After a year hiatus from the blogosphere, I decided to make a comeback. This blog is about my recent "Deep South" trip. I started in New Orleans, stopped in Jackson, Mississippi spent 4 days in Oxford, Mississippi and the surrounding area, went to Memphis, Tennessee for a day and a night, and made my way back home.
Rather than give a summary of my experiences, I thought I'd try something new. I copied and pasted the most important parts of my "field note" journal and added links where necessary. All names, other than my own, are aliases. I hope this makes for more livid reading and imagery. Let me know what you think. I'd really love your feedback as I hope to enhance my writing skills. Feel free to comment on anything really, just don't be shy.
May 28, 2012: From New Orleans to Jackson, MS
I should start out this field note entry by mentioning what
ultimately brought me to Oxford, MS. While I was in school finishing up my
Bachelors at UNO, I realized I was in desperate need of a vacation. Having
little to no money, I knew this would be difficult if not impossible. Somewhere between work and study a couple of months ago, I happened to stumble across an email sent by one of the professors in our
Anthropology department. It was an invitation to attend a conference run by the Southern Foodways Alliance. After looking at their work and thinking about it,
I decided I’d make the trip if accepted.
I’m
at an interesting point in my life. I’m still not even settled into my new
apartment- much less, other parts of my life. The last two years (2011 and
2012) have probably been some of the most difficult yet rewarding years of my
life. I have worked harder than ever, started living on my own, got into some
trouble with the law, yet came out stronger than before.
A general trend I’ve started to notice about myself is the desire to explore new places (and, maybe, at times, too many responsibilities). Although I’ve technically lived my whole life in “the South” (growing up in NOLA, many of us don’t identify as “Southern”), I’ve never been to central or northern Mississippi or other parts of the “Deep South”. It was less than a year ago that I even made it up to northern Louisiana to see the Poverty Point mounds, just outside Monroe. I thought it’d be interesting to experience this part of the country that has always been so close (geographically) yet so distant (culturally) to me. I also hope to mountain bike and maybe pay a visit to Memphis, time permitting.
After all my packing and rushing to
make sure I had everything I needed (basically a bike, ice chest, clothing and
bathroom junk), I left New Orleans around 11:30 (May 28- Memorial Day) for
Jackson. The reason I wanted to make a stop in Jackson was to meet up with a
couple of friends who recently moved there from NOLA. I hadn’t seen them in a
long time and part of me, honestly, questioned their motives for moving to “boring”
Jackson from our “notorious” New Orleans. Even us enlightened anthropologists
can have big egos.
Needless to say, my impression of Jackson changed to upon arrival. While I didn’t actually make my way to the downtown area, I saw it from a distance. There were a few skyscrapers (one of the defining characteristics of a “real” American city), lots of highways and interstates, and a generally clean, organized layout. [Unfortunately, my camera died and I don't have many Jackson photos.. sorry :/ ]
I arrived in Jackson while my friends were still at lunch with some of their friends for Memorial Day. This also meant it was damn near impossible for me to find a restaurant. After about 45 minutes of looking for a local place to eat, the best I could find was a Mexican restaurant in an outlet mall- everything else was closed for the holiday. So much for “authentic” Jackson food but, honestly, I wouldn’t know what that means. I guess my initial impression of “authentic” Jackson food would be somewhere between other Southern food (fried chicken, red beans and rice, collard greens, etc.) and soul food (chitlins, dumplings, etc).
It was a pretty good Mexican joint
though. The food was good; not the best, but better than expected. I had carne
asada tacos with refried beans, rice, and chips with dip. The waiters also
spoke to me in Spanish. I wasn’t sure if this was cause they saw the “Spanish”
in me or not, but my Americanized Spanish must have threw them off.
Moses and Mary's house is located in what might be called the suburbs, but they were still a lot different than my typical perception of them. Each house in the area had the look of suburban homes in New Orleans, but each one had much more land. My impression of my friends’ new community was one of an interesting mix of suburban access and rural desires.
Moses somewhat confirmed his by telling me how he likes the quiet and peace of his new community while still being able to make it to the mall or grocery store with ease. Coming from someone who grew up in one of the roughest neighborhoods in New Orleans, this was no small matter. I also learned he had been picking up gardening. He said it was really relaxing and meditative. Go figure.
While I was there, all we did- and
had time for- was relaxation. In some ways, this is the media perception of
what “Southerners” do. Sit around the house on the porch or patio and spend
time just talking. I did bring a 6-pack of Abita Strawberry Harvest beer for my
friends. I ended up drinking all but two. We mainly spent the time catching up
on life and how much it changes. We also played some video games. We talked
about everything from New Orleans, life after college, their new lives in
Jackson, and everything in between. Both of them have Bachelors in social
sciences (Anthropology and Sociology) like me too. Now they’re (almost) certified
massage therapists- now a booming industry in Jackson.
Moses told me that just about any new idea or service brought to Jackson has the potential to make a huge impact- and profit. He mentioned how one woman left her fruits in water for a few days and, ultimately, ended up bottling and selling this new “lite” fruit drink of Jackson. We both acknowledged the many different factors involved in shaping our life choices. Decisions like taking a new job, moving to another city, continuing school, how we choose our friends and lovers, and more.
Although we both share a common background in Anthropology and (superficially) grew up in the same city: we both have led and will continue to lead very different lives. Moses mainly grew up in Gentilly. I mainly grew up in Metairie and have only just begun to move around. He has children. I don’t. He has a new career and lives in Jackson. I still live in New Orleans and work as a server. The list goes on.
While the future will continue to march on, I know that I- and everyone else- will continue to have to make really tough life choices and all the other factors that play into them will continue to shape our options. At this point in my life, I know I must keep exploring. The saying, “The more I see, the less I know” seems to apply more and more to my life the more I live it- and I’m embracing it.
 |
| Sign outside Taylor Grocery Store; Taylor, MS |
A general trend I’ve started to notice about myself is the desire to explore new places (and, maybe, at times, too many responsibilities). Although I’ve technically lived my whole life in “the South” (growing up in NOLA, many of us don’t identify as “Southern”), I’ve never been to central or northern Mississippi or other parts of the “Deep South”. It was less than a year ago that I even made it up to northern Louisiana to see the Poverty Point mounds, just outside Monroe. I thought it’d be interesting to experience this part of the country that has always been so close (geographically) yet so distant (culturally) to me. I also hope to mountain bike and maybe pay a visit to Memphis, time permitting.
 |
| Wetlands that suddenly appear right after NOLA on I-10W |
 |
| Picture I took after my bike almost flew off my car rack outside Hammond, LA |
Needless to say, my impression of Jackson changed to upon arrival. While I didn’t actually make my way to the downtown area, I saw it from a distance. There were a few skyscrapers (one of the defining characteristics of a “real” American city), lots of highways and interstates, and a generally clean, organized layout. [Unfortunately, my camera died and I don't have many Jackson photos.. sorry :/ ]
I arrived in Jackson while my friends were still at lunch with some of their friends for Memorial Day. This also meant it was damn near impossible for me to find a restaurant. After about 45 minutes of looking for a local place to eat, the best I could find was a Mexican restaurant in an outlet mall- everything else was closed for the holiday. So much for “authentic” Jackson food but, honestly, I wouldn’t know what that means. I guess my initial impression of “authentic” Jackson food would be somewhere between other Southern food (fried chicken, red beans and rice, collard greens, etc.) and soul food (chitlins, dumplings, etc).
 |
| Ridgeland neighborhood outside Jackson, MS (not Moses/Mary's area) |
Moses and Mary's house is located in what might be called the suburbs, but they were still a lot different than my typical perception of them. Each house in the area had the look of suburban homes in New Orleans, but each one had much more land. My impression of my friends’ new community was one of an interesting mix of suburban access and rural desires.
Moses somewhat confirmed his by telling me how he likes the quiet and peace of his new community while still being able to make it to the mall or grocery store with ease. Coming from someone who grew up in one of the roughest neighborhoods in New Orleans, this was no small matter. I also learned he had been picking up gardening. He said it was really relaxing and meditative. Go figure.
 |
| Front view of Mary & Moses' house in Jackson, MS |
Moses told me that just about any new idea or service brought to Jackson has the potential to make a huge impact- and profit. He mentioned how one woman left her fruits in water for a few days and, ultimately, ended up bottling and selling this new “lite” fruit drink of Jackson. We both acknowledged the many different factors involved in shaping our life choices. Decisions like taking a new job, moving to another city, continuing school, how we choose our friends and lovers, and more.
Although we both share a common background in Anthropology and (superficially) grew up in the same city: we both have led and will continue to lead very different lives. Moses mainly grew up in Gentilly. I mainly grew up in Metairie and have only just begun to move around. He has children. I don’t. He has a new career and lives in Jackson. I still live in New Orleans and work as a server. The list goes on.
While the future will continue to march on, I know that I- and everyone else- will continue to have to make really tough life choices and all the other factors that play into them will continue to shape our options. At this point in my life, I know I must keep exploring. The saying, “The more I see, the less I know” seems to apply more and more to my life the more I live it- and I’m embracing it.
May 29th: First Impressions of Oxford
 |
| Barnard Observatory (front) |
Our
conference group is an interesting mix. We have people from all over the US:
Texas, Michigan, New York, Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi are
all well represented. Everyone seems to have very diverse interests as well. We
have grad students, Ph.D students, freshmen, and people working in different
non-profit organizations who are involved in everything from ethnobotany to 20th
century African American history to organic farming to education to indigenous
rights to Latino identity and much more.
We started out the first day by introducing ourselves. Ashlee (the SFA conference leader) also showed us some of the work the SFA has done and continues to do. She talked about what we’ll be doing for the next four days and also talked some about interviewing. Given the nature of the SFA, Ashlee also talked a lot about some of the delicious food found throughout the South: Bar-Be- Que, boudin, tamales, seafood and much more were all relevant subjects. My mouth-watered and my stomach begged me to nourish it. In my rush to leave Jackson and make it to Oxford in a timely manner, I did not have the time to stop so the first few hours leading up to lunch were truly painful.
 |
| Barnard Observatory (bac |
We started out the first day by introducing ourselves. Ashlee (the SFA conference leader) also showed us some of the work the SFA has done and continues to do. She talked about what we’ll be doing for the next four days and also talked some about interviewing. Given the nature of the SFA, Ashlee also talked a lot about some of the delicious food found throughout the South: Bar-Be- Que, boudin, tamales, seafood and much more were all relevant subjects. My mouth-watered and my stomach begged me to nourish it. In my rush to leave Jackson and make it to Oxford in a timely manner, I did not have the time to stop so the first few hours leading up to lunch were truly painful.
 |
| Chicken-On-A-Stick |
For lunch, I decided to get
“Chicken-on-a-Stick”. According Amy, this foodway is a favorite among (often,
drunken) Ole Miss college students, especially at the late hours. It was down
the street at the nearest Chevron from the university and sounded like a cheap
food option. I got that and a mini-bottled Coke.
At gas stations here, I noticed
that deep fried chicken, cracklins, and some locally grown vegetables may be
for sale at gas stations. At gas stations in New Orleans, one can often find
po-boys, seafood, jambalaya, boudin, and other New Orleans dishes. It is
interesting how corporate franchises often contain an interesting mix of local
and national food options. However, I'm sure Chevron's and other large corporations are some of the local food growers biggest customers.
 |
| Chicken dumplings, fried eggplant, and black-eyed peas |
That night me and few others at the
SFA conference went to eat at AJaxx diner. The menu had what I typically
recognized as “Southern food”: chicken and dumplings, black eyed peas, collard
greens, fried chicken, fried catfish, fried eggplant, mac and cheese, mash
potatoes with lots of gravy, red beans and rice, cornbread and much more. I
chose the chicken and dumplings with fried eggplant and black-eyed peas. Finally,
I got to partake in some “authentic” Southern food! Although, admittedly, what
that means to me is less and less clear.
After dinner, most of the group left back to their dorm rooms. Nathan and I decided to stick around and hang out a little more. Admittedly, I was feeling pretty worn out from the past two days of travel, heat, lack of sleep, and carbohydrates but I decided to stick it out. Nathan and I heard some music coming from the Rooster’s Blue House and we went up to check it out.
It was certainly a college bar. Most everyone was slightly younger than I and the groups were playing cover songs from old classic rock songs. We both got a beer and just talked some more about our lives. I found out Nathan is from eastern Tennessee, went into the army, spent his undergraduate years at Virginia Tech, now lives in Austin and just got married. He also has traveled a lot like me. He’s spent time in Tennessee, Seattle, Virginia, Austin, TX, and even Iraq.
After dinner, most of the group left back to their dorm rooms. Nathan and I decided to stick around and hang out a little more. Admittedly, I was feeling pretty worn out from the past two days of travel, heat, lack of sleep, and carbohydrates but I decided to stick it out. Nathan and I heard some music coming from the Rooster’s Blue House and we went up to check it out.
It was certainly a college bar. Most everyone was slightly younger than I and the groups were playing cover songs from old classic rock songs. We both got a beer and just talked some more about our lives. I found out Nathan is from eastern Tennessee, went into the army, spent his undergraduate years at Virginia Tech, now lives in Austin and just got married. He also has traveled a lot like me. He’s spent time in Tennessee, Seattle, Virginia, Austin, TX, and even Iraq.
 |
| My entertainment center |
After getting lost for awhile, we
finally made it back to our dorm rooms. I had a cold night considering I forgot
to bring my covers. Nonetheless, with some towels and effort, I managed to get
some restful hours of sleep before the next morning.
 |
| Unmade dorm bed |
