Disappearing Foods

What's a deadline without procrastination? This is very cool - seems a writer has identified almost 100 foods that are disappearing from the American culinary landscape. What a worthwhile project!

Can you think of foods from your own country (or city, or state, or whatever) that are becoming harder and harder to find, or have already disappeared? If so, leave a comment (and name the location you're referencing, please) or drop us an email.

Comments

Luke. England. Everything.

[santos.]

fruit bats and coconut crabs in guam.

[John Fistere]

1. Durkee's Dressing. Came in a bottle and we used it to make Deviled Eggs, among other things.

2. Plain old French Dressing. The last 10 restaurants I've eaten in do not offer French Dressing. My survey is continuing. Actually, my wife, Teresa, came up with four plastic packets of French Dressing, but that doesn't count. Who knows when they were manufactured? Could have been years ago.

3. Hire's root beer is almost gone, and I'm sure that what carries the label now is not anything like the original. Years ago I did a blind taste test with my daughters and it was clearly the best. Now I can't tell the difference.

4. Real milk shakes. The things they serve now are stirred soft ice cream. The mixers available today don't have the four hinged flaps on the rotor and the high rotor speed necessary to make a proper milk shake. And of course they don't even use real ice cream. I put my mixer together by cannibalizing ones from Ebay and a used restaurant equipment supplier.

[mlle monster]

I miss this soft springroll called a "pok-chang" found only in Chowrasta Market in Penang. Made by a very old couple, they pour batter into these small woks to create the paper thin skins and just like a popia,the skin is filled with grated coconut, sugar (maybe palm sugar) and coarsely pounded kacang/ground nuts and rolled into a tight roll of sweet goodness.

[Rasa Malaysia]

Soooo many, where do I even begi? I was just telling my hubby that in 10-15 years time, there will be so many delicious hawker food or street snacks that will be completely gone from Penang once the current vendors retire and find no one to "inherit" their business or skills. For example: tee nya kiuh (have you tried this)? I can only find one hawker place selling this in Penang, fried shredded sweet potates cake called "umbrella kuih" in Penang, only one place left in the market, cucur badak (I hardly see this Malay kuih anymore), Chinese cai kuih with shredded jicama and dried shrimps, etc. Sad. :(

[Robyn]

Luke - isn't there some bit of effort in the UK to bring back disappearing breeds of livestock?

Santos - fruit bats bec they are disappearing or bec no one eats them anymore. Coconut crabs -- no idea what these are!

John - interesting. Thousand Island dressing seems to have enjoyed a comeback (I remember some restaurants bringing back the 'wedge of icecold iceberg with TI dressing' a couple years back) but you're right, can't remember the last time I saw French. Man, Hires root beer. Now THAT takes me back.

mlle monster - that sounds incredible! Are they still there at Chow Rasta market?

Rasa - cai kuih are pretty easily found in KL, but of course not all versions are created equal. I've only recently become acquainted with cucur badak ... I love them! but it's hard to find a good one ... and I can't figure out why they are so hard to find. It's not as if deep-fried dough balls are going out of style.