Sunday, December 21, 2008

A Wyoming Solstice

Dear Mouse, 

I already bought your present. Happy Hanukkah!

In other news, I'm in Laramie WY! Here's what I found there:
 
* altitude sickness (drink water, it goes away after a day)
* bison burgers
* elk chili
* snow, snow, snow
* The Library, a combination brewing company AND drive-thru liquor store. (No I am not kidding). Try the oatmeal stout and play Big Buck Hunter Pro for only $.50 a trek!!!! (I beat the GC five times.)
* Coal Creek Coffee Co., a roomy, unpretentious coffee joint with excellent food, serious coffee in BIG cups (served everywhere in town), and live music. Reminded me of Portland OR.  
* a music-loving population which packed Coal Creek for me despite blizzard conditions
* This spanking new small theatre, on the grounds of the historic Wyoming Territorial Prison. (Now a museum in warmer months).
* This cute B&B, which does have a staying-with-relatives vibe, but really nice ones who insist that you eat the salad fixings in their fridge with the frozen pizza you brought home, and make great granola for breakfast. 
*Oh, and Norwegians. :-) 

I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon in the kitchen with friends of the GC who introduced me to the world of Norwegian desserts. Since my only exposure to food from that part of the world thus far has been Bacon Paste in a Tube (thank you A-Mac), getting in on this family's Christmas cookies was enlightening and delicious. The treats are all variations on waffles (!! I'm sold).  Here's one kind.


 Krumkake are a cone-shaped, thin, crispy waffle. They are feather-light and sweet but not cloying, require a special waffle iron, and make use of almond extract and cardamom (!!), which I'm told  is a really common dessert flavoring in Norway. Live and learn. 

God Jul! (Merry Xmas!)

Tomorrow we head to Kansas City. Up at dawn to make it there in time for ribs. See you at home. 

Love,
The Boo.



4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Where is the picture of my sad-faced Surfer Burger from The Library? :)

It's sad that the only Norwegian cuisine you had previously sampled was our famous bacon paste in a tube! We also have salmon paste in a tube, shrimp paste in a tube...

Anyway, glad you you enjoyed your trip! Come again any time.

-Geir

Anonymous said...

i believe that the gc told me that you beat him five times (plus once at classic big-buck), but he beat you as many times, once the beer was flowing... if the two of you are ever walking through the klondike and find yourselves with only a shotgun and some rotgut, you should carry the gun at first, but pass it along to the gc as the flask empties. good plan.

Verification word: oviatu

Anonymous said...

exaggeration and rumour.

whatever wendy said...

and mayo! norway digs on the ayo-may! :)