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| Moose droppings in Talkeetna. |
No. It's Not Made Of Chocolate
People who live all over Alaska get a kick out of showing Cheechakos (i.e. newcomers) the moose nuggets that they've picked up. You'll frequently run across baskets and bowls of them -- especially in visitor centers in touristy areas. Or, like here, in Talkeetna. Newbies pick up the dry, egg-shaped little nuggets, and turn them over, sometimes breaking them apart, to see they're made of something that looks very much like sawdust.Moose nuggets are made of genuine Alaska willow, out in the field, by rugged artisans who have been working at making nuggets for centuries, and have gotten very good at it. The nuggets are left on the ground, in neat little piles, where they're picked up by Alaskans who like to turn use them to adorn swizzle sticks, Christmas decorations, and any number of nick-nacks for their amusement.