Things I Like: A Single Item Food Festival

We're going to Pittsburgh. Don't know when, but we are. I don't quite understand why I've felt drawn to it other than mrguy's grandfather had a shoe store there, and it's an industrial town. But I've had my eye on Pittsburgh for a while. One of my favorite auction houses is there, and I've come to learn about some artists from there, like Virgil Cantini and Lucille Kleber.

I told a friend that I was going to Pittsburgh and she told me how much she liked it, and I hold her opinion in high regard, and she told me that there is a Heinz Museum.

And this led me to knowing about Pickleburgh, the Pittsburgh pickle festival. OMG. I love a food festival centered on a single food item. Too bad it's held in the height of summer.

Corn Festival
We've been to a corn festival, which was the site of my last heat stroke! Also, frankly, not enough corn. There were only 4 or 5 corn booths, and the folks doing henna tattoos didn't even have a corn design on offer. Poor showing, but the corn from that area is stupendous. I'll buy it at the store.

Rice Festival
We've been to a rice festival in Honolulu, in the shadow of one of my favorite modernist buildings, the IBM building, by Vladimir Ossipoff. Here is a guy dressed as a Spam musubi. Another hot one, but worth it for the photo opp with a guy in a Spam musubi costume.

Asparagus Festival. Repeat Offenders!
We've been to the Asparagus Festival in 2019 and 2022, tying some genealogy in while we were at it. The asparagus margaritas were really tasty. And the location of the festival had a dirt track for racing, which I didn't think was a thing you could find within three hours of there.

Butter and Eggs Day -- Technically Two Food Items, But Little of Either
And *this* year we went to Butter and Eggs day, but they were really devoid of butter and eggs, if you ask me. I goofed, and the local deviled egg contest was on the Sunday, not the Saturday.

Krautfest 2016
And then there was the one that got away. In 2016 I heard a news item about a lack of entrants for the title of Kraut Queen at the Racine, Wisconsin Kraut Music Fest. I self-nominated and would have absolutely gone to Wisconsin in order to do my duty. Here is my cover letter:

"Melanie R.
Kraut Queen/Princess Coordinator
[address redacted]
Racine, WI 53406

Dear Ms. R. and the Kraut Queen Committee,

It was with great interest that I read that the Kraut Fest was looking for Kraut Princess and Kraut Queen contestants, and with great sadness that I then realized that there is no category for a more mature Kraut Royalty Applicant. I beg you to rectify this omission and expand your royal court to consider kraut lovers of a certain age.

I am emboldened to suggest this expansion of your pageant categories because in 2016’s nonsensical electoral cycle, where anything goes, self-nomination in the currently non-existent role of Kraut Matron / Kraut Dowager doesn’t seem terribly out of place.

My qualifications are:

1) I can and do eat kraut.

2) In 1994 I personally helped increase the public knowledge of kraut juice by sending a kraut juice label to my friend, [name witheld], a writer, who was inspired to write about kraut juice. His article about kraut juice helped popularize kraut juice in the 1990s.

3) For many years my kitchen featured a display of a dozen Meeter’s Kraut Juice cans. Had other brands been available to me on the West Coast, I would have included the brand of your sponsor, Frank’s, in my display.

4) If selected, I will write and perform a kraut-themed song for you at the festival (ukulele and vocals)"

Despite their zero entrants, they rejected my application. I feel like this was such a missed opportunity for all. I would have *rocked* the whole Kraut Matron thing. Oh well, my preferred brand, Meeter's, is from Oconomowoc, anyway and they have a kraut festival (sometimes, when it isn't being shut down due to corruption).

Mandarin Oranges, Anyone?
This week, at the height of the mom nonsense, I went on the lookout for food festivals to look forward to. I was rewarded for my research, and in a few weeks we are headed to a mandarin orange festival. Who knew?

I will report back