Strange foreign food.

[tabbyblack13]

The town I live in AZ has both sweetened and unsweetened. I think that it is due to the amount of people out of state that live there. I am originally from MN and all ice tea there is unsweetened.

[muses_nightmare]

See in Canada (at least BC, but I'm fairly sure the rest of canada is similar, correct me if I'm wrong) when you ask for iced tea, you get sweet tea, anything else is usually a specialty drink or something. I think the difference is really that Iced tea here is really just another pop (soft drink), and from what I've heard in the US it's more like Iced coffee.

[AdminAssistant]

Err...kinda?

Now tea that comes from a soft drink machine...ew. The way I make my sweet tea is to steep some tea, just as you would make hot tea (except I use 4 small tea bags). In a pitcher, I stir up some water with sugar. Add the tea to the sugar water, fill the pitcher up with water, serve over ice. Voila - sweet tea. The only difference with restaurants is I think most just use a syurp instead of sugar. I've tried using a tea maker, which I use when I make just unsweetened tea, but the sugar just doesn't dissolve as well, I don't think.

[Seshat]

Iced tea recipe in my house:

Insert tea leaves (or herbal tea mix) into one part of my tea-making jug. (It has holes to let water through, but too small to let most of the leaves through.)

Insert boiling water into jug, until it just covers the leaves.

Wait until water cools.

Take out tea leaves, tip into compost bin.

Fill jug with cold water. Add ice if desired.

Serve.

[Daskinor]

Here in Maryland, USA we have 'Old Bay.' It is a spice mixture made from red pepper, cinnamon, ginger, mustard seed, celery salt, and bay leaves. Along with a bunch of other spices I cant remember.

Unfortunately for visitors to our fair state. If its eaten at a BBQ or comes out of the Chesapeake bay. We pour crap-loads on the food. Crabs will come out of the steamer with the stuff caked on. We put it on meat, french fries, corn, shrimp, anything with ketchup, and much more.

Now this mixture of spice is powerful, it will overload your taste buds if your not used to it. And your hands will smell like it for well over a day, no matter how well you wash.

[rdp78]

Well, I like pb&j (I prefer jam over jelly) sandwiches and pb& banana sandwiches with mayo on the banana side, of course. After finding out that what other culturals consider jelly is which Americans would consider Jello, I guess that would sound werid plus very hard to make.

Anyway I am surprise my fellow Southerners haven't mention okra which is a vegetable and is quite often fried. My mom puts it with a tomato dish and even in soups/stews. It is also popular in other parts of world mainly the Mideast and Africa as well as the Orient so I am sure people in other parts of the world are familiar with it.

About ice tea, I like it sweet and that's what I usually ordered when I eat out (well, sometimes I might have a flavor one if its available). When I'm making tea at home I like to sweeten it with honey and add some lemon/lime juice to it if it doesn't have any flavor. I also drink green tea quite a lot which I only have started drinking for few years. I also have tried white tea which I only had a few times.

Also my brother has tried some sushi that I wouldn't eat if it was cooked. Now the closest thing I had was California rolls which doesn't have raw fish but crab meat.

[IDrinkaRum]

rdp78 - I'm going to have to try the pb & banana with the mayo on the banana side! That sounds delicious! (Do you put the mayo on the bread and then the bananas?)

I like to eat the avocado rolls that some places that serve sushi also make. For those who don't like avocados, then it's an odd food. (My husband thinks I'm weird because I eat it).

[rdp78]

rdp78 - I'm going to have to try the pb & banana with the mayo on the banana side! That sounds delicious! (Do you put the mayo on the bread and then the bananas?)

Well, I haven't had it in while but I do remember puting bananas on the pb side and then put the bread with mayo on top (I might have the bananas on the mayo side but I think this way is easier). I also like pb on bagels with cream cheese (there are a few ways to do it but I prefer the cc on two bagel halves and then the pb on both) and sometimes put bananas on it too. I've even mixed pb and cc together a few times. I also like pb on my waffles, pancakes and French toast with the maple syrup (yes, sometimes bananas with it). I also like to substutite pb with apple butter (I buy it in the store but sometimes you can find it locally made in my area).

[Rubystars]

Pork in sweet sauces can be really good.

Grits are made from hominy, and I really like them with either butter or cheese mixed in, with a side of bacon.

Fried chicken livers are awesome too.

One dish people haven't mentioned yet here is chicken fried steak.

[lordlundar]

One dish people haven't mentioned yet here is chicken fried steak.

It think the reason on this one is that it's actually a pretty common dish in a number of regions, but the name of the dish is different.

[Rubystars]

It think the reason on this one is that it's actually a pretty common dish in a number of regions, but the name of the dish is different.

What is it called elsewhere?

[lordlundar]

It's all derivative of a means of cooking a cube steak. In just the US:

North Carolina calls it Country fried Steak
Maryland calls it Salisbury Steak
Minnesota calls it Swiss Steak
etc...

All the same dish. A cube steak dredged in a flour or seasoned flour mix, lightly fried and covered with a brown, gravy-like sauce.

And why is it also called chicken fried steak? Not because there is chicken in it, but the cooking technique is the same as fried chicken.

[Rubystars]

Right, it's cooked like fried chicken. I always thought Salisbury steak was without the breaded coating and served with brown gravy rather than country gravy though.

[AdminAssistant]

Right, chicken fried steak is usually served with white, or milk, gravy. mmmmm, only kind of gravy there should be, to be honest. Oooh, a big slab of cornbread with gravy? *sigh* I really need to go home.

[Flyndaran]

Right, chicken fried steak is usually served with white, or milk, gravy. mmmmm, only kind of gravy there should be, to be honest. Oooh, a big slab of cornbread with gravy? *sigh* I really need to go home.

As a lactose intolerant non-mammal eater, I can still remember such deliciousness.