Eat in Every State: The Explorer Badges Explained

To eat in every state, rate a place in each one. The Mosey Explorer badge for US states counts how many different states, plus Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico, you have rated a place in. Its four levels sit at 5, 13, 26 and 52: Wanderer, Wayfarer, Voyager and Globetrotter. The top level is every one of the 52.

How does the US states badge help you eat in every state?

The US states badge is a travel badge, not a food one. Food badges count different places that carry a tag, such as a cuisine, and climb at 5, 10, 20 and 50. The Explorer badge counts where you have rated, and only a place's state matters, so ten ratings in one state still count as one.

A place's state comes from its ZIP code, and the badge counts every state, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico, which makes 52 in all. Hidden ratings do not count. A level once earned is never lowered, even if a later count falls. It is a mark of what you have tried, never a discount or perk. The food badges feature page explains the food ladders too.

What are the levels from Wanderer to Globetrotter?

Wanderer is the first level, at 5 states. Wayfarer is 13, which is about a quarter of the list. Voyager is 26, half of it. Globetrotter is all 52.

Most people will meet the first level on an ordinary road trip, and many will never need the top one. That is fine. The levels exist so a trip leaves a record, not so a trip turns into a chore. If you move or travel for work, the count grows as you rate.

How are states counted?

How states are counted is the question people ask first. One rating at a place in a state counts that state once. Two places in the same state do not add a second. The state is read from the place's own ZIP code, so a rating counts where the place is, not where you were standing when you wrote it.

Cities and neighborhoods have their own separate Explorer ladders, so a long weekend in one city can still move a badge. If you want to count more states, rate the dish you remember best while you are still in the state. A fresh rating takes a minute and keeps your notes honest.

Which regional dishes can you rate in each state?

A badge asks only for a rating, but a regional dish gives each state a reason to stop. Here are five examples, each from a source the writer opened.

Maryland. Marylanders have eaten Chesapeake blue crabs since the 1600s. Steamed crabs are traditionally topped with a seasoning of crushed pepper, paprika and celery salt, and eaten at tables covered in newspaper with wooden mallets. Peak season runs from April through November.

Louisiana. Boudin is pork, rice and seasonings stuffed into a casing and steamed. Boudin came from Acadian settlers in southwest Louisiana, and it is sold in gas stations and butcher shops across Cajun country. Read more in our Cajun country guide.

Minnesota. Hotdish first appeared in print in a 1930 Mankato church cookbook, and it is common in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A University of Minnesota food historian says nearly every hotdish is a casserole but not every casserole is a hotdish. See the Minnesota hotdish guide.

Hawaii. The plate lunch dates to the 1880s, when plantation workers from Japan, China, the Philippines and Portugal shared food at lunch. It is rice, macaroni salad and one or two proteins on one plate.

Puerto Rico. Mofongo is mashed fried green plantain, usually with garlic sauce and chicken. National Geographic traces it to West African fufu, and the wooden mortar used to make it to the Taino.

How do you plan a trip around the badge?

Start with where you already go, and remember that holiday trips count too: our winter holiday food traditions explain what families eat in December. Count the states you have eaten in on past trips and think of the next two or three you would reach by car or on a short flight. A first level at five states is closer than it looks.

Then pick one regional dish for each stop and ask locals how they order it. Keep the plan loose, and write a short note for each state while the meal is fresh, such as the dish, the day and who you were with. Notes like those turn a count into a memory, and they are the part friends enjoy reading. The Texas styles in our barbecue styles guide show how one state can hold four traditions, and a single rating will not cover them all.

How can Mosey help you track the states you have eaten in?

Mosey is meant for remembering. Rate the dish, not only the place, because a state's signature dish and its side can deserve different scores. Add tags such as a cuisine so you can narrow a search later, and keep a list called States I have eaten in with a note for each stop.

Share the list by link, even with friends who are not on Mosey yet, and follow friends to see where they rate and save. Mosey is free for a place to list, with no hidden fees, so a rating on a road trip helps a small business at no cost to you. The US food guides cover more regional dishes.

What should you remember before you go?

Check hours with a place before you drive out of your way, and leave room in the plan for a dish you did not expect.

Download the Mosey app, rate your last meal in another state and start a list called States I have eaten in, so the first level is already on the way.