One of my favorite childhood memories comes from going to town on Saturdays. If your parents worked, you went to town then to do whatever business or shopping was needed. In the day, Lawrenceville, Georgia, was a small country town with almost all of its businesses located near the courthouse square. One of those was Southern 5 & 10. In addition to the usual odds and ends … [Read more...] about The Wonderful Slaw Dog
Food and Drink
Mamaw, Sorghum and Stack Cake; Appalachian Delights
Fall in my part of Appalachia brings memories of college football games and hikes in the mountains. In my grandparent's time, it was a time of harvest. It was apple drying time for my grandmother and the women who came before her. Walnut and hickory nuts were falling for the picking, and cane was waiting for sorghum making. All those ingredients to make the sweet treats her … [Read more...] about Mamaw, Sorghum and Stack Cake; Appalachian Delights
The Caviar of the South
Boiled peanuts are often called, perhaps jokingly, the caviar of the South. They're found roadside across the landscape of the South and in kitchen cabinets everywhere. As staples for tailgating, backyard BBQs, church socials, or pretty much any occasion when people meet, they're about as Southern as it comes. Or are they? Legend has it that boiled peanuts first appeared … [Read more...] about The Caviar of the South
The Nirvana that is the Potato Chip
Who doesn’t love salt? The history of the world is littered with armies formed and empires built in the pursuit of that sacred mineral. Even our language has been infiltrated with its presence. Who wouldn’t like to be described as “salt of the earth”? Who wouldn’t enjoy a lazy afternoon listening to tall tales from an “old salt”? Those salty snacks, especially in the form of … [Read more...] about The Nirvana that is the Potato Chip
Grits, the Food of the South
Every weekday in my early years, Dad cooked breakfast for my brother, sister, and me. Not sure what Mom was doing at 7:20 a.m. on those days, but it was Dad at the stove, getting our breakfast ready before we caught the yellow bus to our elementary school. He would have the radio on WSB, the local station, and as clear as yesterday I can still recall the sponsor’s jingle: … [Read more...] about Grits, the Food of the South
