The Bullhead Feed

One of the things I have decided to do while on this internship is to engage in community interaction as often as I am able; and one of the most popular community activities in Dundee is the annual American Legion Bullhead Feed. I had never eaten bullhead before last Friday night, and as a matter of fact, Anna had never eaten Bullhead before last Friday either. But since some of the members of the community said the Bullhead Feed is something not to be missed, I convinced Anna that we should go down to the Legion Hall and give it a try.

As luck would have it, the big night of the Bullhead Feed there was a snowstorm. Still, when we got to the Legion Hall there was no place close to the building to park, so we ended up walking a half block to the building. I know that doesn't sound inconvenient, but in the middle of a snowstorm it felt like a bit of a distance. Mind you, the Legion Hall is only four blocks from our house, but since the temperature was in the single digits, and it was snowing like crazy, Anna and I opted to fire up the Iron Prairie Schooner and venture into the fresh powder.

In case you didn't know, a bullhead is a kind of fish. As it turns out it is apparently what they call here in Minnesota a "rough fish" or a "junk fish" because it is not as desirable to eat as many other species of fish. The most sought after fish around here is the Walleye, but apparently they are too expensive and prized to catch a bunch of them for a mass feed. The bullhead are plentiful, and apparently they just seine the lake to catch whatever they need. I am told that when one goes walleye fishing around here, nine times out of ten you will catch lots of bullhead and very little walleye.

So with that as background, it is hard to understand why the bullhead feed here in town is so popular. In a town of less than 100, the legion commander reported that they had fed 175 people that night! When Anna and I got there we met some people that had come up from a town over 20 miles away to eat this bullhead, and they were filling their plates for a second time when we sat with them. They mentioned over dinner that they normally make the rounds to all of the bullhead feeds in the area, and there are about ten of them. They were comparing the way the fish is prepared, and the side dishes, and pronounced the Dundee bullhead feed as "pretty good." Along with the fish, there was homemade potato salad and baked beans, as well as buttered bread. Not a healthy fare, to be sure, but "pretty good."

As far as the fish itself goes, it was served deep fried, and tasted okay, but it was rather greasy and bony, so I think I still prefer walleye. I described it to Anna as fish that tasted as if it had been left in a Skipper's fryer too long. It was okay, but not great. We, of course, told the natives that we enjoyed the bullhead feed. That isn't a lie, because the fellowship was great. A lot of the people we have met from town were there, and they were happy to see that we were willing to try their bullhead. All in all, a successful first bullhead feed. Please pass the walleye! Blogged by Don