The pleasures of greater Midwest road food

For Memorial Day weekend coming up, please allow me to offer you a visual and audio movable feast from the recent Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance symposium “Road Food: Exploring the Midwest One Bite at a Time.”

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Greater Midwest road food lunch plate | WBEZ/Louisa Chu

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Horseshoes; recipe by the Leland Hotel in Springfield, Illinois from Whatever Happened to the Horseshoe? | WBEZ/Louisa Chu

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Pork tenderloin slider; recipe by Chef Mitch Cavanah at Kendall College, originally from Waterloo, Iowa | WBEZ/Louisa Chu

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Runzas; recipe by Saint Benedict’s Parish Family Cookbook in Nebraska City, NE | WBEZ/Louisa Chu

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Egg salad sandwiches | WBEZ/Louisa Chu

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Pickled eggs, beets, celery, and carrots; recipe by Marty’s Bluebird Cafe in Laketon, Indiana from Cafe Indiana Cookbook | WBEZ/Louisa Chu

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Marinated vegetable bowl; recipe by Wolcott Theatre Cafe in Wolcott, Indiana from Cafe Indiana Cookbook | WBEZ/Louisa Chu

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Iowa pea salad; recipe by White Way Cafe in Durant, IA from Square Meals Cookbook | WBEZ/Louisa Chu

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Cranberry salad; recipe by Palmer House in Berne, Indiana from Cafe Indiana Cookbook | WBEZ/Louisa Chu

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Greater Midwest Road Food symposium lunch plate (WBEZ/Louisa Chu)

WBEZ’s Chicago Amplified recorded the entire three day program and you can download each speaker’s story now, most notably keynote speaker Michael Stern’s “Will Success Spoil Regional Food?”

If you get a chance to do a roadtrip, some of these dishes may inspire your journey and destination. Please note that some of the restaurants have closed, but their recipes live on in memories, recipe books, and hopefully our gathering plates.