Monday, August 07, 2006

Thick as real southern sweetened tea.

Ooo-weee sha sha kucku yeah
~Prince


The tomatoes, and cucumbers I had bought at the road side stand are already gone. "The Collective", LOVE fresh vegetables and fruit, and every time my DH and I sat down to the table, we would find "all" of the tomatoes GONE, off of the community plate, and we would find both children covered in bits of tomato juice and seeds. Thieves, I tell you.

So I found myself back at my favorite roadside stand again today. It is a piece down the road, I think he breeds dogs too. Oh and get this, they have one of those refriderated mobile units to keep the produce in (also probably to encourage visits from tenderfoot like myself) , all the while they sit out under the shade of an old oak tree, in this God forsaken 100 degree balminess. The Gentleman, is always friendly, always has a big wad of red man tucked into his cheek.

I am Midwestern, by birth as is Dear Husband. However there are some things we have come to understand, and even enjoy. I can eat catfish now. Something I NEVER thought I would do. I also like sweet potato pie, good bbq, fried green maters. I also understand "sides", and I can eat sides for a meal. I enjoy the "pace" of things down here most of the time. WE LOVE sweet tea, although I only make it for company. We do not need the extra sugar. But REAL SWEET tea, we love.

However today while in the coolness of the refrigerated mobile unit, a little Gentleman wearing striped key overalls, with a sweet smile and bad cateracts, tried to start a conversation with me. He had to have been at least 90. Folks, I just smiled sweetly and nodded my head smiling. I did not understand a word he said. I did catch something about Pecans. That was it. The words came out thick as sweet tea, and I was lost staring into his clouded by cataract iris.

I have heard this accent before. I was at Sun Records in Memphis with my Sister on a tour. They played the first "radio show" Elvis was ever on. The announcer I was warned "might be a little hard to understand, he is what we call country".

I guess I live out in the "country", because I was lost. I do wish someone would have interpretted for me, because I bet he does know the best place to get pecans.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ooo, tomatoes from roadside stands (or grown in your own garden) are the best!!! Yum!!!