Well. I went to college in Iowa (Iowa City–the hip, cool uni in Iowa. Seriously–in the 60s it was a mecca for hippies and other “creative” types). I have also traveled in UK.
I like your food, for the most part. I grew up on Yorkshire pudding with roast beef and gravy, with tea. Nope, no British parents, just foods we liked.
I have a fondness for Iowa (and Bill Bryson). It is a pretty state. It really doesn’t have the grandeur of other states; but the countryside is pleasant and variable. It really is rolling hills all the way through the center of the state. For true flatness, you need Nebraska. Even Kansas has more variety in elevations, IMO. I’ve never been to northwestern Iowa. I’ve never been to Lake Okoboji, but I’d like to someday.
I enjoyed living in Iowa City, where I was never asked for more ID when I wanted to write a check, where local cafes and corner grocery stores seemed to do just fine, despite the big chains and national food stores. This was in the 1980s, so maybe times have changed. IC was great in that it had the uni so we got the foreign films, and the more “exotic” foods like sun dried tomatoes and even sushi.
Life in the small towns is quite a different story. I had a roommate from some hamlet (dad a farm hand). The depths of her ignorance were a bit scary. She didn’t know what argyle socks were (at the height of Preppy fashion); she thought stamps would cost more in a city–I doubt she was representative of rural Iowa as a whole. Oddly enough, she went on to date a Palestinian guy who took her to the West Bank. They broke up and now she’s a pharm rep, in Iowa. I think she knows all about the socks and the stamps now!
I think that Iowa is probably a great place to be from. I could probably live there happily–but I like a quiet life. I just hate the hard rock/country music there. (of course, that’s all changed since the internet). People are kind. There are hidden spots of great beauty within the state; I like the bluffs that line the Mississippi and the huge swathes of oak forests nearby. There are also vestiges of the Amish, the Hutterites, the Mennonites etc living in eastern Iowa. These are groups who came to the US to found new religious colonies, often traveling from Switzerland, Germany and other parts of Europe to do so. Not to mention the history of the Mississippi River, and its natural beauty…
Chowder–forgive me, but I have to laugh re your surprise at the 1000 mile statement. A friend of my mother’s used to host foreign exchange students here. One year, they had a boy from Belgium. They lived near us (just south of Chicago), and they made plans to visit extended family in Texas. The boy fell asleep in the car as they left town. He woke up when they stopped for gas in Champaign. He asked if they were in Texas yet. The McLeod’s just gaped at him, then explained that they were only 2 hours from home, and had another 12 to go! Such is distance here in the USA.
