A mural of the legendary fighter Muhammad Ali in Louisville, where he was from. Photo / Go to Louisville
A mural of the legendary fighter Muhammad Ali in Louisville, where he was from. Photo / Go to Louisville
From soulful soul food to friendly locals, the American South is full of surprises, writes Varsha Anjali
Well, bless my heart.
I went to the American South to forget – or to be forgotten. Not like a tourist seeking wanderlust or one who treats a country as if it’s theirunpaid therapist. More like the way of a thick fog, where the minute details always smoked up the brain, and the sky saw too much.
But I only had seven days in Mississippi and Kentucky. Still, I noticed a whole lot. I felt a whole lot. These are the things that surprised me the most.
Sometimes things seem so obvious that it simply isn’t true. This isn’t one of those times.
Royal Hot Chicken in Louisville, Kentucky, makes you think there should be fried chicken tastings like they do for other culinary delights like wine, tea, and (believe it or not) water.
At risk of sounding hackneyed, I found their Nashville-style hot chicken an artistic experience. Visually, it looks exactly as you’d hope. Big with lots of texture. It smelled like an attractive gentleman chopping wood, occasionally giving me the eye.
When it came to the taste, things started to get complex. You can choose five spice levels, from no heat right up to gonzo, which they affectionately describe as “endorphin-ringing heat”. I went for the second tier: “some heat”. I tasted several intense notes in the spice. I didn’t know that spice had notes.
I am happy to conclude this was way better than KFC.
2. Southern charm will indeed leave you charmed
It had been less than 24 hours before I posted on my Instagram stories: “I think Southern charm is one of the nicest things I’ve experienced in my life.” Did that make me basic? Maybe. Did I mean it? Yes. But, of course, Southern charm has its nuance.
I was enjoying some gumbo soup at Fairview Inn’s Library when two middle-aged customers, Lula and Pierre, walked in. They immediately started conversing with the staff: asking their names, what they do outside work, what they studied, how they felt about what they were learning.
Then they did the same with me. It was warm and genuine. One of our guides from Jackson, Mississippi, told me that being exceptionally friendly and polite is simply part of their upbringing.
“We just met, but as a visitor, if you were here longer, I’d invite you for dinner with me and my wife. And if you needed a place to stay, that wouldn’t be an issue at all,” he told me. But Southerners can also lay it on “a little too thick”.
“Going abroad or different parts of the US, we learn we need to rein it in,” he said.
3. The meal sizes are truly humbling
Your average Southern breakfast in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Knowing about a stereotype and experiencing it are different things.
Remarkably, even though I knew to expect large portions when in the US, it still managed to astonish me over and over again.
One breakfast at a cafe in Biloxi, I enjoyed biscuits (notice the plural) – a southern treat similar to scones but with more butter, salt and deliciousness – served with gravy and cheese grits. A food writer in our group, Peter, ordered “the Southern”. It came with waffles, fried chicken, bacon, butter, cheese toast, berries, pickles and preservatives. He was humbled.
I had the vege plate, which came with some fried corn, fried okra, fried green tomatoes, collard greens and cornbread. Fried food usually doesn’t make me feel good but this brought deep biochemical satisfaction.
But it’s more than comfort food. The deep history of slavery, multiculturalism and resilience is simmering underneath each mouthful.
“That’s why it’s called soul food – it’s good for the soul,” a colleague muttered. Aha! Genius.
5. How deeply locals care about how the world sees them
Reputation has always been a currency and a curse.
When I asked the Southerners I met what they think is the biggest misconception about where they live, the most common reply was, “that we’re ignorant and intolerant”.
In the midst of political division, many locals I chatted to made a point to express, without any prompting, their open-mindedness.
“We’re not all like that, and I hate that it’s a super conservative version that gets played out in the media,” a guest named Tim told me at the Fairview Inn.
Checklist
USA
GETTING THERE
Fly from Auckland to Houston, Texas, then take a domestic flight to the southern state of choice. Popular local carriers are United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta.
