Right Here in Nebraska
May 7, 2010 1:42 PM Subscribe
We're the makers of Spam. We invented Kool-Aid, and this is where the first Reuben sandwich was made: Right Here in Nebraska. (SLYT)
Full disclosure: I'm from Nebraska.
Full disclosure: I'm from Nebraska.
I am from Omaha, but I moved away even before I knew about Spam and Kool-Aid, two of my least favorites.
posted by Cranberry at 1:50 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by Cranberry at 1:50 PM on May 7, 2010
Love this. Just disappointed by the lack of mention of the Sandhills and Willa Cather.
posted by Nothing... and like it at 1:53 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by Nothing... and like it at 1:53 PM on May 7, 2010
Reuben's are my favorite way to celebrate St Patrick's Day.
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:54 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:54 PM on May 7, 2010
I think of Austin, Minnesota first when I think of SPAM manufacturing.
Full disclosure: I'm from Austin, TX.
posted by kmz at 1:55 PM on May 7, 2010 [2 favorites]
Full disclosure: I'm from Austin, TX.
posted by kmz at 1:55 PM on May 7, 2010 [2 favorites]
Spam is a sort of backpacking mini-tradition with my friend and I. Flame roasting little cubes of it on sticks over a fire you struck up with a sparker just tastes so great after hiking your gear in. Just dropping by to give my support to the one situation where I will eat Spam.
posted by Phantomx at 2:05 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by Phantomx at 2:05 PM on May 7, 2010
There is a Spam factory in Nebraska, but it's definitely a Minnesota thing. Hormel is a Minnesota company, and the Spam museum is in Austin.
God, what a dull list. Nebraska is far more interesting than the song would lead you to believe, and I say this as Nebraska's most successful playwright.
Off the top of my head, and specific to Omaha:
Malcolm X was born there
Wynonie Harris hails from there
The fictional C. W. McCall, who sings "Convoy" is from there
Johnny Carson lived there, and Fred Astair was born there
As was Marlon Brando
As was Henry Fonda, and his son Peter
My favorite: Korla Pandit lived there for a while
I could go on for hours. There's a lot of profoundly cool stuff that came out of Nebraska.
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:08 PM on May 7, 2010
God, what a dull list. Nebraska is far more interesting than the song would lead you to believe, and I say this as Nebraska's most successful playwright.
Off the top of my head, and specific to Omaha:
Malcolm X was born there
Wynonie Harris hails from there
The fictional C. W. McCall, who sings "Convoy" is from there
Johnny Carson lived there, and Fred Astair was born there
As was Marlon Brando
As was Henry Fonda, and his son Peter
My favorite: Korla Pandit lived there for a while
I could go on for hours. There's a lot of profoundly cool stuff that came out of Nebraska.
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:08 PM on May 7, 2010
We're the makers of Spam.
Fortunately, God is forgiving.
posted by Pope Guilty at 2:08 PM on May 7, 2010
Fortunately, God is forgiving.
posted by Pope Guilty at 2:08 PM on May 7, 2010
Grew up in Omaha.
We have many better, if less noteworthy, foods that aren't all that good for you too.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 2:14 PM on May 7, 2010 [2 favorites]
We have many better, if less noteworthy, foods that aren't all that good for you too.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 2:14 PM on May 7, 2010 [2 favorites]
I'm from New York too, but Omaha (or possibly Lincoln, Nebraska) are much better candidates for a number of reasons, not least of which is that the sandwich Arnold Reuben took credit for in his 1938 Federal Writers' Project interview was offered on the Reuben's menu well into the 1950's as the Reuben's Special. And a Reuben's Special has little in common with a Reuben.
(And yes, this all breaks my heart, but that's how it goes sometimes.)
posted by Opposite George at 2:17 PM on May 7, 2010
(And yes, this all breaks my heart, but that's how it goes sometimes.)
posted by Opposite George at 2:17 PM on May 7, 2010
Omaha does kind of suck though, sorry.
It's not New Orleans, but it has its charms.
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:17 PM on May 7, 2010
It's not New Orleans, but it has its charms.
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:17 PM on May 7, 2010
This dudes dong is not doing my home state any favors.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 2:18 PM on May 7, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by Senor Cardgage at 2:18 PM on May 7, 2010 [3 favorites]
His s/b>ong also fails to impress.
Damn iPhone.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 2:19 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
Damn iPhone.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 2:19 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
I'm just gonna give up now.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 2:19 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Senor Cardgage at 2:19 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
It's always a pity when a bong fails to impress.
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:20 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:20 PM on May 7, 2010
I don't get it - we know about deleting spam and not drinking the kool-aid, but what terrible thing is the Reuben associated with?
posted by Artw at 2:25 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by Artw at 2:25 PM on May 7, 2010
I don't get it - we know about deleting spam and not drinking the kool-aid, but what terrible thing is the Reuben associated with?
Stenchous gas. From the root: Nebraska.
posted by hal9k at 2:38 PM on May 7, 2010
Stenchous gas. From the root: Nebraska.
posted by hal9k at 2:38 PM on May 7, 2010
I don't get it - we know about deleting spam and not drinking the kool-aid, but what terrible thing is the Reuben associated with?
I first heard the Rubenebraska rumor in the motion picture Quiz Show.
And we all know how that turned out.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 2:44 PM on May 7, 2010
I first heard the Rubenebraska rumor in the motion picture Quiz Show.
And we all know how that turned out.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 2:44 PM on May 7, 2010
We are the eaters of Spam.
Full disclosure: I am from Hawai'i.
posted by jet_silver at 2:46 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
Full disclosure: I am from Hawai'i.
posted by jet_silver at 2:46 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
Actually I kind of suspect both of them being so keen on spam as part of a dark secret history of cannibalism, but the less said about that the better.
posted by Artw at 3:14 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by Artw at 3:14 PM on May 7, 2010
One of the saddest days of my life was discovering that the family who owned the one good Jewish deli in town sold out to new owners who replaced the Russian dressing on their Reuben sandwich with Thousand Island. And don't get me started on the "lean" pastrami. Christ. I wanted to firebomb the fuckers.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 3:26 PM on May 7, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by BitterOldPunk at 3:26 PM on May 7, 2010 [3 favorites]
I was sure the Reuben was a Pittsburgh thing, yinz all prolly know about Primanti's french fry sandwiches
posted by infini at 3:48 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by infini at 3:48 PM on May 7, 2010
Vice Grips, also from Nebraska. And Mother Abigail in The Stand.
posted by asfuller at 4:35 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by asfuller at 4:35 PM on May 7, 2010
I lived in Nebraska for a while. I'm always interested in some films depictions of Nebraska.
posted by stop sign at 9:46 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by stop sign at 9:46 PM on May 7, 2010
The Cornhuskers' Memorial Stadium holds more people than any city in Nebraska except Omaha and Lincoln.
Arbor Day was founded in Nebraska City.
posted by kirkaracha at 6:37 AM on May 8, 2010
Arbor Day was founded in Nebraska City.
posted by kirkaracha at 6:37 AM on May 8, 2010
Nebraska sucks. Nine out of ten people have never seen an ocean. Nine out of ten people have only ever been to one other state besides Nebraska, and nine out of ten times that state is Colorado. Everyone hunts, or is related to someone that hunts. Everyone drives everywhere, which is funny because there are sidewalks everywhere. Wonderful, empty sidewalks. Sushi sucks in Nebraska. Tornadoes suck in Nebraska. Baseball? Baseball doesn't even register on the suck scale for Nebraska, because the overwhelming mass of the Huskers' stadium has collapsed in on itself like a giant black hole of suck for the entire state. Wal-Mart's continued popularity in Nebraska sucks an inexplicably big one. And when you get sick of the suck and want to escape? You still got 8 hours of driving ahead of you before you're in a place that doesn't suck. Like some Suckular Bomb was dropped on Lincoln and there's a 350 mile blast radius of radioactive suck you have to drive through to get out.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 8:08 AM on May 8, 2010
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 8:08 AM on May 8, 2010
The best thing to come out of Nebraska is a road to Iowa. :-)
posted by Jumpin Jack Flash at 8:48 AM on May 8, 2010
posted by Jumpin Jack Flash at 8:48 AM on May 8, 2010
We skipped Nebraska on our great trip Out West, and I've always regretted that I didn't get to see Carhenge.
posted by wobh at 9:06 AM on May 8, 2010
posted by wobh at 9:06 AM on May 8, 2010
"Sushi sucks in Nebraska. Tornadoes suck in Nebraska."
Putting the one right after the other this way makes it sound like the tornadoes are poorly made, not very fresh, and may contain cream cheese for unknown reasons.
posted by kyrademon at 10:07 PM on May 8, 2010
Putting the one right after the other this way makes it sound like the tornadoes are poorly made, not very fresh, and may contain cream cheese for unknown reasons.
posted by kyrademon at 10:07 PM on May 8, 2010
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Arguably.
Full disclosure: I'm from New York.
posted by JaredSeth at 1:48 PM on May 7, 2010