America: Not as Bad as You Think.

I think America and Americans get a fairly bad rap in the rest of the world. People tend to think that all Americans are like that one overweight, loud, obnoxious American tourist they met that one time. But if there's one thing I have learnt since we have been here, it's that you cannot generalise about America. For every 'dumb tourist' there are many more thoughtful travelers who are keen for cultural exchange. For every radical liberal, there's an equally radical conservative. For everyone who hates Obamacare, there are others who think healthcare for everyone is a good idea. For every gun-toting red neck...you get the idea. You can't say 'Americans are like this' or 'Americans are like that' because, in most cases, whatever you say, it will only be a true for a portion of the population. This truly is a land of extremes.

On a unrelated note, I would just like to share with you an interesting fact. A4 paper. They don't really use it here. Their standard paper is called 'US Letter', which measures 21.6 cm by 27.9 cm. A4 measures 21.0 cm by 29.7 cm. I never knew that until I got here. I sometimes wish the UN or someone would standardise this kind of thing. I feel the same way about arbitrarily-designed power outlets.

Security

Many American families we have encountered since moving here are dual-income families. And I'm convinced that, the vast majority of the time, it is not because they're greedy. It's not because they're materialistic. It's not because they don't want to spend time with their kids.

It's because the American dream is so insecure.

Things can go wrong, and frequently do. And when they do, there is comparatively minimal government support. So American residents feel the need to have a back-up source of income, in case one of them loses their job. This could also explain why Americans seem to work so much harder and longer than Australians; they are trying to make themselves indispensable to their employer.

American readers, do you think my interpretations are accurate?

Weird Foods IV: Speculoos Crunchy Cookie Butter

We probably never would have tried this stuff, but we were house- and dog-sitting for some of our American friends and they had some. It is very hard to describe; the jar says so. Allegedly it tastes a little like gingerbread with crushed biscuits. They recommend putting it on pancakes.

I tried it on bread. It was pleasant, but to me it just tasted like sweet semi-crunchy peanut butter.

Weird Foods III: Alpine Spiced Apple Cider

This product is a perfect example of the numerous seasonal treats available around this time of year. That's something I really like about the US. There is much more seasonal variation in the products available at the grocery store. And I'm not just talking about produce; I mean the packaged, non-perishable goods as well. This happens a bit in Aus (say, around Easter or Christmas), but the extent here is much greater.

Anyway, Spiced Apple Cider is purchased as a powder. It's mainly sugar, malic acid (a natural component of apples) and apple juice solids.

 

The powder resembles Ovaltine.

And when you dissolve it in boiling water, it makes a delicious hot apple cider.

 It's hard to find this kind of thing in Australia, which is sad, because I'm quite a fan of it.

Two Minnesotan Ecotypes

I have observed two distinct Minnesotan 'ecotypes'.

First there is the Hibernating Minnesotan. This type of Minnesotan lives for the warmer months (June-October this year) and spends the remaining months avoiding the outside world as much as possible. For this ecotype, winter consists largely of moving as quickly as possible between sources of warmth. Winter is something to be avoided and endured until Spring returns.

The second ecotype is the Psychrophilic Minnesotan. This Minnesotan embraces the cold, the snow, the ice and everything that goes along with them. For this ecotype, the cold months, particularly the middle of winter, are the perfect time to get outdoors. They love to get out their thick coat that is rated down to -40. Common activities include ice-fishing, skiing, hunting, ice-skating, and riding snow mobiles. The committed Psychrophilic Minnesotan will even construct an ice-house in the middle of frozen lakes, so they can spend as much time as possible away from their homes.

I'm yet to decide which ecotype I'm going to be.

Zoo Boo!

Today we attended a Halloween celebration, called Zoo Boo, at Como Zoo. Micah went as a pumpkin. We went as the parents of a pumpkin. Sadly our camera's batteries died and we didn't get any photos. But I'll try to describe it to you. There were a great many volunteers, dressed in costumes ranging from tigers, monkeys and cats, to Darth Vader and Batman, stationed all throughout the zoo. As we moved through the zoo, we were given various treats (healthy as well as not-so-healthy). Micah had a great time. And I had a bearable time. However, the thing that amazed me was the fact that all the people in costumes were volunteers. That's something I love about Americans; their enthusiasm for festivity. I get the feeling it would be very hard to convince many Australians to participate in such an event for nothing.

My New Favourite Season

I like autumn in Minnesota. The name 'fall' seems quite appropriate over here. All the leaves change colour and start to fall; it's all very pretty. But it's more than just a pretty sight; supermarket shelves become laden with pumpkin-flavoured and caramel-coated delights; so far we have tried pumpkin pie yoghurt, pumpkin spice bagels, pumpkin bread and caramel apples. I'm still hoping to try the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. There are also numerous festivals around this time of year.

Yesterday one of my work colleagues and his wife took us on a fall-themed adventure. First we tried to go apple picking at an orchard. Apparently, this is a really popular fall activity in the mid-west. I was just expecting an apple orchard with a person selling bags to put your apples in; I had forgotten that this is America. It was a real event, including goats, hay-rides, toy tractors for kids to ride, a train pulled by a tractor and heaps of apple-themed products for sale. Here, we tried kettle corn for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was.

Next we headed to Stillwater, a small town about 30 km (18.6 miles) from St Paul. This is a lovely town with all of Amy's favourite specialty shops: chocolate, spices, tea, and wool. There also happened to be an autumn festival underway when we visited. The over-sized vegetables are truly a sight to behold!

We also saw Wisconsin across the St Croix river.

We went to Nacho Mama for lunch and, since I had never had them before, I ordered the Baconated Jalapeno Poppers stuffed with cream cheese. They were one of the spiciest things I have ever eaten; but they were delicious.

 Our last stop before heading home was at one of the state parks. I forget which one. Unlike the national parks, the state parks are not affected by the non-functional Federal Government. We took a short walk around one of the lakes and it was beautiful. There's not much more I can say about it.