Tootsie on Tour: Des Moines, IA

**Disclaimer: The content of this post reflects my own personal views, opinions, and experiences.
This post does NOT express the views or opinions of my employer.**

The venue: Des Moines Civic Center


(stock images)

Covid Tests to Date: 54

TL;DR TikTok:

TikTok by @tromboneontour

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I woke up before my alarm at 4:30am (I have a great internal clock) and the taxi was already there and waiting.
I hurriedly brushed my teeth and hair and rushed out the door, careful not to wake Jameson.

I got to the airport in good time, and it was very busy so I'm glad I didn't risk waiting for Uber even though the taxi was so expensive.
The waiting could have cost me me flight. I got to my gate about 15 minutes before boarding, which is pretty "late" by my standards.

Layover in Atlanta was 45 minutes but I used a lot of that just getting to the next gate, ATL being so big and all.
We landed in Des Moines about on time, and while retrieving my luggage I found Isis (crew) and shared an Uber with her.
Luckily for us, our rooms were ready!

As usual I dropped everything, looked at the fridge, walked to the nearest grocery (a Hy-Vee).
I got most things there but didn't find any local bread, so dropped off my groceries and walked to the next-farthest grocery, a local place called Gateway Market. They carry Big Sky breads (an Iowa chain), but they also make their own breads in-store!
I decided to try a loaf of theirs (go local!) So many to choose from!


I was tempted by the plain Italian but went with sourdough instead because I thought it would make a better grilled cheese.
Yes, I'm making skillet grilled cheese this week! It's cold, it will be good! :)

There was also a weird-looking cookie in the bakery called a "Dutch letter".
I picked one up out of curiosity, and also some Chinese chicken steamed buns and a grapefruit basil seltzer water, because fun food is fun!

Here is the "Dutch letter":


Yes it looks like an S-shaped poop!
Turns out it's a puff pastry filled with almond paste or Marzipan.
Originally shaped to look like the first letter of the surname of whatever family was making them,
in the US they're typically made into an "S" shape.
You can find them in Iowa because Dutch immigrants brought them there, specifically to the town of Pella in 1845.
It was really cool to stumble across an Iowa-specific food with a great cultural history.

Here's what the inside looked like:


It was flaky and very sweet, lots of almond/marzipan flavor.
I've cut it into quarters and will enjoy it for a few days.

After all that I unpacked, then took my rapid covid test in the lobby.
Enjoyed some grocery store sushi for dinner while fielding phone calls and emails about some health tests I had planned to take this week.
I had scheduled a DEXA scan and an RMR, but both got canceled...and then rescheduled. It's been weird.
I don't know what will happen, but for now I'm definitely getting the DEXA and meeting with a nutritionist, so I'll post about that!
Very interested to see what it'll be like!

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Tuesday, woke up wondering what on earth time it was. Time changes are weird!

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