Woods, step aside for the Wurst Man

Our family's love for specialties from the local meat market began when the kids were little and Gooby's was still going strong just down the road. We've lived in Goobyville forever. Even as a tiny youngster, I knew the Gooby's because Pat Gooby had delivered Tony the Pony for my brother Mike's 8th birthday. A little bay gelding, Tony came with a big yellow bow around his middle.

Mike's love for horses, ponies----anything equine---ended with Tony. When one of the neighbor girls, who was babysitting at the time, convinced him to ride Tony without aid of bridle, saddle, etc. , he fell off and broke his arm. The incident convinced him that horses were monsters, but we still liked the Gooby's in spite of Tony's not working out so well.

Many years later, when Bill and I moved to our present home and our kids were old enough to head down what was then a quiet country road, we'd send them to get some beef sticks. Carol Shook, who worked behind the counter for Gooby's at the time, looked forward to their arrival and always rewarded their efforts with a few extra treats. The kids would come home with meat in hand and thrilled with the extra hand-outs. We were sad when Gooby's eventually shut down their plant. It took us a while to transfer our loyalties to Wood's Meats at Colburn.

But that has happened. We are fiercely committed fans of Wood's Meats German sausages. In fact, we eat them like candy. For the past few years, the kids' number-one request when they knew we were coming to either Boise or Seattle for a visit was, "Bring some Wood's German Sausage." So, we've faithfully honored their requests, sometimes stuffing frozen packages of them in the suitcase for airport inspectors to find.

At one time during my heavier stage, I ate lots of sandwiches, so I bought lots of Miracle Whip salad dressing for my sandwiches. I could never fathom the thought of not having a spare quart of Miracle Whip in the pantry for that moment when someone scooped the last knife-ful from the one in the fridge. So, I obsessively kept one quart ahead at all times.

Nowadays, I don't eat so many sandwiches cuz I finally figured out that the bread and Miracle Whip put on the pounds just as quickly as potatoes and pasta.

But, I DO eat Wood's German sausages, and I've transferred my obsession from hoarding my Miracle Whip to that of keeping a few dogs ahead. I love those sausages mixed in with fresh summer veggies and a cheddar cheese/margarine glue. I love to eat those sausages as snacks by microwaving them for 55 seconds, squirting some mustard on a plate and dipping the dog in the yellow sauce before each tasty bite.

Bill shares my love for the product too, although he enjoys barbecuing them after a basting of Stubb's Moppin' sauce (C.D. Stubblefield---My life is in these bottles) out of Austin, Tex. He cuts them into quarters and cooks them to the point of where they curl up with a slightly black crust. I never refuse a sample if he offers.

With all this adoration of Wood's German sausages, we do have to confess, though, that during one week each year, we abandon our fierce loyalty. That's when the sausage man from Coeur d'Alene shows up at the Bonner County fair. Don't know his name except that his portable booth dubs him as "The Wurst Man." We also know he's a retired cop and that his wife is German. He sets up his booth, armed with brats, sauerkraut, pretzels, spicy mustards and soft drinks.

For five days, the guy never stops cooking brats, stuffin' them in fresh, tasty hot buns and handing them to patiently-waiting customers. Among the customers is a man named Bill Love whose entire reason for living during Fair Week is to get the wurst man's buns and brats.

There have even been times when my husband has given me a ten-dollar bill and sent me to the fair (just a mile away) to pick up a couple of those sandwiches, properly loaded with sauerkraut and the spicy mustard. I always hurry back really fast so the sauerkraut doesn't have time to soggy up the bun.

To say Bill is obsessed during fair week is an understatement. In fact, when given a meal ticket for judging the 4-H forestry yesterday, the first question he asked was if he could cash it in at "The Wurst Man's" concession. I don't think that's part of the plan, but Bill won't mind pulling out greenbacks for the rest of the week to satisfy his daily brat desires.

Another tradition has begun because of Bill and the brats and the tractors. I've actually gotten to know Rose Marie Thompson of Jim Thompson tractor fame, thanks to those brats. When I told her a few years ago about my husband and "The Wurst Man," she was curious. She wanted to know about the attraction.

So, beginning that year with Rose Marie's first taste of those brats, we started a tradition. Every August, when Jim brings his fleet of restored John Deere's for display, Rose Marie meets up with me and we visit while munching on one of those delectable sandwiches.

Gooby's and Wood's, aside, I must proclaim that during fair week in Bonner County, "The Wurst Man" does it best!