Weird Foods VII: Tater Tot Hot Dish

About a week ago, we were treated to a traditional mid-western meal, cooked by one of our wonderful and generous friends. She made us tater tot hot dish (hot dish in Minnesota = casserole in Wisconsin).

I can't remember all the ingredients but I think it had minced beef, a can of mushroom soup, a can of mixed vegetables and, obviously, tater tots.

To me, it tasted very similar to shepherd's pie or cottage pie, only slightly more creamy due to the addition of canned soup. It sounds like it is easy to make, is probably pretty good for you and was delicious. I give tater tot hot dish a solid two thumbs up.

Weird Foods VI: Bridgford Monkey Bread

Today's weird food, as I understand it, is a favourite American breakfast bread.

Apparently it's great microwaved, but I like my breads a little crusty rather than rubbery, so we heated it in the oven.

The best way I can describe it is a cross between a dumpling and a doughnut covered in sweet cinnamon-flavoured sauce. It is easily pulled apart into bite-sized chunks. As with most of these 'breakfast' foods, I think monkey bread is very tasty, just not for breakfast. At least, not on a regular basis.

I Don't Understand People

Recently I took my parents-in-law on a cruise on the St Croix River.

It was lovely. We watched the paddles turning controlling the boat's speed and direction, chatted about all manner of things, had a buffet lunch and watched the shoreline go by. But there was one thing I did not understand. A lot of people on the cruise were not even paying attention to their beautiful natural surrounds; some of them were sitting inside playing hangman. Others were on their smartphones on Facebook or checking emails.

I think this kind of behaviour illustrates something I've been thinking a lot about lately. People in the modern Western world are addicted to distraction. We've lost the ability to be 'present'. We are continually thinking about what we're going to do next instead of  concentrating on the task at hand. We are more concerned with checking Facebook than interacting with the people right there in front of us. We only enjoy our food inasmuch as it makes a good picture on Instagram. Most of us can't just sit back, relax and soak in the natural beauty on a cruise up the St Croix River. And I believe we are the poorer for it.

Science Museum of Minnesota

A few weeks ago Amy, Micah and I went to the Science Museum in St Paul. They have a dinosaur exhibit for the Summer and Micah had previously shown some interest in dinosaurs, so I thought he would like it. I was wrong. He loved it. First there was the hall with all the skeletons of dinosaurs I had never heard of, such as the Nigersaurus, the skull of which can be seen here.

It seems that most of the dinosaurs I remember are no longer considered 'real'. Never mind; I'm sure all the dinosaurs Micah learned about will be removed from the dinosaur canon before he's an adult. After going through the dinosaur skeleton exhibit, we went to the IMAX 'Omnitheatre' to watch Dinosaurs Alive!, a 45-min documentary about paleontology. It was Micah's first ever movie and I thought he would be either bored or scared by the CGI animations of dinosaurs fighting. Once again, I was wrong. He was enthralled. Occasionally he would repeat a word that he heard in the movie. And for days after he would randomly come out with dinosaur knowledge he had gained.

All in all in was a great, albeit expensive, experience. It was worth the $26 per adult for admission, but I wouldn't want to make a habit of it. As with most of these places (the Children's Museum, the Minnesota Zoo, etc.), if you plan to visit more than once in a year, the annual membership really does pay for itself.

Weird Foods V: General Mills Reese's Puffs

Ah, General Mills, how did you ever convince people your products were breakfast foods? Today we review Reese's Puffs. That's right. Reese's, makers of the well known health foods Reece's pieces and Reece's Peanut Butter Cups.

They are described on the box as Hershey's cocoa & Reese's peanut butter sweet & crunchy corn puffs. Awesome. It's like they're not even trying to hide what this food is really like. According to the Nutrition Facts panel, it's 34% sugar. 34%!  Words fail me. No one should eat this for breakfast. No one. It's no wonder kids have trouble concentrating at school after eating this for breakfast. On the plus side though, I'm told a lot of Americans use these kinds of 'breakfast' cereals in party mixes, which I think its a much more appropriate use.

All that being said, they are kind of delicious. I ate them with milk, as suggested on the box.

They taste just like you would expect: like a Reece's Peanut Butter Cup mixed with corn flakes.

Things I See on My Daily Commute (Winter Edition)

In Minnesota, there's great variation in the seasons. Winter covers everything with a blanket of snow, which is both pretty and annoying at the same time. Here are some thing I see on my daily commute through the snow.

Let's start here. Snow. Everywhere. Every day.

First I take a short hike through the forest

Then I hit this street. I don't know why these trees still have leaves after a month of sub-zero temperatures.

This is the view from my bus stop. I often get here before sunrise.

All the houses look like this as a ride the bus through the suburbs.

 

Then I get to the University of Minnesota, which looks like this.

 

I find snow beautiful and depressing at the same time. It's beautiful because snow has an inherent mystical quality; it covers everything with a sparkly white blanket. It's depressing because in winter almost everything you see is white, brown or grey.

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.