re: Does food outside of LA suck?

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I’m from NOLA and still live there, and I’ve traveled quite a bit in my life. I’ve come to the conclusion that all big cities have good high-end restaurants with good food just like NOLA. The difference lies in the cheap, hole-in-the-wall restaurants. Some of the best food in NOLA comes from those types of places, but in other cities, it’s the blandest, crappiest food you’ll ever eat.

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Not a fair comparison. You live in NOLA, so you know where the hole in the walls are. Probably not the case when you travel to a new city.

HTX has Mexican hole in the walls that are downright legit, but of course most travelers end up at pappasitos and such.

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Very few Louisiana dishes are spicy hot with a lot of cayenne

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I can’t imagine opening a Louisiana kitchen cabinet of someone who cooks and not seeing multiple varieties of red seasoning salts (Tony’s, Emeril Essence, the list is legitimately endless). Say what you want, but we, in general, shake that shite into everything. Maybe not you in particular…but come on.

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Last night we went to a pretty high-end dinner that was multiple courses, drink pairings, chef comes out and describes each dish, blah, blah, blah. Everyone all night was raaaaaaving about the food, and I thought it was a C+ at best.

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You didn't have a bottle of Crystal in your purse? Because that's good cajun...

Yes. We have it the best.

What’s funny is seeing what others think is quality. On the Gatlinburg vacation forums, for example. They rave over mediocre food. Nothing there will be as good as in Louisiana.

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Why? I a fan of steak houses generally, but you're missing out on a lot of good experiences.

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This used to confuse the shite out of me, but I started noticing a pattern once I made an effort to pay attention:

People who travel for the purpose of enjoying traveling usually seek out new dining experiences, whether traveling for work or pleasure. People who only travel as a byproduct of accomplishing a goal, whether that be for work or pleasure (examples of the latter being “to go to the beach” or “to visit the Smithsonian”, etc) usually seek out dining that mirrors their norm in an attempt, conscious or subconscious, to maintain a measure of regularity and comfort in situations and surroundings that are otherwise different and uncomfortable for them.

Once I noticed that, it made complete sense.

I’ve been traveling for work all over the US for over 25 years and have found amazing food all just about everywhere. It’s taking the time to understand the regional cuisine and looking for the best/most authentic representation of that. For example, I went to Philly recently and made sure to get a cheesesteak from Angelo’s Pizza. Ate it on the trunk of my car looking at the skyline on a perfect fall day. Great experience. Also did a cutlet sandwich which was terrific as well. In Wisconsin it’s German sausages, fresh cheese curds etc.

There are a few places in the lower Midwest that aren’t remarkable, but you can always find a great burger and decent pizza almost anywhere at worst, craft breweries typically have good food almost everywhere.

We have good local seafood here…what I hate is. going out of state and eating either bland seafood or horrible Cajun food….
I try and eat whatever are area is known for and I’m usually happy

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I think you’re just being biased or you’re not well travelled.

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My bet is on the latter.

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, but Louisiana is certainly well above average for both rural areas and mid-size metro areas.

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This is where I would say La has a big advantage. In the smaller towns and rural areas, you can almost always find good food in south La. Hell, even our gas stations have great food.

When you look at the same kind of places in many regions, especially in the mid-west, I think it's much harder to find good food that isn't a regular chain place.