I'm a bigger fan of DeNino's on Staten Island and DiFara's in Brooklyn. Lombardi's does not travel well at all, I've ordered it and had it delivered across town. My few years spent in Virginia in grad school lead me to appreciate NY pizza more, but I cannot get bbq or biscuits with gravy or chicken fried steak here like I could there. I've found few local delicacies travel well, and you are missing out if you do not eat them. I simply accept that my local version is not quite as good as the real thing. And I love the different regional foods on the U.S. of A., from lobster and fried clams in New England to dungeness and fish tacos on the West Coast, and almost everything in between.

I also had a friend who kind of set me straight on complaining about bad pizza. His thought was that there is no such thing. Sure, there is better and worse in a relative sense. But eat the worst piece of frozen cardboard from the grocery store, and it still tastes pretty good to me.

Try to find some good examples of a NY Oyster Stew today. It's not easy anywhere.

As with emergencies and disasters and food. Each local area has differences, and knowing the strengths and weaknesses in each is key.