Loose Meat

-
Visited the state of Iowa this past week.

It's funny but the response I get when I mention that is:

Why?

or

How bad is it?

Well.

There's not a lot going on there.

I took a trip from Kansas City to Ankeny which is about 3 hours by rental car. I added satellite radio to my car charge because I didn't want to be scanning from station to station and I figured that the drive might be a tad boring.

It is.

Miles of endless nothing.

A few cows. Watch out for deer signs and just field after field after field with the farmer's daughter type homes about a half mile from the road.

"You should try a loose meat sandwich," my buddy texted me.

I thought of the old Roseanne show and Tom Arnold (a famous guy from Iowa) talking about how great they are.

I don't normally scan the area too closely when I'm in an unfamiliar state and since my drinking days are over I'm no longer looking for the best bar when I'm on the road.

But loose meat?

I made a mental note to look around.

Good old Pops was ready with some of the locations.

He evidently had time to look up the menu at Jethro's Pork Chop Grill and told me about the Maid-Rite stores that sold the loose meat.

I googled each.

For dinner I had a loose meat type sandwich with a side of rattlesnake pasta.

(No, it's not real rattlesnake - it was a mac and cheese type dish with jalapenos and some other spices mixed in).

Good stuff.

But I was still curious about the Maid-Rite phenomenon.

I visited the job and was at the site until nearly lunch time.

I visited Google and the Maid-Rite was within a couple of miles.

Loose Meat Here I come!

The place was busy. It was also clean and well-lit and the red and white interior gave it an old-time diner feel. There were about 40 loose meat choices but I thought I'd go with the original.

I ordered two.

And much like it's name it's just loose hamburger meat on a standard hamburger bun.

I went with everything on it.

Onion, pickle and mustard.

Damn!

Those went down quick!

I kept looking at the menu.

I had a three hour drive left.

Miles of endless nothing.

I returned to the counter.

"They're good," the lady said, "aren't they?"

"Better give me one more."

She laughed.

"I can eat about 6 at a time," she said.

Loose Meat in Iowa.

Tom Arnold was right!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Suits

-
Like a lot of other people we got pulled into the series, ‘Suits’ on Netflix. I’ve never had much fun hanging around lawyers who have questioned me as a construction safety officer. I once testified in a case where the opposing lawyer started questioning me by going through my educational background. “So,” he said, racing to a crescendo, “You graduated from college with a degree in Communications-Journalism and suddenly, 30 years later, you’re a ‘safety expert.’” He actually made the quotation marks with his fingers. I just looked at him. “How does that happen?” He bellowed, sure that he was going to discredit me. “Well,” I said. “I knew I was overqualified to become a lawyer.” The courtroom erupted in laughter. Even the judge chuckled. The rest of his questions landed flat. So, I wasn’t all that keen on a show about lawyers, but ‘Suits’ is great. Meghan Markle became a princess because of the show, and she is very good in it (and a beautiful woman). Yet, there is so much more. The wri
Read more

My Buddy, Dave

-
Way back in 1997, I started working with a steel erection company out of Syracuse. I was coming straight from a long stint with a steel erector here in Buffalo so I knew my stuff when it came to steel erection safety rules. On day one, I met with the safety director and he was just getting started as a safety guy, but man, he certainly cared about the guys he worked with. Dave was a good man from the start. He’d say things like: “You’re so full of beans.” Just a down to earth, hardworking guy who became a fast friend. We drove all around New York State setting up jobs. I always let Dave drive so that I could rest. One fine day, way up North of Syracuse, we passed a state trooper.  I glanced at the speedometer. “You’re screwed,” I said, and seconds later, the lights came on. Dave was beside himself.  The cop stopped by the window, grabbed the license and registration and headed back to his vehicle. “Here’s the thing,” I said. “You’re pissed, but you’re such a good guy that I bet you tha
Read more

Mom & Ollie

-
Image
 Ollie Stadium is a mess. The heavy rains rendered the backyard a mud pit and even though we threw in the side yard, the Big O was looking for more, and we were both covered in mud. I had to take some steam out of him somehow so I suggested we go visit Grandma. Ollie hates the car, but he laid quietly as we made the trip. We even brought the football because there is plenty of room to play at Grandma’s. Mom opened the door and started laughing. I thought about the love she had for every single dog we ever had. Oliver was quick to give my Mom a kiss, and then he stood beside her. The love between Mom and Dogs is a mutual bond. Through the years, Mom would make breakfast for the dogs.  Fried eggs, toast, bacon… She would wrap Christmas gifts for them. “To Jeter, Love Santa,” she would write on the cards. They played with the big chicken that made a lot of noise. Mom tossed the football and Ollie brought it back to her. As the visit drew to a close I headed for the door.  “C’mon, Oliver,”
Read more