Look, I wish just as much as you do that Albuquerque were overrun with fabulous Jewish delis where you could pick up a quart of whitefish salad for Sunday brunch. I'd love to have a neighborhood full of Italian restaurants that made their own pasta and fought with each other over which served the best cannoli. Who wouldn't love to wander around Albuquerque's version of Chinatown and wander from storefront to storefront nibbling on egg rolls, buns and things we couldn't pronounce? But this is New Mexico, not New York, Chicago or San Francisco. You people who harass me about the lack of lox at your corner coffee cart seem to forget that you moved away from the big city to get away from it all, and sadly, “it all” includes blue crabs and cheese curds. If every city had every other city's culinary treasures then no place would be very special, would it? If Boston had green chile, then our friends who moved there wouldn't come back as often, would they? No and no. So when you go to New Orleans you should eat all the étouffée you can. Hopefully you'll enjoy every minute of it. And when you get back you'll really appreciate your stacked blue corn and beef enchiladas with an over easy egg, red chile and extra onions.
