THE MIDWEST
Had the best weekend in a very long time! Drove to Iowa for Kevin & Michelle’s wedding - 12 hrs of flat land and good company. All the farms reminded me of our family trip between Edmonton & Calgary. I love road trips - it brings back fun memories of Montreal. Any way, one word - Beautiful!! Perfect weather, perfect little Dutch town with windmills and tulip festivals and even the perfect little red brick church with white steeple. Very cute.
I have to say that living in Chicago, big city and all, you learn to appreciate the subtle differences of being in the ‘mid-west’. Things are more laid back, people are more down-to-earth…and you can dance with the groom/bride for a $1 (it can last longer if you pay more). Oh, I’ve also picked up a few interesting food dishes.
1. Walking tacos.
This is what’s typically served at ball games and such. Open up a bag of Doritos or Fritos on its’ side. Toss in some taco meat, lettuce, cheese, salsa and sour cream. Grab a fork and dig in. See? Literally, a taco that you could walk around with.
2. Puppy chow.
This one got me totally confused that first time I saw it at a potluck. Why would anyone fill a huge bowl w/ cereal? Do we just pour in the milk and each person just grab a spoon? Turns out that it’s more than just cereal! Dump a bunch of Chex cereal into bowl. Mix in melted butter, chocolate chunks and peanut butter. Cover it all with powered sugar and voila! You’ve got “puppy chow”. Why anyone would name it something so awful is beyond me but, it’s another common Midwestern dish.
3. Fruit Salad
This was one that was served at the wedding. Alex was totally floored cuz he was expecting the Fruit salad made asian style (ie. fruits, especially the citrus ones, w/ mayonnaise). In the Midwest, you take some Granny apples, grapes, bananas, etc. and throw in pieces of Snickers chocolate bars and mix it all up with Cool Whip. Much more delicious, much more hazardous to your health.
I’ve also learnt some other different dishes but I'm still not sure if I've never heard of them because I don’t cook, because I’m Chinese or if it really is because I’m Canadian. I have, however, given up trying to make a green bean casserole cuz I’m sick of eating all the nasty failures. Hopefully, your attempts for the suggestions above will fare much better. Enjoy! =)
