the fifty states project #2: WI.

the fifty states project rolls on! today we're warming up the rusty ol' eat!drink!snack! VW bus SHINY NEW EAT!DRINK!SNACK! HUMMER LIMO & heading out to the midwest for a visit to america's dairyland--WISCONSIN! on a personal level, it's one of the thirteen U.S. states i've never stepped foot in. it's not that i hate it or anything like that. in fact, i know a handful of people from the state & they generally speak highly of it. if nothing, i'd like to actually visit madison one day. it's the state capital & home to a quarter-million people, including the campus of UW-madison. people are largely liberal in madison, especially when it comes to voting. as a general rule, i get a kick out of smaller scale, liberal cities like that, so i figure it'd be cool enough.

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snackdown! - 2.12.10

after sunday's super bowl, you'd think that folks (other than the doritos samurai) wouldn't want to think about snacks for a little bit, but that's not the case. after all, this sunday is valentine's day, or as i like to refer to it..."V-D" & while much of the holiday is based on making money for the flower & greeting card companies, it's also an opportunity to surprise your sweetie with some sweets. many men will bore their significant other with the standard box of chocolates, but carnivores will opt for a more adventurous route with the beef jerky bouquet. either way, those planning on celebrating V-D this weekend should plan on doing some snacking...& on that note, let's get to the snackdown!

• do you live in l.a.? despite that, do you have a positive outlook on life? are you japanese? are you a snack ninja? if so, the JAO (japanese american optimist club) has the event for you. on feb 20th, as part of their bingo night, they're holding a "snack-off," where competitors will "compete for the title of JAO snack queen (or king) of the year." the snack-off, which will feature "sweet treats," will also lead to a snack cookbook filled with recipes from the event. in addition, the event will feature the "2nd annual pie the commissioner booth" & a snack bar with "chili rice, ramen, hot dogs & other items." to this i say...BINGO! (rafu shimpo)


• food trucks have been all the rage for a while, but until now, nyc has been lacking one particular type of food truck: an organic vegan one. starting this sunday, the "cinnamon snail" food truck will set up shop in hoboken & offer customers "a menu of unprocessed, organic, and local foods, with gluten-free, macrobiotic, and raw options." we're talking breakfast, lunch & snack options including vegan donuts & "hempseed-encrusted tofu with spicy french mustard dressing over white truffle mashed potatoes and greens." from a truck! adam sobel, owner of the cinnamon snail, hopes to soon bring the truck to brooklyn, a development that can't come soon enough because really, who the f wants to go to hoboken? (village voice)


• ...so this sunday is valentine's day. regardless of whether you're celebrating with someone or doing the single thing this V-D, you can't deny the awesomeness of candy hearts. they're perfect for that moment when you see a hottie across the bar & want to get them to make out with you. instead of dealing with all that "you should make out with me" awkwardness, you can just walk up to them & hand them a "kiss me" candy heart. it's a move that's so cute & sweet that you're 92% guaranteed to get some action. this year, candy hearts are celebrating their 145th anniversary by coming out with new sayings & new flavors (strawberry, green apple, lemon, grape, orange & blue raspberry), so not only will your move be sweet & cute, but it will also be totally updated for the twenty-ten. (the beacon)


• i've never been a military guy myself, but i do respect the fact that those in the military do a lot of things that i would never in my life be able to do. take the marines who attended the "cobra gold 2010 war games" in thailand. the event aimed to "promote regional peace and security," but the best part of it was when marines devoured such culinary delights as scorpions & cobra blood (which they also smeared themselves with). frogs & lizards are also on the menu. that's some hardcore semper fi shizz, folks. i mean, once you've drank the blood of a cobra, killing iraqis & afghanis should be no problem. (the daily mail)


• wisconsin is totally cheesy. the badger state is ranked "number one in cheese production," with "1200 cheesemakers" that produce "25% of all the cheese made in the united states." with that in mind, wisconsin state senator jim sullivan is sponsoring a bill (which has been in the works for four years now) that will make cheese wisconsin's official state snack. official state snacks are nothing new to u.s. politics, as illinois has popcorn, south carolina has boiled peanuts, texas has tortilla chips & salsa and utah has jell-o. jell-o!...but this is the first time that journalists writing about the official state snack have been able to use phrases like "'nacho' average legislation," "a 'gouda' idea" & "if the legislation passes 'munster'" whilst doing so. (wisconsin radio network)

nosh nook #155 - friday, october 16, 2009

crumbs of reality needed in madison (link)
10.15.09 - the journal times - editorial

whether it's pepper jack, cheddar or gouda, people in wisconsin friggin love their cheese. packers fans wear those silly cheese wedges on their heads at games. their economy's always been largely based on dairy farming & according to the wisconsin milk marketing board, the state produces "over 2.4 billion pounds of cheese each year, over 25 percent of all domestic cheese." thassa lota cheese. that's like 90,000 elephants or 300 million babies or nine million baby elephants worth of cheese. folks basically can't live without the stuff. it coats their pockets & innards.

in fact, some badgers like cheese so much that, as the journal times reports, there's a bill (SB 327) that's been introduced to the wisconsin state legislature that would make cheese the official state snack. by declaring it the state snack, it would mean that by law, the wisconsin blue book would have to mention it alongside the state song, ballad, waltz, dance, beverage, tree, grain, flower, bird, fish, animal, domestic animal, wildlife animal, dog, insect, fossil, mineral, rock, soil, fruit, and tartan. really? they have a state tartan? anyway, the journal times thinks that it's a silly item for legislators to be dealing with, what with the horrible recession & all.

they wonder about what lesson such legislation teaches our kids about adult priorities & then they ramble on about that for a little bit before ending on some comment about "the escapist fantasy available on television every night." um, ok. if anything, wouldn't kids find it kind of cool that there's a state snack? wouldn't it help instill wisconsin pride at a time when the economy sucks bad enough that college graduates are probably better served by leaving the state for greener pastures? wouldn't it give at least a tiny boost to the currently embattled $12 billion dairy industry? wouldn't it just be sweet to get to DECLARE A STATE SNACK? stop being such grinches, journal times. it is the economy, stupid.