Klowns in my Koffee

Daily Kup (If a 'new broom sweeps clean', what does a Swiffer do?)
Today was the day of the endless math homework, so the less said of it, the better. I got a call that a good friend had gotten a great new job, so that was uplifting news.

Psychedelic Koffee and Magical Beans
On Sunday, we trekked to the Uptown Market in the area of Minneapolis called, not surprisingly, Uptown. It's a gentrified area rolling in trendy eateries and weird little stores. The Uptown Market is set up on a few blocks of West 29th Steet barricaded for this purpose on summer Sunday afternoons.

The crisp white tents cover vegetable vendors, artisans, even a psychic. Our favorite artisan is, of course, fellow blogger Kim B of Baroness Color with her exquisite hand-dyed apparel.

When exposed to the promise of food, the kids act like wolverines coming off a fast. Bypassing even the stone oven that looked like excellent pizzas were forthcoming, they lit upon the Magic Bus Cafe parked at the Lyndale Avenue end of the market. It is the VW microbus of 60's lore -- grown large, purple and producing hot dogs and tofu dogs. The flower-powered menu boasts the Buffalo Springfield Dog, the Magic Chili Dog, and the Wavy Gravy Bowl.

The operators asked the kids if they would like to come and sit in the dining area inside the bus where it was more cool. While I was still eyeing the Mediterranean pizza down the block, nothing closes the deal quite like a chance to sit in front of a fan on a very hot day while your kids are distracted by decor that covers every surface.

We enjoyed hot dogs with hearty and inventive condiments while getting a chance to see how all the clever gear in the mobile kitchen worked.

Chatting with the three operators, I thought that the psychedelic curry relish on my Grateful Dog might be literally named until I confirmed that --yes -- the two women were twins. Not just one woman who blurred in an out of reality. It never hurts to check these things out.

A cafe that keeps the fun in funky, the bus recently appeared on the Cooking Channel's Truck Food Revolution. Viva the revolution! With hot dogs this good, I've got to agree with Ken Kesey (and the T-shirts worn by these lovely people): "You're either on the bus or off the bus."