The Party of Mooseburgers
Ta-Nehisi Coates says Sarah Palin is “elitism bait” and arguing that “the entire Sarah Palin pick comes down to one thing–the hope that George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, or (God forbid) Will.I.Am. will make a joke about moose-burgers.” Perhaps. But here’s the thing — nobody more out of touch with middle American than I am, and I’ve eaten moose. That’s because, fundamentally, the moose is a snobby, northeastern elitist animal. As per Wikipedia:
In North America, the Moose range includes almost all of Canada, most of central and western Alaska, much of New England and upstate New York, the upper Rocky Mountains, Northeastern Minnesota, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Isle Royale in Lake Superior.
Basically you can find moose in places where no people live (viz: Alaska, Michigan’s UP) and in New England where I’ve had my moose burger. Crucial swing regions of the country — the rust belt, the southwest, the border south — are totally moose-free zones. By contrast, anyone who’s gone to summer campaign in Maine (which is to say northeastern elitists) will at some point have been sitting in a non-moving van waiting for a moose to stop blocking a narrow road. Moose are also found Scandinavia, land of social democracy, where they call them “elk” (confusingly, the animals Americans cal “elk” is different from the one Europeans call “elk”; their “elk” is our “moose.”
55 Responses to “The Party of Mooseburgers”
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August 31st, 2008 at 12:21 pm
I was gonna say man, I grew up in rural Western Ohio, and I can’t think of anything more “foreign” there than mooseburgers. I don’t think I’ve ever been at a restauraunt anywhere in the state, even in the bigger cities like Cincinnati or Columbus, that had moose meat.
If they’re counting on “mooseburgers” to make someone seem down to Earth in the rust belt, well, um…ok. I don’t know how that’s more “normal” than, you know, cows.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Maybe everyone watches the discovery channel and has fell in love with Alaska via Deadliest Catch and Ice Truckers. Is that the idea?
August 31st, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Speaking as a Canadian, I don’t understand why the GOP thinks moose-eating is so rugged. I reach inside the chest cavity of live moose, and remove and consume delicious moose shanks on a daily basis. The moose enjoy it, too. They offer me seconds!
August 31st, 2008 at 12:37 pm
A couple of weeks ago, Andrew Sullivan posted a very charming video clip of a couple of moose calves frolicking in a backyard sprinkler, with Mama Moose joining in a bit (caution: avoid the cloying audio track, which is some very old Alison Krauss). If anything could de-He-man mooseburgers (and even turn mooseburgers into Bambiburgers as a culinary conceit), it’s that video http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/08/mental-health-3.html
August 31st, 2008 at 12:41 pm
“Summer campaign” for “summer camp” = excellent.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:43 pm
GOP hacks can’t tell the difference between rural Americans and rural Canadians.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Josh Marshall at is putting Troopergate into proper, troubling perspective. Private vendetta.
And via Steve Clemons, has a very strong take on how to talk about Palin.
1. Attacking her personally is a trap.
(Hope I’m using your HTML buttons properly.)
August 31st, 2008 at 12:48 pm
As a native of the U.P., I can confirm the presence of both moose and people. I can also confirm that moose are assholes, and should be eaten out of spite if nothing else.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:48 pm
It’s worth remembering that the GOP strategists who anointed her the everyman’s candidate are themselves exclusively the kind of real out-of-touch country-clubbers who honestly have no idea at all what the lives of ordinary Americans are like. Now, obviously people live far more diverse, heterogenous lives than the GOP thinks or will admit, but I’d say it’s nearly certain that very few voters can really relate to someone who seems so utterly…bizarre.
The woman is weird, not relatable. Sure, she likes guns, but she shoots wolves and moose with them, not deer. Yes, she’s religious, but few Americans belong to churches that oppose all birth control and fewer Americans still go fishing on commercial boats fitted with mechanical gillnets. Sure, maybe hardcore Alaskan fisherpeople, but these are distinctions unobvious to folks like Rove.
What an incredibly bizarre woman she is.
August 31st, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Moose don’t seem to be very adaptable. Someone tried to introduce them into Western Oregon in the 20’s and it was a very sad tale, in spite of the fact that terrain looked favorable. All kinds of other non-native animals, up to and including alpaca and buffalo, have done well.
By the way, I believe that moose are found in NE Oregon, near the Snake river, as well as Idaho and Montana. I’ve only ever seen one in Alaska. Well, maybe that was a moose I saw in Yellowstone Park.
August 31st, 2008 at 1:27 pm
What, did a moose bite your sister?
Good point. The only places in the Midwest or South these people would live would be Chicago (but remember, the South Side is where the elitists are!) or Atlanta. This is like a guy who only drinks $20 microbrews thinking he’s a middle class beer drinkers like guys drinking cheap Coors Light.
August 31st, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Moose live all across northern Minnesota. One came out of a ditch and stood in the road in front of my car (a disquieting encounter to be sure) in northwest MN and they occasionally wander into Moorhead on the ND border.
August 31st, 2008 at 1:32 pm
few Americans belong to churches that oppose all birth control
A lot of Americans are Roman Catholic.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Some of the things being labelled elitist or salt of the earth may seem arbitrary, but here’s a handy guide:
Elitist: Things the Democrats do.
Salt of the Earth: Things that Republicans do.
So now that we have a mooseburger-eating Republican VP nominee, there is no way that eating mooseburgers could be considered elitist.
August 31st, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Do their elk eat our corn, or their corn, or something else?
surely there’s a place in all this for Woody Allen’s moose bit?
http://www.maximumfun.org/blog/2007/08/woody-allen-shot-moose.html
August 31st, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Boris Burgers are where it’s at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2j8Fu74N4g
August 31st, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Very informative post, Matt.
August 31st, 2008 at 4:09 pm
FWIW, the only moose I’ve ever had was in Idaho, one hunted by a 70+ year old woman who had waited years for the license. It was very tasty, with interesting herbal notes that–for a more accessible point of reference–could be described as being like arugula.
August 31st, 2008 at 4:19 pm
I assumed they ate Moose because cows probably don’t like the long winters, and if you run across a moose blocking your route to the store to buy hamburger, seems like a no-brainer.
August 31st, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Moose sausage is quite good.
August 31st, 2008 at 4:51 pm
OK, so what does (do?) moose taste like? Not like chicken, I’m guessing.
August 31st, 2008 at 5:08 pm
You’re missing the point. Moose, as an animal, is not the issue. “Eating mooseburgers” refers to eating anything that you’ve killed, or killing what you eat.
There are two types of people in this country (by which I mean Alaska) who do that: those who need to for subsistence and those who do it for fun. The second category includes those who spend their money on hunting trips to stock the freezer instead of spending it at the grocery store.
August 31st, 2008 at 5:45 pm
You know, I’ve had mooseburgers, but I vastly prefer muskox burgers. Everytime I have a pedestrian hamburger, I long for the muskox burger I had in Talkeetna, Alaska.
As far as elitism, well, the muskox burger costs about 8 times as a Big Mac. So yeah, all these exotic burgers are pretty elite.
August 31st, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Anything other than Yak burgers is strictly Nancy-boy culinary claptrap. It’s a chowhound versus foodie thingamajig.
August 31st, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Buffalo burgers are fashionable here as are delicious humans.
August 31st, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Do you remember those infommericials about the ostrich farming from the late 90s?
What ever happened to ostriches?
August 31st, 2008 at 8:04 pm
In a few more years we’d all be ostrich farming, right?
(What about the cannibalism, Linus? Do they really eat people over there?)
Back in the day. They chased those two indians down here hoping to cook and eat them.
(What did they taste like?)
I think you mean would’ve tasted like. I believe they got away. You should talk to this guy.
August 31st, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Christ, Matt, who cares?
Start dealing with the reality of the campaigns, instead of this fluff.
August 31st, 2008 at 10:13 pm
I think the Republicans overestimate the populist appeal of a candidate who hunts and fishes. Sure, I mean, that’s great, but how exactly does it apply to whether she is qualified to be President or not?
September 1st, 2008 at 12:54 am
“how exactly does it apply to whether she is qualified to be President or not?”
Good point. Obviously the White House controls policies related to fish, game, and public lands — but those issues are way, way, way down on the priority list. Heck, are they even on the priority list??
September 1st, 2008 at 1:44 am
I believe I had a mooseburger while vacationing in Maine. I think by McCain running the experience (not ready to be prez) ads against Obama, it prodded him to pick a Washington-insider who voted for the war (Biden–not an agent of change) for VP.
Now, McCain (with Washington-outsider Palin) is positioning himself as the true agent of change. The Democrats are ranting about Palin’s lack of experience, but that just shines the light on Barack’s own lack of experience. We’ll see how this all plays out.
September 1st, 2008 at 9:26 am
Yes people do live in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula but associating them in any way with elites is pretty far fetched. (The UP was tacked onto Michigan as a result of the Toledo War 1835-36. (The annual Michigan vs Ohio State football game is a symbolic reenactment of that dispute). (The Michigan National Guard for some reason in 07 tried to use Toledo for some urban exercises and were promptly thrown out by the Ohio governor who subconsciously might have taken the exercise as an invasion by Michigan))
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo_War
All UP life and culture revolves around that most sacred time of year, deer season. A time when all social hierarchies are erased and elites are excluded. For a picture of the quintessential UP experience please refer to this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb9yhhflmvY
September 1st, 2008 at 10:41 am
He’s right! I’m the poster boy for Stuff White People Like and I’ve eaten moose AND caribou!
September 1st, 2008 at 11:20 am
A lot of Americans are Roman Catholic.
Not the best example: Catholics use birth control and get abortions at the same rate as the rest of the country.
September 1st, 2008 at 11:24 am
Bison burgers are tasty, if a bit bland, and (to me) kind of oily. (I know bison is leaner than beef so maybe it’s simply that what I sense is simply the difference between bison and beef.)
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:41 am
the best burger i ever ate in my life was a moose-burger cooked over coals on a farm in sweden. damn, it was good!
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