When I first moved to NH in 1990, finding an actual Buffalo Style hot wing worth eating was a chore. Now you can get a decent wing almost anywhere. So, the GraniteState catches on and catches up, but what food NH is “good at?”
I stumbled on a Travel site article pondering that very question, and while it does what it should – covers a few bases – I’m not sure I’m happy with their results.
Boiled Meat and Potatoes (or boiled dinner), Lake Bass (fried), New England Clam Chowder, Apple Pie, and Venison.
I could eat some of that, but I love a great enchilada. And then there are those Buffalo-style wings (I lived in Buffalo long enough to know them well). French fries. A nice baked Salmon. I’ll eat almost anything (assuming it’s heart-healthy or my rare indulgence), but I’m more of a burger and a beer guy.
Yes, you can find ways to make things like that heart-healthy, and as with all things – portion size and moderation are key.
But at the end of the day, I guess I’m a pub food guy, and let me tell you, it’s been a challenge since the heart attack three years ago to find ways to get better versions of some of that back into my diet. Air frying is great. Grilling lean meat. Breading your own chicken. Staying away from crappy condiments with high fructose corn syrup in them and using low-fat or no-fat cheeses (you get used to that).
The good news is I did it. The bad news, none of that food is really “that New Hampshire food” the travel site was seeking. And I don’t suppose I have any right to decide what that could be because I’ve only been here 31 years. But I think I have a solution – literally.
Beer.
This state has an amazing brew culture. The government has increasingly made it easier for people to make beer their livelihood (and still do), and beer drinkers are better for it.
Sure, it’s not a “food” exactly. It is a lot like my fridge, which is full of things that go with food. And I’d never suggested that people live off it or it by it (beer, that is), and no one should ever abuse it, but I can’t imagine much on any menu that could not be improved by the presence of a great beer or even, in some cases, just an open beer.
I know what I like, but so do you, so let us know about all the best beers you’ve had the pleasure of drinking in New Hampshire, and maybe if I have time, I’ll find a way to wrap my hand around one and try it out. Maybe with a few of you.
Hint: I already love Abel Ebeneezer (it’s right up the street), and I’ll drink that any day.
