What I Ate But Didn't Make: Alaska and the Yukon

Did you ever play the "Would You Rather?" game?  As a child I foolishly picked oceans over mountains every time.  But that was only because I had never seen mountains.  Well, now I have.  And there's no turning back.  Mountains certainly win now.  There are no words to describe the beauty and majesty of what I experienced in the Great White North.  Even pictures can't do it justice.

But since this is a food, not a travel, blog (seriously though, go on an Alaskan cruise!), let's talk about what I ate.  There were sadly few opportunities to try out local restaurants.  I did, however, enjoy a bison burger at Legends in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada.  Complete with french fries and malt vinegar.

 

Joshua got a little impatient with my food photography.

Our host family did an amazing job of incorporating the local wildlife in our meals.  Grilled moose brats for our first lunch and then plenty more moose sausage for Sunday brunch and in lasagna.  We even had caribou barley soup.

 

Our travels home included a longish layover in Portland, Oregon.  Not wanting to sit in the airport, we ventured out on the train and hopped off when Rachel saw an Irish pub.  Amazing.  I wasn't even hungry, having just eaten a large lunch a few short hours previously.  But I needed to prevent getting hangry (for those unfamiliar that's being so hungry you're angry) as I had previously on the trip.  Really more for the sake of my traveling companions than myself.  Man, I'm glad I love them so much because this was quite possibly the best meal I had the entire adventure!  The girls shared a broiled melty cheese, garlic, and onion spread on an array of bread and crackers.  I had a traditional lamb and Guinness stew.  Rachel and Meredith were kind enough to spare a few bites of their chocolate Guinness cake with homemade whipped cream.  For not being hungry, I sure packed in a lot of food.