By Alex IlyashovDaily Northwestern
My summers tend to revolve around roadtripping with the family. Last year was the two-week Michigan and Canada excursion (I’ve never consumed so many peanut butter and banana-dappled s’mores!) and a little people-watching in the boondocks of the Upper Peninsula.
But the summer before was characterized by a four-week RV adventure to be reckoned with, spanning from New York to California. We stayed in spectacular national parks, explored national landmarks and ate our way across America. Mind you, I’ve selectively forgotten many of those meals; roadside cuisine can be pretty atrocious.
But it’s an experience to be had, and inspired by my character-defining, wacky and otherwise unforgettable road adventures, Here’s a very abbreviated list of some interesting eats across the country: the Midwest and New York edition (I couldn’t possibly cram both coasts into one column).
Dining in an “Amish Paradise”:
Like the Weird Al song would suggest, Blue Gate Bakery in Shipshewana, Ind., is a curious spectacle of communal eating – Amish people en masse – an entertainment theater and great pies. The food consists of decent but bland meat-and-potatoes type dishes, so you’re better off sticking to dessert. Three words: old-fashioned cream pie. Try it, love its fluffily mild creaminess, buy the cookbook and try to unsuccessfully replicate – like my mom. (www.riegsecker.com)
