Caution: This dispatch is rather Raw

Viroqua is as plugged in technologically and as up-to-date as anywhere the U.S., but it is liberally sprinkled with tie-dye, retro and alternative lifestyles. Titles on the bookstore shelves such as "Composting Made Easy" and "Mowing with the Scythe" outnumber the likes of authors Stieg Larsson and Barbara Kingsolver. Shingles hang out for herbal medicines, breathwork and shamanic healing, in competition with the town's M.D.s and dentists.

Located about 30 minutes southeast of La Crosse, Viroqua is located in what is called the "driftless" region, one of the only parts of America consistently missed by advancing glaciers of the Ice Age. The topography remains as it was 100 million years ago.

Raw vegan dinner Next Thursday, Aug. 26, Whole Foods Market will serve a raw vegan dinner as part of its monthly Dinner Series. The BYOB dinner (with no corkage fee or tipping) will be prepared by the East Liberty store's team leaders and costs $50 per person. Dinner seating begins at 6:30. For reservations (required), call or e-mail Kim at 412-441-7960, ext. 215, or kim.wynnyckyj@wholefoods.com.

The menu:

Salad course includes Thai Basil Consomme (ginger, lemongrass and Thai basil sun tea, fresh coconut water, avocado and corn gyoza) and rojak (salad of cucumber, jicama, green mango, star fruit, papaya, lime and Thai bird chili emulsion).

There's a vegan raw bar with makizushi (garden vegetable and "rice" roll enrobed in cucumber with sweet pea wasabi and a trio of dipping sauces), wakame salad (with basil, pineapple, sesame vinaigrette), ceviche (young coconut, citrus, Enright Garden chilies) and kimchee spring rolls served with arame daikon sauce.

Entree is portobello "steak" over peanut noodles (zucchini and yellow squash noodles, miso and peanut dressing) and a portobello-basil Napoleon with fresh curry marinade.

Dessert is raw mango pomegranate creme caramel. The ancient, uber-rich soil has supported centuries of farming, and is particularly suited to organic farming because little if any supplementary fertilization is necessary. The surrounding area has become one of the most successful organic farming regions in the entire world. In fact, Organic Valley, the mega-huge international organic farming co-op, is located about 20 minutes from Viroqua.

My son Ted and his wife, Catherine, moved there from Chicago several years ago. They were tired of the big city, and when gasoline prices climbed to ridiculous heights, they hollered "uncle," bought a snug little house in town, enrolled the kids in the local Waldorf School, and moved. They are musicians, and their music store, Parrish Music, is a now a gathering place akin to a general store.

Ted and Catherine, like most of their friends, choose to live the organic life. Vegetables either are picked from their backyard garden or bought at the Co-op or Saturday farmers' market. Once a week, quarts of fresh, raw goat milk and a few dozen eggs are delivered to the box on their front porch. From 50 to 80 percent of their meals consist of raw foods (depending on the season and availability), but they are not among the raw food zealots.

Raw foodists proselytize that heating food above 116 to 118 degrees destroys "essential enzymes" in food, and that cooked food loses its nutritional value and "life force." They tend to rename dishes, making mock this and mock that. Raw vegan eaters up the ante by also eschewing dairy products and anything that comes from an animal, including the biblical milk and honey. I and others happen to disagree with them. While the food is heat-free, it is often appeal-free.

But, with or without the preaching, raw meals, can be delicious as I found out recently, when I spent a long vacation with family.

Ted and Catherine eat mostly raw foods because the local fare is so abundant and so delicious, there's little reason to cook it. They are good partners and good cooks, and they share the chopping and juicing chores in the kitchen, because preparation is labor intensive.

Meals might consist of uncooked food such as salads, fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains and dried fruit from their dehydrator. But, they also eat grilled chicken or fish, eggs, Wisconsin cheeses and the occasional pie. Nothing in their kitchen is processed, and honey, agave or maple syrup replace sugar. This couple is lean, energetic and healthy. Works for them!

Here are some of their raw tricks. Jaw alert: there's a lot of chewing ahead.

? Salad Helpers: To boost the flavor and nutrition of everyday salads, make sesame salt. Combine 1 cup sesame seeds with 1 tablespoon salt. Grind with mortar and pestle. Salads are also enhanced with dulse (seaweed), chopped nuts, seeds, cheeses and dried fruit. Avocado adds body and smoothness.

? Fresh goat yogurt cheese: To make a cup of yogurt cheese, spoon about a pint of plain goat yogurt into a paper-lined coffee filter cup. Set the filter over a mug to catch the drippings. Let set at room temperature for about two hours. You will be left with a thick, tangy yogurt cheese to use any way you might use sour cream or creme fraiche.

? Almond milk: Place 11/2 cups of raw, unblanched almonds in a quart jar. Fill the jar with water and allow to sit for eight hours or overnight. When ready to make the "milk," drain off the water, add 11/2 cups of fresh water, 3 pitted medjool dates (that have been soaked for about an hour) and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Blend as smooth as possible. Add an additional 1 cup cold water and blend again. Strain off the liquid and discard remaining solids. Will keep for four to five days in the fridge. Use on cereal or in smoothies.

? The Green Hornet Shake: Remove the ribs from about seven or eight leaves of raw kale. Place in a blender and add water to cover. Blend to liquefy. Add two ripe bananas for body and sweetness. Other fruit may be added to taste. Makes about a quart. Try this instead of o.j. with your breakfast of, of course, granola.

? Streusel toppings: Nobody can resist a good pie. Instead of a pastry topping for fruit pies, make a streusel topping with plenty of raw oatmeal, chopped nuts, a little flour and cinnamon and sweeten the mixture with maple syrup.

P.S. What about the kids, ages 16 and 14? They eat the salads, fruit and vitamin-rich smoothies along with their pizza, burgers, fries and hotdogs. All organic.