Growing Up In Wisconsin

Growing up in Wisconsin, I have been exposed to very many different types of food. The most prevalent food, and perhaps the stereotypical food of Wisconsin, is the dairy group. Wisconsin isn’t called the dairy state for nothing. Food products probably account for a large portion of the state’s productivity, and at the top of that list is dairy. There are countless numbers of dairy farms across Wisconsin. My aunt and uncle used to own a dairy farm, and I often visited it and was introduced to their large number of animals, especially the cows. Nearly every elementary and middle school is Wisconsin has at some point taken a field trip to a farm or dairy factory and has learned the process of creating both milk and cheese. The bottom line is that food is a huge part of Wisconsin culture and during my time in the state, I fully embraced that culture.

            Dairy was a staple in my diet during the first 18 years of my life. From cheese and milk, to yogurt and ice cream, there was rarely a day that passed that I did not consume some sort of dairy product. If I had to pick my favorite dairy product it would for sure be ice cream/custard. Ice Cream is my go to dessert and could definitely be considered a comfort food. When doing word association’s ice cream came to mind when I thought of both myself and happiness. In class when I had to choose a food that I could be, I would be ice cream due to the fact that it is delicious, there are so many different types of ice cream, and just about everybody loves it. Ice cream is easily my favorite food. I cannot think of a single time that I have turned down an offer of ice cream. Before coming to Denver, I worked at a restaurant that served custard and after almost every shift I worked, I was able to take home a free pint of custard. To say the least, it made the job so much better. Those were the best nights, when I was able to take home some free custard. A few nights, I would just put the pint in the freezer for another day, but more often than not, I would put on a movie, and eat the entire pint. You see, when it comes to custard, it is so much better when not completely frozen. When it is “fresh” it is smooth and creamy and tastes a little bit like heaven. The best nights were when I would take home either chocolate chip cookie dough, cherry chocolate chip, or brownie thunder, a flavor that included brownie chunks, vanilla custard, and caramel, three of my favorite things.

            Not only is ice cream very delicious, but the fact that I am able to eat it is amazing. From birth, doctors believed that I was allergic to many things, including dairy products, which would have put a real damper on my dietary habits. However, a trip to a specialized hospital in Denver changed everything. It was here that I found that I would be able to eat nearly anything I wanted, which was great news. One of the first things I did when I discovered I was able to eat all dairy products was to get a nice big bowl of ice cream. I’ll never forget that meal. We went to a restaurant downtown Denver, somewhere on 16^th st. I can’t recall the name of the place, since I was only 6, but I can recall the meal very well. I went out and got a huge steak (or at least I thought it was big when I six). The meal came with mashed potatoes, another one of my favorite foods, and a big glass of chocolate milk. This was my first recollection of being able to drink chocolate milk, and as far as I remember, it was delicious. To finish it all off, I ordered a bowl of ice cream. The ice cream came with chocolate sauce and rainbow colored sprinkles. It was delicious. It may have been just an ordinary bowl of ice cream, but the experience was incredible. It was my first memory of eating ice cream and it stuck with me forever. Ice cream has been a huge part of my life and has really affected me in so many aspects of my life.