend towards laziness in bread baking, and finding truly good bread is getting harder and harder even there. Too many places making yeasted baguettes with machines, and told me ask for a "baguette tradition" if you want an actually decent baguette.

I honestly think it's more a sign of the times than any one particular area of the globe....Research Triangle included.

The bakery in my hometown in PA is long defunct, so good bread "back home" may not be what you once remembered.
I feel your pain
 

LionJim

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Oct 12, 2021
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1. Cheesesteak

2. Primanti Sandwich

3. Hoagie

4. Soft pretzel

5. Barf. I mean scrapple.
I was so disappointed when I first tried scrapple. I enjoy eating just about everything and was real psyched about trying scrapple for the first time. One bite and I thought I was gonna die.
 
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ApexLion

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Bread....interesting.
I consider myself sort of an expert, and bake my own because good bread is honestly hard to find damn near anywhere these days.

I worked for a French company for a bit, and spent some time in Paris. The wife of one of our PMs was a trained French baker. She said that even in France, there's a trend towards laziness in bread baking, and finding truly good bread is getting harder and harder even there. Too many places making yeasted baguettes with machines, and told me ask for a "baguette tradition" if you want an actually decent baguette.

I honestly think it's more a sign of the times than any one particular area of the globe....Research Triangle included.

The bakery in my hometown in PA is long defunct, so good bread "back home" may not be what you once remembered.
Do you have many bread making leather bound books?
 
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LionJim

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You just never had it prepared the “right” way. We could have given you the Lot 34 scrapple experience last year! 😂😂😂😂
I’ve wondered about this. Honestly, I’m game to try any food but the scrapple I tried tasted like fried cow turd.
 

Moogy

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I’ve wondered about this. Honestly, I’m game to try any food but the scrapple I tried tasted like fried cow turd.

Don't beat yourself up over it ... I'm usually of the "everyone has their own tastes" camp, and am definitely NOT a food/beverage snob, but scrapple is one of those food products where you can accurately judge people based on their affinity for it. Kinda like moonshine. Or driving a Camaro. Or having a mullet. In fact, a dude with a mullet, driving a Camaro to a location to eat some scrapple and down it with some moonshine ... well, that's one of the Four Horseman of the white trash apocalypse.
 

LionJim

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Don't beat yourself up over it ... I'm usually of the "everyone has their own tastes" camp, and am definitely NOT a food/beverage snob, but scrapple is one of those food products where you can accurately judge people based on their affinity for it. Kinda like moonshine. Or driving a Camaro. Or having a mullet. In fact, a dude with a mullet, driving a Camaro to a location to eat some scrapple and down it with some moonshine ... well, that's one of the Four Horseman of the white trash apocalypse.
Dang, that’s some Olympic gold medal snark.
 
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Karl_Havok

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I was so disappointed when I first tried scrapple. I enjoy eating just about everything and was real psyched about trying scrapple for the first time. One bite and I thought I was gonna die.

CJF is correct in that if you didn’t grow up eating it you won’t like it. I’m from western Pa and I tried it maybe 10-15 years ago and I am like the least picky eater and I was like “no thanks.”
 
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Karl_Havok

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This is my take too. I absolutely love Primanti Bros. but even as a born and bred true blue Beaver Countian, the Philly cheesesteak is maybe the best sandwich ever - certainly in America.

I am from western Pa so I grew up eating Primanti sandwiches and I still put a cheesesteak ahead. I love me a Primanti sandwich and they are putting one in like 3 miles from me in Harrisburg. I am excited.
 
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DaytonRickster

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CJF is correct in that if you didn’t grow up eating it you won’t like it. I’m from western Pa and I tried it maybe 10-15 years ago and I am like the least picky eater and I was like “no thanks.”
Yes, I grew up eating it and like it but most people outside of SE PA, DE and some in Souh Jersey dislike it.
 

LB99

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Oct 27, 2021
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1) Cheesesteaks
2) Roast Pork with broccoli rabe sandwich
3) Hoagie

I’m having trouble coming up with much else. Not a fan of Primanti bros, soft pretzels or scrapple (snouts and a**holes).
 
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