Reader Vince Gilcrease writes to say that this is a very sad day for Louisiana, and in particular for New Orleans: the Hubig’s Pie factory burned to the ground this morning.

Hubig’s pies are a Crescent City icon. They say they’ll rebuild, but still, what a blow! First the Picayune stumbles badly, and now Hubig’s burns down. New Orleans is not a town that takes well to these sorts of things.

Louisiana people, do you have any Hubig’s memories to share? How about readers who live elsewhere: what everyday foods like this do you consider to be local icons, the loss of which would be a non-trivial emotional blow?