As uptown and fun to live in as New York is, there are still a few things I miss about living in the South. With the exception of family and friends, of course, and good ol' All Saints' Church, most of my longings have to do with food.Fried chicken, for example. Real fried chicken. I'm sure it's here somewhere - betcha' there's a good soul food restaurant or two in Harlem - but not in my 'hood. Grits, too. Hard to find (real grits, not the instant kind). And with the onset of heat and humidity, Luzianne tea bags for iced tea. Yeah, I know you can make iced tea with Lipton or whatever, but it's not the same. Real iced tea - real Southern iced tea - means Luzianne. Can't find it here at the local Gristedes or Food Emporium.
Well, I have received a CARE package from one of my best Atlanta buds who's in NY this week for the Theatre and Theology course taught every summer at General Theological Seminary by friends Harry and Jay. Thanks to Ann, I now have a good supply of Luzianne tea bags and real grits that should last me until I can get back to Atlanta over Labor Day. Um-um. (She wasn't able to fill the fried chicken gap, though.)
I love that I have so many pals in town right now. For me, it's been a week of being treated to lovely dinners and catching up on what's happening at home. Last night there was an extra ticket to The Drowsy Chaperone, and it was offered to (and accepted by) little ol' me. What a fun show! Made even more fun by sitting amidst good friends. It's one of those seemingly lighthearted musicals with - of course - deeper undertones. Very 1920s - all original music, but it all seems familiar somehow. And it's a great tribute to the LP - pre-CD, for you whipper-snappers. Ah, vinyl! In short, the story comes alive as this guy's sitting in his dingy apartment listening to the cast album of a 1928 musical.So, a week of good friends, fine food, terrific theatre, AND I walk away with my Luzianne and grits! The lap o' luxury, I tell ya'! I'm thinking of throwing a Grits and Iced Tea Party on the fire escape this weekend. Come one, come all!
Sorry, no pics. Blogger's not letting me post them. :-(
3 comments:
OK, so you're all set on grits and Luzianne tea. What else are you craving that I might send up from Nashville?
Oooh, Winston. Let me think back to my growing-up summers at my grandparents' farm in Henrietta (is that a booming metropolis yet?), and I'll let you know. We still own the farm, by the way - just haven't been there in years.
Thanks for the offer (and the Thoreau).
Grits. Now what exactly are they? I've heard of them, course I have - what Southern tale is complete without them? - but never known exactly what they are.
I'm sorry to say it but they sound horrid! But then I guess lavabread (stewed seaweed) would sound rough to non-Welsh. And to quite a few Welsh!
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