I’ve written about Maid-Rites before, a loose-meat sandwich peculiar to the Midwest. I grew up on Maid-Rites, and they are still my favorite burger. In fact, I believe they are the original fast food, having started in Muscatine in 1926. I will drive out of my way for a Maid-Rite, always served with a spoon for scooping up the loose beef that tumbles out of the bun.
One of the original Maid-Rites is in Marshalltown. I had been wanting to visit the Marshalltown Maid-Rite for some time. There is a very interesting story surrounding it, and I wanted to do a little “investigative reporting.” My lawyer in Mt. Pleasant told me the story. It seems the Marshalltown Maid-Rite, known as Taylor’s Maid-Rite, is located in the downtown area close to the railroad tracks. Back during The Great Depression, bums, or hobos, as they were called (the predecessor to “street people”), found their way from the railroad tracks to Taylor’s. Having no money, they would ask for a glass of water. The hobos would then squirt in ketchup to make a tomato drink. Taylor’s got tired of this, so they removed ketchup from their counter. Problem solved.
The occasion for my trip to Marsalltown was an indoor triathlon at the Y. I love these wintertime sports events and, low and behold, I came in first in my age division. I was the only one in my age division. My strategy is to outlive or outlast the competition. Anyhow, I proudly wore my first place medal.
Having worked up an appetite following the swim-bike-run event, off to Taylor’s Maid-Rite we scooted. Of course, I continued to wear my medal.
At Taylor’s Maid-Rite, we were fortunate to meet co-owner Sandy Taylor Short. And my, how busy Taylor’s was! This was after 1 p.m. on a Saturday, and the place was packed. That’s nice to see in this age of convenience stores and fast food. So popular is Taylor’s Maid-Rite that directions are given in reference to it. People may not know where the hospital is located, but they know where the Maid-Rite is. “Turn east at the Maid-Rite, go two blocks ... ”
As we placed our order for Maid-Rites, we had a nice chat with Sandy Taylor Short. I noticed Taylor’s had ketchup dispensers on the counter and started to ask her about it. Before I could get the words out, she interrupted by saying, “The ketchup story? Completely false. It’s a myth.”
It is true, however, that for its first 78 years in business Taylor’s Maid-Rite did not have ketchup for the customers. But it wasn’t because of hobos. It’s because the loose beef, ground fresh daily, was considered so delicious that ketchup was not needed. (And it would insult the owners.) She doesn’t know how the hobo story got started, but it gained momentum, as urban legends will, and spread throughout the state and Midwest. Five years ago, Taylor’s had customers vote as to whether they wanted ketchup. The vote was tallied on the back of cash register receipts. There were about 1,000 votes both ways with the “nos” winning by a slight margin. But Taylor’s decided to offer ketchup anyway. The customers could decide whether they wanted to apply it or not. Myth debunked.
Taylor’s also does not have french fries. Can you believe it? A Maid-Rite without french fries! The reason — Sandy Taylor Short’s mother, Polly, did not want her husband, Don, coming home smelling like french fries. Maid-Rites were okay, but not french fries.
Another novelty to the store (as if this weren’t enough), is that Taylor’s ships frozen Maid-Rites all over the United States. Minimum order is one dozen, but if you were born and reared in Iowa, live in Spokane, Wash., and have a hankering for Maid-Rites, well by golly you can order yourself up some. They are shipped UPS, second day air. Just thaw ‘em, nuke ‘em and voila — it’s like you never left home.
Makes my mouth water.
One more thing. Taylor’s is so busy, they have one person behind the steam table that does nothing but pre-make Maid-Rites. And the person doesn’t wait for an order from a waitress. He or she makes them up ahead, stacking them around the cooker according to what condiments they have on them. (In all the Maid-Rites in which I’ve eaten, this is the first Maid-Rite assembly line I’ve ever seen.)
On the wall over a map of the world in big block letters is “Go round the world, but come back again!” Customers and employees come and go. They travel around the world. But they often come back for a hometown Maid-Rite.
As I was finishing my Maid-Rites (notice the plural) and scooping up the crumbles with a spoon, who should walk in but the overall male winner of the triathlon at the Y. Seems like the food of champions is a Maid-Rite. Did he have his medal on?
Nope.
Have a good story? Call Curt Swarm in Mt. Pleasant at (319) 217-0526, email him at curtswarm@yahoo.com or visit his website at www.empty-nest-words-photos-and-frames.com.