Sunday, November 1st 2009
An Outsider's Perspective
By Dan Anderson
Upon arriving in the great city of Milwaukee this past June, I quickly realized just how much the other places that I had been living sucked. Maybe it’s just the novelty of being somewhere new, but the seemingly endless benefits that this unheralded jewel of the Lake Michigan shore presents to its residents and fortunate visitors are undeniable. From the temporary and seasonal (Summerfest, Irish Fest, Jazz in the Park, etc.) to the permanent and dependable (The MAM, the Pabst Theater, and too many great restaurants to list), Milwaukee’s offerings are boundless and can’t help but leave those lucky enough to reside within its boundaries well beyond satisfied.
I wanted to write a piece on what exactly makes me love Milwaukee so much. I feel that the following letter that I recently sent off to an establishment in my former home of Boulder, Colorado sums it up pretty well.
Dear Boulder Meat Market,
$7.99 a pound? Are you serious? I don’t know how anyone can justify charging this much for kielbasa. If I hadn’t been so desperate and you hadn’t been the only place in Boulder that even knew what fresh kielbasa was I would have never spent dime one in your “fancy” little shop. Oh, and remember how you laughed at me when I said I planned on slow boiling my overpriced kielbasa? What, the only way to cook kielbasa is to fry it? Well, talk to my grandma then – her parents came over from Poland on the boat and that is how her family has always made it. I can’t believe you have so much disrespect for my grandma and her family. She is the cutest old lady and she has never failed to amaze my taste buds with her perfectly BOILED kielbasa. Just so you know, I recently moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and I now know that I will never have to deal with your shitty store ever again. Practically everyone here is either Polish or wishes they were and it is AWESOME! There is this place called Sendik’s here and they sell fresh Usinger’s kielbasa for a much better price and it tastes way better than anything I have ever bought from you. I also happened to tell the butcher about my grandma’s method for preparing kielbasa and he was all over it. Please try and be better meat merchants and less disrespectful to cute old Polish ladies.
Sincerely,
Dan Anderson
