Song, song of the South

Day 27. 5/2/22. Rest day at Beth and Joe’s. Tallahassee, FL

Song, song of the south. Sweet potato pie and shut my mouth. (Song by Alabama). I have not found my sweet potato pie yet…but I’m sure it’s nearby somewhere. The expressions in this song lead me to my layover day topic. Southern food and southern expressions we’ve heard and seen from my northwestern US perspective!

I shall start with the departure saying that I’ve heard so many times: “Have a blessed day” and there’s “Bless your heart”. All very kind. Speaking of kindness and respect, there’s always a “ yes, ma’am” and “no, ma’am”. It doesn’t matter if the person speaking is older or younger than myself. I think northerners could adopt a little more of that.

Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar. In that order from most frequently seen to less seen. In some little towns that is just about all they have for groceries. We have used them on occasion as well. At one point the healthier fruit and nut snack options were far better there than the convenience/gas store options. People are standing outside waiting for the Dollar store to open. They are literally everywhere in the US anymore. You just notice them more in every little tiny town.

Smoking….lots and lots of smokers. Male, female, young and old. There are so many cigarette smokers in every state since we started in Texas. When you are at a restaurant they don’t allow smoking indoors (thank god) but the outdoor patios are a smokers haven! Standing outside convenience stores there’s always someone smoking. I am just not accustom to so much cigarette smoke. Not a fan obviously!

Baptist church vs Pentecostal church vs every other church. Texas seemed to have a variety of denominations although Baptist and Pentecostal ran strong. Louisiana had a strong Catholic presence but Pentecostal and Baptist were prevalent too. Mississippi and Alabama (our coastal limited view) was highly Baptist. Florida is the same. As for the “others” it is mostly Methodist. The northern religions such as Lutheran or Presbyterian I have yet to see. I expect in the bigger cities they are all there and Jewish too. I did see a LDS temple being built in Tallahassee today.

Food. That’s a big subject! There’s convenience store food, grocery store, truck stop food, restaurant food. I’m going to start with Iced Tea. It’s usually sweet but they always ask “sweet or unsweet”. I guess they can tell we’re northerners. We have taken a liking to unsweet tea with our meals. One time the water on the coke machine blended some sweet tea..that was actually pretty good while riding. The other notable beverages were in Louisiana. They had drive through Daquiri bars in every little town and big town. All kinds of flavors. What’s up with that? Haven’t seen that since we left Louisiana. We did get a kick out of the drive through Beverage Barns in Texas.

Convenience store meals. Some stores serve breakfast or lunch food. It’s usually things like eggs, grits, meat and biscuits. A few places I noticed have regular customers for this food. Truck stop food is the same general business with more options. Some truck stops have fast food franchises but one in particular had its own kitchen and food. The night we camped at the truck stop we had to eat both dinner and breakfast there. Dinner was nothing to write about but the breakfast was hopping. All the construction workers with their muck boots (Louisiana…it’s wet) were eating there. I ordered the French toast. I’m not kidding… it was the one of the best French toast I’ve ever had! Crispy on the edges, soft inside, hint of vanilla and lots of cinnamon. I had to compliment the kitchen cook. Memorable. The other food most frequently seen is Hunt Bros Pizza. We did have to try one in Texas as all the restaurants were closed on Monday. Despite the fact that we were extremely hungry it was actually okay. The crust was crispy and the toppings were fresh. Definitely would eat again in a pinch.

Convenience store and grocery store packaged food. The southern look is pies, pies, pies. The little individual kind. All kinds of flavors. Texas really like there pies. Florida likes their “honey buns”. I’ve resisted trying any of them but I do like to check them out. There’s always a variety of donuts too.

This brings me to the final subject…Fried Food! I was aware that this is a southern thing, but for us it literally was about the only option everyday, day in and day out! They fry pickles and all other appetizers, they fry chicken, crawfish, shrimp and all fish. They fry potatoes of many varieties too. Some places in Louisiana would have blackened, Cajun or grilled options on occasion.

I think that wraps up a few weeks of observance that I’ve been mulling over while I ride down the road. I’m not complaining…just observing. However, my body did hit the food rejection and reset mode in New Orleans! I’m only human after all😊