Visual Stories

Video: Herring eggs and seal grease | INDIE ALASKA

INDIE ALASKA is an original video series produced by Alaska Public Media in partnership with PBS Digital Studios. The weekly series captures the diverse and colorful lifestyles of everyday Alaskans at work and at play. Together, these videos present a fresh and authentic look at living in Alaska.

In part two of a four-part series looking at the connections that modern Alaskans have with their food, we meet the Scleifmans. Fifteen minutes outside Wasilla, the Little Su River calmly rushes by the small, off-the-grid cabin of Ben Schleifman and Meda DeWitt-Schleifman. The Schleifman family has lived in the cabin for two years and despite the endless list of chores (splitting firewood, hauling fuel, etc.), they have become adept at preparing feasts for friends and family who make the short trek out to their land.

The Schleifmans travel extensively throughout Alaska, but both hail from Southeast Alaska and try to eat the food they've grown up with as often as possible. On the menu tonight: herring egg salad and fried rice with seal oil.

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