The Foreign Land of Wisconsin
My parents and I went out to eat that the restaurant my brother works at. Its on the far side of town near the big interstate, so its not surprising that people from far away would stop there for a meal. In the booth right behind, it was abundantly clear that these people were from out of town. From the way they talked, I could tell they found this whole visit to Wisconsin a big novelty. One of them answered a phone call at one point and after he told his friend where he was, he paused as if expecting a gasp.
But what really threw me was their lack of knowledge about German and Norwegian foods. The waiter had to explain what lefse was to one of the women. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it explained before. It might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I’d be will to bet that 95% of the people I’ve talked to in my life, know what lefse is, if not have eaten it. After that, one of the guys ordered a bratwurst and almost got sauerkraut. Just by chance he didn’t order it. But then, the woman who didn’t know about lefse asked what both where and that’s when they all learned what he almost ordered.
I know not everyone knows foods that I’m very accustomed to, these people just really stood out. They gave off a very big city, Chicago vibe. (They were actually from Chicago so that makes sense). But I think this whole situation has reminded me how much I enjoy being a small town kid. And by small town, I mean (not counting college), the largest city I lived in was four hundred. The smallest was barely one hundred.
-Chuck