The village council in Savoonga, on St. Lawrence Island in the icy Bering Sea, wanted a special holiday treat for young families in the village. It ordered 50 pizzas, half topped with chicken and ranch dressing and the other half with Canadian bacon and pineapple.
Some folks here would say 1/2 of them weren't pizzas!!
Oh yeah, DMiller. You must be talking about, who was it? Raf?
And yeah, there's plenty of reindeer meat to be had up here. You can get reindeer/caribou sausage (like sliced breakfast) at many of the breakfast buffets around town. It's as common as bacon in most northern breakfast buffet places, especially during tourists season. There is a reindeer farm in Palmer. They have one there named Rudolph...
Just for the record, here are some facts about Alaska that I copied off the net:
Alaska is a geographical marvel. When a scale map of Alaska is superimposed on a map of the 48 lower states, Alaska extends from coast to coast.
The state's coastline extends over 6,600 miles.
Alaska is the United State's largest state and is over twice the size of Texas. Measuring from north to south the state is approximately 1,400 miles long and measuring from east to west it is 2,700 miles wide.
And so, when we speak of folks needing their pizza flown in from Nome, we are talking about very rural communities that are way out in a very remote part of Alaska. In this case, Shishmareff is on a barrier island off the coast of the Seward Peninsula, just north of Nome in the Chukchi Sea. When you click the link and get the map, make sure to put your cursor in the lower right hand corner of the map to click and enlarge. You'll be able to see where Shishmaref is that way:
And the Seward Peninsula is approximately 1500 miles from where I am at this moment. And so, it's not like me and Mo need to have our pizza flown in. We have two Dominos's here in Juneau, two "Bullwinkles" Pizza places, One "Jovanny's", one "Freakin Pizza", and one "Vito And Nicks", as well as a couple of others. And this is Juneau, a city of 30,000. Now Mo, in the rough and tumble city of Anchorage, has all of that and more. No doubt Pizza Hut is there as well as others. Anchorage is approaching a population of 300,000. Not a huge city by Lower 48 standards, but a mean little city to be sure. But a nice place also, in places. My 21 year old daughter was born there in a house on 9941 Sitkalidak Lane, on the edge of a float plane lake.
The place where the Flying Pizza flys from is Nome, population 3500:
Nome is on the West Coast of Alaska near the confluence of the Bering and Chukchi Seas. I worked out there one winter and had a blast building houses for the Eskimos. I also worked in the villages of Mountain Village and Emmonak on the Lower Yukon River where it dumps into the Bering sea:
Also, I worked for a month in the village of Unalakleet, my favorite village. The natives there were really friendly unlike Emmonak, and were very eager to show me all of their handmade whaling harpoons, and other subsistence gathering equipment. I met an old Eskimo guy there named "Muggsy" who did in fact drink too much. But, everyday after work, he would be waiting in the house we rented (even though we'd lock it in the morning-now how'd he keep getting in?) and since I was almost always the last one home from working, he would always ask with his neat Eskimo accent; "Where's Kevin?" And when the guys would explain that I'd be along soon, he'd say; "Oh". And then a few minutes later, he'd ask; "So...Where's Kevin?" And when I'd finally come in from the cold, he'd break into a near toothless smile and say; "Kevin! I brought you some Windsor!" Which of course was Windsor Canadian Whiskey. And so, I'd have a snort or three with him and we'd talk about the day. He was always inviting me to come over to his house (a shanty type home really) to eat "muk tuk" and other Eskimo delicacies, but I always found a way to decline. The reason I declined is because I ate some Beluga muk tuk (blubber) in Emmonak, and it gave me an Alaskan form of "Montezuma's revenge". It killed my digestive system, and I was no good for work for a whole day, running to the outhouse all of the time. Thought I was going to die! So, I just told old Muggsy, that their food was too rich for me, except for the caribou, salmon, and moose. But, Unalakleet was way cool:
But there was no Flying Pizza here, only Flying Whiskey, Flying Vodka, Flying Rum, and Flying Tequila. Hah! Unalakleet is what is called a "Damp" village. Not "dry" and not "wet". Emmonak was completely dry, and the natives there will pay $150.00 a bottle for a fifth of the cheapest of whiskey or other hard liquor. Nome was "wet", and has bars and liquor stores like most American towns. A higher cost for a fifth of Jim Beam like $21.00, but way cheaper in a dry or damp village. But in the "Damp" village of Unalakleet, one could legally have liquor, but it was illegal to sell it or purchase it from another person's private stash. However, it was sold in bootleg fashion for fifty bucks a bottle. And so, since it is legal to ship your own booze in, there was this funny cultural thing that has been going on there forever. They call it "The List". Northern Air Cargo (NAC) on one of their weekly runs out from Anchorage would purchase the specific booze that people had put on The List. And when it arrived in Unalakleet, the folks would simply go to the NAC office at the airport, pay for their booze, as well as for the shipping. I learned of this one time when the self appointed "mayor" came over to our rented house one night and asked we white men if we wanted to put anything on The List. We asked him what the list was, and after he explained, we put in an order. It was pretty funny, and so, we ordered up a few "jugs", for all alcohol in a bottle there is known as a "jug", regardless of it's size or content. I remember many an Eskimo ute (youth) asking me or my carpenter buddies in their unique accents; "You gotta jug?"
Anyway, Flying Whiskee there, but no Flying Pizza...
Hey Lingo! Do you (or anyone else for that matter) ever watch The Deadliest Catch ??? The series on the Discovery Channel about the crab fishermen in the Bering Sea out of Dutch Harbor?
It's a pretty neat show IMO. That Bering Sea is a tough SOB...
Yup Tom, I have seen that documentary. Totally awesome. I have friends who have crabbed up there, and as far as my having been in some really tough stuff in the Winter North Atlantic on freighters, I have to bow down to them and say; "I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!" To me, to have crabbed in the Bering Sea in winter is the pinnacle of "big balls-ness". Such small boats in such heavy seas, and so much cold and ice. http://www.fishermansexpress.com/photo-gallery.html
I have commercial fished for halibut on a 36 foot gillnetter in a place called Shelikof Strait and near Augustine Island (of recent volcanic activity note http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Imgs/Jpg/Augustine/augustine.jpg ), but the worst we got into was eight foot seas, and we just worked right through it. It was way fun and adventurous, hauling those big halibut ove the stern with a big gaff hook and then knocking them out with a ball bat. They averaged between 80 and 130 pounds. Perfect weight for marketing. One monster weighed in at 240 pounds though. We had to harpoon him, then shoot him in the head to stop him from flopping and tearing the deck all up. That was in May which made it frickin freezin at times. Here's a picture of Shelikoff Straight: http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/coastline/line0131.htm
Commercial fishing is a sure cure for Cabin Fever to be sure!
Yeah Toppie, if you want to do your Patriotic Duty to Alaska, never buy "farmed salmon". Wild Alaskan Salmon is the very best. And just think of the "daring do" those fishermen go through to bring you fresh, wild caught Alaskan salmon, halibut and king crabs, in your local grocery store!
Yeah. I totally take my hat off to Alaskan Commercial Fishermen/women..I've been there, done alla that. But, Bering Sea crabbing, well, that's the toughest of all. Never done that. I have a wife and kids. Can't afford to skip out on 'em, like in the Perfect Storm. Love 'em too much. Don't want to hurt 'em...
Have a lot of young commercial fisherman who stay here in the off season. Always have an eye on the papers when they head out for the "season'. Boat goes down first thought is "do I know anyone?"
Anything to do with commercial fishing has the potential of being deadly here, It's that icy cold water-makes for great fish but the survival rate once you go in is practically nil even in summer
"Deadliest Catch" Yeah I watch whenever I get the chance
Yup, it's the water for sure. When I was an engineer abord Alaska's ferries, every watch I stood, the Mate would call down to the engineroom and ask for the sea temp to put into the ship's log. And even down here in Southeast Alaska, the temps would range between 43 degrees and 55. And many times when I have been out sport fishing in a boat, once close to shore and the day near done, I'd strip down to my skivvies and jump in. I'd do this for two reasons. The first, to remind my self of how deadly cold it is, and also to just experience the shock and then get ahold of my mind and swim around for a bit to remind myself that if it really happened for real, that I fell overboard, that with God's help and a lack of panic and clear thinking, I could make it.
There have been numerous cases of people living through two hours of trying to swim to shore and making it, and so, I guess I just want to set my mind that I'd be one of them if my boat went down, or whatever. But the tragedies far outweigh the succesful situations. A guy swam ashore for two hours in the Cooke Inlet a few years back, and got help for the rest of the party that was hanging on to a steel buoy. The guy was in his forties too. They all lived but this one 12 year old boy who just couldn't take the cold, and slipped into the depths. So terribly sad.
In another incident, a guy here from Juneau, told me this story about himself. He was out sport fishing with his wife on his 24 foot sport boat. They were heading north towards Juneau down by the Taku Inlet, about a half mile off shore and cruising at around 25 mph. The guy has to take a pee, and so instead of using the boat's own head, he hands the wheel over to his wife and goes aft to pee over the stern. Well, somehow, he lost his balance and fell overboard while peeing, and his wife, not knowing this, kept on speeding northbound for at least ten minutes until she wondered just where the hell he went. The guy in the meantime, with his pee pee hanging out swims to shore, and fortunately, makes it. After another half hour or so of shivering his butt off on shore, his wife finally spotted him and came and picked him up, and then called off the oncoming Coast Guard search and recue mission. He said though, that he was so incredibly weak and cold halfway to shore that he was amazed to have made it, giving God the thanks for his life. We had a good laugh about his pee pee hanging out as he swam, and made jokes that he was lucky some king salmon wasn't out trolling for some lunch!
We have a friend whose son went down with his halibut boat off of Yakutat. In fact, this weekend, the the Olin Nash Memorial Big Air Contest will be happening just north of Haines in the Yukon in the mountains. Olin, the young fella lost at sea, was an avid snow boarder, and he had started this "Big Air" event before he died. My boy Riley is just dying to go this weekend, but, the ferries are off schedule for it, wouldn'tcha know!
But yeah, although Gloucester Mass has it's history, sadly, so does Alaska. Hats off to all commercial fishermen the world over. Crazy but cool way to make a living.
Oh gawd...the worry! Whenever hubs went out...eeeeeek!!!!
Being back here in Kansas he was literally like a fish out of water for a long, long time. But it's not so nerve-wracking on me.
And it's not just fishing in Alaska that can be a killer. Mo remembers when my hubs went out to prove-up our homestead up on the Yetna...in the middle of winter...on a very used snowmobile...that broke down half way back...and hubs had to hike the rest of the way into Knik...yikes!
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ChasUFarley
Did you have raindeer pizza?
(So, that's what happened to Rudolfe!)
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CoolWaters
We had a Pizza and Subs shop in Palmer...and we delivered. It was a blast!
Thanks for the article/link. Brings back the days. :)
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dmiller
Some folks here would say 1/2 of them weren't pizzas!!
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J0nny Ling0
Oh yeah, DMiller. You must be talking about, who was it? Raf?
And yeah, there's plenty of reindeer meat to be had up here. You can get reindeer/caribou sausage (like sliced breakfast) at many of the breakfast buffets around town. It's as common as bacon in most northern breakfast buffet places, especially during tourists season. There is a reindeer farm in Palmer. They have one there named Rudolph...
http://www.knls.org/images/slideshows/palm...pg_akpalm18.htm
You are most welcome Cool!!
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templelady
Pizza
one of the staple foods of Alaska
Always room for another Pizza parlor
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topoftheworld
I swear, Jonny, you make the lower 48 look boring.
Love it!
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dmiller
Hmmm -- lessee --
Raf, Oak, BiberBabe, and a plethora of other posters,
who don't like PINEAPPLE, on pizza!!
A = Pizza needs toppings ---
B = Pineapple is a topping ---
C = Pineapple on Pizza --- is PIZZA!!!
(A + B = C) ;)
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templelady
Pizza is a round of dough slathered with toppings baked until the crust is done and the toppings hot.
Everything else is a matter of personal preference
the perfect portable food
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SafariVista
Are the wages in Alaska higher than most other States?
$32.~ for a pizza, WOW... that would be a big bill for a large family~
Wild story... free delivery w/ a plane :blink:
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J0nny Ling0
Just for the record, here are some facts about Alaska that I copied off the net:
And so, when we speak of folks needing their pizza flown in from Nome, we are talking about very rural communities that are way out in a very remote part of Alaska. In this case, Shishmareff is on a barrier island off the coast of the Seward Peninsula, just north of Nome in the Chukchi Sea. When you click the link and get the map, make sure to put your cursor in the lower right hand corner of the map to click and enlarge. You'll be able to see where Shishmaref is that way:
http://www.travelalaska.com/images/maps/AlaskaMap.jpg
And the Seward Peninsula is approximately 1500 miles from where I am at this moment. And so, it's not like me and Mo need to have our pizza flown in. We have two Dominos's here in Juneau, two "Bullwinkles" Pizza places, One "Jovanny's", one "Freakin Pizza", and one "Vito And Nicks", as well as a couple of others. And this is Juneau, a city of 30,000. Now Mo, in the rough and tumble city of Anchorage, has all of that and more. No doubt Pizza Hut is there as well as others. Anchorage is approaching a population of 300,000. Not a huge city by Lower 48 standards, but a mean little city to be sure. But a nice place also, in places. My 21 year old daughter was born there in a house on 9941 Sitkalidak Lane, on the edge of a float plane lake.
The place where the Flying Pizza flys from is Nome, population 3500:
http://www.alaskatravel.com/alaska/nome.html
Nome is on the West Coast of Alaska near the confluence of the Bering and Chukchi Seas. I worked out there one winter and had a blast building houses for the Eskimos. I also worked in the villages of Mountain Village and Emmonak on the Lower Yukon River where it dumps into the Bering sea:
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/photogallery/emmonak.html
Also, I worked for a month in the village of Unalakleet, my favorite village. The natives there were really friendly unlike Emmonak, and were very eager to show me all of their handmade whaling harpoons, and other subsistence gathering equipment. I met an old Eskimo guy there named "Muggsy" who did in fact drink too much. But, everyday after work, he would be waiting in the house we rented (even though we'd lock it in the morning-now how'd he keep getting in?) and since I was almost always the last one home from working, he would always ask with his neat Eskimo accent; "Where's Kevin?" And when the guys would explain that I'd be along soon, he'd say; "Oh". And then a few minutes later, he'd ask; "So...Where's Kevin?" And when I'd finally come in from the cold, he'd break into a near toothless smile and say; "Kevin! I brought you some Windsor!" Which of course was Windsor Canadian Whiskey. And so, I'd have a snort or three with him and we'd talk about the day. He was always inviting me to come over to his house (a shanty type home really) to eat "muk tuk" and other Eskimo delicacies, but I always found a way to decline. The reason I declined is because I ate some Beluga muk tuk (blubber) in Emmonak, and it gave me an Alaskan form of "Montezuma's revenge". It killed my digestive system, and I was no good for work for a whole day, running to the outhouse all of the time. Thought I was going to die! So, I just told old Muggsy, that their food was too rich for me, except for the caribou, salmon, and moose. But, Unalakleet was way cool:
http://www.dced.state.ak.us/dca/photos/all...comm=Unalakleet
But there was no Flying Pizza here, only Flying Whiskey, Flying Vodka, Flying Rum, and Flying Tequila. Hah! Unalakleet is what is called a "Damp" village. Not "dry" and not "wet". Emmonak was completely dry, and the natives there will pay $150.00 a bottle for a fifth of the cheapest of whiskey or other hard liquor. Nome was "wet", and has bars and liquor stores like most American towns. A higher cost for a fifth of Jim Beam like $21.00, but way cheaper in a dry or damp village. But in the "Damp" village of Unalakleet, one could legally have liquor, but it was illegal to sell it or purchase it from another person's private stash. However, it was sold in bootleg fashion for fifty bucks a bottle. And so, since it is legal to ship your own booze in, there was this funny cultural thing that has been going on there forever. They call it "The List". Northern Air Cargo (NAC) on one of their weekly runs out from Anchorage would purchase the specific booze that people had put on The List. And when it arrived in Unalakleet, the folks would simply go to the NAC office at the airport, pay for their booze, as well as for the shipping. I learned of this one time when the self appointed "mayor" came over to our rented house one night and asked we white men if we wanted to put anything on The List. We asked him what the list was, and after he explained, we put in an order. It was pretty funny, and so, we ordered up a few "jugs", for all alcohol in a bottle there is known as a "jug", regardless of it's size or content. I remember many an Eskimo ute (youth) asking me or my carpenter buddies in their unique accents; "You gotta jug?"
Anyway, Flying Whiskee there, but no Flying Pizza...
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topoftheworld
Jonny:
Ever thought of working for the Chamber of Commerce? You're a natural. And your love of Alaska is so apparent.
Thanks for sharing these little tidbits. You make us feel like we are there.
Have a bottle of Windsor on me.
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Tom Strange
Hey Lingo! Do you (or anyone else for that matter) ever watch The Deadliest Catch ??? The series on the Discovery Channel about the crab fishermen in the Bering Sea out of Dutch Harbor?
It's a pretty neat show IMO. That Bering Sea is a tough SOB...
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J0nny Ling0
Yup Tom, I have seen that documentary. Totally awesome. I have friends who have crabbed up there, and as far as my having been in some really tough stuff in the Winter North Atlantic on freighters, I have to bow down to them and say; "I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!" To me, to have crabbed in the Bering Sea in winter is the pinnacle of "big balls-ness". Such small boats in such heavy seas, and so much cold and ice. http://www.fishermansexpress.com/photo-gallery.html
I have commercial fished for halibut on a 36 foot gillnetter in a place called Shelikof Strait and near Augustine Island (of recent volcanic activity note http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Imgs/Jpg/Augustine/augustine.jpg ), but the worst we got into was eight foot seas, and we just worked right through it. It was way fun and adventurous, hauling those big halibut ove the stern with a big gaff hook and then knocking them out with a ball bat. They averaged between 80 and 130 pounds. Perfect weight for marketing. One monster weighed in at 240 pounds though. We had to harpoon him, then shoot him in the head to stop him from flopping and tearing the deck all up. That was in May which made it frickin freezin at times. Here's a picture of Shelikoff Straight: http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/coastline/line0131.htm
Commercial fishing is a sure cure for Cabin Fever to be sure!
http://www.orioncharters.com/2001%20Halibut.htm
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Tom Strange
Lingo, it's a series! Current season is on Tuesday evenings.. check your listings if you wish... it's King Crab time!
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J0nny Ling0
Oh! Must be different than I was thinking. But there was a really cool on that I saw. And so, I will check it out. Thanks my Strange Friend Tom!
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topoftheworld
I've been addicted to "Deadliest Catch" ever since it started.
Makes me thankful for all fisherman and what they do.
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J0nny Ling0
Yeah Toppie, if you want to do your Patriotic Duty to Alaska, never buy "farmed salmon". Wild Alaskan Salmon is the very best. And just think of the "daring do" those fishermen go through to bring you fresh, wild caught Alaskan salmon, halibut and king crabs, in your local grocery store!
Yeah. I totally take my hat off to Alaskan Commercial Fishermen/women..I've been there, done alla that. But, Bering Sea crabbing, well, that's the toughest of all. Never done that. I have a wife and kids. Can't afford to skip out on 'em, like in the Perfect Storm. Love 'em too much. Don't want to hurt 'em...
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templelady
Have a lot of young commercial fisherman who stay here in the off season. Always have an eye on the papers when they head out for the "season'. Boat goes down first thought is "do I know anyone?"
Anything to do with commercial fishing has the potential of being deadly here, It's that icy cold water-makes for great fish but the survival rate once you go in is practically nil even in summer
"Deadliest Catch" Yeah I watch whenever I get the chance
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J0nny Ling0
Yup, it's the water for sure. When I was an engineer abord Alaska's ferries, every watch I stood, the Mate would call down to the engineroom and ask for the sea temp to put into the ship's log. And even down here in Southeast Alaska, the temps would range between 43 degrees and 55. And many times when I have been out sport fishing in a boat, once close to shore and the day near done, I'd strip down to my skivvies and jump in. I'd do this for two reasons. The first, to remind my self of how deadly cold it is, and also to just experience the shock and then get ahold of my mind and swim around for a bit to remind myself that if it really happened for real, that I fell overboard, that with God's help and a lack of panic and clear thinking, I could make it.
There have been numerous cases of people living through two hours of trying to swim to shore and making it, and so, I guess I just want to set my mind that I'd be one of them if my boat went down, or whatever. But the tragedies far outweigh the succesful situations. A guy swam ashore for two hours in the Cooke Inlet a few years back, and got help for the rest of the party that was hanging on to a steel buoy. The guy was in his forties too. They all lived but this one 12 year old boy who just couldn't take the cold, and slipped into the depths. So terribly sad.
In another incident, a guy here from Juneau, told me this story about himself. He was out sport fishing with his wife on his 24 foot sport boat. They were heading north towards Juneau down by the Taku Inlet, about a half mile off shore and cruising at around 25 mph. The guy has to take a pee, and so instead of using the boat's own head, he hands the wheel over to his wife and goes aft to pee over the stern. Well, somehow, he lost his balance and fell overboard while peeing, and his wife, not knowing this, kept on speeding northbound for at least ten minutes until she wondered just where the hell he went. The guy in the meantime, with his pee pee hanging out swims to shore, and fortunately, makes it. After another half hour or so of shivering his butt off on shore, his wife finally spotted him and came and picked him up, and then called off the oncoming Coast Guard search and recue mission. He said though, that he was so incredibly weak and cold halfway to shore that he was amazed to have made it, giving God the thanks for his life. We had a good laugh about his pee pee hanging out as he swam, and made jokes that he was lucky some king salmon wasn't out trolling for some lunch!
We have a friend whose son went down with his halibut boat off of Yakutat. In fact, this weekend, the the Olin Nash Memorial Big Air Contest will be happening just north of Haines in the Yukon in the mountains. Olin, the young fella lost at sea, was an avid snow boarder, and he had started this "Big Air" event before he died. My boy Riley is just dying to go this weekend, but, the ferries are off schedule for it, wouldn'tcha know!
But yeah, although Gloucester Mass has it's history, sadly, so does Alaska. Hats off to all commercial fishermen the world over. Crazy but cool way to make a living.
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CoolWaters
Oh gawd...the worry! Whenever hubs went out...eeeeeek!!!!
Being back here in Kansas he was literally like a fish out of water for a long, long time. But it's not so nerve-wracking on me.
And it's not just fishing in Alaska that can be a killer. Mo remembers when my hubs went out to prove-up our homestead up on the Yetna...in the middle of winter...on a very used snowmobile...that broke down half way back...and hubs had to hike the rest of the way into Knik...yikes!
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J0nny Ling0
Yentna not the Swentna? :) Great names up this away, huh? At least your cabin was not in Tititlik... :blink:
He musta had his bunny boots on
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