My sister recently came back from Australia and she knows that I like to try unknown brands and/or varieties of snacks I may know of. She also knows I'll try something new. So here she is with the snack she bought for me and it was... Kangaroo jerky.
It's made by a company called Mariani, who distribute throughout Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. They plan on hitting the U.S. market soon. So here I am with a package featuring an illustration of kangaroos in a mid jump. Here I am with their flesh in a bag, nicely seasoned. The back lists the scientific name as "Macropus Rufus".
It also says this: "The meat contained herein is for personal use only and not for sale. It is derived from animals that received postmodern veterinary inspection and were found sound and healthy in every way. The slaughter and preparation of the meat described herein has been carried out in a sanitary manner in accordance with Expert Control Act. 1982, which is administered by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry"
So how does it taste? Well, it has the flavorings of a typical jerky, but beef this isn't. What got to me was the texture. Beef jerky is generally rugged, you tear that thing with your teeth and you'll need to floss. Kangaroo however is very smooth, and that caught me off guard. I am sure the soy sauce powder, garlic, mineral salt, and everything else helped disguise the actual kangaroo flavor but someone somewhere eats the meat, so obviously it's edible. A blog called Random Foodnotes said The texture and taste are reminiscent of pork jerky, although with the dominant soy sauce flavor, this could have been dehydrated dirt and it would probably taste the same. I don't think I'll be eating kangaroo jerky again anytime soon.
The same company also makes emu jerky and crocodile jerky, I don't know if Steve Irwin would have approved of this, but maybe daughter Bindy will give this company a couple of smacks.
I haven't been back home in Honolulu in almost a decade, it's very sad but it's also very true. Normally when I do go home, I limit my burger intake to W&M in Kaimuki, Zippy's, or a hamburger steak plate lunch @ Tsukenjo. But I was made aware of a restaurant called Burgers On The Edge and the menu looks very good.
They recently held a "Burger Genius" contest where people could enter and create their own burger dishes. According to the website, the idea was to see "who in Hawaii can create the most original and delicious burger using the 8 cheeses, 12 sauces, and 18 toppings from the current menu or think outside the burger wrapper by submitting a recipe for their masterpiece."
What was of interest to me was something called the "Bento Burger" made by Doris Gilbert. What consists of a Bento Burger? Here are the ingredaments (HA!):
The Burger Genius presentation will be shown on KHON in Honolulu on Wednesday, June 24 at 9:00pm, and the winners will be announced on July 4th, marking the 1st anniversary of Burgers On The Edge. If they post a video of the show or if it is posted elsewhere, I will have it here on Book's Foodie
VendrTV is a website that looks into "Curbside Cuisine", so if you're someone who loves those food carts and to support those who make the food, this is a great site to go through. They go across the country to look at what's going on, interviewing the people behind the carts and you get a chance to see people trying out the goods. With summer just around the corner in the Northern Hemisphere, if you have plans on a vacation or two, avoid the Mc and check out these street vendors.
The Portland Mercury has just started a series of articles called Travels In Tacoville, which looks at the growing number of taco wagons in Portland, Oregon and picks out some of the best. You can read the first two installments here:
Miner's Drive-In 2415 S. First St. Union Gap, Washington 98903 509 (457-8194) Google Map
Miner's Drive-In is a fast food burger place in Union Gap, Washington, about 2 1/2 hours East from Seattle and Portland, and the town just outside of Yakima. This is a burger place that is celebrated by many people in Eastern Washington and apparently some call it a great burger getaway. Some people I know of swear by this place, and for many people in the last 61 years, it still reigns supreme, even as McDonald's and Subway lurk nearby. I've passed and have visited Union Gap many times, but never made a stop here (Union Gap does have a great Japanese restaurant called New York Teriyaki & Hamburger, hopefully when I come back to Union Gap I'll go there). My mom felt like heading out of town and asked me if I could take her there so I did.
After reading a review, I was made aware that Miner's was very roomy, but it's a Saturday, it's almost summer, which means it probably would be packed. It was. I got in there and saw the menu, and lots of choices. Many different burger varieties, with the most basic one being about $4. I guess their Big Miner's is their specialty, so I went for that. It had a hamburger pattie, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and lettuce. They also had a teriyaki hamburger with ham. HAM! Chicken sandwiches, fish sandwiches, hot dogs, salads, taco infused something or other, and many other things that looked good. It was not as hectic as when I visited the great Varsity in Atlanta, Georgia, but it had that vibe in the back where everyone was hard at work, knowing the pattern of the kitchen. Miner's also sold combos, which was a burger, fries, and a soft drink, and there was one that was a whopping $10.99.
My sweet tooth started going when I saw the list of milk shakes and malts. They had all of the regular flavors, plus peach, pina colada, chocolate mint, and many others, at least 30. I wanted a milk shake but wanted to hold back so my mom ordered a chocolate one.
We were given our number and was told that the food would be delivered to us. We wanted to sit outside because a seat could not be found inside, but it was windy and slightly chilly. Nonetheless, I looked at the burger and it was big. Well, it was big in circumference but it was a thin patty, surrounded by lots of toppings. The bun is bigger than the hamburger, but after taking out what I didn't like, I went in. It was actually good as is, but I then decided to put some BBQ sauce on there. Not a good plan. It then seemed as if I didn't have a burger left, either that or the buns were soaking up the toppings. The fries were okay but maybe a bit overcooked. In the end, the burger was filling but it left me thinking "what did I just eat?" Maybe I needed to try a double burger, because it seemed like I was getting a lot of nothing. Or I could low-carb it (ha!) and just eat one bun.
As for my mom's milkshake, she couldn't take the sweet but I felt it was really good, it tasted like some nice chocolate syrup. Next time I'll try their pina colada milkshake.
To be honest, Miner's is not that bad for an independent burger shack, it's very old school and the people who work there are very nice, they make you feel at home. I will go back one day and try something else.
HISTORY: When Miner's started in 1948, their original name was Miner's In-N-Out, to describe the drive-thru they had and still have. But when a California burger chain started up in the 1960's, they didn't want to be confused with them so they changed the name to Miner's Drive-In. With the help of the internet and food shows, more people know about the Cali In-N-Out than the Union Gap Miner's, but if you're visiting the Pacific Northwest and want something quick and tasty with a pinch of history, plan on visiting Miner's.
