A picky eater with lots of allergies reviews a plain hamburger at AC Petersen Farms.

Who Are You?

I was having a burger day. I had enjoyed an amazing burger at Viron Rondo Osteria for lunch, and now I was headed north for another burger adventure with my friend Tara. Tara and I go way back. Or do we? I’m honestly not sure. When I write my blog posts, I like to include a little story about how I met the wonderful person I’m dining with, but Tara…shrug. The only thing we know for certain, is we attended the same high school. However, we didn’t share any classes or friend groups. We weren’t in any clubs or sports together. We were both in Girl Scouts, but in different troops in different sections of town and I had dropped out before high school. As we sat in the restaurant trying to figure out our connection, we discovered that we had a friend in common – someone that we each considered a very good acquaintance in high school. It’s quite possible that this friend introduced us and, since Tara and I are both excessively friendly people, it’s also quite possible that we simply smiled and said hello as we passed in the hall.

Where are You?

It was several years after high school when I saw Tara again. Oddly, it was a Girl Scout leader meeting. We looked at each other, smiled, and waved – just like high school. I was a Girl Scout fanatic – dragging my troop to every event, program, and community service opportunity available. They were only five years old, but those girls were all in. I continued to see Tara at town wide scouting events. We would chat and laugh about our high school days and then I asked which girls were in her troop. This is the confusing part. She was a leader in a different town, so her troop didn’t attend the events in my town. I’m not quite sure why she was so involved with the Girl Scouts in my town, and I forgot to ask during our dinner. My thought is perhaps she was assisting her mom’s troop or a new leader’s troop. It doesn’t really matter, as long as Tara knew where she was supposed to be.

How are You?

At some point, Tara stopped attending Girl Scout events in my town. I do remember her attending a town wide Camporee that I helped organize and I think this was just a year or two before the pandemic. So maybe it was the pandemic that kept us apart. In any case, I jumped for joy when Tara answered the call for a Burger Buddy. After all, it doesn’t matter where or how you meet someone. What matters is the sustaining friendship that endures.

What are You? – AC Petersen Farms

Tara suggested a historic restaurant called A.C Petersen Farms for dinner. Started by a Danish immigrant who owned several milk delivery routes in 1914, A.C. Petersen is well known for their ice cream. They even have a painted cow standing proudly on the sidewalk in front of the building. Over the years, they expanded their menu to include breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Think of it like an ice cream parlor that happens to sell food on the side. At the entrance, a large counter with old fashioned metal stools topped with red circular plastic cushions greets customers. Just past the counter is a large dining room filled with red cushioned booths. The nondescript room contains faded yellow formica tables and booth backs with light brown papered walls. The restaurant was very quiet for a Friday evening at 5:30, but by the time we left it was buzzing, mostly with folks enjoying sundaes and cones.

Click the meal to read all about it

Tara – Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato

Lis – ACP Burger

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