Our travels across the country in an RV have certainly been amazing. We’ve been able to visit with friends and family on both coasts and some in the middle. We’ve explored some of this country’s most fascinating historical spots, most gorgeous natural areas, and even some of the quirkiest little places along the way.
As we drive along we dive into the local culture as much as time and money allow. Part of the experience is in the food. Even though most good-sized towns have all the same chain stores and restaurants, America is not as homogenized as some people might think (thankfully). Since we are both ever curious by nature, sampling the native fare is part of our explorations. (If you poke around a bit on our website you’ll find some recipes for a few of these tasty treats.)
Of course, we don’t try everything—that’d be way too much food! And, I will admit that we just couldn’t bring ourselves to try the hot boiled peanuts when we were in Georgia. I’m sure they are delicious—and we’ll try them next time, I promise.
I shared all of that with you because recently we came across a little gem in the grocery store. This past April while we were in Santa Maria, California (about 75 miles north of Santa Barbara) we were introduced to Pinquito Beans. They are small pink beans that have been served at local barbecues for at least a hundred years. Though similar to pinto beans in flavor, Pinquitos are smaller and less mealy–we really like them.
We neglected to pick up any—either dried or canned—at the local grocery store, but we figured that we’d be able to buy them as we traveled further north in the state. Unfortunately, we had no such luck. We couldn’t find them anywhere. After we left California we stopped looking for them and to be honest, I kind of forgot about them.
This past week Lance was helping me with the grocery shopping. I usually hit the store alone to save him the boredom, but this time he came along as my official Cart Pusher. In an effort to amuse himself Lance was perusing all the different kinds of canned goods, when lo and behold: Pinquitos! There, on a shelf, in a national chain grocery store just north of Seattle, were stacks of cans of the little pink beans. Needless to say, we snapped up a few.
While they weren’t quite as delicious as the special recipe Pinquitos at the Far Western Tavern or the Hitching Post, they were tasty. So, do yourself a favor: poke around in your local grocery store, you might just be surprised by what you find. As for me, I’m still looking for more Moxie!
Explore: Read about our first experience with Pinquito Beans in Santa Maria Style, see all our recipes, and view a full list of where we’ve been on our travels.
