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Taking an informal poll: 1) Best crabcakes-Maryland, North Carolina or Mississippi? 2) Best barbeque-Texas, North Carolina or South Carolina? 3) Best seafood-New England, Southern or West Coast? 4) Best clam chowder-New England or Manhattan? 5) Best bratwurst-upstate New York or Wisconsin? 6) Best Mexican-New Mexico, Texas or California? 7) Best fried chicken-Maryland, Kentucky or Carolina? 8) Best pizza-New York, Mid-Atlantic, Denver, Chicago or California? 9) Best bakeries-MidWest, Northeast or Southern? 10) Best regional-Louisiana Cajun, Dixie Fried, New Age Californian, MidWestern plain, New York Italian, New York Jewish, New England, California Oriental, New York Oriental or OTHER?

Be prepared to duck and cover on this one. In the world of BBQ, the eastern NC style (minced pig with a vinegar based sauce) rules supreme. I think it goes back to childhood and what you ate then. Didn't experience other styles of bbq until I was an adult. The mustard based sauce of SC is good, but not what I think of when the word barbecue is mentioned. There really aren't "bakeries" in my part of NC. The only one around here (if it still is) is in a gas station. The family moved here from elsewhere and opened a gas station. Someone in the family was upset by the lack of good baked goods (desert items) and deli stuff and opened up a deli and bakery in the gas station.

Dear ncgirl, My Ohio wife makes the same complaint about my beloved South. In Ohio, about every town of size has a real bakery downtown. The South's got Ohio beat to hell on all other things, however.

re: #6 - "New Mexican" is a style all its own, not a branch of "Mexican." And best barbecue is a toss-up between Mephis (pork) and Kansas City (beef). Wish I had more experience in the other categories! Something to daydream about...

One of my favorite things to do when I travel is eat regional cuisine, so here are my votes: Crabcakes: Maryland (definitely) BBQ: Texas style (tomato and molasses base sauce) Seafood: New England if you want it cooked,and California if you prefer it raw (sushi) Clam Chowder: New England cream style No vote on bratwurst. Mexican: New Mexico style is a different cuisine entirely and shouldn't be included here! I prefer the norteno Mexican food, such as carne asada and cabrito, that is common in Texas. No vote on fried chicken, either. Pizza: Chicago deep-dish Bakeries: I like bagels, so Northeast Regional: Argh! That's like asking which child I love the most! They are ALL good!

I'm with ncgrrl on this one. As a temporary transplant from the midwest to Rocky Mount several years ago, the NC BBQ is the BEST. Now that I'm back I really miss it. Can't say the same for the grits but you got the BBQ perfect!

The best BBQ I have ever eaten was in Naples Florida at Michelbob's!! And of course, Chi-Town has the best pizza in the world!

I agree with NCgrrl that vinegar based barbeque sauce is supreme. I am from what is considered the Pee Dee region of SC and we barbeque with vinegar in this area. The barbeque is great. Upper state SC primarily uses a mustard based sauce.

Oh, Wyatt, I really wish you hadn't used that title for this post, because it's a good one and shouldn't bother to try to also stir up a war. This is 100% personal, as anyone's response would have to be, but as someone who has lived or visited most of the places you mention, I offer the following: 1. Maryland crabcakes -- less filler more crab and spices. 2. Any smoky barbecue without tomato and limited sugar is my favorite, so that means NC's version. 3. Cold water seafood is best, which would mean New England if they hadn't begun to fish the shore and the Georgian banks out. The Northwest is great, too. 4. Guess what, like 'em both! Lots of cream and garlic and sherry and potato for the N.E. chowdah; lots of garlic and red wine for the M'nattin. 5. Chicago (so maybe Wisc.) for the brats, hands down. But Rochester's white hots were my dad's favorites. 6. Best Mexican is from actual Mexico and uses fresh ingrediants and doesn't rely on variations on a theme of tortilla plus sauce. For me, fiery spices and tortillas don't do it, but that's really an individual thing. 7. Best commercial fried chicken is Popeye's. Best homecooked is Mama Dip's in Chapel Hill, NC. 8. Best flat pizza, NYC; best stuffed pizza, Chicago no question -- Giordano's esp. The stuff Pizzeria Uno peddles outside Chicago is but a thin ghost of the real thing. Yeah, but I also like Valley-Grille style oven-baked pizza, but it really needs another name besides pizza. 9. Best bakeries -- MidWest, for sure -- anywhere there are German and/or Scandanavian populations in concentration. I still dream of Ann Sather's in Chicago. 10. Naht gahnna answer this one. A time, a place, and a hankering for every one of them. Just a vote of thanks to the creative chefs who have adapted and adopted all kinds of cuisine to fit all kinds of American-grown ingrediants.

Hey! Here's a vote for Arkansas BBQ, which is 102 proof with whisky!

Crabcakes- Maryland, no contest. Carolina crab cakes taste more like Deviled crab. BBQ- North Carolina. Seafood- West Coast for the variety. Clam Chowder- New England. Bratwurst- Wisconsin. Mexican- Texas. Fried Chicken- Carolina. Pizza- New York and whatever Mid-Atlantic pizza parlor which copies New York (ie. on the Eastern Shore, Carini's on Kent Island is Scicilian). Bakeries- MidWest Regional- Lewsiana.

Best BBQ ribs is in Tuscaloosa, AL - a place called "Dreamland". Best Mexican: Found in San Antonio, TX. And Wyatt, we forgot another category: BEST CHEESESTEAK. My vote is the New Jersey boardwalk's version! These opinions come from a 95 lb. girl who loves to eat!!!

Dear Janine, I like smartblondes, especially cute 95 pounders. Any possibility for a date?

1/ Maryland crabcakes 2/ NC barbeque 3/ West Coast seafood 4/ New England Clam chowder...the other doesn't even qualify as the same animal for pete's sake!! 6/ TX, but it's not Mexican, it's TX-Mex, a breed unto itself. 10/ New Age Californian

1) Best crabcakes-Maryland 2) Best barbeque-North Carolina 3) Best seafood-Maryland/Virginia 4) Best clam chowder-Manhattan 5) Best bratwurst-Wisconsin 6) Best Mexican-Texas 7) Best fried chicken-Roy Rogers 8) Best pizza- Chicago 9) Best bakeries-MidWest 10) Best regional-New Age Californian