Michigan is my childhood home. After traveling there last week, I am returning with some travel tips as well as some local food recommendations.
During the summer of 1989 I was crowned "Little Miss Fudgie." Laugh if you like. It is a terrible title for a beauty queen. For years my friends have teased me: one friend has me programmed into his phone as "Fudgie." Of course, if you've ever traveled to Mackinaw City or Mackinac Island, Michigan you would understand why this seemingly unfortunate title was actually very apropos. After all, Mackinaw is the fudge capital of the world.
Little Miss Fudgie, 1989: me
This past week, John and I traveled back to northern Michigan. As a native of Mackinaw City, let me fill you in on a few things you need to know when traveling Up North.
1) USE YOUR HAND: When traveling to Michigan's lower peninsula, no map is needed. Simply hold up your right hand and point. For example, when I say "I'm from here" I point to the top of my middle finger: Mackinaw City's location.
2 LEARN THE LINGO: Mackinaw has two spellings: Mackinaw and Mackinac. Both are pronounced "aw" at the end. If you pronounce it "Mack-in-ack" you will truly irritate the locals. (The "ac" ending is French.) Also, you should familiarize yourself with the following words:
- Yooper: a person from the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) of Michigan
- Phrases such as "you know" and "aye" work wonderfully as affirmations at the end of a statement. However, use of either requires a question mark at the end of your sentence.
3 BE INFORMED: If you know a few things before you go, you can avoid asking the worst question of all:
What time does the bridge swing over to the island?
The bridge in question is the Mackinac Bridge, a 5 mile long suspension bridge which connects the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. Obviously, it doesn't swing anywhere-- let alone Mackinac Island where no cars are allowed!
View of the Mackinac Bridge from my parents' home
4. GET AWAY FROM MAIN STREET. The rewards of getting off the Main Street are significant. Surely, the Main Street of Mackinac Island- a small island with a population of 500 year round residents and no automobiles- is charming. But, rent a bike for an hour or two and you will enjoy beautiful scenic views in a land that is mostly national park. Here is one of many:
So, now that we've covered the basics, let's talk about local food and specialties, aye?
First, let's start with the fudge. Travel to northern Michigan and you will be overwhelmed by the sweet smell of chocolate wafting out to the street. While it's hard to find a bad fudge, my personal favorite is Murdick's fudge. My favorite flavor is double chocolate (which only Murdick's sells), but I also like chocolate walnut, peanut butter, maple, and vanilla.
Next, let's talk about fish. If you are ever in any of the Great Lakes states, you must try walleye. It is my favorite fish, a white fish featuring a rich earthy flavor and a texture which melts in your mouth. It's best prepared lightly pan-fried with a light lemon cracker coating. My favorite place to eat walleye is Audie's Chippewa Room which is coincidentally the best place to eat dinner in Mackinaw City. Audie's also serves another delicious Great Lakes fish: whitefish. You have your choice of eight different preparations- the best of which is probably the Parmesan encrusted whitefish.
However, my favorite way to eat whitefish is smoked. In northern Michigan there are countless places to buy whole smoked fish. Often, these roadside establishments have the fish smoking right outside their small shops. While it disgusts many people to see the whole fish staring at you while you dig into it's flesh, there is certainly no question as to what you're eating when you see it this way.
Finally, northern Michigan is famous for a few other food delights:
1. Pasties (pronounced "pass- tees") These are best bought at small seemingly hole in the wall places. If you like pot pie, you will like the pastie-- which is simply a pastry shell filled with meat and potatoes, then topped with gravy.
2. Michigan cherries: Traverse City, Michigan (top of the pinkie finger) is the Cherry Capital of the World. Usually, cherries can be found at countless farm stands throughout the entire state of Michigan. Sadly, we did not find any local cherries while we were up there. I did, however, drink a cherry martini which was made with locally produced cherry vodka.
If you are ever in Mackinaw or Mackinac, I hope these recommendations will be helpful. You are, after all, getting advice from the Little Miss Fudgie of 1989.
