Gastronomic Adventures in America Quiz

Answer: Sandwiches and salads

Subway, part of Doctors Associates, is seen as one of the health-conscious fast food franchises. With their emphasis on hero sandwiches on freshly-baked bread and fresh vegetables, Subway uses celebrity athlete endorsers to show people that it is possible to lose weight while patronizing their restaurants. Quizno's, founded in Colorado, is a sandwich chain focusing on gourmet-type hot sandwiches with interesting ingredient combinations.

Answer: KFC

Kentucky Fried Chicken is a fast food franchise specializing in...well, chicken. As side dishes, they offer biscuits, macaroni and cheese, potato wedges, and other such items...but the ubiquitous hamburger is conspicuously missing from their menu. The others are well known for their burger varieties.

Answer: matzo ball soup

Ah yes. Nothing like a nice, salty, greasy soup to bring people together, regardless of their cultural background. At many diners, Matzo ball soup is not only the soup-du-jour (soup of the day), it is served every day. It is relatively easy to make, with few complicated ingredients. Matzo ball soup generally contains no vegetables or meat, but some use schmaltz or chicken grease.

In preparing the soup, I find a good rule of thumb is that a matzo ball should be larger than what can fit in a tablespoon, but just under a handful.

The soup should remain on the stove long enough so the dense core of the matzo ball gets cooked through, but the matzo ball should not fall apart.

Answer: Arkansas

This is a traditional dinner from the southern United States, so Arkansas would be the best answer here (hopefully you saw the clue with "Texas" toast). There is an irresistible charm that can be felt in a family restaurant in a rural town, and "southern hospitality" is well-known for its warmth.

However, such meals seem to have become less prevalent now in the era of people watching fat, cholesterol, and sodium intakes.

Answer: Blue cheese and celery sticks

The blue cheese dip and celery sticks work nicely to counteract the spicy wings. Blue cheese dip is usually made of some combination of mayonnaise, sour cream, yogurt, blue cheese, milk, vinegar, onion powder, and garlic powder.

Answer: barbecue spare ribs

The midwestern US is famed for its slow-cooked, mesquite barbecue, particularly spare ribs, pulled pork, and beef brisket. These meals are not for the faint of heart. Some of the better known St. Louis restaurants are Pappy's, Bogart's, and Roper's Ribs.

They all have their share of loyal enthusiasts and fans. Not to be outdone, Kansas City barbecue is slow smoked and covered with a thick tomato-and molasses-based sauce. Here, Arthur Bryant and Gates & Sons are two of the more venerable restaurants.

Answer: Hershey, Pennsylvania

Hershey, Pennsylvania is nicknamed "The Sweetest Place on Earth." Part of the experience of traveling to Hershey is just breathing the air and experiencing the wonderful smell of chocolate that permeates the town. Hershey Park contains a number of family-friendly experiences, which somehow all connect to chocolate. On April 24, 1907, Hershey Park opened with a baseball game played on the new athletic field as Milton Hershey and his wife, Catherine, watched from the grandstand.

Some of the products manufactured by the company are Kisses, Reese's, Twizzlers, Jolly Ranchers, and a number of chocolate products including syrups, powders and hot chocolate mixes. From humble beginnings, Hershey has become one of the most successful food companies in the world, with a market capitalization of over $20 billion (as of September 2013). Consistent with the Hershey family mission, the company continues many charitable acts, including a school for orphan boys that Milton and Catherine Hershey founded in 1909.

Answer: Lime Pie

The city is Key West, Florida, and the famed dessert is Key lime pie. The main ingredients are wonderfully simple: pie shell, Key lime juice, egg yolks, and sweetened condensed milk. In 2006, both the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate passed legislation to make Key lime pie the "Official Pie of the State of Florida."

The other choices are all associated with other cities in the US...for purposes of this quiz, there shall be no arguments as to which is the best dessert. All are equally wonderful. :)

Boston Creme Pie is a classic; cheesecake is most connected with New York; Tastykake is a distinctly Philadelphia creation.

Answer: Hawaii

The only state that has a suitable climate to grow these products is the newest state - Hawaii. Hawaiian exports include food and apparel, though these industries play a small role in the Hawaiian economy due to Hawaii's relative isolation from other large urban areas and the considerable shipping distance to viable markets.

As agricultural production has decreased, tourism has steadily increased in its importance to the Hawaiian economy.

Answer: Water

Sometimes, the most basic idea is the best one. Indeed, the ubiquitous, yet oft-disregarded water is the official state beverage of Indiana. Orange Juice was chosen by Florida as its official state beverage in 1967. Tomato Juice became the first official state beverage in 1965 when it was chosen by Ohio.