T Magazine: A Ride Across America | Soccer, Bourbon and a Very Special Farm in Missouri

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 25 Juni 2014 | 17.35

Over the course of eight weeks, Ben Towill, the co-owner of the Fat Radish, and the photographer Patrick Dougherty are biking 4,500 miles across the U.S. to talk to strangers about food. Each week, they'll file a dispatch for T about their discoveries.

This was a tough week to be an Englishman, as my boys limped out of the World Cup with a defeat to Uruguay. Luckily, my spirits were only temporarily dampened, thanks to the incredible encounters I've been having in the South and Midwest.

In Bardstown, Ky., which calls itself the "Bourbon Capital of the World," I consumed ample amounts of the stuff with a gentleman named Colonel Michael Masters, a man who knows his bourbon. We rode up to his historic restaurant, Chapeze House, tired and thirsty. As he instructed us in the proper technique for tasting bourbon, he shared a story about hitching a ride from the Caribbean to Great Britain on a sailboat. When I thanked him for his Southern hospitality, he replied, "In American culture, you always take care of the traveler."

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A Ride Across America

Read more of Ben Towill's weekly dispatches about food and how we eat it, filed as he bikes across the country. More…

Next, we met Pastor Bob Hardison and his wife, Violet, in the small town of Sebree, Ky. For 27 years, the couple has been welcoming cyclists, more than 200 a year, into their Sanctuary Sebree Church to sleep and wash. Violet, an incredible cook, welcomed me with the most refreshingly cold glass of iced tea I have ever tasted and cooked a mean breakfast the next morning, without charge. The Hardisons believe it to be a miracle that the Lord brought the world to their doorstep. I'm not a religious man, but if the Lord did have a hand in bringing me to the Hardisons, all I can say is, "Thank you!" It is hard not to be filled with their infectious energy and love. You leave feeling filled with more than just Violet's cooking.

Then there was the great Peter K. Delaney, who had worked as a janitor for 27 years and as a postman for the last 10. At his daughter's restaurant, Delaney's, in Goreville, Ill., he sat down beside me and said hello. What was supposed to be a quick meal turned into a four-hour lunch during which we discussed politics, food, healthcare, American history, his years in the navy as a radar operator and the love of his life, his wife Dorothy. As I stepped reluctantly back into the 92-degree afternoon, knowing I had another 30 miles to ride, he reminded me that "every day is summer!"

In Cape Girardeau, Mo., we visited Family Friendly Farm, run by Matt and Rachel Fasnacht. A former chemistry teacher with a Ph.D. in Environmental Chemistry, Matt is now an independent farmer raising pigs, cows and chickens. His academic background is evident in the way he approaches farming. Matt practices management intensive rotational grazing, an approach to herd management discussed in Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma" that leads to healthier livestock and more nutritious products. His cows, all of whom have names, followed us as we walked the pastures. As they ate different grass varieties around the 50-acre, he explained the impact each one has on their milk.

Before I left, Matt and Rachel told a great story. This past winter was hard on many of us, but it was especially hard on Matt and Rachel. As the harsh Missouri winter raged on, sales flagged because the animals weren't producing as much, and they lost a few due to storms, resulting in additional meats in their freezer. So they began asking customers, some of whom drive as much as 100 miles for their raw milk and other natural products, if they could dig a little deeper into their pockets and buy an extra chicken or a dozen eggs for a neighbor. Everyone they asked did so. One anonymous fan even sent $1,000 with a note that read "from a very grateful customer." It shows how much people who have experienced the joy of naturally raised food come to value the people who produce it.

On Sunday, we'll stop in the great flat planes of Kansas to watch the World Cup again. With England out, this time I will be wearing my U.S.A. T-shirt with pride.


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