The Curdistanis Attend the Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival

Dear Readers (if indeed any remain),

So, we haven't posted a word since Inauguration Day, you say. What kind of a blog is this, you ask.

Well, readers, it's a blog that is deeply affected by the academic calendar and something called the "spring semester," followed by something called the "interim term," which entails teaching a semester's worth of material in three weeks.

Now, however, I have been jarred out of blogging complacency by two events. 1) The interim term ended yesterday, and I am done teaching for the year. 2) Today, I have seen truly stupendous, wondrous sites of cheese. How could I NOT blog about this? Our blog is named Curdistan, for the Flying Spaghetti Monster's sake.

And so, today, after Indian brunch in Appleton (and the discovery of a small Indian grocery store-YES!), we attended The Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival in Little Chute, Wisconsin. Despite the soggy weather, a good time was had by all.

Cheese curds? Present. Squeaky. Check.

Cheese carving? We saw talented folk carving Mr. Potato head, a football, a cow, the Brewers' logo, and, most amazing of all, a detailed replica of Miller Park out of good 'ol, gleaming yellow Wisconsin cheddar. Check.

A giant buffet of cheese to sample? Check. (At one point, someone asked members of our party "where we got the cheese," which is kind of hysterical).

Rides and other carnival fare? Check. (I mean, what better thing to do, after eating a bunch of cheese, than to go on RIDES?)

Cheese curd eating contest? Check.

What better way to usher in the summer in Wisconsin than a cheese festival? (Even if the current temperature is, yes, 48 degrees).

Is that an Egg Roll in your canvas bag, or ....

Summer is waning, and we haven't yet posted about one of our favorite things about the summer and early autumn here: farmer's markets. Aside from the obvious "yum" factor (yum!), there's the beauty of buying local produce, supporting local farms, and seeing other folks from town when we go to the Oshkosh farmer's market. (The Madison farmer's market is a paradise unto itself, but at a 90 mile drive it's not precisely "local"-- very awesome, though).

Most beautiful of all, in Maccabee's eyes, is something rather unique to our local market: the Hmong egg roll stand. After all, what's fresh produce if it's not accompanied by a hot, crispy egg roll? Funniest of all, there are two stands right next to each other and both do a brisk business; both now offer a veggie option.

I think I may have just though of a new theoretical lens: the Eggroll Gaze.

When it was still summer (sniff!) we did a lot of successful cooking with the produce (including a splendid quinoa salad and two successful risottos). Now that the school year has started, life is very, very hectic, so cooking has fallen to the back burner (no pun intended). I just realized that the farmer's market pictures were over a month old--so here they are!