Nietzche's Milkshake

Over the past few weeks, I've been spotlighting songs that mention Kansas. Thus far we've looked at:

"40-Hour Week" by Alabama

"Lawrence, KS." by Josh Ritter

"Choctaw Bingo" by Jame McMurtry

Today we'll continue this series by looking at "Kansas" by Fred Eaglesmith.

It's always Kansas
It's where I always break down
That's where my work tumbles to the ground

It's always Kansas
That's where I fall apart
That's where my broken heart catches up with the news.

It's always Kansas
It's always Kansas
It's always Kansas that makes me think of you.

Since the song is a bit of a downer, it doesn't get a lot of play on my Ipod. In the song, the reality of a failed relationships creeps up on the narrator as he drives across Kansas. Some would argue that Western Kansas is no place for the broken hearted. The sparseness and expansiveness of the Great Plains can make it a lonely place.

I find the Great Plains the perfect place to sift through the ashes of a failed relationship. It's great place to ponder the reality of shortcomings, regrets, and good intentions gone bad. Despite the flatness of the landscape, it's good country for staring into what the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche referred to as the abyss. He once said, "And if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." However, what a lot of people don't realize is that the true meaning of the quotation was lost when it was translated into English. In German, the quotations is "And if you gaze into the abyss, you should have a milkshake in hand."

Of course, this isn't entirely true, but the image of Friedrich Nietzsche slurping the dregs of a milkshake through a straw tickles me so much that I wanted to play with that image a little bit. Milkshakes might not numb the pain of a broken heart, but they're a tasty reminder that even during the turmoil of a failed relationship there's always something left to enjoy in this life.

This milkshake recipe was inspired by a trip to Miyauchi's Snack Bar located in Grand Lake, Colorado.

While this recipe isn't technically a milkshake, it's a suitable proxy. The recipe works best with a tart lemonade. Each time I taste it I'm inspired to make a Key Lime Pie Milkshake, but I'll leave that endeavor for another day.

Lemonade Cooler

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vanilla ice cream
• 1/2 cup of tart lemonade
  

Directions:

1. Simply place ingredients in a blender and blend until the mixture the consistency of a milkshake.
2. Serve in a glass with a straw.
   

NOTE: The Lemonade Cooler is best enjoyed while lounging on a porch or dock.

May all your shakes be thick,
muddy

P.S. . . . Next week, we'll take a look at "True Dreams of Wichita" by Soul Coughing.