Not so very long ago (well, from my perspective anyway) all American cookbooks were published in New York by authors living in New York, endentured to New York publishers. Presumably some of the authors were allowed to sleep in New Jersey if they didn't admit to it. I have many examples in my library.

While I ate my pasta with octopus sauce I perused a book I've had in my library since it was published in 1969 (took me a few seconds to translate the Roman numerals all publishers used back then).

Ada Boni's Italian Regional Cooking (translated from the Italian). This is, by the way, a book I highly recommend (well, if you don't need color photos of the recipes anyway).

In the back pages is a list of sources for Italian ingredients. Every last one is in New York, of course.

Were there Italians anywhere else in the U.S.? Well, actually there were a several in California but they didn't amount to much.

Just planted some vinyards that whup the frogs on quality now and then.

Just planted some vinyards that wup everybody on volume all the time, like Gallo.

Just started a few salami factories like (different) Gallo.

Just established the largest fig production outside the Mediterranean region.

Just started the Bank of Italy, which by time this cookbook was published had been renamed Bank of America - and I understand it's still in business ('specially since I bank with the branch on the corner about 900 feet from here).

Just introduced Zuchini to the world **.

Just planted artichokes and established a modest market position in the U.S. (97%).

Just set up some olive oil operations that currently admit second to nobody ^^ (but real Italian is way cheaper).

And yada, yada, yada, but nothing important you know, not compared to New York where they run shoe repair shops and crime syndicates.

By the way, where is New York in the culinary landscape now? Other than being the last line of defense of the French cuisine outside the Michelin guide, is it relevant? Can New York compete with New Mexico on any basis except higher prices?

** Zuchini: this squash actually originated with a grower in Italy, but seeds were sent to California from where growers and avant guarde restaurants introduced it to the world at large. Incidentally, a Zuchini much greater than 1 inch in diameter is not fit for human consumpton, something well known in California but apparently not in the country at large.

++ I love teasing Bank of Amerca employees with the Bank of Italy name, especially when they're hosting a Chamber of Commerce mixer (most of the managers do know, by the way).

^^ The first bottle of top rate California olive oil I bought (many years ago), I drank. Yes, I drank it just an ounce at a time and it took me a month or two - but I didn't spoil it by mixing it with food. Then some San Francisco TV chef endorsed California olive oil and it became entirely unaffordable. Now it's back down to affordable (at least it is here in California) but still more expensive than Italian (which is made mostly from Greek and Spanish olives).