friday takeout

Beth Shafer

College Experience Instructor | Calmar Campus

Share something or an experience that has changed your worldview.

In the late 1990s, I was an Air Force officer working as a C-130 cargo pilot. My unit was deployed to Saudi Arabia. I was really excited to be going on my first overseas deployment. The flying was great, however, the treatment of women when going into the nearby cities was a real eye opener. First of all, as a woman, I was not allowed to go into the city without a man, as this would be frowned upon by the locals. I always had to find a male counterpart to go with me when I ventured into the city. I was also required to follow the local custom of covering my arms and legs with clothing even though the temperature soared well into triple digits. Finally, although we were allowed to eat in local restaurants, but because there were women in our group, we had to dine in an out-of-the-way location of the restaurant and could not eat in places where we would be seen by others. This and other deployments to various countries throughout the world have confirmed my belief that there is no place I would rather live than the United States!

What is the weirdest food you have ever eaten?

I have the Air Force to thank again for eating a wide variety of food. However, the weirdest food I have eaten is a rabbit’s eyeball. When I was going through survival training, I was assigned to a group of three individuals. We were set loose for three days alone in the wilderness with two live rabbits and a couple of meal packets. On the second evening, we decided to kill one of our rabbits to eat. As was the custom back then, the female in the group was often challenged to eat the eyeball of the rabbit. Not wanting to shy away from this challenge, I decided to try it. All I remember is biting into and getting a big gush of salty liquid in my mouth. I don’t recommend rabbit’s eyeballs to others!

What fashion trend do you regret?

Although I don’t think this was a trend, my mom was a seamstress when I was growing up in the 1970s and 80s. Her philosophy on buying new clothing was that we could buy new things, but only when our old things were worn out. I distinctly remember having a pair of jeans and although they were a couple of inches too short, they still fit me around the waist and were otherwise in good condition. Mom thought it would be all right if she sewed flowery fabric extension and rip rap to the bottom of the jeans to make them long enough to wear. So, I continued to wear them. Same went if there was a hole in the jeans. She would patch them up and put a daisy flower on the knee and we were good for a few more months! The other thing she liked to do was dress my sister and me in matching outfits—Ugh!

Tell us you’re American without telling us you’re an American.

A perfect summer day involves grilling out brats and hamburgers, eating corn-on-the-cob and making homemade ice cream. Then, watching a 4^th of July parade or taking in a Chicago Cubs baseball game capped off by a fireworks show on the Mississippi River or at Wrigley Field.

What fictional place would you like to visit?

I would love to visit Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory! That place always intrigued me when I was younger. It seemed almost magical and what kid wouldn’t love to eat liquid chocolate flowing from a chocolate river and eat edible grass? It would also be great to go into the Inventing Room to try the Three Course Dinner Chewing Gum!