The Grossest Food From Massachusetts

As much American's love to identify as a unified group, the thing that makes the country pretty cool, is the fact that each individual state has its' own identity and takes pride it that. Each state has things they're famous for, bragging rights if you will, and what's the topic that comes to mind when they talk about their home state? Famous foods of course!

Maine has Lobster, Idaho has Potatoes, Maryland has crab cakes and of course Kansas and Missouri love to brag about their BBQ. Every state has a food they are especially proud of, but how about local cuisine that is so strange or gross, that only people who live there can stand to stomach?

I stumbled upon a list that compiled the most, ummm, "interesting" regional cuisine, and was immediately curious to see what the claim to fame was for the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I have to say, I was pretty surprised to see that the answer was Boston Baked Beans.

Really?! I can see the Koolickle (Yes, a Kool-Aid marinated pickle) from Mississippi, or Nutria, which is literally a yellow-toothed river rat,  apparently a local delicacy in Louisiana, but you cannot put baked beans in the same category!

While I get that maybe Baked Beans don't sound or look like the most appetizing dinner choice, but there's not a person alive, o.k., maybe a person over the age of 25, who wasn't served baked beans as a child, and guess what, I didn't complain about it.

Slater, Mike Heck and I all agreed that Franks and Beans (hot dogs and beans for those youngsters reading, whose parents don't feed them nitrate filled DELICIOUSNESS) was a regular dinner staple in our households, but they were all a bit different. Growing up, my brother and I ate our franks and baked beans with sauerkraut, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't totally into it.  Slater recalls the baked beans his parents made having chunks of fat mixed and that his father loved to eat them. The Heck household ate their franks and beans with brown bread, which I have never in my entire life heard of, but is apparently a magical bread made with raisins, that comes in a CAN! Mind Blown. Mike was the only person in our studios who has a love for this canned treat, so I had to do further research about this bread, which sent me down a rabbit hole and I'm getting off topic, but I put the link in there for your own curiosity.

ANYWAYS, back to baked beans. I just feel like something that was classic part of many New England childhoods deserves a little more respect that the title of 'Grossest Food in Massachusetts'. Certainly we can find something grosser, I mean, have you been to Lynn?*
*My comment on Lynn is simply a shot at Bryan Slater and is no way a reflection on my feelings for a city that is probably quite lovely.