Have You Tried Michigan’s Strangest Comfort Food?

Take it from a former Southerner, Michiganders have some interesting food preferences. Of course, that doesn't inherently mean that all or any of them are bad, but they are certainly strange to those of us who didn't grow up around here.

If there's one thing I've learned about Michiganders in the past few years it's that folks in Michigan are particular about their food and beverages. Whether by long-held tradition or from local fame and production, Michiganders want Michigan-made and Michigan-inspired, especially when it comes to food.

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But as freezing weather dominates the northern regions of the United States, you'd expect Michiganders to lean on warmer comfort foods: soups, chilis, and pasties.

While pasties certainly have an argument, those aren't strange comfort foods, which was the subject of a recent list from Cheapism that named the strangest comfort foods in each state.

I'm a bit shocked they didn't choose pasties here because here in the States, it's a fairly unique Michigan dish. But, it is just a breaded meat pie, after all.

Instead of the famed pasty, Cheapism pointed their attention to a different treat that has roots in the Motor City rather than the Upper Peninsula, the Boston Cooler.

While it sounds like a Double AA baseball team name where you'd expect an anthropomorphic ice cooler with eyes wielding a baseball bat to be the logo, it's actually a simple treat that features a Michigan cornerstone: Vernor's ginger ale.

The cooler is simple to make with just a blending of Vernor's and a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream until smooth.

While the Boston Cooler has nothing to do with Boston, it's got plenty of the Michigan charm as the Vernor's represents the heritage of the state while the ice cream can represent the snow that has been on the ground for nearly every day of 2025.

Still, it's not too surprising that Michigan would enjoy a soda float beverage with all of the root beer stands dotting the state. The strange aspect might just be enjoying a Boston Cooler on a freezing February afternoon.

But we aren't here to judge.