Jan 29 2007
A Taste of Home
Believe it or not, Monroe has a vibrant little contingent of software developers at Microsoft near Seattle. My brother, Francis, is one of them. This has many advantages for me. I get to make semi-regular trips to one of the coolest towns on the planet. But I also get to live off Bill’s largesse. Microsoft keeps snack areas in almost every building corridor and the developers - and their guests - get all the snacks they could ever hope to eat.
But that’s not what I decided to post about. Francis has a somewhat peculiar “Monroe” taste that he just can’t live without. And it’s Meijer brand beef jerky. Now, it’s good stuff, but I’m not sure I’d fly 2,000 miles to get some. But that’s inevitably what happens when we pick up my brother at Metro Airport. “Can we stop at Meijer on the way home?” is the usual question. We’ve remedied this a bit by sending ample care packages filled with the beloved jerky.
So, that’s the question: If you live in Monroe, what Monroe taste or experience could you just NOT live without? And if you are a Monroe exile, what would you give almost anything to have right about now?
Partying at the Microsoft campus is something I’ll never forget. I was there in April of 2004 and the one evening at their on-campus Conference Center was simply insane. Massive tables of catered food was everywhere, there were meeting rooms loaded with networked gaming consoles, the auditorium became an impromptu comedy club, impromptu bands formed in the one conference room … and yes, Guinness is apparently the official beer of Microsoft.
There are some goofy pics of this trip at http://www.mshelpwiki.com/wiki/tiki-index.php?page=MvpSummitOhFour and http://www.helpware.net/xfer/pics/usa2004/pics.htm … damn that MSN butterfly!
When I was living out-of-state, my parents would bring me frozen quart containers of Angelo’s coney sauce from Flint, along with a 24-pack of Vernor’s.
Now? Someone would have to bring me some of Chef Tad’s deep-fried alligator and chipotlé dipping sauce from the Frog Leg Inn in Erie, some Koegel Viennas (yeah, from Flint but sold here), and something good from Lee Williams’ House Of Meats in Point Place.
For me it would be Vinces hotdogs!
When he lived in Texas my brother somehow managed to purchase a case of Town Club pop online. I have no idea how old it was but he bought it and it was a little bit of Monroe/Michigan heaven in the Big Sky Country!
Remember Town Club pop?
I loved Town Club pop. How many different colors can you make pop into?
And I agree about those Vince’s chili dogs! Man are they good. It’s funny. I’ve never been to the Monroe’s Original Chili Dog on the other side of the river. I’ve passed it a million times, but I’ve always been a Vince’s kind of guy.
The Monroe Hot Dog Stand is an absolute treasure. You can’t beat the guacamole out here in Southern California, but those chili dogs are the best in the country.
Spudnuts. The best donut you ever tasted. The shop used to be located in the Monroe Evening News block downtown a long time ago - 1950’s. My dad (Coach Red Davis from Monroe High School) used to take me there for warm, fresh Spudnuts. They were made while you watched. I have never found anyone who has the recipe, but I know they contained potato flour - hence, the name Spudnuts. I would love the recipe. They are better than any donut you can find today. Warm, glazed, melt in your mouth.
When growing up my Dad worked at what was then Monroe Paper Products later becoming Time Container and finally what appears to be the defunct Jefferson Smurfit. Back then Vince really owned it at that time. But anyways my Dad used to occasionally bring home some then Vince’s Hot Dogs, me and my sister couldn’t wait when we know those dogs were coming. I later used to love the dogs from the A & W Root Beer Stand on West Front St. It is now the Monroe Original. I think that they are the best Drive in Style Hot Dogs in Monroe County.
Hey there everybody, (I’m Michael’s big sis and I think he’s doing a great job with this blog!) I get cravings for Independent Dairy ice cream. There was never anything quite like getting a HUGE scoop of black cherry (with huge chunks of fruit) in a sugar cone and head out to Veteran’s Park on a hot summer day. Of course I had many other favorites: Mackinaw Island Fudge… Moose Tracks… Extreme Moose Tracks…. Caramel Pecan Torte (Do they still make that one?) I know that this is the one thing I make sure to tell out of towners about. “You just have to try this!” Häagen-Dazs and Ben and Jerry’s eat your heart out. I’ll take the dairy any day.
hQ1i3N great work man thx http://peace.com