“I’m Going Home” Part 5 of Phil and Rannie’s Story
I surprise Rannie. Usually I call before coming over but this time I just showed up. She opens the door and her eyes light up. “Hello my love!” We hug one another, she invites me in then offers me a scotch but I settle for water. “Well honestly I think I’m out of scotch anyway, […]
“A Friend is Coming to Visit” Part 4 of Phil and Rannie’s Story
Phil has lost more weight, his pajama clad form looks as if he’s become one with the bed, and his body has sort of melded into the sheets and blankets. I sit down next to him and reach for his hand and he grimaces in pain so I release his hand. For weeks his daughters […]
“Mr. Tall, Grey and Handsome” Part 3 of Phil and Rannie’s Story
Phil is asleep today. I look into his bedroom and he’s noticeably thinner. His skin looks like it’s clinging directly to his bones. Cancer will do that. I put my arm around Rannie and she droops her head on my shoulder. A silent tear races down her cheek. “I’m going to miss him so much. […]
“I Brought You Some Cookies” Part 2 of Phil and Rannie’s Story
“Chocolate chip with cinnamon.” Phil is lying in bed and looks noticeably thinner, his right eye is a little crooked but when he sees me he breaks into an enormous smile. He props himself up on his elbows, grimaces in pain then his smile quickly returns. Earlier that day I stopped at a traditional grocery […]
“Are You Scared?” Part 1 of Phil and Rannie’s Story
The bedside pump softly gurgles as it pushes oxygen through fresh water. White noise, it’s rain softly falling on a tin roof or the gentle whoosh of seawater on a sandy shore. Just the accompaniment for a dying man. Phil draws a breath through the clear tube and reaches to his nose, adjusts the tubes […]
Coffee Cans and Bacon Fat
Paul Fehribach isn’t interested in coffee that comes in a can but he certainly knows how to use a coffee can. At Big Jones, his bustling Chicago homage to traditional Southern cuisine, he is recreating the type of homestead cooking that his great-grandmother pioneered at her family farmstead along the Buffalo Trace. “She used to […]
The Grittiest Gold Medal of London
I loved watching the summer Olympics and its mix of ancient warrior sports tied with the relatively modern touches from cycling, tennis, diving and gymnastics. In the 16 days of competition there was so much exceptional athleticism on display it’s tough to pick a favorite, but I will. My vote for the grittiest display of […]
The Trail less Taken
With sincere apologies to the memory of Robert Frost Two trails diverged in a Carolina wood And I with but a second to choose with two other cyclists bearing down quickly thinking I was their trail riding food I looked down one saw blackberries bent up to here Then took the other, thinking it […]
From Brooklyn to Bourbon
As a kid growing up in south Louisiana our little town celebrated a smoked pork sausage with a three day fair, the Andouille Festival. We would grill it, fry it, put it on a stick, toss it into jambalaya and gumbo and even award a local beauty with the title of Miss Andouille Festival. Small […]
A Tour of Benton’s Smoky Mountain Ham
We spent this past weekend in Chattanooga, TN visiting a very good friend of Amy’s and on the way back we stopped at Benton’s Country Ham in Madisonville, TN. Benton’s is perhaps the most famous, most sought after bacon and country ham producer in the United States. Their pork is featured at the finest and […]