RAGBRAI XLI Countdown – July 21-27, 2013
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RAGBRAI 2012: Orange City, real town or pastry buffet?
Sun, Jul 22, 2012 | by Michael Morain
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ORANGE CITY, Ia. – Let us pause to marvel at the giant Dutch smorgasbord that has disguised itself as the town of Orange City.
RAGBRAI riders with a hankering for almond paste could nibble on almond patties, a squarish version of the Dutch letter, its slinkier cousin. There were Wilhelmina Peppermints. There were stroopwafels layered with caramel. There were Dutch fudge puppies, too, which are like long johns dipped in chocolate and topped with whipped cream.
Riders with an eye sharp enough to find the secret alley on Central Avenue could find the line to a bakery’s supply of puffy coin-sized poffertjes, one of Register columnist John Carlson’s favorites from the ride in 2008.
The was even Dutch toast. It’s just like the French version, but someone crossed out “French” and wrote in “Dutch.” Think of it as Orange City’s version of “Freedom” Fries.
But even here, not every recipe came from the Netherlands. The Szechuan Inn restaurant stood in a Dutch-style building a block off the main square, with a sign above the door posted in Chinese. It looked pretty quiet.
– Michael Morain
1 Response on “RAGBRAI 2012: Orange City, real town or pastry buffet?”
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Brian De Jong
July 22, 2012 at 4:23 pm
I had a great time meeting and greeting the many riders today. Seeing a solid stream of riders was a sight that just can’t be put into words. Thank you RAGBRAI for choosing Orange City as one of your stops. Lets do it again in a few years.