Living in Kentucky isn't all that bad with one glaring exception: the food sucks. I'd appreciate any suggestions you may have for sources of food we consider basic in Tigerland that are regarded as exotic in these parts. Crawfish, of course, would be one item I'm seeking. Also andouille, tasso, boudin and crabmeat. We can actually buy a lot of Zatarains stuff here, and most of the spices are easy to come by. Surely there are some online sources that can help - any recommendations? Anyone have any experience in making groceries long distance? Thanks in advance for any ideas you may have. :geaux:
do you get back very often? i do not travel without an extra cooler and lots of storage space that i know will be full on the way back. thats the only way i know to do it. but im lucky cause i get down to br or nola several times a year, and have friends willing to help me out in obtaining the good stuff to bring back. (thanks again for the boudin runs to daves for me, pod!) sorry i cant give you any advice about online ordering.
I'm sure there are other places to purchase it, but you can order Community Coffee from their website. My wife would go nuts without it; fortunately you can find it here in the Houston area. This is what I'm craving right now: http://www.partypalacekingcakes.com/catalog221/index.php
Okie, I used to make several trips a year down to N.O. as I still had family living there. Unfortunately, I've lost both my Mom and my little sis who were the last two in Louisiana. I haven't been back since Sept 07. My frozen stash ran out a long time ago and I'm starting to have some serious withdrawal problems. I know I can order some things (cooked) from The Gumbo Shop (where I last worked in New Orleans) and I can order dry groceries, but I'm having a hard time with the "fresh" stuff. OL It's about 1300 miles round trip...too long for a grocery run. Overnight shipping is expensive, but cheaper than gas and a hotel for a night. All suggestions welcome! :geaux:
sorry to hear you cant get there any more. i can see how withdrawal would be a problem. now that i think of it, gambinos ships. i have had king cakes shipped in years i couldnt get down during carnival season and had a craving. that is my only experience with shipping foods.
Many thanks to all for the good tips. I'm shaking a little less this morning since I know my cravings can be satisfied with one overnight shipment! :geaux:
I'm guessing this thread is for all who live elsewhere... This probably won't help you, but when I lived in California, the gross Chinese buffet restaurants I had gone to always had boiled crawfish that tasted terrible (lack of seasoning). I found that you could go to a Chinese grocery store (99 Ranch Market in Cali) or a Chinese restaurant and get it (live) from them, but not sure how much. As far as seasonings and stuff are concerned, whenever we visited Louisiana, we bought stuff and shipped it back. Family also sent stuff, but I'm sure everyone has thought about that. My biggest longing was for boudin, Zapp's, crawfish, the occasional king cake and a seafood platter. There are NO good cajun restaurants out west, at least not when I left. Well, just before I left (a couple days before), they opened a cajun crab shack right by the place where I was staying. Downtown San Jose was said to have a cajun place, but I never made it over there. Most of the places that have a cajun section on a menu just sprinkle cajun seasoning on something once it's all cooked (i.e., Armadillo Willy's cajun burger). Needless to say, I feel your pain. :bncry:
Imagine being in another country. I can't even find good alternatives for ingredients here in Korea. Let's try something like a gumbo: Sassafras? Nope, nada, nowhere. I consider sassafras to be a key ingredient. And what could I substitute? I have no idea. Sausage? There is sausage here, but it is NOTHING like what we eat. My best bet is getting something called sundae, a pig sausage not like andouille, but could substitute if in a pinch. Cayenne? None that I've seen, but I guess some ground Korean red peppers could substitute. Basically, I could make a gumbo. But it would make me really sad to be minus sassafras. Other things: I haven't seen crawfish in Korea, though they are in China, nor blue crabs. No chance for a poboy. No etoufee. No deer sausage. My consolation prize is that Korea does have a lot of seafood, so I am able to get my hands on things like raw oysters, salmon, and tuna. I also miss some things that are American style I haven't eaten in a long time, like chili, Tex-Mex (get occasionally, but it isn't anywhere near as good, and they don't have freaking limes in Korea), and an American-style burger that doesn't taste like crap. Don't even get me started on the beer. If I want to drink a beer that doesn't taste like Milwaukee's Best meets Natural Light, I have to spend about a good $7 per pop on a Hoegaarden, $9 for a Newcastle, or $10 for a Guinness. Yeah, if at any times I get homesick, it's two material things: food and sporting events.
