Madison Wisconsin-daughter’s take: After Bozeman, Montana, my dad and I adventured back east. We stopped at parks and sites along the way – Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Custer State Park – until we arrived in the Midwest. My dad is from the Midwest. I eat like I am, so we were both excited to venture into the pretty (and cheese filled) city of Madison, Wisconsin. Madison Wisconsin-daughter’s take
By this point, dad had come around and understood the value of a block of cheese. So, our main outing was to a cheese shop. I get my love of cheese from my mom. She had already scoped out the shop and put in an order for a 12 year aged cheddar that we were supposed to bring home for her. I can confirm that we picked this cheese up for her. But, I am less certain that any actually made it home. In fact, I’m fairly certain that it didn’t. Madison Wisconsin-daughter’s take
In addition to this wonderfully sharp and oh too easily eaten cheddar, we also walked away with 3 other ages of cheddar, a cranberry cheese, a beer cheese, and a blue cheese for my dad. There may have also been a manchego. Honestly, we dropped about $100 on cheese and it was worth every penny. Madison Wisconsin-daughter’s take
Not believing in too much of a good thing, we supplemented our cheese stores (which, honestly, barely made it out of the state) with a trip to a local bar for fried cheese curds and beer cheese soup. Okay, maybe that was just me. I think dad got a non-cheese-themed sandwich. Anyway, off I went for cheese, ignoring the sneaking suspicion that I may be some low form of lactose and/or beer intolerant. Madison Wisconsin-daughter’s take
As an adult, I have been unofficially diagnosed with IBS, but at the time, I was just starting to notice some unpleasant correlations with my digestive tract. Undeterred, I ordered the beer cheese soup and fried cheese curds. The soup was incredible. It was creamy, cheesy, slightly lagery goodness, blended with just a dash of herbs across the top. I took one glorious bite, turned white, and almost knocked our waitress over sprinting to the bathroom. Madison Wisconsin-daughter’s take
By the time I returned, the full meal had been served and dad was 85% done. He asked if I was okay and I proceeded to finish the whole soup and all the cheese curds. Was it a good idea? Surely not. Did I have to walk slightly bent over cramping and nervous about my proximity to a bathroom on the way back to the hotel? I did. Did I ever regret it? I did not. That soup was good. Madison Wisconsin-daughter’s take
The cheese curds, while less disastrous on my guts, were also a delight to encounter. Tiny, tender, crispy, fried chunks of soft, gooey cheese with a sharp tang and a buttermilk dipping sauce. Glorious. Madison Wisconsin-daughter’s take
To help me walk off the cheese cramps, we ventured out to the lake. Traffic was weird in a how do pedestrians cross the road oh god run run run kind of way, but once we got to the lake we were safe to walk along the shore, take in the gentle breeze, and people watch the ultimate frisbee team. Madison Wisconsin-daughter’s take
Madison was a lovely small city full of cheese and beautiful views and I wouldn’t mind going back to stay a day or year or two. But alas, we were still headed home. An overnight and two meals at Frisch’s Big Boy in Ohio and we were home in Virginia. Roadtrip complete, Dr. Jason Longfellow novel not yet a thought deep in our minds. Madison Wisconsin-daughter’s take
If you’ve enjoyed me and my father’s mostly historical recount of our road trip around the country, consider purchasing our completely fictional and even funnier novel, Murder by Roadtrip. It’s available on Amazon https://amzn.to/2HauHCg Barnes&Noble https://bit.ly/35lISh6 and Indie Books https://bit.ly/2I95at8