Made in Vertmont

We are going through serious withdrawal from an addiction. 

 

The first stage was denial.  We avoided certain recipes and experimented with local cuisine.  The second stage was temptation.  We would wander the foreign grocery stores in search of our drug of choice.  We even stooped so low as to finger cheap forgeries, before finally turning away in disgust.  Of course I am talking about Maple Syrup.  Not syrup... or Golden syrup as it is called here, but pure, beautiful, flavorful, MAPLE syrup.  That sweet nectar of Vermont... 

 

When the pain became to great to bear, we took up weapons and money and set out into the wilds of Africa like a junkie in search of a fix.  This was the sad result:

I think the concept of “Vertmont” could be useful for my friends in the frozen northeast.  Kind of an alternative state of reality which bears a rough resemblance to the State they know and love, but is at the same time horribly wrong!

 

In this case, “Vertmont” maple syrup was as disappointing as could possibly be expected.  Canada is clearly shipping their “sloppy seconds” to parts of the world that don't know better.  The stuff was bland—extremely bland.  Then, it was watery and thin.  All in all, it was closer to mildly sweet, brown water than the delectable syrup that true Vermonters (and their transplanted cousins) know and love.  All this was even more frustrating because it was just close enough to the real thing that we remembered what we were missing. 

 

All in all our addiction remains unsatisfied.  When detox hits me in a couple of days, look for me in the forest gnawing on random trees that look like maples!