Visiting the Wisconsin Governor's Mansion with Juilliard Graduate Florence Paget by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Visiting the Wisconsin Governor’s Mansion with Juilliard Graduate Florence Paget by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

I found a wonderful cultural outing to do with the family in the Capital Times newspaper when we lived in Madison, Wisconsin: viewing Christmas tree decorations at the Governor’s mansion.

I drove the family to the governor’s mansion and felt like we were driving through scenery from the Nutcracker.

Hoar frost hung off the trees and glistened, but I hoped nothing would break off and hit the car.  I let the family out at the mansion and parked the car about a mile away it seemed.

When I arrived at the mansion, music floated through the air as I walked up the steps.  The West High School Minnesingers sang Christmas Carols in the entryway.

The Minnesingers performed the same role in medieval German society that troubadours did in southern France.

My favorite Christmas trees in the museum were the Pomeranian and Lithuanian ones, because they both had handmade straw ornaments.  When I returned home later, I read that Pomerania is a region between Poland and Eastern Germany.

The Christmas trees represented several different ethnic groups in Wisconsin, who celebrated Christmas.  The groups offering trees included:

-Pommersche Tanzdeel Freistadt (Pomeranians)

-Swiss Ladies’ Society (Many attended Moravian churches)

-Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers’ Association (Cranberries are not an ethnic group, but the Hmong from Thailand originally came to Wisconsin as cranberry pickers.)

-The Greek Orthodox Church of Annunciation (Not a large ethnic group of settlers, but present in most cities of the American East Coast and Midwest.)

-Club Peru of Wisconsin and Napay Cunchus (Quechuas) – Quechua is the modern-day language of the ancient Mayas.  The Mayans come from southern Mexico and modern-day Guatemala.

After schmoozing at the governor’s mansion, the family ate lunch at a Greek restaurant:

-souvlaki (pork and vela shish kebab)

-rice pilaf flavored with lemon and olive oil

-horta (sautéed dandelion greens with olive oil and lemon juice)

-rice pudding made with cooked egg and condensed milk and then chilled

I had fun showing five-year-old Florence how to pick up one end of a wooden skewer with shish kebab meat on it and then slide it off the skewer, so she could cut the meat in half and eat it.

To complete our winter tours of Wisconsin, Laurent, Florence, and I went to New Glarus for fondue supper.

New Glarus has wood buildings built to replicate Glarus, Switzerland.  The interior of the New Glarus Inn features sleek, blond wood design.

I like gooey, cheese fondue.  I try no to go ballistic about swapping spits in the common dunking pot, but you can transmit colds this way.

I told Florence to dunk the break and glide the cheesy bread off between your teeth to not share germs.  Many people place the cheesy bread on a plate now and use a fork and knife to cut the bread.

A mesclun salad with estragon vinaigrette accompanies this dish with white Swiss Fendant du Valais wine.

Florence liked the warm, apfel (apple) strudel with golden raisins for dessert, too.

I really did not mind Wisconsin winters and cultural outings with little Florence.

Suggested Christmas Buffet Cookbooks

-Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook: Easy Appetizers, Festive Cocktails, Make-Ahead Brunches, Christmas Dinners, Food Gifts by Betty Crocker

-The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook by Martha Stewart Living Magazine

-German Christmas Cookbook: Recipes for the Holiday Season by Laura Summers

Suggested Swiss Cookbooks

-Little Swiss Cookbook by Jacqueline Martinet

-Swiss Cuisine: The Tastes of the Alpine Paradise by Lukas Prochazka

-The Swiss Cookbook by Nika Standen Hazelton

-The Swiss Cooking Book: Recipes from all Cantons Cookbook of Switzerland by Helen Guggebuhl

-Dipping into Fondue:  The Fondue Cookbook for Fondue Lovers by Carla Hale

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Going on a Wisconsin Dells Geology Boat Outing with Juilliard Graduate Florence Paget by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Going on a Wisconsin Dells – Geology Boat Trip with Juilliard Graduate Florence Paget by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

My husband, Florence, and I set out for the Wisconsin Dells on the Wisconsin River one summer day when Florence was 5 or 6. 

It looked as if it were going to rain, so we postponed miniature golf and went on a duck boat trip to the Lower Dells.  These are boats on wheels that can go on the road and walk into the water for boating.

I wanted to know more about the history and geology of the area.  I thought there must be lots of fossils in the sandstone along the riverbank.  The rock formations are intriguing and appeared to be worn down by erosion.

One interesting thing I learned about the Native Americans from the postcard I bought was that the Winnebago Tribe, or more correctly, the Ho-Chunk Nation is part of the Sioux Native American Tribe.

Another interesting thing I learned was that many pioneer homes in other states were built with Wisconsin timber.

The homes of Wisconsin’s lumber barons are magnificent and provide competition to many small châteaux in France.  Lumbering and paper mills still provide income for many Wisconsin residents.

The Wisconsin Dells do have lovely red sandstone cliffs made by the Wisconsin River throughout the millennia.  Once children do this educational outing, families often take them to water parks, putt-putt golf terrains, and paint ball arcades around town.

I like the Wisconsin Dells, because of all the activities for children.  Water parks, especially, promote physical prowess, cunning, and fun.  Babies with diapers should not be in them, though.

Anyone who goes down a water slide without racing or screaming is a little dull.  Kids need to have fun exercising, and if you do not want them to eat fast food, you can prepare a delicious picnic lunch for the whole family.

I always scope out picnic areas when I do things with children.  I like to put tablecloths on picnic tables to cut down on insects and make our picnic basket look nice.

I loved the Italian-style, red-rimmed cups and china that went with our basket.  We went to the Wisconsin Dells many times to play putt-putt golf at the Pirates’ Cove miniature golf course.  I still love silly games.

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Lunching at Mader's German Restaurant in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) with Juilliard Graduate Florence Paget by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Lunching at Mader’s German Restaurant in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) with Juilliard Graduate Florence Paget with Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Anyone who lives in Wisconsin really does need to make a trip to Milwaukee on Lake Michigan to eat at one of the city’s great German restaurants: Mader’s or Karl Roesch’s.

We drove along the waterfront to see the beautiful homes there (it’s like a mini Kenilworth, Illinois) before going to Mader’s for lunch with five-year-old Florence.

Mader’s has been open since 1902.  German chancellor Helmut Kohl and President Bill Clinton have both eaten there.  They also ordered Black Forest Cakes to take home in their limousine “for their entourages.”

When we entered the restaurant, I immediately liked the cherry-wood colored paneling, tables, and chairs.  The restaurant serves food from Berlin.

I ordered Kassler Rippchen and a Berlinerweisse beer mit Himbeere syrup.  Translated this means roast pork loin with sauerkraut and a wheat beer from Berlin that has been brewed since 1602.  The Himbeere is a raspberry syrup that Berliners add on top of the beer.

I had Black Forest Cake for dessert and a coffee.  I felt stylishly Old World and cut up Florence’s sample sausage lunch with German salad: grated carrots, grated salsifis, and grated cooked red cabbage topped off with Boston Bibb salad and a creamy estragon salad dressing.

Different family members ate Rheinischer Sauerbraten (marinated beef with ginger snap sauce and golden raisins); beef goulash with potato dumplings and chopped, baked red cabbage; and more Kassler Rippchen (roast pork loin).

The portions were reasonably sized, so this was not too much to eat.  I like pork loin.  It is considered a white meat that is not too fatty, if you do not eat too much gravy.

The following cookbooks contain recipes for these dishes and many others:

-The German Cookbook: A Complete Guide to Mastering Authentic German Cooking by Mimi Sheraton

-Spoonfuls of Germany: Culinary Delights of the German Regions in 170 Recipes by Nadia Hassani

-German Cooking Today: The Original by Dr. Oetker

-Beyond Bratwurst: A History of Food in German by Ursula Heinzelmann

By Ruth Paget, Author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Discovering Brazilian Children's Culture with Juilliard Graduate Florence Paget by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Brazilian Children’s Culture Exhibit Visit with Juilliard Graduate Florence Paget by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

I took Florence to an exposition entitled Brazil: Beyond the Rain Forest at the Children’s Museum in Madison (Wisconsin) in the late 90s.

The Brazilian lady, who was running the show, and I spoke about English, French, and Brazilian-Portuguese books for children, Brazil, and Brazilian-Portuguese comic books.

Our wonderful volunteer reader began the storytelling with a great introduction to the most well-known comic characters in Brazil as far as children are concerned.

The volunteer said the characters could be called Monica’s Pantheon.  Monica is a tough little girl, who carries a blue bunny.  Whenever her little friend Cebollinga (onion head) picks on her, she lets him have it with her blue bunny.

Another friend is Magali, who eats melons all the time.  Cascuo is a little boy, who does not like to bathe.  All of his friends want to leave the room when he comes into the room.

Franga is always chasing her dog Bidow, who does not like to bathe very much either.  The last character we meet is Angio, who can fly like an angel.

The volunteer said that there is a Monica Land in Brazil.  Another key fact about Brazil: the all-important key word for comic books is jibi.  (I like comic books, but if you keep reading them your vocabulary level does not increase.  Brazil has a low literacy rate, and their newspapers are not written in high-level Portuguese either.)

The Brazil exhibit was set up in cooperation with a museum in Porto Alegre (Brazil).  One interesting thing that the exhibit explained was the Festa de Bonfim.

During this festival, people tie knots on their wrists with the help of a friend.  Three knots equals three wishes.  When a knot falls off, a wish will be granted.

Another exhibit called “favelas” (Brazilian slums) showed how Brazilian children often helped their parents build a home with found materials.  They also used found materials to make toys.

The most inventive exhibits were the shoebox interiors that children created to make cityscapes of where they lived.  The children exchanged these boxes between Madison and Porto Alegre (Brazil).

To this day, I would still like to say, “Obrigado” – thank you – to the Children’s Museum of Madison for this sensitive introduction to Brazilian children’s culture.

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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