Life's a Stitch

My recent trip allowed me to eat my way across the Midwest. I love to eat and mostly I do so in a healthy manner. It’s usually easy for me as I don’t have much of a sweet tooth.

This trip was an exception. I thought as you grow older, your taste buds die off; one of the reasons kids don’t eat stuff – it tastes too strong. Can you imagine, as a child I hated pizza and hamburgers? You’d never know it now.

Here are the eating highlights of my trip:

1. Michael’s Frozen Custard, Madison, WI. It was the reminiscent of the original Carvel of my New York youth. Velvety vanilla, the Touch Me of ice cream. There’s the knitting content.

2. The Village Square Cafe, Harmony MN. Oh mama, homemade beef stroganoff soup, noodles from scratch, bread sticks like I’ve never had, hot, crispy on the outside, tender, but fully done in the middle,and the best peach pie I’ve ever tasted. There’s an expensive pie shop here on Vancouver’s North Shore and I’ve never been able to comprehend its lure – thick, chewy crust and dry innards. The Village Square had the thinnest of crispy crusts and a fresh tasting juicy fruit filling. Cost of the meal? $5.25, about the same as a slice alone from the Savary Island Pie Company in West Vancouver.

3. Bilotti’s Italian Village, Rochester, MN. Nine people, one bottle of Australian red wine for the three lushes including me, lots of soft drinks, most of us eating the evening special – Minnesota walleye pike fillet, a 7 oz. steak, spaghetti and meat sauce, and a salad. The total cost? $89 for nine people. Ok, they deducted the cost of my SIL’s meal since it was delivered after everyone else had eaten, so technically it was $89 for eight. Decent costumer service to boot! Honey, in Vancouver $89 for two is typical. Add in sporadic service.

Have I wrecked your diet yet? Misery loves company, let me continue.

4. Dessert at my SIL’s, Eyota, MN. Actually my SIL doesn’t cook much can’t take credit. It was all cousin Lena’s fault. Lena is from Denmark and she made us a decadent chocolate "cake" from 70% cocoa chocolate bars; light as souffle, rich as fudge. It was BIL Greg’s fault that we had ice cream on top. Wash that down with "Emma," a Danish fruit brandy made from raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. Lena’s daughter helped develop the recipe for this nectar. In the first month 150,000 bottles were sold.

5. One last temptation, the Berghoff Cafe, Terminal 1, Concourse C, Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. The demise of traditional airline meals (why isn’t anyone wiping away tears?), has sprung a crop of $7.99 day old sandwich stands. Why eat Chili’s pre-made when you can indulge in the descendant of a 100 year old Chicago tradition for $5.50? Hand carved roast turkey, roast beef, or corned beef sandwiches. I mean individually hand carved. There was a woman in front of me ordering a turkey sandwich. I told the carver I was ordering the same so he could carve enough turkey for two. No, replied the conscientious employee, we carve each sandwich individually. He replaced the turkey breast, took it out again and cut the meat for my sandwich. Add fresh rye bread and unprocessed Swiss cheese, it was very difficult to wait two hours into my flight to indulge in sandwich heaven.

No more, I promise. I apologize for the superlatives, but they’re the truth. I’m not getting on a scale for a year.