Saturday, August 9, 2014

Coop: a Family, a Farm, and the Pursuit of One Good Egg

To be paired with:
Central Waters Shine On (Or another amber beer from your local micro-brewery)
One Perfectly Fried Eggs, Fried Potatoes, and a Side of Bacon (if you can wrangle the hogs long enough)

Michael Perry's Coop will have you guffawing one minute and seriously contemplating the direction of your life's work the next. He masterfully tells his life's story in a serious of conversations with himself, and now you, the reader. Inviting you in for breakfast, and encouraging you to linger on that final beer at the end of a long hard day's work. Perry's lilting voice makes it easy to step into his down home Wisconsin kitchen to hear what he has to say, and give a little advice. This is the book of every next door neighbor, and the book you've told your father/grandfather/good friend to write many a times.

Pair this book with a Shine On and truly connect to local Wisconsin charm. It's understandable if you can't access this refreshing splash of Central Wisconsin, but don't sell your night (for that's as long as it will take you to get through this charming tale) short. Get yourself the best local amber brew you can find. Then sit yourself down with your brinner (breakfast for dinner) and enjoy.

If you're a slower reader, take the time to read (or better yet listen to Michael himself tell you the story) and perfect your egg frying technique. While Perry works out the kinks of farm living, enjoy the benefits of his labor and try to master the wrist flicking technique required for one handed egg flipping.

If you read a bit faster, or you've already mastered the egg flip you can get working on the rest of this hearty breakfast. Round off your breakfast as any true Wisconsinite would with potatoes and bacon-the more butter the better. Add toast if you have it and don't worry about beer and breakfast. They pair quite perfectly.