A Toast to the Tundra

Land of the Midnight Sun

As I was foraging on the tundra this morning, I began to contemplate what makes a food particularly American. From hot dogs and apple pie to roasted turkey and mashed potatoes, what do you think of when you think of American food?

American food is seemingly its own genre, often separate from what a family in America might consider traditional foods. For example, you might ask someone living in Texas and they might answer that BBQ is most definitely an American food, while Pasole might be a traditional food in their family. Is Pasole really less American than BBQ? I think not.

Fireweed

Here’s a scenario for you. Most Fourth of July celebrations include hamburgers and hot dogs, even in Alaska. Even in Unalakleet. However, there are no cows or pigs or chickens out here. In order to have an American celebration, food has to be flown in – potatoes for French fries, ice cream, soda pop. Our local traditional foods include salmon, caribou, moose, greens, berries, rhubarb, whale, seal, bear, crab, and water fowl of all sorts. Are those less American?

For the first time in my life, I am going to live off the land. No job with a regular paycheck. Thankfully, I live in a land of abundance. I took a trek up the hill behind the cabin today. Along the way, I noticed rose hips and currants ripening in the woods and when I came into the tundra clearing at the top of the hill, I felt like the richest person in the world. The wind brought with it a view of never ending mountains and not a person anywhere. When I looked down, ripe blueberries dotted the ground, salmon berries were turning orange, cranberries were just starting to turn yellow, and Fireweed was in full bloom. There was even wild rhubarb here and there. All are amazing foods and they couldn’t be more American. They literally grow wild in my back yard.

Wild Rhubarb

Gregg already has a moose hunt planned for this fall, I plan to go with him caribou hunting, and we already have 30 pounds of salmon in the freezer. It looks like Nuka, our one-year-old Chocolate Lab is going to be a great bird dog, so we’ll have plenty of water fowl. Now, that’s what I’m talking about. That’s the epitome of American food!

Muktuk (whale blubber) in Alaska is as American as pasties in Michigan or cheese curds in Wisconsin. Jambalaya in Louisiana is as American as lobster rolls in Maine or tacos in New Mexico.  I’m grateful for the rich diversity of our country as a whole, but I’m even more grateful for abundance of life right outside my front door.