When I was forced to accept that my favorite pizza place from home was not going to deliver to an address 500 miles away, I had to satiate my craving with a flatbread from Commons. I was not satisfied. This got me thinking: what do other Hustler staffers miss from their hometowns? Their responses did not disappoint (and only left me hungrier).
Challah Bread (Zoe Abel, Washington DC — Opinion Editor)
I grew up with food allergies, so my mom would make Challah bread at home every Friday. Challah bread is the twisted, sweet bread eaten by Jewish people to celebrate the Sabbath. My mom would make it every week and taught my siblings and I how to make it, and learning how to braid the bread is a favorite childhood memory. It’s even better with raisins!
Sausage Sizzle (Amelia Simpson, Brisbane, Australia — Graphics/Multimedia)
A sausage sizzle is the go-to fundraiser for Australian community groups and amateur sporting teams, often held at hardware stores (a “Bunnings snag”) or elections (a “democracy sausage”). It entails cheap white bread, sausages, optional grilled onions and condiments of your choice for only $2.
AJ’s Pepperoni Rolls (Jorie Fawcett, Tiffin, OH — Life)
My inspiration for this article came from my insatiable craving for a pepperoni roll from my favorite pizza place back home. A pepperoni roll consists of six inches of dough stuffed with cheese and pepperoni. AJ’s is known for their sweet red sauce which you use for dipping with these delectable rolls. Although my friends from New York would probably roll their eyes at pizza from Ohio, I am counting down the days until I can stuff my face with a pepperoni roll once again.
Seafood (Andrew Kolondra Jr., Fort Lauderdale, FL — Life Editor)
Campus Dining’s food trucks program is probably one of the only good things they did this year, and arguably the best yet. However, the seafood trucks are insanely sus. Yeah, yeah, people in these parts eat catfish, I know. But when you’ve grown up with ubiquitous access to mahi, grouper, swordfish, snapper … the list goes on. You just can’t trust fish (or shrimp) from a land-locked state anymore. Plenty of people will tell you this from firsthand experience. Believe them.
Wawa Hoagies and Mac and Cheese (Bobby Kent, Philadelphia, PA — Sports)
I get my hoagies from the greatest convenience store on planet earth, Wawa. Freshly made sandwiches and mac and cheese hit different when they’re from Wawa. For anyone not from the East Coast, Wawa is 7-11 but infinitely better.
Pizza (Samuel Hyland, New York — Life)
I hate coming off as the cliche “New York Pizza” dude but I feel like there’s something about pizza in the Northeast—no, it isn’t exclusively an NY thing—that feels a little more robust. That isn’t to say that pizza here lacks some of that quality (I also haven’t really tried much pizza here, so I can’t be an authority). Nonetheless, I have never finished at least half of a pizza pie from my local shop in one sitting. I’ve finished full pizza pies here. That’s saying something.
Crêpes (Marissa Tessier, South Florida — Life)
Growing up, my family would always make crêpes for breakfast. We have a secret family recipe that’s been passed down along my father’s side, and it’s a tradition to make them whenever family comes to town. When I was younger, my brother and I used to have competitions to see how many we could eat for breakfast (my record is eight). The warm crêpes are best served with brown sugar and maple syrup; can’t get more Canadian than that!
Homemade Pork Sinigang (Arianna Santiago, Bremerton, WA — Life)
Pork sinigang is a Filipino sour tamarind soup/stew made with pork spareribs, baby bok choy, fresh green beans, radishes and sometimes taro! It is best served over white rice and some spicy peppers, but you can also drink the sabow (soup) from a mug. It’s the perfect, simple-yet-filling meal for cold days. We’d make a big pot that would last us for several meals at a time! I’ve tried making it with a friend’s Instant Pot, but definitely still need to work on my seasoning.
