September 13, 2023 – Deep American South
Item #1 on our Things to See and Do in the American South list was to gain an understanding about what is happening in America. We failed miserably, but in a good way. I will explain later….
We experienced 100% of the other 49 items on the list, which isn’t surprising when you consider that I created the list, and I was in charge of making ongoing changes to it.
There were a few things on the original list that I decided I didn’t want to see, so I scrubbed them.
I pulled up a photo of a Boll Weevil on the internet, which was sufficient incentive not to find a real one.
I reluctantly withdrew two desserts from the list. I have some serious dieting to do as a result of this trip, so Pecan Pie and Mississippi Mud Pie had to go.
Corncob pipes, bare feet, moonshine, and mules are part of a bygone Southern era, so I eliminated them from the list as well.
I was happy not to see a Confederate flag, other than in Civil War re-enactments, so item #36 got eliminated too.
We never actually saw a Pig, but we did see a Piggly Wiggly, so I marked that line “accomplished”.
Piggly Wiggly opened its first grocery store in Memphis in 1916 and it is still a prominent retailer in the South. Piggly was the first self-serve grocery store, where shoppers could wander aisles and pick up individually priced items, using shopping carts and checkout stands.
Canada had 179 Piggly Wiggly outlets until 1935 when the chain was sold to Safeway.
We never saw a live opossum; they are nocturnal, and we are not. We did see carcasses of dozens of unfortunate creatures who ventured onto the highway at night and never made it across. I will spare you a photo.
I ventured into this dilapidated old barn south of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to see what treasures it might hold. There were skittering sounds as I entered, which might have been possums, possibly rats. I didn’t stick around to find out.
I maintained a rigid Southern diet while we were travelling, so that part of the list is well taken care of.
Fried Green Tomatoes with Grilled Shrimp and Remoulade Sauce at Samantha’s Tap Room and Wood Grill, in Little Rock, Arkansas was the highlight.
Music items on the list were also abundantly covered with tours of Sun Studio Memphis, Elvis’s Birthplace in Tupelo, Muscle Shoals Recording Studio, and Rhythm and Blues Highway sites. The scope of talent that originated in the American South is truly mind-bending.
It is impossible to choose just one song that encapsulates Music and the South but That’s All Right by Elvis Presley, recorded at Sun Studio, would be my choice.
Bear has a thang about Elvis.
Southern Hospitality delivered with southern twang, never gets old. I could get used to being addressed as Hun and Darlin’ by perfect strangers.
We never had a bad day in the South, which brings me back to item #1 on the list:
What in tarnation is going on in the US of A?
Having toured the Deep South for just over a week, I am no closer to understanding what is happening to the American dream than I was when we left home. What I do know is that the American people have the capacity for extreme kindness and civility.
Despite the best efforts of America’s current crop of leaders to screw it up, …
… America will Endure.
Sunrise over the Tennessee River
Tyler P
Those fried green tomatoes look quite a bit fancier than the ones we had in Minneapolis.
Russ Paton
They were unbelievable! The shrimp was still wiggling when they brought it out it was so fresh.