Food

Just as I was starting to write something one of the biggest barge thingies came into view. 28 barges, pushed by a very large towboat. Figure each barge is 50,000 tons. No one accuses the Mississippi of being a pretty river, but it’s the most interesting.

I figure I’ll be in Louisiana for several more days, giving me that many more chances to eat Southern. People in the South are heavier than elsewhere in the country, which is a no-brainer when you have a good lunch buffet nearby. I’m trying to have at least one “vegetable” at each sitting that does not include the secret ingredient. And the casseroles I’ve resisted so far.

Yesterday I had a BBQ brisket sandwich, baked beans, and cole slaw, pretty benign but it was at the Pig Out in Natchez, a great bar and BBQ place. Today it was fish, beans and sausage, mustard greens, sweet potatoes, and white rice at the local buffet.

I needed a bottle of salad dressing from the grocery (my evening dinner is frequently a salad and bread around here) and laughed. 4 flavors of Kraft, occupying about 4 feet of shelf space. Obviously, folk here don’t eat raw greens. (I’ll make my own dressing for now). I was interested in the ham loaves, 3 pound bricks of meat wrapped in a translucent paper. Don’t know what it is, or how it’s used, but am thinking it would be worth trying as a sandwich meat.

Southern food is about starting with something bad and making it excellent in the kitchen. Wow, are these folk good at that….