Zingerman's

Who knew that Michigan would be the home base of an food emporium that rivals some of the quality standards found in New York City? Look no further, people. Thanks to the random pass along from Norma, I have discovered Zingerman's.

This purveyor of foodstuffs, located in beautiful Ann Arbor, offers up splendid epicurean delights; beatific cakes, creative breads (hello, pecan raisin!!), olive oils packaged like they were a container of motor oil, balsamic vinegar mixes, a decadent selection of salami, lampascioni (that would be roasted wild hyacinth bulbs), grits, polenta, Irish oatmeal, pistachio cream, dulce de leche piquillo pimientos and a plethora of delectable sweets. Who are these people?! I particularly love Zingerman's gift baskets. Now, I'm a fan of Harry & David's Fruit of the Month Club as a rule (everyone needs fruit; there's this thing called scurvy and I hear it's bad). People seem to enjoy receiving fruit--especially summer fruit--and the gift gives year round. I was sold on this until I discovered the Zingerman's catalog.

They have wonderful gift offerings: a rustic retreat dinner for two. The office supply gift box. You Just Got Hitched wedding gift.The midnight feeding box for new parents. The food nurse for the convalescing. A starving student package. And who wouldn't love something arriving on your doorstep called "The Big Box of Meat?" Yeah, I would worship anyone who sent me a big box of meat.

However, the item that made me really love Zingerman's was their Powered By Pork gift basket. The description reads thusly: Most of us are used to seeing and eating bacon in neat slices–rashers, as a Brit might call them–on the side of breakfast, in a BLT, you know. But that only scratches the surface of the power of bacon. Its uses are so much broader and tastier. In fact, the deeper you dig into American cooking, the more bacon you find. It’s been the backbone fat of our country’s cooking for hundreds of years, like olive oil in the Mediterranean. Now is a good time to catch up on this centuries-old trend. Our Powered by Pork gift box is filled with almost 3 lbs of our four favorite bacons, including Wisconsin Applewood, Arkansas Long Pepper, Kentucky Dry-cured and Virginia Dry-cured. We’ll also include a couple bonuses: Mo's Bacon & Chocolate bar from Vosges and a one page bacon manifesto, proposing a dozen recipes for this stellar cut of pork.

A bacon manifesto? I think I am in love.

I hear they make a good Ruben sandwich too.