Drink Special Available April 16-20
Food Special Available April 17-18 and 20
Bond’s brewing Company
Address: 201 E. Custer Street, Laramie, WY 82070
Website: https://bondsbrewing.com/
Country Represented: Germany
Special: Dunkel Beer inspired by Ingrid Trahan
Chacho’s Tacos
Address: Food Truck will be parked at 201 E. Custer Street, Laramie WY 82070
Website: https://www.chachostacostruck.com/
Country Represented: Italy
Special: Elote Tortellini, Sweet Corn Cream, Tajin, Lime, and Queso Fresco with Hibiscus Habenero Pork Meatballs - Available on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday Night
ingrid trahan
German-Born Community Member
I remember when we first immigrated from Germany. We landed in New York, of course, and then went to Michigan, Grand Rapids. Back in that day we had to be sponsored and have a place to live when we got here. A guy's parents that my mom and dad knew in Germany were willing to sponsor us into the United States. They had a lavish dinner for us when we got here, typically American, which was roast beef, mashed potatoes, a nice salad and corn on the cob. Which obviously was a delicacy here. But my mother was so insulted she didn't say anything, but later she couldn't believe it. She cried and was so insulted because they are giving her cow food. In Germany, corn was only given to cows. It was cow feed! I don't know about if Germans eat it now, but because of the American influence back then, it was a terrible insult.
The second thing that sticks in my mind mostly when I think of food in Germany is a comfort food that my Oma used to make for me. My mom made it too. There Is a kaffeclatch page on Facebook, a lot of the old German women make it also, it's a great, great comfort food, which is boiled potatoes, a fried egg over creamed spinach. I just love that and it is a very comforting warm. lunch or dinner for me because it brings back very lovely memories.
I also wanted to add that I don't know where Americans get the idea that Germans drink warm beer, they do not. At the most it's just room temperature. The same goes for German potato salad. It is not a hot potato salad- again, it's room temperature. Back in the day not everyone had a refrigerator. I prefer German potatoes salad to the American one. You boil the potatoes in the skin and peel them when they are done. I have a fun memory of my mom and I peeling these while hot & we would laugh at the way we did them as they were SO hot. You fry a couple pieces of bacon chopped up, and a small diced onion, then you make an oil and vinegar dressing with a special kind of German vinegar, then you put the bacon and the grease as well in and mix that up gently. You add hot water to the oil and vinegar dressing and pour that over the potatoes. If. As it sits, the potato soak up all the liquid you add just a little bit more warm water so it's not DRY. Yum Yum.
Dianne Thompson
Global Engagement Advisor at the University of Wyoming and Student Pursuing a Doctorate of Higher Education Administration
My grandfather's family was from Scanno, Italy, a small village 2 hours east of Rome. It remains quaint-nearly frozen in time and only accessible by bus or car, nestled upon a mountain in the heart of the Abruzzo region. My grandfather was born in Wyoming after his mother and sister arrived from Italy to join his father and settle into American life. His story is similar to other European immigrants-they changed their name and ditched their native language upon arrival.
I was raised in a small town that many Italian immigrant families called home. As an only child, I was raised by a village of aunts, uncles, and cousins on the Italian side of my family. Growing up, I was all American, but my upbringing was heavily laden with Italian attitudes, stories, and FOOD. Some of my best food memories include eating pizzelles, cazzellitti (what you might call gnocchi) and spaghetti and meatballs. Food creates memories because our noses reminisce so well.
For me, when I smell my mom’s meatballs cooking (formerly my grandfather’s meatballs, and soon to be my children’s meatballs) I feel warm and at home. Meatballs are versatile and you can find them across cultures. But when I make them with homemade tomato sauce and toss them with spaghetti-it is like no other. So, even though I am an all-American girl, when I am cooking the Scanno meatballs, I feel wholly Italian.