"Introducing the Embassy of the Upper Peninsula"

The cabin will sit on the Lansing Rivertail where visitors can enjoy a tranquil experience, watching waterfowl and take a quick kayak row.

Embassy of the Upper Peninsula

http://upembassy.us/

Introducing the Embassy of the Upper Peninsula. On September 6, 2016 we will break ground to build an authentic log cabin in Downtown Lansing to serve as the diplomatic headquarters of the Upper Peninsula.

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News
Announcing the Embassy of the Upper Peninsula
April 1, 2016

Today, we are announcing the creation and construction of the Embassy of the Upper Peninsula.

Construction will begin September 6, 2016 in Downtown Lansing. We are building an authentic log cabin where we will execute our mission to protect, and promote Upper Peninsula interests through diplomatic relations.

Under the leadership of our Ambassadors we will work diligently to ensure that the Upper Peninsula is fairly represented in legislation and other government initiatives.

The Embassy will act as a refuge to Upper Peninsula legislatures, create Upper Peninsula programming, and be a shining symbol to the people, culture, and history of the Upper Peninsula.

Above all, we will be sure that the words “pasty” and “sauna” never go mispronounced and that the Upper Peninsula is included on every single State of Michigan map.

For more information please contact:
Bugsy Sailor
Upper Peninsula Ambassador
bugsy@yoopersteez.com
(906) 914-9054

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I think that this is a much better solution--in this particular case--to the problems of a sparsely populated rural area as far as representation. A "51st State" solution would only serve to create a big bureaucracy, and form an endless magnet for everything that they don't want up there. They would eventually lose control completely. However, with this internal embassy, they can form an excellent vehicle to lobby for their own collective interests. This will be an interesting development to follow.

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The Cudighi sandwich... Lombard-Yooper culture in Upper Michigan: Part 2

Cudighi (Wikipedia):

A Cudighi is a spicy Italian sausage that can be bought in links or can be served as a sandwich on a long, hard roll, often with mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. Cudighi came from Italy to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It can be served many ways in many Italian dishes. The sandwich was originally served with raw onions and mustard on a roll.[1] The sandwich is known as an Italian sausage sub throughout most of the United States. However, it is known as Cudighi in the Upper Peninsula county of Marquette, where it can be found at almost all the local pizza and pasty shops.

The word "Cudighi" is now unknown in Italy, although it seems to be derived from Cotechino, an old Lombard word for a fresh sausage made from pork, fatback, and pork rind.[2] According to Hormel Foods, Cudighi originated in Northern Italy.[3] The recipe for what is known as "Cudighi" is likely highly specific to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The taste of Cudighi depends much on the amount of clove and cinnamon present in the mix.

Cudighi sandwich remains staple in the Yooper diet 

Rebecca Himmelstein - UpperMichiganSource.com - October 31, 2014

ISHPEMING -- The cudighi has become a staple in the Yooper diet. The construction is simple. Homemade Italian sausage is flattened into a patty and grilled. It is commonly served with melted mozzarella cheese and pizza sauce, but every restaurant has their unique version.

“The basic cudighi has marinara sauce and cheese on French bread and then we have the works, which has mushrooms, green peppers, onions, marinara sauce and the cheese” said Robert Caron, co-owner of Vangos restaurant in Marquette. “Then you have to have that with some waffle fries.”

Vangos has been serving cudighi for 50 years.

“We grind the meat fresh daily and make each batch every day, so it is as fresh as can be and we use the best possible ingredients to make the best cudighi sandwich” said Caron.”

Ralph’s Italian Deli in Ishpeming has sold their secret family recipe since the 1960s.

“The more popular ways are with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and onions” said Dominic Gervasi, co-owner of Ralph’s Italian Deli. “A lot of people like ketchup, mustard, onions and mozzarella cheese combination. Also we serve fresh, homemade buns. We make the bread every day. The bun is very important, that has always been 50-percent of it.”

Italian immigrants started making them in Ishpeming and the sandwich’s popularity grew from there across the Upper Peninsula.

“It is a tradition” said Caron. “It is something that you grow up with. It is just a great sandwich and just a little taste of home.”

“The biggest evolvement I have seen is just the number of people and businesses that have gotten into making them and selling them, because it is just like pizza, almost any restaurant makes a pizza now anywhere you go” said Gervasi.

Both restaurants agree that what makes their cudighi sandwiches so good is fresh, high quality ingredients and consistency.

“It is always the same” said Caron. “It is always the same, just a great sandwich.”

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The decline of the spiritual clan

There are many writings about the decline of the family unit, but that's not exactly what I mean by "clan," and I wish to go in a little bit of a different direction. To even discuss "the family unit"--due to contrived politics, conflicting values, disinformation, etc.--can be problematic in of itself. One of the UN's stated goals from the start is the elimination of the family unit, just as the Communists had declared before them. Then we can document the Fabianist bankers having regular meetings with the Communist International for a long period of time, and other such strange and dangerous bedfellows... suffice to say that "the family" doesn't have many true proponents on the true-literal far right or far left. Bella Dodd was one important person who told her account of this type of manipulation of our country, and many others by these people. Their job is as it's always been.. to take the normal working and business class for everything their worth. They're the predators, and we're the prey. However, there is a different type of social phenomenon that has taken place over the decades. One more subtle, and is perhaps more of an unintended consequence.

There was a time where common people lived in close proximity to the graves of their ancestors, some of which they never knew. There was a well defined "homestead," most often the house of the passively dominant family of a clan. I think "clan" can sometimes also mean a larger collective of people who are very similar. People that one would grow up with. I saw a program this past year about the Amish, and at one point there was a brief shot from outside an Amish homestead in the early evening. The windows of the house stood out in the darkness, and the kindred inside could be heard singing Christian themed songs together. I find it telling that Americans are now so interested in the Amish world, even though it would seem that they are socially cut off from the larger society. Could it be human instinct that people may feel that the Amish "have" something that is missing in their own lives? That sense of true community. Even in certain traditional Italian-American communities, even in places that one may not thing of.. like Kansas City or St. Louis.. there is a close-knot sense of community where even people who are not related are still considered "family."

The movie 'Indian Summer' (1993) was about a summer camp in the northern woods which was closing, and the longtime camp director (played by Alan Arkin) decided to invite a few of the former attendees from the camp's "golden age" who were now in their early 30s (Diane Lane, Bill Paxton, Vincent Spano, etc.).. up to spend a week or two. Of course this would be unlikely to really happen, but it's was a fun creative license anyway. When people begin their adult lives, everything changes, and it's not the same as when they were kids and they shared experiences together in a different way. I saw part of a movie this past week--which I had watched numerous times before--entitled 'Dazed N' Confused' (1993) about people from eighth grade to early twenties in 1976 Austin, Texas... although it could have well been in many places. Near the end of the movie, a group of friends were on a football field at night, drinking beer and talking about the meaning of life in a lively candid way that adults would rarely do. It was the last day of school, and they stayed out all night, and then it showed the sun rising on a calm clear morning.

More to the point, eventually people within a town or district move on, and the sense of community and kindred spirits break up. Of course, this may not happen in every instance.. but more frequently than not. The movie 'Beautiful Girls' (1996) reflected this. Former students, now about 30, from a town in rural Massachusetts come home for a high school reunion. Some had moved far away mostly for economic reasons, to big cities; while others still lived in the area. Realistically, some people wish to cling to their roots, while others can't wait to do away with it.. if for no other reason than a change in scenery; or maybe they grew up in a bad place. Still, those bonds from childhood are broken. In larger urban areas, this type of change is due mostly to mass movements of people, but the results are pretty much the same. As far as the family unit, this also frequently becomes more and more detached over time. For example, children may not really even know their grandparents. However, the internet may have aided this dilemma a bit.

About two weeks ago I brought a few boxes of items to the Salvation Army to donate. This process of letting go of things may or may not be difficult for people. Usually it's just "stuff".. and nothing to cry over. One of the items I brought there was a Christmas themed stuffed polar bear mama which my mother had brought out during the holidays. It was stored in plastic bags, so it is still like new. She no longer cares about it, and I decided to donate it along with other "stuff." As I drove away, and for the next three or so miles, I realized that I wasn't ready to give it up. I drove back, and reclaimed it. I felt a childhood connection to it, as like a representation of my mother and holiday memories.

I think because so many things from our early memories of family and community are taken away, we may occasionally want to cling to items from our past. I think many people think about.. something like the idea of taking a walk on perhaps a cold dark early evening on Christmas Eve, and as they walk back to the homestead they see the window, the Christmas tree, the lights, and the warmth inside. Their family, their mother, their father, and they don't want to think that it's gone in the sense that their parents can continue on as powerful maternal or paternal figures long after the nuclear unit is detached. Perhaps I'm rambling on a bit, but if you can imagine times when you may have put a lot of stock in a new person who later betrays you... then you think of certain people who were in your corner all along.. who maybe you had gotten away from for too long. That spiritual sense of clan and community is a fragile thing.

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