The Frugal Traveler On The Essence Cut: A Novel Yorker Learns Something Nearly Farming Together With The Midwest

I induce got enjoyed immensely next Seth Kugel, the NYT's "Frugal Traveler," the past times half dozen weeks every bit he has made his means through what his summarizing installation calls (in the impress edition) America's "Center Cut," from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to western Minnesota.  (I note, past times the way, that his journeying covers the territory of the federal Eighth Circuit, but alongside the additions of Kugel's Fifth Circuit kick-off in addition to his brief foray into Kansas).  In his grand wrap up inward today's paper, titled (online) "What I Learned Driving Through the Heartland," Kugel's lede has a decidedly agricultural flavour that I cannot resist highlighting hither for atomic number 47 Law readers:

“The udder on this moo-cow simply keeps getting amend in addition to amend every bit the hateful solar daytime goes on,” remarked Barry Visser, Kandiyohi County Fair dairy cattle judge, over the PA system. A man child led his prizewinning Holstein away every bit a friendly crowd of western Minnesotans, in addition to ane out-of-place New Yorker, looked on from the pocket-sized stands. The dairy moo-cow contest was nearing its end; the rabbits, hens in addition to pigs had already had their days of judgment — no udders required — in addition to were unwinding ane edifice down. 

Kugel goes on to explicate that, for all his worldliness (here in that location is shameless identify dropping every bit Kugel establishes his basis traveler bonafides past times listing the major basis regions he has visited), he had a lot to acquire most parts of the United States, including how much diversity in that location is from province to state, sometimes fifty-fifty county to county--never heed crossing an international boundary.  Clearly, Kugel's cognition most farming in addition to farm civilisation expanded exponentially on this journey.  He writes: 

Vague notions of the share were replaced past times what I gleaned from museums in addition to historical markers every bit good every bit from residents’ stories of their great-grandparents’ struggles every bit settlers. The unproblematic inquiry I asked of every farmer I met — How many acres does it accept to brand a household unit of measurement farm profitable? — launched conversations inward which I learned infinitely to a greater extent than than you lot could past times reading articles most farm bills.

* * *

But it was actually the county fairs I attended — 3 inward full — that won the Frugal Traveler bluish ribbon for favorite activity. I didn’t fifty-fifty know what the iv H’s inward 4-H stood for earlier this summertime (for the record: head, heart, hands, health), allow lonely that the establishment shapes childhoods inward much of the country. Later, when I realized that several county fairs are inside a two-hour crusade of New York City, I felt rather ignorant.

Ignorant, indeed.  Hasn't Kugel been reading his ain paper, alongside its vogue to label "rural" anything northward of Westchester?  See examples here in addition to here.  

At a few points, Kugel refers to the people he met in addition to the places he saw every bit "exotic"--like a little African tribe (the latter are my words, non his).  To notice that this highlights the rural-urban chasm inward this the world is to province the obvious.  I am also reminded of an interesting cultural studies article I induce got cited from fourth dimension to time, Lisa Heldke's "Farming Made Me Stupid."  If Kugel idea that when he started his tour of the Eighth Circuit, he seems to induce got been disabused of that notion.  Just what I similar inward a reporter:  an opened upwardly mind.  

My post service most Kugel's catch to my hometown, here. The pride I felt when I read that even out a calendar month agone resurfaced alongside today's recap, pinpointing on a a map inward our nation's premier paper of tape my petty ol' town's rank inward the universe, along alongside Kugel's other generally obscure stops. Too bad the caption inward the latter even out (print edition) places the "most photographed stone inward Arkansas," Hawskbill Crag (a/k/a/ Whitaker Point), inward Missouri.  But then, you lot tin give the axe solely aspect therefore much from a bunch of metropolis slicker advert checkers.  

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