More Than Tornadoes: Cultures In The Corn Field

Ok, there are lots of people that use the word rural, but I am not entirely sure that they really know what that word means.  City folk think of the word rural as some quaint, clean, petting farm that is nestled closely to the edge of town.  They may even have a picture of it being what they see as they pass fields on the interstate.  When I use the word rural, I have an entirely different picture in mind.  I mentioned in my last post that it was 18 miles to a gas station. For much of my childhood the closest McDonalds was 25 miles away.  At my

More Than Tornadoes: A Missouri Food Journey.

If you have watched one episode of any news network in the last month, then you are well aware of the tornado that devastated the Joplin, MO area.  Family and friends lives were forever changed as a result of that horrific evening.
Since the storm I have had a lot of people ask me about the storms in this area.  Michiganders show a wide range of emotions when talking about storms like this.  Most express fear, some intrigue, and others just want to go storm chasing.  While I don't encourage the latter, as it can be dangerous to your well being,  the reality is that Missourians, along with many other mid-westerners are fully aware of the threat of storms and most are prepared in some form or fashion to deal with their devastation.  Joplin is also a testament to the resilience of