Michigan summer

Michigan is a state that produces many things but gets credit for none of them, except cars.* Here are some examples: maple syrup. Vermont owns it. Peaches. Georgia cornered the market on those and put them on their license plates. Aeron chairs, which now come in the new color True Black, for you NPR fans. I bet you thought they were too lah-di-dah to come from Michigan but they do, along with Steelcase Leap chairs, which I believe to be superior. I have some expertise in this field because I spend 10 hours a day sitting on my petoskey (Wow! Another Michigan reference and a product, typically found in shops that sell fudge), but my first-hand experience is sadly limited due to the fact that my current desk chair was purchased on Craigslist for $10 and has been pooped on and shredded repeatedly by my parrot.

While I was in Michigan a few weeks ago, I encountered some other delightful products that I would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. Such as:

A double scoop from the House of Flavors, which sets the standard for Oreo cookie ice cream.

Hand-made ring bologna from the excellent Best Choice Market in Ludington. I had never seen or tried this before, but my mom told me that my great-grandfather used to eat slices of it for breakfast. Clearly a preference for garlicky snausages runs in the family.

Kaukauna Port Wine Cheese Spread. A totally guilty pleasure. It's not from Michigan; it was first made in Wisconsin. My dad thinks it sounds Hawaiian. Their contact information is in Illinois. Whatever the case, it's something I eat while I'm in Michigan. It's owned by a big French food company now. That seems wildly inappropriate.

Here are some things that Michigan produced on my trip that failed to impress:

The classic Midwestern salad: iceberg lettuce, grated cheese, heavy dressing, in a plastic bowl. The tomatoes are a fancy touch.

The cocktail waitress advised me to steer clear of the Sunset Wheat, the only interesting looking option, "because it tastes like Froot Loops". Yikes. I wouldn't be surprised if that white Merlot doesn't taste like Froot Loops too. Gulp.

Michigan also makes superior cherries, blueberries, and Cornish pasties. Last but not least, Michigan is best known to me for producing my boyfriend, and all the people who are currently crashing at our apartment right now. They are all good, Euchre-playing people. Yes! Michigan!


*I'm not sure how many cars are still produced in Michigan. This one probably was, though: