A Week of Thanks--giving

Three days to Thanksgiving Day. . .giving thanks everyday.

"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might better stay home."
James Michener

Today I am thankful for my full time RVing lifestyle.  Yes, I dearly love the traveling and my fifth wheel home (and my traveling companion-Gary, you know who you are) but today am thinking that I am SO thankful that I travel because I have the opportunity to try so many kinds of food!

“Go thy way, eat thy bread with job, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.”  Ecclesiastes 9:7

At one point we decided that we would buy a bottle each of white and red wine made in each of the states we traveled through.  This worked for awhile until someone in one of the (not to be named) southern states advised us NOT to buy their wine – said it was terrible.  So, we abandoned this plan. 

Later at Biltmore Estates winery we had to make sure the wine we bought  was made from local North Carolina grapes and not California grapes which is the case for the majority of their wines.  This New Mexico Blue Teal Pinot Grigio and Gruet sparkling wine were both good.

 

Grandson Jorden getting up close and personal to his Texas BBQ and pinto beans at Rudy’s BBQ.  Rudy’s is located  adjacent to a gas station!

More BBQ-this time Memphis style at Central BBQ.

And more BBQ at the Charles Vergos’ Rendezvoux in Memphis. The entrance to the Rendezvous is in an alley!  Sweet tea is a must in the South.

Meat pies are THE thing in Natchitoches (Nak a tish), Louisiana and Lasyone’s Meat Pie Kitchen is THE place for them.  The red beans and rice, with sausage for Gary, and corn muffins were also tasty too; the “doggy bag”even tasted good the next day.

Hush puppies, a southern (and my) favorite!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another favorite is MiTierra Restaurant & Bakery in San Antonio, Texas, Tex-Mex at its best.   I was enjoying the company of my long-time friend Sandy so much I forgot to take a photo of the colorful restaurant and/or food!

Hurricane Ike did a real number on Galveston but thankfully El Gusto survived! My favorite there is their $3.99 breakfast burrito.

In New Orleans Beignets at Café du Monde  are a must.  I bought a mug to help preserve the memory of those hot puffs of dough and hot chocolate.  Gary had  traditional chicory coffee with his beignets.

We love finding out-of-the-way dives but even we may not have tried Susie’s Seafood in Morgan City, Louisiana if we’d seen it in the daylight! Inside it was packed with families eating at long red-checkered tablecloth tables laden with overflowing trays of crawfish.  My first experience of eating crawfish – I was hooked!

My high school classmate, LDee told us that G & M Restaurant in Baltimore serves the best crabcakes.  And was he ever right!  Yes, we had a “doggy bag” that day too.

I don’t know how often I had lobster during our eleven weeks in Maine but know it was a lot!  Gary concentrated on the delicious haddock which is available in the northeast.

Our final day of volunteering at Lamoine State Park was a lobster cookout.  Here are lobster all ready for steaming.

Steamed and ready to eat.  By the end of the summer I was cracking and eating them almost as efficiently as a Mainer!

And then there were also sopapillias in New Mexico, etouffee in Louisiana, catfish especially in Arkansas, New York and Chicago style pizza, the diners on the east coast, tamales in Natchez,  fried chicken at Gus’,  BBQ in Arkansas, Five Guys burgers (Gary said I had to add this fast food burger place-he loves it!), and, of course, we were more than ready for calamari once we were back in Monterey

So, this full-time RVer is REALLY thankful that the traveling lifestyle affords me the opportunity to try delicious food all over our wonderful country. 

YUMMY