Bruce Aidells, who produces gourmet sausages in Berkeley, Calif., says that the tactic has proved to be "effective, though extremely expensive."

It's all local, all eatable (or drinkable), and mostly organic, with everything from Speight's-beer-flavoured ice cream, gourmet sausages, and Russian pancakes filled with blue cod.

But there's a twist - the food is all top-quality nosh freshly prepared from local produce, including Crombie's gourmet sausages.

Two recommended restaurants at Los Angeles International Airport are Jody Maroni's, which specializes in gourmet sausages and hot dogs, and California Pizza Kitchen, a local restaurant that has become a national chain.

It's also famous for its gourmet sausages, with almost three dozen varieties ranging from wild boar and apricot to basil, beef and blackberry.

I became so desperate for some decent stuff that I used to go to help my friend Toby, a gentleman pig farmer who lives nearby, make gourmet sausages.

Result: Synergy focused on making cheap sausages, while Apollo decided to make gourmet sausages with a higher meat content.

Spicy hot Italian, chicken Andouille, Louisiana hot links: once you've had a taste of one of Jody's gourmet sausages, it's near impossible not to order the whole onions and peppers shebang.