Yum, sewer shrimp from Muncie.
SUPER BET AND WATCHING — I’m reading this Superbowl article and happen upon the traditional bets between governors which usually entails some sort of food swap so the typical legislative bureaucrat can get even fatter. But this year’s was really sickening since apparently they do not eat anything remotely interesting in Indianapolis –at least nothing worth using as a wager. There is no distinctive food in Indiana? When you consider the fact that there is actually a good sized town in Indiana named Gnaw Bone, you can understand why. What’s worse is that the supposed traditional Indiana food includes such long time favs as salsa and candy and shrimp. Shrimp? I guess they grow ‘em in the sewers.
GOVERNORS’ SUPER BET: SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Super Bowl rings are great, but you can’t eat them. That’s why the bet between the governors of Illinois and Indiana is so practical.
If the Colts win, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has promised to fork over deep-dish pizza, cheesecake and kosher candy and nuts.
But if the Bears win, Gov. Mitch Daniels will pay up with an assortment of Indiana foods, including candy, pretzels, salsa, pickles, popcorn and shrimp cocktail.
Bets among mayors and governors are traditional whenever a major championship is on the line, but Daniels said he and his Illinois counterpart are genuine sports fans.
20,
Sweetbreads are AWESOME! And I am assuming you mean the thyroid or pancreas, not the testicles.
So I have lived here in Indiana most of my life, in various parts of the state. There is no centrally consumed food here. The breaded tenderloin is sold just about everywhere but it is VERY popular with Hoosiers. Orvile Ridenbacker, Axel Rose, Larry Bird, All of the Jackson’s even the crazy ones, were born in Indiana, but no good food, sorry. We also put 6 astronauts through college at Purdue university, so suck it.
Unless there is more than one Gnaw Bone in Indiana, it is NOT a sizable town. There are about 4 houses there and a gas station. The highway doesn’t even stop nor does the speed limit get lowered when you drive through it.
Because Indy and Chicago are fairly close together there really isn’t all that much differences in local foods. In southeastern indiana we have a whole hog sausage which is pretty tasty, but it is just sausage with different flavoring. We also have a variant on Cincinnati-style chili where we cook spaghetti noodles in with the chili (instead of cooking it separate and putting the chili on top of it like true Cincinnati-style chili). But I doubt that those are indicative enough of Indiana.
Now if we were to have a Euchre game or something, THAT would say Indiana.
I’ve never heard of “sweetbread” despite being born and raised here in Indiana.
#23, I’ve almost missed Gnaw Bone (I blinked) once when my wife dragged me down to Nashville in Brown County. You are very right, but it is the kind of name one remembers.
And I agree about the food. If there was a state dish it would be the “Quarter Pounder” or “biscuits and white grease gravy”. Another contender might be “chicken fried steak”.
Oh, and by all accounts the little gas station in Gnaw Bone has a restaurant attached to it and by all accounts has a pretty awesome tenderloin. I’ve never tasted it myself, though.
No distinctive Indiana food? What about Spudnuts? As a youth, I always thought Spudnuts were an Indianapolis institution. I suspect I’m mixing in childhood memories of former Mayor William Hudnut….
Though the tenderloin sandwiches can be outstanding, and the locally grown corn is some of the best in the world! Mmm, late-summer picnics with sweet, buttered-and-salted corn on the cob, mmm!
Now I’ve made myself hungry & have to fix something to eat. TTFN