Food and culture: Oklahoma exchange experience

Greeting sign made by Oklahoma State University ACT

One does not realize how important food plays in culture until one gets to experience the tastes of a different region. During reading week, I and five other students journeyed to Oklahoma through the University of Guelph’s Canadian Agricultural Exchange Program where we experienced unusual savoury dishes and learned about differences in food preferences.

Take for instance, the idea of a tasty breakfast. In Ontario, we may enjoy bacon and eggs or even fruit and cereal but the “southern comfort food” of biscuits and gravy is the main staple of an Oklahoma breakfast. It was amazing that in the relatively short distance between Ontario and Oklahoma there could be such a different idea of a great breakfast was eye opening.

Biscuits and gravy

There were other differences as well. In our travels, we visited Toby Keith’s restaurant where we tried fried Okra. Okra, a green vegetable, is coated in cornmeal and then fried. Although both regions may enjoy listening to Toby Keith’s music, fried Okra is not on the menus of most restaurants in Ontario.

Fried Okra

When we dined in the oldest restaurant in Oklahoma City, the Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, one would expect filet mignon and maybe even homemade rolls. Both were very tasty, but what about lamb fries? Lamb fries, also known as lamb testicles, may sound gross, but it turned out to be surprisingly tasty. This helped me discover that the tastes of another region can be surprisingly enjoyable.

Lamb Fries