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My previous post (“Recipes from Alaska“) had me thinking that maybe I should learn how to prepare some dishes that have a local flavor to them. In that post, I confessed that I am not familiar with the preparation of foods that are perhaps Alaska-specific. What you will find on my dinner plate is no different than you may find on the dinner plate of someone in Maryland, Ohio, or Pennsylvania. I cook pretty typical meals. But after going through the recipes I found, it made me realize that for at least once a week, I should take a break from the typical.

So I did a search online for some courses and I found this list of the top 5 culinary schools. Obviously I would have to rule out the ones in Texas. Even still, I’m not sure that I want to go to a nationwide school. I was thinking about a cooking program that has a more local flavor to it, rather than a class where what we will be cooking and how we prepare everything will be done that same way across the country. I can’t say for sure, but I’m thinking that the more local course with smaller classes will be able to cater better to someone like me. After all, I’m only interested in learning to cook local dishes.

Has anyone else been in this situation? Has anyone who has attended a culinary arts program noticed that there is an absence of attention paid to local flavor, and it’s more about popular cuisines? This is why I’m leaning toward the independent teacher. I am pretty sure I can find some decent reviews of the culinary arts instructors. Depending on how long the culinary school takes to graduate, I may be able to surprise the family when I drop in on them and cook them a delicious meal. In this sense, I’ll be bringing a little bit of Alaska with me.

I think after enrolling in the culinary program, I’ll feel a little bit more like a native, despite growing up here. It’s amazing how you can live somewhere your whole life. You think you know a great deal about the location. You think you know the ins and outs, but there is still so much to learn. I can’t believe I lived all these years without being accustomed to the local treats. The chef in training program should help with that.

Who knows, I may have my own cooking show!

So we all know that there are cuisines that are country-specific. Or they may be shared by other nearby countries. And even within a single country, there may be a dish that is identified with a specific culture, or city, or ethnic group. It’s no surprise that such regionalization occurs within the United States, too. Even though the United States has a broad, general culture. If you break it down by state or region, like the southwest, you will start to notice some region or state-specific meals or foods. One popular example would be grits. Grits are identified with southern cooking.

I can admit that I don’t eat some specialty foods that are known to be Alaskan-based, such as Baked Alaska. But for those who are interested in what unique recipes the state of Alaska has to offer, you can click here to get an idea. Some of them you may be familiar with, as they are not necessarily tied to Alaska, and some of them you may never heard of.

A girlfriend sent a few of us an e-mail about appreciating and loving where you grew up. Since most of you who visit this site wish to learn a little bit about Alaska, especially North Star, I thought maybe I would answer that question here on my blog. I’m sure some of you out there know what it’s like to really appreciate your surroundings, especially when you know how bad others have it in other parts of the world. Believe me, I don’t take anything for granted. While I may not be financially rich, I consider myself to be doing just fine.

If I had to pick what I love most about where I live, I would have to say I love the landscape. Very picturesque. As entertaining and enjoyable big city life can be, like in a place like New York City, I appreciate and love even more the view that I have, from where I live in North Star. For as long as I have been here, I never tire of it. I know some people wonder how you can keep yourself from feeling numb and bored from living here, but I manage to find lots to do.

I have alluded to whale watching in a couple of posts on this blog, and that’s because I’m so fascinated by them, and in a sense, the whales are also part of the landscape. I love go out to see them. However, I don’t rely on cruise ships to see them. Although you can spot them from the decks, I prefer to go on the smaller tour boats where you can get a closer. I guess it’s this close proximity to nature, the view of the mountains which makes me love this place. Believe me, I do love warm weather, and I wish I had the sites of North Star and of Alaska in general in a warmer climate, but it’s not going to happen.

I have given the thought of moving some consideration. But I tried to figure out where in the U.S. do I want to live. As I went through some worthy contenders, I think I unfairly judged them against what I have here. And in the end, North Star always won out. I tried to see if I could duplicate the experience I have here somewhere else. The truth is, if I want what I have here, then here is home.

Home Sweet Home   =)

If you are a little bothered with nature being nature, then I suggest you don’t watch these clips. They’re not graphic or anything, but rather sad since your heart goes out to the whale (not the killer whale) and the seal. I decided to include these clips because you can see these animals and more if you do a tour of Alaska.

The first of the clips is of killer whales doing something called “wave washing.” It is a technique where they cause waves to knock prey (i.e. seals) off of an ice flow.

The next clip is something you wouldn’t believe. Most people know the great white shark to be the most ferocious predator of the deep blue sea. You wouldn’t think of any sea creature brave enough to confront it. Well, there is such a creature, and that is the ocra/killer whale. Their technique is to bump into the shark and flip it bellyside up, where the shark then becomes in a state of sleep.

I’m surprised I get asked this question. I understand that depending on what the state has to offer, you may want to be there at a particular month. Whether it is to go to the beach in Florida, but not during the hottest seasons. This is why so many flock down south during the winter (snow birds). But frankly, I think any time is a good time to visit a state, especially Alaska. But just as Colorado has the ski slopes to offer visitors, there is so much more to do in Colorado besides skiing. Alaska is no different. Yes, we are most noted for whale watching, but there is so much more to see, all year round.

First, let me clarify that whale watching as a whole is not limited to any particular time of the year. There are different types of whales, and orcas, which are visible during specific times of the year. Some can be seen no matter what month you come to Alaska for whale watching. If you do have a particular whale in mind, or orca (killer whale) that you would like to see, which travels off the shores of Alaska, then you can probably find the timeframe alone somewhere so you don’t miss out.

Besides whale watching, there are many majestic scenic views that visitors to Alaska will surely find themselves with a full schedule to see them all. I don’t even know where to begin telling you where to start. But if you are interested, you can visit the Official State of Alaska Travel and Vacation Information. They should be able to help you with your plans and coordinate a time-efficient itinerary. From the information that you get from that website, you will see for yourself that anytime is a good time to come up here for a visit.

You may be asking yourself if I am partial to any particular time of the year, especially here in North Star. I would have to say spring is may favorite time of the year. When I think of spring, it’s like a rebirth. You get to watch nature basically start all over again. I know I’m being silly, but watching the flowers bloom and the animals return brings a wonderful, tingling feeling.

If you do have the time and the money, I would encourage you to visit Alaska during different times of the year to experience the diversity of nature as experienced in this state. You won’t regret it!  =)

There are so many gorgeous aspects of the state of Alaska. I think what has allowed Alaska to retain much of its natural beauty is that we are not as populated and developed (not saying this with any negative connotation) as some of the other states, particularly those on the east cost. This probably has to do with our location, previously mentioned in this thread. So in some circumstances, distance has been a curse, but it also has been a blessing.

Alaska’s location has made it economically preventive for some companies to expand here and do business. So we’re not getting as much pollution, and we’re not going a push to expand the neighborhoods and industrial landscapes. In this sense, it’s a plus. However, because of the distance and the limited amount of new residents, there’s been an unhealthy culture brewing. In more populous states, ignorance and hate have no room to grow. Typically liberal-minded people live in those environments. And even if someone is not self identified as a liberal, their moderate views are still akin to those who are socially responsible. However, this is not in the case in states that don’t see much traffic.

This is why some conservative attitudes which have a disregard for nature has been allowed to grow, unrestrained. I understand the needs of businesses, but what I do not understand is a belief system which lacks a moral compass. People don’t understand how fragile our ecosystem is. Just because you don’t not notice any immediate effects does not mean that change is not happening. As Newton said, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is why there needs to be strong regulation monitoring waste and any industry which significantly alters our environment.

I’m afraid for Alaska, and I wonder how long she can maintain her beauty if we keep electing officials who have a wanton disregard for our environment. I’m sure many of you are familiar with the Planet Earth series. I cannot imagine anyone looking at the film and not feeling remorseful about the way we are treating our planet.

Lucky for Alaska, there are quite a number of us who are concerned about the way businesses have been treating our state, and know how some corrupt officials only care about dollars, instead of the irrevocable harm, which will cost us a lot more money down the road.

So how about you? Are any of you out there working to keep your state, country clean and looking beautiful?

Although Alaska has become popularly known because of the attention Sarah Palin has received, the state seems like it is forgotten most of the time. I can’t but help think that the alternative nickname for Alaska is “The Forgotten State.”

One of the reasons has to be location. With Alaska being situated so far up north compared to the rest of the states, it isn’t receiving so much attention. Even though people know that Alaska is among the 50 states, it isn’t part of the image that has come to define America—it is just the 48 states (Hawaii is blocked out of this image, too). Speaking of Hawaii, even though it is not among the states depicted by the frequent image of the United States, Hawaii is still maintains its popularity, which brings us to reason #2…

Alaska is cold. Unless it’s for skiing, many don’t go on trips to the colder states. And should they decide to go skiing, Colorado and the New England states are the ones that are visited more often. So we can’t compete with the temperatures of Floria, nor can we compete with the popularity of Aspen, Colorado. It seems like Alaska is out of luck when it comes to luring visitors. But there is one thing that Alaskans can be proud of, and that’s a scenic view.

Some states, like Alaska, have to rely on nature to help with tourism. A state like Nevada has to rely on its casinos, because other than gambling, Nevada is pretty much known for being a desert. While New York state does have its natural beauty (I think all states provide some), most coming to visit New York as tourist are visiting New York City for man-made constructs and shopping.  Alaska really doesn’t have anything on par with New York City, or Disney World in Florida. Instead, the tourist industry of Alaska is dependent on people visiting to view nature at its best.

When people visit Alaska, they like to go whale watching. Without the whales our tourism would flounder (no pun intended). As much as I enjoy whale watching myself, I wish Alaska would have something else to lure people in. Can’t say I blame people who would rather be at the beach instead of wearing a couple of layers of clothing during their vacation. I hope something new and exciting can present itself to the state of Alaska. Until that happens, we’ll be among the states that people keep forgetting is a part of the United States because of the lack of attention.

Although some my find the roaming of the “Urban Moose” to be an annoyance, somehow I can’t help but for pity for the poor creatures. It’s not just because we’re encroaching on their territory, although that is an issue. However, it’s learning about the problem of ticks that impact the moose population.

As humans, we can easily remove the ticks from our bodies. Our hands allow us to do that. But for animals like dogs, deer, and moose, it’s an impossible task. Lucky for dogs, we can help. But for deer and moose who live amongst themselves, there is no one to help pluck the ticks off. It’s for this reason why their population is experiencing a crisis. The ticks, and there can be hundreds of them on one host moose, suck so much blood, that it drains the energy of the moose. While adult moose may be able to withstand such a drain, younger ones are extremely vulnerable. The lack of energy make them easy targets for wolves on the hunt.

I’d hate to see a drop in their population. Coming across moose has been a delightful experience. I’m more used to encountering the occasional deer where I grew up. I think the moose are fascinating creatures. I have read that there are some efforts to help the local moose. The moose, like other animals of Fairbanks North Star are a part of our fragile ecosystem, and we cannot afford to lose them.

One of the efforts I have read about are people who capture the moose, sedate them, and pull out the numerous ticks that can effect them. By the way, you can tell how badly a moose has a tick problem by the patches of skin that is revealed. The bare skin that you see is where the moose has been constantly scratching itself. I really don’t know of any other way we can help. Sometimes I feel like we have a responsibility to help because we are able to provide the help. Although you cannot force anyone, I would highly recommend those who hunt moose for sport or meat to get involved in their preservation. We will all be losers if you don’t do something about this. Granted, I know how difficult this is going to be to convince people that we need to do something about ticks on moose, but it is a serious problem.

But like Gandhi says, be the change you want to see!