First Post! A New Beginning . . .

For years (and years, and years . . . ) I've been stashing away bits of information about American Regional Specialties, nicked from everywhere -- from traveling, friends, radio, TV, newspapers, and the Internet, among others.

I'm very familiar with the tradition called meisan in Japan. Meisan means famous or notable products of the region, and when people in Japan travel, they try to sample and also bring back one of those products from the area they visited, no matter how small, to give friends and family a tiny taste of what they enjoyed. This has been going on for hundreds of years.

Often, I thought how nice it would be if we could do that in the US, too. We have so many wonderful things to offer in this huge country, that no matter what part of the country you visit, you can bring home a little piece of your travels to friends and family. Likewise, some of my friends in Japan might also like to know where to find American meisan, and also know when certain food products are in season.

First, we'll define the regions of the country, and then go through a roll call of the states before delving randomly into years of accumulated information.

Thanks!

photo by Dawn Allyn