Signs: Regionalisms

Quick! What do you call a sandwich on a long roll filled with meat, cheese, veggies, and condiments?

If you said sub, grinder, hero, or one of the other regional names for such a sandwich, you're not from around these parts. It's called a hoagie in Philly, and I'm not from around these parts. I'm sure you can find past posts where I've flung around the word sub -- what I used to call these sandwiches.

It's funny how regionalisms rub off on you, whether you like it or not. Having lived in Southeastern Pennsylvania and Northern Delaware for the past six years, I now say hoagie instead of sub almost instinctively. This adjustment and change I don't mind so much.

I do wince when I say you guys instead of y'all, though. When I'm being proper and having a formal conversation with someone (work, meeting someone new), I say "you guys" about half of the time. "How are you guys doing?"

When I'm inebriated, excited, mad, or just plain comfortable, I fling y'all all over the place. I get a little accent, too, that entertains others. "How y'all doin'?"

As far as food regionalisms go, I'm in the soda camp (soda, pop, or coke). To me, soda means any carbonated, sugared beverage. Coke means any cola-flavored, carbonated, sugared beverage, be it a Pepsi, RC, or whatever. Not no ever, no way in hell, huh-uh would I ever use the word pop, though.

For the record, I say caramel, carra-mel (three syllables); and pecan, PEE-can.

What other food regionalisms can you think of? Has living in a different region of the US affected your speech?

Orbit Raspberry Mint Gum

I'm a big fan of raspberries. That fruity bite that only raspberries can give is just awesome. I even like the seeds.

This flavor of Orbit, while lacking that real raspberry bite, is pretty good. I remember liking it more in the past than I did this time around, but this is another fruit/mint fusion gum. The flavor is understated, but that's probably good, because going into Blue Raspberry Blow Pop territory would just be too much.

The texture is good; I didn't have any complaints about it being too hard or too soft. The flavor hung around a pretty long time, which is typical of Orbit, but it did lose its flavor before my jaw started to get tired from chewing.

This one might just barely make the top 5. Maybe it's number 6. I'll have to think about it.

A

Orbit Website

Orbit Citrusmint Gum

I have a confession - I have now tried all 16 available flavors of Orbit. Soon, I will rank them. But first, I want to review some of my forgotten favorites, like Citrusmint.

This is probably where my taste for fruity/minty gum came from. Orbit Citrusmint. It doesn't get much better for me (although this is not my #1 Orbit gum), but if you're not into the fruit/mint combo, stay away.

It has a nice juicy start, then loses its initial juiciness, but the flavor does return and I found myself getting sick of chewing gum before the flavor disappeared. It tastes like a sweet orange juice with just a hint of lemon and maybe a little grapefruit, and it kind of reminds me of that canned Donald Duck juice I used to drink when I was younger. The mint isn't too strong here, it's more of a mild cooling sensation.

The texture is good, maybe a little too firm, but not unpleasant. I think Orbit gum can be a little inconsistent from piece to piece, some being harder than others (although I've only had the weird softness with the Pomegranate). All in all, a great gum. Definitely top 5.

A

Orbit Website

Utage

This post on Utage, Delaware's first Japanese restaurant to serve sushi (1986!!), comes at either just the right time, or the worst time, depending on how you look at it.

Utage's last day of business is August 30. They plan to reopen at a different, undecided location sometime in the future.

So, this post is either a reminder to get your butt down there pronto for your last Utage fix (for a while), or this post will just taunt you with what you missed or will miss for some time.

I believe Utage was the second restaurant I dined at in Wilmington. Tucked in the corner of a strip mall bizarrely designed to look like Independence Hall (wrong city and state!) sits Wilmington's sushi forefather. Utage is a classic, sit-down Japanese restaurant with a small sushi bar and tables filled with diners who look like your parents -- not an after hours meat market like Wilmington's other favorite sushi restaurant. You go to Utage to eat, not to be seen. I hope Utage keeps their new digs that way.I started with miso soup. I know some people are picky about miso soup, but either I am not picky, or I have only had good miso soup. Utage's miso soup was just fine.Next up was a house special salad of two kinds of seaweed, daikon sprouts, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and vinegar dressing. Tangy and refreshing.I ordered the veggie sushi combo: oshinko roll, kappa roll, kanpyo roll, avocado nigiri, marinated mushroom gunkan-maki, cucumber nigiri, and sliced inari nigiri. I love to see the unexpected in veggie sushi, but Utage sticks with the classics. The sweet teriyaki marinated mushroom gunkan-maki is my favorite at Utage. My partner ordered kitsune soba, a big bowl full of soba noodles swimming in the most delicious, mildly sweet, and salty broth, topped with sweet fried tofu. I've never had this dish at Utage, and I fell in love with it. The broth is sublime. I would order the dish with fat udon noodles next time, though, simply because I like udon better than soba.

So, there you have it. Get on down there. Fast-like.

Utage
1601 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE 19803 (for now)
302-652-1230

Baba Ganoush

It's eggplant season! How about some baba ganoush?

But first, let me warn you that there are going to be two camps with this recipe: you either love mayonnaise and are open-minded; or you hate mayonnaise and are going to call foul. Either way is cool, 'cause I love mayonnaise and am open-minded enough to accept mayonnaise-haters and nay-sayers.

If you haven't guessed already, there's mayonnaise in this baba ganoush recipe. Why would I do such a thing? Because I can suck down a tub of Sabra baba ganoush through pita straws faster than you can say falafel with all the works.Sabra's baba ganough is creamy, tangy, slightly sweet, and has no trace of bitterness from tahini which is usually in this Mediterranean roasted eggplant dip (tahini is my friend, but not my bff). I turned Sabra's container around to read the ingredients, and, who'd a thunk it, there's mayonnaise in there! No wonder I love the stuff.

You either like Sabra's or you don't; like tahini, or you don't; like mayonnaise or you dont. Such is life.

Going straight from Sabra's ingredient list (minus those weird words that don't reside in my kitchen), I tried to recreate Sabra's baba ganoush. Pretty close! Baba Ganoush

2 large Italian eggplants
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/2 -3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

• Half eggplants lengthwise, place cut side down on an oiled baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes in a preheated 375 degree oven. Cool until can be handled. Scrape out pulp from skin, and drain pulp in a colander for 10 minutes.
• Add eggplant pulp, garlic, mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in food processor, and pulse a few times until blended. Transfer to a bowl, and serve.
• Note - if using a mayonnaise with sugar in the ingredients, cut back or omit the sugar in the recipe.
  

Black Lab Breads

A visit to Black Lab Breads in Wilmington a few weeks ago to scout out buns for the Philly food blogger picnic reminded me of how good fresh baked bread is. Very good!

I was looking for a bun suitable for burgers, but did not want to buy the generic buns you find in grocery stores. I had heard good things about Black Lab, so made my first trip to the small bakery on Union St. in Little Italy.

The selection of breads behind the counter looked scrumptious, but nothing was suitable for burgers. I was told they had a rosemary, parsley, and black pepper brioche they bake on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday that would fit the bill (my first visit was on Wednesday). So, when you go, note that the baked goods change daily.Bright and early Friday I was back to sample the brioche. Light and buttery with faint herbal flavors and a slightly stronger black pepper bite, I went into a daze of delight, and told them I'd take four dozen. Also, a dozen chewy ciabatta rolls for vegan carb loaders.

One snag -- if you want large quantities, you need to give them 48-hours advance notice so they can bake it specially for you. No prob. I was ahead of the game, so put in my order to be picked up on Sunday.

I also picked up a multi-grain sliced loaf for my work week lunches. Did I mention that fresh baked bread is awesome!The following week I did something I never do. I took a lunch break. And drove to Black Lab, and ate a slice of the lightest, freshest, eggplant and plum tomato topped focaccia I've ever had. It was $1.50! That's cheaper than most crappy slices of NY style pizza. Eggplant not your thing? They have other varieties to choose from.

Black Lab also has a small selection of pastries. Can you believe I didn't try any? Self control. I have it. But don't worry little pastries, I'll be back to eat you. My self control is fleeting.

Black Lab Breads
812 N. Union St., Wilmington, DE 19805
302-658-1307
Wed.-Sat., 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sun., 8 a.m.-2 p.m.; closed Mon. & Tues.

Reese's S'mores

So this isn't really a real review, but I just wanted to share some classic summer eating. Before last weekend, I couldn't remember the last time I had s'mores, but it's been a while. I don't like marshmallows much, so I tend to avoid them. But every once in a while during the summer, I get the urge.

It had never occurred to me to put things other than chocolate bars into s'mores, but whoever thought of putting Reese's cups in them is my hero. The pictured s'more was delicious. My craving has been satisfied for this year.