Survival Food: North Woods Stories by a Menominee Cook

"Tom Weso describes his food culture upbringing in Wisconsin as a member of Menominee Nation and also a member of the Wisconsin citizenry. He lives in cabins, tepees, Madison hippie apartments, a refurbished jailhouse, and across the street from taverns. He hitchhikes across the state, motorcycles, bikes, and is driven in his uncle's fancy sports cars. His warm voice adds color commentary and humor as he samples traditional Indigenous foods, German-influenced food, and an inventive mix from government-issued foods and fast foods. The book documents Native foot trails that underlie today's highways, as well as former Menominee village and Catholic school sites. Weso captures the larger political currents of his times as well as the texture of everyday life. This author can be serious, but his inviting book always has unexpected twists, as when his no-nonsense grandmother cut loose and stuck wrestler Gorgeous George with her hatpin. Or the time he and his cousin dared each other to eat frozen Mezcal worms. Native and non-Native readers will recognize familiar Northern Woods sights and towns in this engaging narrative"--