Pie Parlor

When I want a piece of pie I polka down to Peggy's, I
Know I'm a very hungry guy, so I say, "May I please have a slice?"
And if I want some chocolate meringue, I run back in like a boomerang
And in the sun or in the rain, I do the Peggy's Pie Parlor Polka

Raspberry, strawberry, lemon-lime, summertime feels so fine
If you want pie of any kind, polka down to Peggy's Pie Parlor

I love an apple pie (it loves me)
 I love pumpkin, pecan (oh, how lovely) 
I love Peggy and she loves me
(At least she gives me pie to eat...)....

from Ralph's World

M, Daughter#2 and I had itchy feet this morning, so we hopped in the car (mini-American road trip!) and drove to Winchester, the next county seat east, in Randolph County. It's only about 40 minutes from home, through corn and beans, woods, woods, corn and beans, rivers and creeks. (The White River seems to cross our roads whichever direction we drive in. We also saw Sparrow Creek today.)

We cruised through Parker City and Farmland (where there is a little ice cream shop called Chocolate Moose that is calling me back!), barely saw Maxville (6 houses and an RV park) and did not even see Mull, although it is on the map.

The cemetery is the best place to start, of course, so we did. It looks like the town really started coming together in the mid-1800's, when life spans averaged 40 and many of the headstones had GAR flags next to them. The Hobbick family apparently had a hard life.

Once-bustling houses, silent businesses and a number of monuments gazed over us at various corners of the town, the statues and cannons mainly from the Civil War. I need to read a little more history of eastern Indiana's involvement there!

Mr James Moorman was a Quaker who arrived at age 6 with his widowed mother and two brothers, worked hard, started lending money and became Mr Banker of Winchester. He left money in his will for an Orphan's Home, remembering his fatherless childhood, and specific instructions such as gentle treatment of the children. He also, despite his pacifism, donated the huge Civil War heroes monument on one corner of the County Courthouse.

The main thing Winchester is known for in an internet search is...Mrs Wick's Pies. We had lemon meringue and peach crumb.

As an international worker for the past 17 years, I've had it drilled into me that we don't make judgments on our new culture, because we're probably going through culture shock. We're also supposed to say only positive things about it on the web. That never seemed quite realistic to me, although I understand the rationale for why someone might communicate like that.

Since I have plenty of positive things to say about the US and the Midwest, though, I think I can say here that our road trip wasn't the fun experience we expected. We came home a little depressed about food. :) We've tried (and won't try again) Chinese food and Mexican food, an American bakery and a pie place. Honestly, mine is better - in all of those categories. Far better, as well as much cheaper. I guess it'll help us save money, since we won't be tempted to go out much!

And any restaurant in Strasbourg is in a different category completely. We miss Strasbourg, today.

The pie place ambiance was nice, with sparkly red 50's chairs and a really nice, chatty waitress. And a COOL house for sale across the street.