Whoopie Pie...with your partner?

The mention of Midwestern American cuisine rarely elicits an excited response, however after a month here in Indiana I have been fortunate enough to come across a few diamonds in the gastronomical rough. First-class honors must go to the entertainingly labeled ‘whoopie pie’, a most excellent name for a most excellent snack. With two small rounds of chocolate cake encasing frosted cream, how can one go wrong? In second and third place are a couple of American favorites, the equally unhealthy Milk Duds and Ho-Ho’s. The mystery still remains as to how so much creativity can be involved in naming chocolate coated caramels and cream cakes, and yet so little evoked in American sitcom production.

To finish, a further nuance of living in the Midwest. Now in a town where supermarkets reserve parking spaces for expectant mothers, you quickly realize that if you are twenty-two and not married with children, then you are obviously lacking in some regard. In a region that is therefore quite used to attending high-school weddings, the term ‘partner’ carries somewhat different connotations to back in Australia. This was made evident to me a week ago when setting up a bank account. Upon referring to my ‘partner’, the employee promptly asked his name, and whether he would like to be on the account. While correcting her would have been easy, it was much more fun to create a joint account in both my name and my ‘partners’… George W and I are living the dream in Indiana...