You probably know that Wisconsin is the Badger State due to our...
You probably know that Wisconsin is the Badger State due to our University Athletics mascot, Bucky Badger. However, you may not know why it is called the Badger State. Believe it or not, we have very few badgers in the state. Wisconsin is called the Badger State because in the early days mining was the largest industry here, and the miners were called “badgers” because they burrowed into the ground like their animal namesake. In the harsh Wisconsin winters the miners would actually live in the mines to escape the cold.
When the miners went to work, they brought with them a type of food called a cornish pasty, because it would stay hot in their lunch pail until they were ready to eat. A pasty is basically a small loaf of bread stuffed with meat and vegetables.
Why am I telling you this? Because you can still try out a pasty not far from the YAPC::NA 2012 campus. About 7 blocks from the campus you can have a Teddywedger, which is the modern form of the old-style cornish pasty. In the morning you can get them filled with eggs and cheese, or eggs and vegetables. In the afternoon and evening you can get them filled with the traditional meat and potatoes, or you can go with non-traditional fillings like chicken-pot-pie, pizza, steak and onions, and more.
[From the YAPC::NA Blog.]