A Burger Guy's Surprise

I’m a burger guy. I love a good cheeseburger. A thick patty of juicy meat cooked medium to medium well, just a thin line of pink in the middle. Add a ripe tomato, some lettuce, some onion, and of course cheese. A good tasting bun, or toast, and, sure, add some sauce or ketchup, mustard and mayo. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! That is why it’s surprising that when I think about what summer tastes like for me, it’s not a burger. In my defense, burgers are all season food. I live in Wisconsin – it’s grilling weather all year long here. Wintertime, just throw on a snow suit, shovel off the grill, and its burger time. So, what evokes the taste of summer for me?????? It’s salad.

Yes, Salad. It all began at Camp Philips Summer Camp with BSA Troop 5. It was my son’s first Scouting Summer Camp, and the first summer camp that I had been to as an adult. At our first lunch I sat down across from the other leaders and prepared for our meal. I had been told Camp Philips’ food was pretty good; but from my previous experiences with camp food and my delicate burger palate, I wasn’t getting my hopes up. After the prayer, the boys started plating up their food. Then the Troop 5 leaders got up with their plates and headed to the front of the dining hall. They were the seasoned veterans, so I followed. We ended up at a salad bar.

It wasn’t some grandiose salad bar, but it had plentiful head lettuce with some carrot shavings and cabbage mixed in. There was a mix of regular salad fixings, some chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, and of course shredded cheese for topping. At the end of the salad bar were some squeeze bottles of french and ranch dressings. So, I followed the other leaders and made a salad. It was a good salad, but nothing I would write about, or so I thought. Next, we took our portion of lunch and I found that Camp Philip’s food was much better than the other scout camp food I had eaten in the past.

At dinner, the routine was repeated. Every day for the next week at lunch and dinner my meal began with salad. I am not sure why the salad started to taste so good; the summer heat and humidity perhaps? I found as the week went on, that I looked forward to my salad. After camp I was surprised at my cravings for salad.

We returned the following year to Camp Philips. At our first lunch, I was the first to stand and head to the salad bar. It was a pleasant sight, like seeing an old friend after a long departure. Ok, there were no hugs or tears, but I think I did crack a smile. We continued this routine for the next couple of years; I then became the veteran scoutmaster. When a new father filled in, I told him the rules: Scoutmasters sit on the end; we tell the boys to make sure everyone gets the same amount of food; if there are leftovers, they can have seconds. Then we hit the salad bar.

I had the pleasure of accompanying BSA Troop 5 to Camp Philips for seven years. This will be my first year not attending, and I’m already craving the salad. So, because of Camp Philips and BSA Troop 5, my summertime food is salad! Anytime, I eat a summer salad I will think of Camp Philips, the amazing youth in Troop 5, the other great adult leaders who became friends, and good times.

I do have to confess, however, that once every year, towards the end of the week, I would sneak out of camp and make my annual pilgrimage to the Norske Nook to have a cheeseburger.