Arrived in the driving rain… yeah, maybe you’ve heard… it rains in Seattle! And headed straight for the supermarket… fixed my dad-in-law a fish dinner… but guess what? The made-in-America catfish looked better than the wild salmon… a frozen fish defrosted for the seafood case. (I’d rather buy it frozen, thanks very much…)

Also fixed mashed Yukon gold potatoes, peas, made red cabbage slaw, and picked up a tangy reminder of the South, a jar of pickled watermelon rinds… though, they were nothing like the incredible rendition made by Karen Carrier that I once savored at Automatic Slim’s.

I guess my point is that after three years in Memphis, my food point of view will now be informed by all the rich, delicious experiences. I am so grateful for that. To borrow from my friend Bill’s book, I feel I was truly “Seasoned in the South.”