Lucky Lunch

A Bowl of Homemade Soup
October 19, 2010

A few miles later Jack’s wanting me to reach in the back seat and grab him an apple.  As if my arms will bend backwards 45 degrees and be able to find the apples hidden among the books, bags, and coats.  He pulls to the shoulder, I tell him to take a left into the small town and find a proper parking spot for me to get out and excavate those apples.  Turns out we’re in Wing, North Dakota. Lost in time, the city has your usual theater, post offices and other necessities.  But, they appear to be original construction from maybe the 1940s or 1950s.  The monotony of contemporary construction has not blighted this small town.  Right in front of us is the Chat and Chew Café.  The apples are forgotten and we go in for tea.  Vinyl covered tables line the wall.  Four or five hunters are spread out at the front table, another table is occupied by a couple just finishing.  We take a seat and look at the menu.  It’s definitely home cookin’ and we’ve been yearning for home style food. A chalkboard by the counter lets us know the daily special, “Zucchini and hamburger with gravy and bread.”   Knoephla soup is one of the options.  It’s a German creamy potato like soup with small dumplings.  There’s nothing about this soup that says it’s good for you except that it’s home made and will nurture the spirit like nothing else today.  We order two bowls and two cups of tea.  The soup needs nothing and is quickly consumed. We order a caramel malt to go.  We can hear the whir of the old fashioned, traditional blender go to work on the scoops of ice cream and caramel.  - 2 soup – A$7.00, 2 tea $1.00, one malt – $3.50 – the best bargain we’ve had so far.