#minnesotans

Minnesota residents with loved ones who died at the hands of police spoke out Thursday about the state Republican Party holding a public prayer for Derek Chauvin, the former police officer in prison for murdering George Floyd. “You all had the opportunity to honor fallen soldiers or children who lost their lives,” said Courteney Ross, Floyd’s girlfriend and who was visibly emotional through…

I remember when I first moved back to Minneapolis, the food scene was a bit sad with the options on Eat Street being the most "exotic." In the past 10 years, I've loved seeing all the new chefs and concepts come in. It's been great to live and eat here (see Le Burger, pictured above), and watching the area grow.

However, in the past 2-3 years, I've noticed a huge influx of new Instagram and TikTok influencers dedicated to Twin Cities food coverage. Food is subjective, so opinions are valuable. Take a closer look, and you'll notice a few things.

Everything is a "hidden gem"

Everything tastes great but no one directly talk about what was a miss or terrible. Instead, you'll see subtle workarounds in reviews and influencer posts. Beautiful dish, pretty cocktail...and notice the lack of food/drink descriptors.

Regurgitation of the same restaurants on social media that doesn't highlight anything new. Instead, they all look and feel the same.

No one is capitalizing on a specific angle, but instead, hoping to ride the rave and revenue that people used to make a decade ago. But part of it is the culture here and the circles are small. If you are not from Minnesota and have watched trash TV like Love Is Blind Minneapolis like I do, you may have sensed this. If you're from here, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Because the industry is small, critiques are hard for a lot of the restaurateurs and chefs here to take. Many people don't want to be critical or honest about their opinions for the fear and risk of being ostracized from their Instagram circle or whatever. Secondly, there's a vast network of food writers and chefs who are friends. It makes it difficult to be objective when social circles are small.

Take a look at this review from Rick Nelson of the Star Tribune. This is the most critical thing this man has said: [ ] Just kidding, he's never said anything critical. By comparison of a similar era, Sam Sifton of the NYTimes: "Cabbage said to have been steamed with garlic and chilies, then drizzled with lardo, tastes of cardboard and water, a school-lunch nightmare that is hard to shake." In Minnesota, if a writer wrote like that, they would probably get demoted to Obituaries. 12-years ago, another food writer called it out in the most, subtle Minnesota way: "How many three- and four-star restaurants can one metro area have? Well, we have thirty-six, yep, thirty-six. According to The New York Times, New York City has just thirty-four restaurants of that rank. Now, I am not saying we don’t have a bevy of quality restaurants, I just think the star system that is used in many cities has been bastardized. There are, in my opinion, a very small handful of four-star caliber restaurants in the Twin Cities, but not thirty-six."

The air outside is cold, just like any other January, but it’s heavy and sad and suffocating. Even if you haven’t seen any ICE agents, you know someone who has, and you keep tabs on your friends and family to make sure everyone is okay.

You know that the sound of whistles and car horns mean ICE is nearby, and you prepare yourself for the worst.

You learn your amendment rights: 1st amendment is your right to protest, to use your voice, and record the terror; 2nd is your right to lawfully have a gun; and the 4th says that it no one can unreasonably search you, take you, or seize your belongings, and they cannot burst into your home with a warrant signed by a judge.

You have also learned that those rights are being ignored. And that it doesn’t matter what you look like, or what you do- you could be next.

If you live here and find yourself more easily triggered into flashbacks and everything that goes with carrying trauma, know that you are not alone in that. I spent my weekend paralyzed with non-stop flashbacks, sometimes unable to move. And they were so strong that all I could do was wait it out. They finally stopped last night. Be kind and gentle to yourself, and help others where you can. Even if it’s just a text message to check on your loved ones.

If you don’t live here, know that all this is really happening in the state of Minnesota. It’s real. And it truly is horrifying.

"Also something very Minnesotan is everyone is so damn polite about leaving a last bit of anything.

Minnesotans will take free stuff so fast, until there is one left. Then it will sit forever or until a non-Minnesotan takes it.

I stock the lobby at my work. I often have to recycle the last of the item, because no one will take it for months.