you may remember that loyal reader Dave and i had a little bet going in advance of the 1-AA football championship game between JMU and Montana. the Dukes inevitable triumph made me the winner and it was with much anticipation (and a bit of badgering) that i waited for my winnings to arrive from the Treasure State. and since Dave and his family are such a stand-up bunch (must be something in the crisp, Rocky Mountain water) they sent me even more than i bargained for. a quick review:
Montana Grizzlies Adjustable Hat:
this was an extra throw-in courtesy of Dave's parents who i guess figured they could have the last word on the matter this way - sort of a very polite "screw you". but it's a great hat. i'ts not some cheapo piece of felt, there's just a paw print on the front, and velcro in the back. and it's not like they're the Yankees or something. definitely wearable. grade: B+
Buffalo Jerky:
made, packed and vacuum-sealed at a local Billings-area butcher shop, this stuff is the real deal. chewy but flavorful, it drove the dog crazy and the wife couldn't stop eating it. no ingredient list, but there was no detectable MSG and no illness resulting from overconsumption. grade: A
Buffalo Chips:
made from the same animal (and not what the name would imply), these were round pieces of dried meat about the size of a roll of Scotch tape. a little drier than the jerky and not as tasty but still disappeared in a hurry. grade: B-
Elk Jerky (teriyaki):
i was hoping this would be the coup de grace, but instead it was the most disappointing part of the whole deal. this was made by a Montana-based company but was prepackaged and replete with logo, ingredients, etc. i'm not sure what part of the elk this is made of, but it's brown with an eerie translucent quality. unlike the buffalo jerky, it stretched as we tried to tear some pieces off and didn't easily relent to our attempts to chew it. sort of the consistency of a rubber cement spill left out overnight. what flavor there was seemed to come from the additives as it didn't really taste like meat. there were two packages of this so perhaps the other one will be better, but it may just become dog treats. grade: D-
download your National Champions wallpaper here
Posted by jamie at January 21, 2005 03:49 PMI've never been publicly graded on such things before. Maybe I should have worn the hat around the apartment and tested some of the shipment myself--it would have been like a practice exam.
Anyway, glad you liked (most of) it. I've liked that place's elk jerky in the past, so I'm disappointed yours sucked. Mom was less than thrilled with its selection--she said it was picked over. So maybe you'll want to notify my dear sweet mother that you're giving her a D for legwork.