You should drive an hour out of your way for...

[Live_to_cook]

Here's a few of my favorite blue-collar places. Anyone else?

The Wayside, Berlin, Vt., Exit 7 off I-89
The best of down home New England cooking, amazing pies baked every morning (banana cream a revelation).

Redbones BBQ, 55 Chester St., Somerville, Mass. Get the Memphis ribs, BBQ beef and the corn-green chile pudding. Really.

Little Saigon, Tampa, Florida. Pho (basil-laced beef noodle soup) to die for in an unassuming strip mall. Enough to soak your head for $6. If I had to drown this is the wayI would go.

The Southeast Asian, 343 Market St., Lowell, Mass. The best lunch buffet ever: $5.95 for Thai, Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese dishes. Transcendent minced chicken with chile, a brutal yet gorgeous beef with green beans.

bbq in Bellevue (Wa) or funky food in Cap Hill....

[shroomgirl]

Boudin King in Crowley La.....unreal!!!soft pork and rice spicy with cayene and green onion steamed in a casing...THEY DON"T SHIP!!!

Used to be Corky's ribs in Memphis now it's Willinghams...we're having a rib eating comparison after I go pick some up this weekend.

NY Bagels....further than an hour but memorable....

I am sad to report the death of Mr. Becnel who made the best andouille sausage in the Western Hemisphere -- probably the world because I'm not sure they make it in the other hemisphere. He died of a major heart attack the Sunday before Christmas in his shop.
For many years, Daddy and I drove back to his home town (hardly a town) of Vacherie, Louisiana, to buy our year's supply of andouille. Mr. Becnel only made it for a few months each year. At Christmas, we bought the madeleine -- the huge sausage made only in the late Autumn.
I have a little left in my freezer for one or two more gumbos -- maybe with duck or smoked turkey or oysters. Or simple on its own.

Mr. Becnel was the best. He died doing what he did so well. I wish I could drive again that hour or so through the cane fields along the River Road to buy the best andouille ever.

[shroomgirl]

Oh Margaret I'm so sorry. That's one of the joys of southern La. all the artisans that cook with love and joy...Bon Temp Roule.
It would be wonderful to celebrate his life with gumbo at Mardi Gras time. Feb this year I think.

[Live_to_cook]

So sad about Mr. Becnel. Perhaps he taught a child or trusted disciple to carry on in his name?

[shroomgirl]

That's my hope also....
Louisiana is one of the few places that really revels in food celebrations and multigenerational parties...on a regular basis.
Couchon D Laits (bbq whole piggy), Crawfish boils, Jambayla dinners, Gumbo, Mardi Gras,
King Cakes, etc....
The whole atmosphere is familial.....welll most of the time.
When I was in NO last month I picked up a mag on Louisiana Cooking....they had an article on older cajun women...amazing!!!Birthday parties, cake and all for baby Jesus. So I guess what I'm trying to say is others are looking to preserve the heritage and foods too. And Cajuns are not shy about sharing a good time or recipe.

Thanks to all of you for understanding about Mr. Becnel. The joy I always had spending that time with Daddy in the car! The smell of Mr. Becnel's shop (which you would never find without my Daddy.) Also the fabulous crawfish (correct Cajun spelling) that he sold every late Winter and Spring.
Daddy is now in his 80's and has suffered a minor stroke. Very surprising since most of my relatives have NO medical problems and coming from a simple rural background seem to live well into their 80's and 90's. He now craves the simple foods of his childhood. We have long telephone conversations about the wild ducks and venison in my freezer that I will take to New Orleans when I visit soon and what we will do with them. He adores fabulous simple cookies and bean dishes and almost anything with coconut. Gotta have gravy. A day without rice is a day without sunshine.
He is my muse for my fascination -- almost obsession -- with the disappearing foods of America's past. They reflect our history more than any other indicator.
Innovation is wonderful but my mission is to preserve the links with our past.

[shroomgirl]

Hurray!!!

Margaret-
Is Mr. Becnel's shop in Vacherie still operating? I hope he had a trained successor. We'll be in that end of the country next month and could make a side trip to pick up some supplies. (Once went 350 miles out of our way Houston-to-Chicago to sample Arthur Bryant's BBQ in Kansas City. But, we got to visit the Harry Truman Library, too.)

How old was Mr. Becnel when he passed away? Given the political incorrectness of most Cajun cuisine, according to today's health mandates, I hope he wasn't 24 years old. I eat it every chance I get, so I'd like to hear he was 95 or so.

Touching post.

Mike

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travelling gourmand