Mustard in a small town
Yesterday I left the psuedo-cosmopolitan world of Madison, Wisconsin and ventured away to the scenic small town of Mt. Horeb. You have to bring your passport, hide your democratic party registration forms, and purchase a hunting rifle before they let you leave, but it is well worth the trip.
Why did we make this venture? Well, yesterday was National Mustard Day., so we were off to the National Mustard Day Festival at Mt. Horeb's infamous mustard museum.
What goes on at a mustard festival? Well, you can play all sorts of mustard games like wheel of mustard, and mustard ring toss. The prizes? Well, you guessed it: mustard. You can make mustard painting. They give away free hot dogs (with optional ketchup for $10.00). And of course, you can wander through the Mustard Store, I mean, museum, and sample and buy mustard.
This year, there was another reason to go. A friend of mine had entered a recipe for mustard-battered mushrooms and cheese curds into their mustard cook-off competition. She placed a respectable 5th (out of 10), and it earned her a $20 gift certificate to the museum. That can go quite quickly, suprisingly enough.
I find these small town events amazing. Yes it kitsch. Yes, from an outsider perspective, it's a big scary. But, it's an excuse for people to gather together and be a bit goofy.
Small villages in the UK had similar events. The Village of Ottery St. Mary has a burning tar barrel celebration close Guy Fawkes day. Yes, people fill up the streets in this small village, often well-liqured up, and watch people in burning tar barrels run through the streets. This event, a bit more disturbing than mustard, still had those elements of community.
I've never wanted to live in a small town. I'm a city boy at heart. I love being able to walk outside my apartment, down to a coffee place, around the corner to a movie theatre, and then to a restaurant for a quick take out meal. I love the variety and diversity in most american cities. But, there is definitely a place for a small, closely knit community. I can at least see the comfort in that lifestyle, and appreciate it's charm and strength. I just sometimes need a reason to go out and see it.
posted by Gatsby @ 11:29 AM
6 Comments:
just a few weeks ago in a small town near Oxford, there was a Kudzu Festival, complete with a Kudzu Queen. Yep... you know it's a redneck town when there is a celebration of a weed. And a choking weed at that. It's akin to hosting a festival about poison ivy or poison oak.
Mustard festival? Sounds funny!! at least a bit of a change..
I'm posting from Italy and here we have sometimes the tendency to take ourselves a bit too seriously.. Last we I could have chosen among: a super-elitarian cultural festival of algerian poetry from 1870 to 1920, russian contemporary oboe concert and international debate over the use of the word "chair" in the dante's poetry(and it's not a joke!)
ps good to find someone truly interested in politics! I'll read your old post to catch up! ciao
I, too am a big city boy but have lived in small dinky towns for 4 years as well. Small towns certainly have their charm and down home feel and are a welcomed relief once in a while. They are a nice reality check, but I still prefer the comforts of big city madness.
Not quite "in" the tar barrels - inebriated people run along crowded streets late at night holding flaming tar barrels on their backs/shoulders...which, admittedly, also strikes an outsider as utterly insane!
Welcome Temple. I try to mix up the topics a bit..do a bit of politics, a bit of random thoughts, occasionally some Jewish stuff. Thanks for visiting.
Plantation: there is no way I'd leave a city, even if it is a small one the size of Madison. At this point, I love them a lot.
Thanks for the clarification Gonetomars: anyone should find it insane. It is insane, and worth seeing at least once.
Jenn: How could I miss you. Celebrating weed...I remember having quite a few demonstrations in Madison celebrating weed. Maybe that's not what you meant though :)
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