Bethel, Alaska

This is a photo taken on one of my visits to Bethel. Bethel is a small town of about 6500 people. Everyone in Chefornak has first hand experience or knows someone who has been robbed, mugged, or has come in to contact with some form of criminal element. Bethel is a "dangerous city" as one of my student's put it. During my visits to Bethel, the only thing I have come to fear is the food.

The sign here says Burgers, Japanese, Seafood and I assure you that this is only the beginning of what Mimi's cafe has to offer. Available to you is NY Strip Steak, chicken/beef teriyaki, lobster, shrimp, Chinese, Korean, soups, salads, and nearly any type of sandwich you can think of all made to order in a 100sq ft building off of Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway. Nearly every restaurant in Bethel tries to put anything and everything on their menu and it all tastes like s$#@.

garbage disposal

The concept of a having a dog is different here. Immediately you might be thinking that this is due to the fact that dogs in Alaska are used to pull dog sleds. I assure you that the "snow-machine" is the preferred means of winter travel and that the dog sled vanished about a generation ago.

What you see is a familiar site throughout the village and is one of the happier snapshots available. Dogs are tied to posts, barrels, broken snow-mobiles or anything else that will keep the dog within a confined radius. Dogs are not walked, they're never touched, and they are only afforded to leave their pre-defined territory upon death. So, why have a dog?

Allegedly local custom dictates that one should not waste food. Thus the dog is kept so that any food left over after a meal is thrown to the dog, which gets rid of the food and clears the conscience. Why the food isn't saved is beyond me.

In addition, this past summer a group of 10-12 year olds took a dog beneath the school (all buildings are raised here) and hung it.

Interesting, isn't it?