I bought some Nutella the other day. I had never had it, but I saw it in the check-out aisle and figured what the hell, why not. A little container with some bread sticks and some Nutella to dip them into. It's actually pretty good. It seems like just a chocolate spread, nothing fancy, and I don't know how "healthy" it is, but yeah, pretty good.

I know it's more common in other areas, and that got me thinking. Do you have certain foods in your part of the world that are uncommon or unheard of outside that area?

In Wisconsin, we have cheese curds -- basically, cheese forms in lumps (or "curds" -- they seperate from the liquid "whey"), then gets pressed together into blocks or wheels. From that rate, it's aged, spiced, or whatever, depending on the type of cheese. But in Wisconsin, some of the curds are kept seperate. They're sold either as regular cheese curds, or battered and fried. Fried cheese curds are common for appetizers and bar-food. And they are AWESOME.

Fresh cheese curds actually squeek against your teeth when you eat them. That's how to tell how fresh they are.

I have noticed, however, that most people that haven't lived in Wisconsin haven't been exposed to cheese curds. I had never heard of them, even after living in northern Illinois (less than half an hour from the Wisconsin border) for years, until I moved into WI. I've met plenty of people from surrounding or nearby states -- Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan -- and apparently, they're nearly nonexistent outside WI.

If you ever (for some unfortunate reason) find yourself in Wisconsin, stop at a bar or restaurant and get yourself some fried cheese curds. I usually eat 'em with ranch, but you can use all the regular condiments -- ketchup, mustard, barbeque sauce, honey, I've even seen people dip them in mayonaise. But seriously, get some, they're awesome.