Backyard bites: Meat near me

Food: the bane of my existence. Food is the glorious thing we as humans shovel into our mouths and stomach in order to survive off its nutrients, and also enjoy its taste.

Every student and staff member at MHCC lives in a different area. There are students coming from Hood River, Boring, Portland, and Vancouver. In all of the areas that we live in there are different restaurants, food trucks, and grocery stores. The question is, how many of the food places near you have you actually tried out?

I challenge the Advocate and its readers to eat at the closest food joints near their house. However, there are rules to this challenge. Rule 1: no markets or prepackaged snacks. The food you eat must be made at the place you visit. Rule 2: fast food franchises are off limits, there is a McDonald’s in every town and the point of the challenge is to learn about new food joints near you. Rule 3: it must be the closest place to buy food to you without violating Rule 1 or 2. As a side note: Grocery stores can count, but only if you buy from their deli section.

To begin the challenge, I will start. I live a meager five minutes away from MHCC near the cross roads of Kane and Palmquist. The closest places to buy food for me are the Shell Gas station, Mini Mart Express, and Orient Road Food Market. However, all of these quick stops are useless to this challenge due to Rule 1. So next up on my list of places to grab a bite is White’s Country Meats.

Now, White’s and I have a history. From a young age, my dad, a man who really enjoys his meats, has been buying steaks from Whites to barbeque every summer at least 4 times a week. Some of my personal favorite steaks are their pepper steaks, 5-ounce sirloins, and of course the bacon wrapped steak.

These particular steaks you can’t just “grab-and-go,” since they require some cooking at home, meaning they don’t fully count for this challenge. However, White’s also offers wonderful, mouth-watering beef jerky.

One can purchase a bag of jerky in either a pepper or teriyaki flavor. The neat thing about jerky is it’s actual healthy. Jerky is low in calories and high in protein, making a great snack for the 13-year-old Ivy who chose to save her $7 for a day of teeth grinding goodness. White’s jerky in particular uses no preservatives and is made with artificial ingredients one could find at home. Once in my life I chose to walk to White’s almost once a week, every week, to get this jerky; now that I’m older, I just drive.

Due to its jerky, I think White’s makes the perfect food stop for someone who eats meat. White’s also offers pepperoni sticks, which my father picks up every time he goes there. If I were a parent, I would be like my dad, but better; I’d pack my kid’s lunch with a piece of beef jerky or a pepperoni stick from White’s every day.

White’s is the closet store to my house offering food made in-house, and it’s a great place to buy your summer barbequing meats. Unless you’re a vegetarian, vegan, or have other dietary restrictions preventing you from eating meat, you should check it out. White’s Country Meats is located at 1207 S.E. Kane Drive. It’s open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. And it is heaven for carnivores.

Advocate Staff