Category Archives: Uncategorized

Déjà vu I was driving to Tupelo for a book signing last week and was struck with the strong sense of déjà vu. It was late November and I was traveling North on US 45. It is a route I traveled often as a child, usually around this time of year. My earliest Thanksgiving memoriesContinue reading “Déjà vu”

Holiday Disasters During the holidays we reflect on the kindnesses that have been shown to us over the years. We give. We receive. And we remember. Memories are clearer around this time of year. We remember the Christmas we received our first bicycle and a few others when we received milestone presents. We remember bitsContinue reading “Holiday Disasters”

Shhh! Don’t tell Charlie Last week Congressman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., was quoted in The New York Times as saying, “Mississippi gets more than their fair share back in federal money, but who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?” The answer to the congressman’s question as to who wants to live in Mississippi is: meContinue reading “Shhh! Don’t tell Charlie”

Holidays for the Mouse I am currently two books into a three-book publishing deal with Hyperion Books. Hyperion is based in New York and is a division of ABC, and ultimately the Walt Disney Company. I, too, now work for the mouse. The first book in my Hyperion deal was Deep South Staples, the secondContinue reading “Holidays for the Mouse”

Joints I receive a lot of e-mail about the fine-dining restaurants I visit. I eat out often. It’s my occupation and my hobby. So far this year I have dined at eight of the top restaurants in New York and others in Atlanta, New Orleans, Chicago, San Francisco, and the Napa Valley. I love foieContinue reading “Joints”

West Indies Salad One of the most popular crabmeat recipes in the Gulf Coast region is West Indies Salad. West Indies Salad, a cold hors d’ oeuvre usually spooned onto crackers, is a simple combination of lump crabmeat, onion, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper. The dish was invented by the late restaurateur, Bill Bayley ofContinue reading “West Indies Salad”

The Long Forgotten Nest Recent book business took me and my family to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. While riding down Beach Boulevard and lamenting the loss of so many beautiful and historic homes and classic Coast restaurants I developed a craving for seafood. In the past, when eating seafood on the coast, I stick withContinue reading “The Long Forgotten Nest”

Winsor Court After the Flood New Orleans’ Windsor Court Hotel opened in the early1980s around the time the World’s Fair came to town. From day one, Windsor Court has been consistently listed among the top hotels in the world. It has garnered more awards and more acclaim than any other hotel in New Orleans, andContinue reading “Winsor Court After the Flood”

Destin Lament DESTIN, Fla— Two fellow Mississippians, Jimmy Buffett and Mac McAnally, wrote a song about being down in this part of the country during the off-season: The Coast Is Clear. Twenty years ago when I first heard the song, I couldn’t relate to it. I thought, that’s just two old guys who don’t likeContinue reading “Destin Lament”