Top Ten Thursday - Foods and Places

Welcome to Top Ten Thursday!

If there's a time and a place for everything - surely there is also a food and a place for everything!? Today we're posting ten foods that - according to you - belong to a specific place. Or the other way round. I borrowed the theme from my dear Facebook Friend Judy:

I thought it would make for a great Top Ten Thursday! Let's give this a try:

1. Boston: Lobster. I know technically it should be Maine, and that would be very nice, too. We love it there, but when I think "lobster" I can see ourselves in "Legal Seafoods" either at the Prudential Tower or Marina location.
2. Any given IHOP in the U.S.: Pancakes. We don't have pancakes restaurants in Switzerland, so we have to make them at home or wait for our next vacation. One memorable pancake moment was the following: I attended Starbucks' international leadership conference in Seattle, and even though they were providing us with everything at the hotel, I was craving IHOP pancakes. I was jet lagged, so I was up really early, and I didn't have a rental car, but I studied the bus schedule and route, so off I went with public transportation. At the stop I needed to get out it was going to be just half a mile down the street. I thought. Only it was up a hill and down that hill! Needless to say those pancakes were the hardest earned and most expensive because I took a taxi back to the hotel!
3. Any Cheesecake Factory in the U.S.: just like pancakes, Switzerland isn't big on cheesecake either, even though nowadays some supermarkets offer their version of cheesecake. Frankly, I'd rather wait till we are back in America, though. The first time I discovered the Cheesecake Factory was at the Dadeland Mall in Miami, FL. Again, I was up early because I just flew in from Switzerland, and they weren't even open. I was intrigued, though, and made sure to come back. I was in awe!!! All those varieties! Now, the Cheesecake Factory has several challenges. First the wait. Then the choices. Then the portions! Then the cheesecake. To go. Because there is no way you can actually eat cheesecake after a meal at the Cheesecake Factory!!
4. Donuts: yes, we finally got our very first Dunkin' Donuts store in Switzerland last year (there are five locations in the meantime), but to me, donuts say Canada, more precisely Tim Hortons! First thing after immigration and customs is usually a trip to the airport's Tim! If we don't do that, there's usually one close to our hotel. Fun trivia: did you know Canadians describe their city's size according to the number of Tim Hortons stores? "Where do you live?" - "In Williams Lake, it's just a one-Tim-town."
5. Crocodile meat: hahaha! Every time I eat crocodile I think of Alice Springs, Australia. Never mind that it was that one time only, on our honeymoon. We had dinner at the Overlander's Steakhouse and bravely ordered the Drover's Blowout, consisting of croc, kangaroo, camel and buffalo fillet. We tried not to think too much of what we were eating, and it was actually pretty tasty! 
6. Soft Pretzels: You can purchase them pretty much everywhere, and I even made some from scratch one day, but let's be honest, they taste best at Munich, Germany's Oktoberfest!
7. Speaking of baked goods, the same goes for Croissants: while you can get them at bakeries and supermarkets all over the world, they are most authentic when eaten in Paris, France. During college we spent a "project's week" in Paris, and projects included reading and comparing different French newspapers, tasting croissants and baguettes and visiting museums to meet Monet, Cézanne and Gaugin. I remember a heated discussion at Musée d'Orsay about whether angels were girls or boys. Let's just say us females shut up once our guide showed us a painting with a couple of naked angels - they had a penis!!
8. Chocolate covered fruit: to me they say Basel, Switzerland. We always get them at the evil witch's candy stand at the annual fall fair! My favorite are strawberries and pineapple chunks!
9. Steak: that's a tough one. It's a tie between Belthazar, Outback and Black Angus Steakhouse. We do have meat in Switzerland, of course, but it's bloody expensive, pardon the language, but I don't like to pay between 40 and 50 bucks for the peace of meat alone, and many times it's not even great quality. Except at El Torre's. So if you say "beef fillet" my mind goes to one of the steakhouses above. Most probably in Cape Town or California :-)
10. I wanted to save the best for last and talk about coffee - but then I remembered that coffee isn't a food!!? Boo! Alright, then, I go for clam chowder in a bread bowl. While clam chowder is probably an East coast thing and I should get it in Boston, it still makes me think of San Francisco! It's probably the most touristy thing to do, a stroll around Fisherman's Wharf and a snack from one of the booths, I still wouldn't miss it!

Now I don't know about you, but 

A) I want to catch a flight and go somewhere
B) I'm hungry

What food and locations do you connect? Tell me in the comments below or link up your own post.

Next Thursday, June 29, I'm celebrating my blog's 5th anniversary - join me and list the top ten things you have learned, experienced and achieved (or wish you had) on your blogging journey! Sign up here.

The week after, July 6, let's list the top ten things you (dis)like about a Holiday taking place in July, be it Canada Day, Independence Day, National Peach Ice Cream or 7-Eleven Day (yes, those are actual holidays, check out this list of national holidays for more fun ones!) Sign up here.