Originally posted by JimJohnson Our primary residence is smack out in the middle of Lake Superior on Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. It is a 6 hour drive to Sault Ste. Marie, ON and about 8 hours around the Lake in the other direction to Thunder Bay, ON. My sister lives in the Detroit area, which of course is a skip over or under the Detroit River into Windsor, ON. (we don't wander through Sarnia very often).
The connection to this thread is we like to cross the border whenever there is an opportunity and hit the markets, provincial wine shop and the Beer Store. We always find something unique (to us in the States anyhow). This is going to sound crazy, but high on our list are jars of pitted green olives - without some kind of crap stuffed into the vacant center. They are nearly impossible to find at most U.S. grocers.
While European colonialism isn't exactly a desirable discussion these days, the world-wide assortment of goods via the British Commonwealth is great fun to sample.
My family mainly originated from the UK (from almost 400 years before to recent arrivals ) and settled both in the Eastern Seaboard states and Canada.
I still remember that in our kitchen we always had things like Robertson's Marmalade, smoked kippers, Worcestershire sauce, HP (Houses of Parliament) sauce, various English teas, digestive cookies, both plain and chocolate covered, Black or Blood pudding, haggis, Yorkshire puddings (mom made), scones etc.
I like pitted green olives too.
I had a girlfriend back in the early '70's and her father was from Poland and mother was from Hungary. Great food from there, turkey dinner, with gravy with mushrooms and small meatballs floating around, Kubasa, perogies cabbage rolls, borscht soup...all home made. I used to totter away from the table during Sunday dinners.
Had another girlfriend (not at the same time...I am a gentleman after all)
in those bygone days and her father was an avid hunter and game warden. Sunday dinners included various meats from black bear, elk, deer, moose, Canada Geese, wild ducks, etc. Now wild game doesn't necessarily always taste like chicken, but it is invariably excellent tasting.
And then of course, was my lovely wife. She and her mother can really cook up a storm. Wonderful food.
Geez, reading this stuff back, it almost seems like I was not just going out with different young ladies for reasons of romance, but also checking out how good the food and cooking happened to be. If nothing else, I'm thorough.
Just thinking of all this stuff, is making me hungry.