Meat Me In Memphis

Before leaving Amory and before Tupelo Logan and I had chicken fried steak sandwiches with french fries and hush puppies. Eating a meal like that would normally be a treat. Following MeatFest 2010 the night before (which, if you remember, was following Manifest Meat: A New You in Natchez,) we felt awful. Well, what do you eat when you go to Memphis? BBQ. Memphians (Memphites? -L) have intense loyalty to their BBQ spots. Logan and I have very little willpower when it's a question of self-care vs. an Experience... Alas, we found ourselves at Central BBQ. I'm a chronic plate clearer but even I couldn't finish what I started. Pre-rub is not as good as Texas BBQ (in my humble opinion) but it's nice to get a sandwich with slaw on it.


Five-Alarm Artery-Stopper

Another chicken fried steak eatin' patron


Waiting for food, I hit up the jukebox. I usually choose songs that I know but do not own and/or have with me in my current situation in life. Occasionally, I'll choose a song because I've always wanted to hear it but have never been in the right place at the right time. Central BBQ, Memphis, Tennessee was the moment that I decided to find out what "Strokin" by Clarence Carter sounded like. If you've never heard this song then you probably can't imagine the shock on the All-American family, the only people really in earshot of the jukebox, when I put this song on. You also probably can't imagine the double embarrassment I felt when I realized that Logan, Jaclyn and Sara had decided to sit outside where, you guessed it, you can't hear the jukebox.

45 year old woman: oh my gawd, did he really just choose this song?

other 45 year old woman: oh my ga... he did

young child 1: mom what's strokin'?

young child 2: who's clarence carter?

Enjoy.

Clarence Carter-Strokin'

Walker, why the hell do you know this dirty old song? When I was in 5th grade, my mom's family rented a beach house somewhere in Florida. After dinner one night, my dad--slightly drunk, definitely bored and probably a little annoyed--started rummaging through the cabinet next to the stereo. "Holy shit," he says pulling his head out of the cabinet and looking toward the stereo. "I haven't heard this in forever!" The cassette tape enters. The song begins. I forgot what the song sounded like, but I never forgot the way he danced or his Clarence Carter impression. While I didn't quite understand why eyes were rolling and relatives were leaving the living room, I did understand that I was watching something priceless....didn't realize it was a little fucked up too! love you, Dad.


DUSTY IN MEMPHIS...NOT QUITE.

I can't resist. Heard at Central BBQ.

Dusty in Memphis

It sounds like the woman says son of a bitch during the guitar solo which adds a lot to this song in the way of depth and/or dirty talk.

the real deal
FIRST DAY IN MEMPHIS

Magnolia by the river

Huck Finn, circa 2010