Fried Catfish and Hushpuppies
May 12, 2004

Grandpa, from the old TV show, "Hee Haw," used to read at some point during every show what was being prepared for supper. Used to make my mouth water.
During the past couple of weeks, I have been traveling across the country to attend the Military Chaplains Association (MCA) Conference in St. Louis, MO, followed by a Navy Professional Development Training Workshop (PDTW) on "Domestic Violence" at the naval station in Millington, TN.

Since I was going to be gone for two weeks, seemed reasonable to see if Isaura could join me. She checked with the office where she works, Agape Villages Foster Family Agency, and they graciously gave her the time to travel with me. We haven't had much time together since I was activated a year-and-a-half ago, so we thought we'd turn this into a modified vacation while I was at the same time attending the meetings. Worked out really well, especially in St. Louis where there was a dinner banquet two of the three nights!

The MCA conference was very interesting, hosting chaplains from around the globe, including Canada, Estonia, and the Ukraine. We had a delightful time! We also had some extra time to visit downtown St. Louis. In particular, we rode to the top of the Gateway Arch (roll mouse over picture). Fantastic view of St. Louis and the Mississippi River.

At the conclusion of the St. Louis conference, we drove to Millington, TN. Along the way, we stopped at the Catfish Galley in Dyersburg, TN. Isaura, having been born and raised in Portugal, had never been properly introduced to good Southern cooking! That was all about to change. The first thing to hit the table even before we ordered was a basket of hushpuppies. Now, for those of you who are unfamiliar with Southern cooking ("If it ain't fried, it ain't Southern!"), a hushpuppy, by dictionary definition, is "a fried cornmeal fritter." A fritter is "a small cake made of batter, often containing fruit, vegetables or fish, sautéed or fried in deep fat."

Isaura took one bite and that was it. She was hooked. We shortly ordered a second basket of hushpuppies, and then a third. But, I'm not suppose to tell you that. Then the catfish arrived. Heavenly! We had all the other good stuff, like beans, corn and coleslaw.

Since we had a free day before the workshop in Millington started, we drove to Nashville, home of the Grand Ole Opry. We visited the Opryland Resort and Convention Center, which is quite spectacular. The hotel complex has enclosed areas between the buildings, housing some of the nicest plant life either of us has ever seen. The botanical gardens were simply breath taking.

We had dinner at one of the restaurants in the complex, a place called Rachel's (roll mouse over picture above). It had a wonderful spread on the buffet (no hushpuppies, though!). Our waiter was very pleasant. As we chatted, he told us he was from Somalia. I mentioned I'd served six months recently in Djibouti, next door to Somalia. He then informed us his mother was from Djibouti. Small world!

Before heading home, Isaura and I managed to visit Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley in Memphis. Even though it was raining the day we went, it was still packed with tourists. Amazing!

Since we were flying back to California out of St. Louis, we drove back through Dyersburg so we could have a final meal at the Catfish Galley. I noticed a pink Cadillac in the parking lot. There inside was Elvis, eating fried catfish and hushpuppies!

Just kidding! He was actually eating a cheeseburger and fries!