Fried Walleye and Cherry Pie: Midwestern Writers on Food

by Peggy Wolff (Introduction), Anne Dimock (Contributor)

With its corn by the acre, beef on the hoof, Quaker Oats, and Kraft Mac n’ Cheese, the Midwest eats pretty well and feeds the nation on the side. But there’s more to the midwestern kitchen and palate than the farm food and sizable portions the region is best known for beyond its borders. It is to these heartland specialties, from the heartwarming to the downright weird, that Fried Walleye and Cherry Pie invites the reader. 


The volume brings to the table an illustrious gathering of thirty midwestern writers with something to say about the gustatory pleasures and peculiarities of the region. In a meditation on comfort food, Elizabeth Berg recalls her aunt’s meatloaf. Stuart Dybek takes us on a school field trip to a slaughtering house, while Peter Sagal grapples with the ethics of paté. Parsing Cincinnati five-way chili, Robert Olmstead digresses into questions of Aztec culture. Harry Mark Petrakis reflects on owning a South Side Chicago lunchroom, while Bonnie Jo Campbell nurses a sweet tooth through a fudge recipe in the Joy of Cooking and Lorna Landvik nibbles her way through the Minnesota State Fair. These are just a sampling of what makes Fried Walleye and Cherry Pie—with its generous helpings of laughter, culinary confession, and information—an irresistible literary feast.


Contributors:
Elizabeth Berg
Stuart Dybek
Thom Jones
Michael Stern
Robert Olmstead
Jacquelyn Mitchard
Peter Sagal
Jon Yates
Gale Gand
Harry Mark Petrakis
Carol Mighton Haddix
Jules Van Dyck-Dobos
Anne Dimock
Donna Pierce
Phyllis Florin
Peggy Wolff
John Markus
Melanie Benjamin
Timothy Bascom
Lorna Landvik
Mary Kay Shanley
Sherrie Flick
Douglas Bauer
Peter Meehan
Molly O'Neill
Robin Mather
Sue Hubbell
Bonnie Jo Campbell
Bonny Wold
Jeremy Jackson

Genres: Food, Essays, Nonfiction, Food and Drink, Memoir, Cookbooks

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[David Farris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of diverse stories and essays about food, written by Midwesterner about Midwest Food. Yes there is Midwestern food that's not just beef and potatoes. Small town events, church socials, state fairs and big city international events are covered. And I'm particularly pleased with anything doing with Pie, which there are on this collectiono

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe my expectations were off, but I wanted a recipe to accompany each chapter and that is not what you get -almost all of the material is recycled from other collections or cut out of larger works, And while there are 30 writers contributing, a scant two were inspiring enough to make me note down their names and other works. Nothing was downright bad, but far to little was good.

[Ryan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really nice compendium of Midwest food writing. Some essays described what I know and love. Some made me nostalgic. Some made familiar what seemed new. Some gave me ideas to stretch my palate. The collection felt well-balanced among memories, reporting, descriptions and ideas.

[Abbie Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never heard of many of these authors, but I enjoyed reading about their love of food. Some are food writers and chefs while others, like me, write fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. But the joy of eating is the common denominator.

The piece on meatloaf reminded me of how I made this dish when my husband Bill was alive. The account of a school field trip to a slaughterhouse brought back memories of my visit to a dairy farm when I was in elementary school. A piece on bunt cakes reminded me of how my mother used to make Angel Food cakes with a similar pan. The final essay, in which the author talks about a meal after a funeral, reminded me of the reception following Bill’s graveside service.

From the comfort of my recliner, I traveled throughout the Midwest, sampling such delights as an Italian beef sandwich in Chicago, Cincinnati five-way chili, and anything imaginable on a stick at the Minnesota State Fair. The nice thing about eating vicariously is that you don’t get heartburn and don’t gain weight. That having been said, this book shouldn’t be read on an empty stomach. I hope you enjoy this “irresistible literary feast” as much as I did. Thank you for reading.

[Scottsdale Public Library]

There is writing about food and then there is food writing which reflects life's joys and travails, people, places, and moments in time. Fried Walleye and Cherry Pie offers up just that from the heartland of this country. From Iowa's elephant ear sized pork tenderloin sandwiches, to Door County fish boils, and Cincinnati Five-Way Chili. And don't forget sweet corn, funnel-cake, jello molds, and all of those flaky crust, sweet slice of heaven pies. Just as important and in some instances the central theme are powerful memories: July 4th concerts, first love and apple pie. Thanksgiving celebrations where new and different foods are introduced and no longer is it grand dad at the head but our aunt the matriarch of the family. My favorite story tells of a farm wife, working as hard as the men-folk out in the fields to serve up a four course dinner followed by supper, who quietly endures simmering emotions that she never allows to boil over. These and many more foods and memories are what make this one book I highly recommend. Amy O

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have lived in the Midwest all of my life. The contributors to this short story collection all hail from the Midwest. Elizabeth Berg's "In the Midwest it is Meatloaf" made me feel like I had grown up in her house! The story and the food matched my life in so many ways. This is a book I will read again and again.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable essays on the food of the Midwest. Can't believe I grew up there and have never heard of many of these regional favorites. Must be time for a road trip home to search out all this delicious sounding food.

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining collection of food essays by various authors. Some feel a bit dated. Lots of folks like county fairs and corn dogs! One of my favorites was near the end about Bundt pans. I liked how it wrapped historical info in the story.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of essays about food from a variety of Midwestern writers. Of course, food is also about culture and stories...many of these are excellent and all of them are worth reading. Recommended.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Midwesterners love (comfort) food! No shit. As with any compilation, some stories are good and some are not. My favorite is the honest account about her Norwegian Grandmother by Phyllis Flooring called "Eat Now". Not everyone's Grandma is a great cook, but her memories are great.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book of essays was a delicious surprise. I did expect more entries about Michigan, but most of the essays were well written and engaging. From stories about the food of one's childhood, to food at the state fair or church potlucks, this was wonderful. Selected recipes included as a bonus!

[Christine Lupella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious stories of the Midwestern foods that have always been part of my life - and my soul. LOVE this book!!!!! To answer your question - yes, it has recipes. Now - I must eat!

[Ann Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very uneven collection, but enough good-to-excellent pieces to rate 4 stars.

[Ruby Tuesday]

V Midwestern. I wanted to eat everything that was mentioned in this book.

[Lori Gall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories on Food and the person writing A nice change on a book to read

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories on Food & The Author as they revisit there favorites on that food & how it became there favorite

[Tam G · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good range of journal-memoir-essays on Midwestern food. I felt it incorporated a good range of foods and places.

Of course, the quality per essay was variable, but I enjoyed the nostalgic feel they managed to captured when talking about corn on the cob or pie.

[todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fried Walleye and Cherry Pie is a collection of essays about the Midwest and food. The authors come from a broad swath of short story writers and novelists with a common geographical bond. Not all are food writers though they all dearly love the subject. Most of the essays are in the form of reminiscences and many are quite touching. The best are fairly tight pieces that make a couple of keen observations that almost anyone with Midwestern DNA can relate to. Not surprisingly, my favorites included a delightful argument for the superiority of Italian beef sandwiches in Chicago, a recitation of how many tasty delights arrive on a stick at the Minnesota State Fair and the multiple references throughout the book about the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich as one of the highest expressions of Midwestern cuisine. The last part of the book dedicated to sweets brought back enough memories to set my teeth on edge in the best sort of way. There are a scattering of recipes throughout, though this is far from a cook book. It is a celebration of the region and the essential role of food in virtually every segment of the culture.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I refer to myself as Sconnie royalty... I've lived in Wisconsin my entire life and while I loathe winters, I take a great amount of pride in being a Midwesterner. We're freakishly friendly, we're extremely genuine, and we have some strange food quirks. This book was a delicious piece of nostalgia. I was raised on my Grammy's meatloaf and my mom's lemon meringue pie. I've had homemade bread and desserts at church suppers that almost brought me to tears- they were that good. And now as an adult my husband and I take incredible pride in eating local, sustainable fare. This book is a lovely read- a must for Midwesterners that love food as much as I do.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great group of essays and writings on Midwestern food. A couple of ones that I really enjoyed:

"In The Midwest, It's Meatloaf" by Elizabeth Berg
"The Sandwich That Is Chicago" by Michael Stern
"Cincinnati Five-Way Chili: Still Legal" by Robert Olmstead
"A Tale of Two Tamales" by Carol Mighton Haddix
"The Door County Fish Boil" by Peggy Wolff
"I'll Eat Columbus" by Molly O'Neill
"On Cider, Cornmeal, and Comfort" by Robin Mather
"Where a Pie is More Than a Pie" by Jeremy Jackson

There are several recipes in the book, too, but I thought the above pieces were really the highlights.

[Vikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fried Walleye and Cherry Pie is a book of essays by midwestern writers all with the central theme of - food. The essays were as varied as the authors. All of the essays were totally different and all written from a different slant. The ones that are sticking out in my mind are one on rhubarb, one on fudge and one on slautering. All except for the slaughtering one, were very reminiscent bringing smells and memories of great food. I loved this book and all of the authors.

[Sandy D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful essays on farm dinners, fish boils, rhubarb pies and kuchen, Italian beef, pork tenderloins, sweet corn, working in a Greek diner, working the line in a cornflake factory, foie gras (banned in Chicago), peach cobbler and the Indy 500, pies of all kinds, Thanksgiving dinners, state fair food, church and funeral food, tamales, 5-way chili, fudge and much more. Nice selection of authors, some wonderful writing that is already prompting me to search out the authors' longer works.

[Wendy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Chapter 1: A delightful discussion of meatloaf by Elizabeth Berg
Chapter 2: A horrific, graphic, awful description of a fifth grade class touring a slaughterhouse. I think I might be a vegetarian now.
Chapter 3: Who the hell knows?! I didn't finish Chapter 2 and couldn't stuff this book into the book drop fast enough.

[Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. A smattering of recipes, but primarily stories of how food conjured up various memories in peoples lives. Not only of the meals themselves, but memories of the people they were shared with as well. I wrote a full review on my blog. http://diningwithdonald.com/fried-wal...

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

armchair gustation (like travel writing, but for food). Some stories were better than others, and then I kind of got tired of all of it.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of past writings on Midwestern food should be interesting to any Midwesterner growing up in the second half of the 20th century.