Is Birmingham, AL a food mecca? (or, why can't I find a lot of ingredients here?)

[Beth H]

I have a bit of a beef with CL this month. The June, 2001 issue arrived on Saturday, and it has a lot of great recipes in it. The problem is, many, many of these recipes call for ingredients that may be difficult, if not impossible, to find where I live (which, by the way, is in a mid-size southern city similar to Birmingham). For example, about 5 of the recipes call for "sherry vinegar." I looked at Harris Teeter for shery vinegar and could not find it. So, I went to The Fresh Market, which is more "gourmet" than HT, and they didn't have it either! The cooking class section is on Thai food, which I love, but again, many of the recipes call for ingredients not carried at my store, such as lemongrass (fresh), kaffir limes, and peppers that I'm not familiar with. There is an Asian market here, but it is something of a drive. There is an article on using high-quality ingredients (like good olive oil, balsalmic vinegar, etc.). In the article, it suggests going to "an Italian market" to find some of the ingredients. Needless to say, there is no Italian market in the city where I live.

I like to experiment with new spices and flavors -- don't get me wrong. But sometimes, I wonder where the people in the CL test kitchens are shopping. Do they drive to Atlanta periodically to find some of this stuff? Do Birmingham's supermarkets stock exotic ingredients because of the CL/Southern Living staff? Most of us don't live in big cities where there are a lot of ethic markets. I'm a bit frustrated because I am not sure I'll be able to make all the recipes I want to try this month.

[lindrusso]

Living in IN, I have this problem too. However, I usually have the opposite reaction - I get mad at the stores around here for not being adventurous (a reflection of the local population, no doubt), not the magazines. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

Anyway, I feel your frustration! When we finally move to the East Coast (hopefully), I will probably insist on approving the supermarkets in the area before deciding on a location!!!

[Grace]

I am fortunate to live in Chicago, and can get basically everything, and really, this is probably one of the main reasons I won't move (my husband and I talk about moving all the time - to somewhere quieter, less traffic, etc.). But the thought of not being able to get my groceries or go to a good ethnic restaurant stops me cold in my tracks! I feel for all of you, and it would frustrate me to no end too.

As a suggestion, there is always the internet. You can order all these ingredients and have them sent to you. A pain, to be sure, but better than not getting them at all (in my opinion!).

Also, I know that grocery stores will order things for you if you ask. So why not try and get the manager at the grocery store to order the sherry vinegar up for you? You will probably have to provide him with a brand name or manufacturer, but I know in my store they will do it.

Good luck.

[Maelynn Cheung]

Beth-
You can substitute white wine vinegar for the sherry vinegar. It will have a slight variation on the taste - not quite the same depth - but won't affect the overall taste or quality of the dish.

As far as Birmingham being a food mecca - well, not quite. And I really don't think they cater to the fact that Cooking Light is in town! We're a little more than twice the population of Columbia - so maybe that could be why. However, I would second Grace's suggestion of asking your local store to order something for you. I've done that locally at a chain grocery store (not known for it's gourmet inventory) and they've done that without blinking.

Hope that helps!

[KLynn]

I am a Birmingham resident - and Maelynn is right, we are NOT a food mecca. Just your basic stores like everyone else - but they are amazingly willing to order things for you. I am sure your local store is happy to have your business and will comply gladly.

[JohnK]

B'ham, to echo Klynn and Maelynn, is not a food Mecca. But what I think is unusal is the number of grocery store chains in the area and that increases competition and may make them more responsive to market place pressure i.e. consumer requests. Otherwise CL usually offers mail order or internet resources for more unusual food items.

[Beth H]

Well, I guess I need to be more persistent and ask for things at the store. I was just wondering how the CL staff finds the varied ingredients for some of the recipes -- especially the June issue, which is filled with "new" ingredients. I was just feeling a bit frustrated that I had such a hard time finding some of the things I needed this week. Thanks for some of the suggestions!

[sneezles]

If it wasn't for on-line shopping, those of us who live in Podunk, USA (and by choice, I will add) would be back to cooking boring meat and potatoes!

I wish the closest town had some competition but alas it is only one tiny HEB pantry but they are aproachable!

[ewatkins]

I think that all cooking magazines call for some "odd" ingredients that are not readily available--I live in Denver -a big city. It just depends on whether you want to make the effort to call/drive around to little ethnic or out of the way stores. Some people find that's part of the fun. I just skip the recipes or improvise as I barely have time to get to the chain store once a week, let alone spend my day hunting ingredients.

[cchhbb]

I wasn't that excited about cooking from the magazine when we lived in Wisconsin. In one town that we lived in the grocery was 15 miles away and it was pretty limited. After living in Racine (80,000 population), things were a little better, but it was so hard to get anything that wasn't mainstream. My grocery stores would not order specials unless you could commit to buying a case. I used to stock up when I visited Chicago.

We moved to Atlanta and now I am a much more adventursome cook. I can get the supplies easily. However, I am still looking for Black Bean Sauce. My grocery had never heard of it (Publix). I did go to Kroger, Harry's in a Hurry and Harris Teaters. I need to make a trip to the regular Harry's to pick some up.