President of the United States of Love.

[wolfpangs]

Because I know what's important, I've spent most of my time not nailing down a place to stay in NYC (my current situation is unsatisfying, to be brief) but trying to figure out where I can get a decent glass (or Mason jar, as the case may be) of sweet tea. As the ill-fated dude in Witchboard says, "Priorities, man!" Also, I don't want a repeat of the "Starbucks incident" from last summer.

Me: I want a cup of hot black tea and a cup of ice.
Barista person: You want iced tea? We can make iced tea.
Me: I want it hot so I can make sweet tea.
Barista person: We have sweet tea.
Me: *eyes narrow* Is it real sweet tea?
Barista person: I don't know, ma'am!

I made it but it was subpar because the tea was all wrong. I want sweet tea! It is of vital importance. Luckily, I am not the only one who believes so.

Idk, something about being away from the south makes me crave the food. I guess it's yr typical don't-know-what-you-got-till-it's-gone situation. I find myself perusing the websites of NYC bbq joints and getting freaked out because some of them don't serve a barbecue plate what is up with that omg. Some of them don't even have okra! How am I supposed to eat my (figurative) barbecue plate without my okra side? I will not, that's how.

I have recently reunited with my old friend Ben and by reunited, I mean, we've started mercilessly teasing each other about everything. Like so:

Me: And there was this really drunk girl there--
Ben: Was it you?

Anyway, Ben is now mocking me because he thinks I'm going to roll into town like the second verse of a certain song from Hair:

"(and if you ask him to dinner you're going to feed him:)

Watermelon
Hominy grits
An' shortnin' bread
Alligator ribs
Some pig tails
Some black eyed peas
Some chitlins*
Some collard greens..."

Whatever! Whatever! I do what I want!

*Most lyric pages I found actually say that this word is "chili" but I almost certainly believe it to be chitlins. Since when is chili traditionally associated with southern food? Since never, I says. Ye olde Wikipedia backs me up on this. (Feel free to ask me about any of those foods.)

Comments

[alicetiara.livejournal.com]

I guess you are here, now? Let me know if you need a lunch buddy or something! I have a wacky schedule and am free during the day a lot.

[rockgeisha.livejournal.com]

Not yet--I worded things badly. I'll be in Westbury on Halloween and then come to the city the next day. I have almost no plans so I'll also have lots of free time and I'd love to meet up.

[gannet-guts.livejournal.com]

This is all very fascinating. I'm not a tea drinker at all (sweet, cold, hot whatever), and I didn't even know what chitlins were until I looked 'em up.

[rockgeisha.livejournal.com]

Hee! It's a weird, wild cuisine world down here. Or up and over here, as the case is for you.

[diannainphilly.livejournal.com]

haha, good luck finding good barbeque -and- sweat tea in nyc! you're going to need it! i could never find either when i was there.

have fun on your trip. hope it's awesomely fabulous

[diannainphilly.livejournal.com]

*sweet tea. i'm sure you'll be able to find sweat tea more easily though

[rockgeisha.livejournal.com]

I have a feeling I'm going to be cranky face. Until I gets my pierogie.

And thank you! Have fun in Japan!

[wren08.livejournal.com]

For purely personal reasons, I wish you had posted this yesterday!!!

[rockgeisha.livejournal.com]

Aw!

[mygirl.livejournal.com]

I've never had alligator ribs, but I have had alligator tail. And it was delicious.

I was also once tricked into eating barbequed opossum. It tasted like chicken.

[baggylettuce.livejournal.com]

And now I'm hungry. Why must I be from a land without good cuisine?

Please explain grits to me. I've always wanted to know. I know what shortnin' bread is (I think) because the Andrews Sisters explained it to me. Well, I know that mama's little baby loves it, anyway.

Sweet tea...I had to look at Wikipedia. It made me cry: don't put water above 90 degrees on the teabags??! Everyone in England (I speak for them all) is shocked and appalled. Anything less than boiling -- ideally still bubbling as you pour! -- on teabags here, and the Queen will have you shot for treason.

We should one day have a tea off. I think England takes its tea as seriously as the south, we just have different approaches. It's impossible to get a decent mug of our style tea anywhere outside the UK. Fact.

[thestonefox.livejournal.com]

okay i've eaten watermelon, but that's it.

[rockgeisha.livejournal.com]

Grits is a hot cereal made with ground corn. You can serve it a sweet manner, with sugar, cinnamon, etc. or more commonly, in a savory manner. The plainest way to eat it is with just butter but a lot of people like cheese grits. My favorites are either cheese grits or shrimp and grits.

I don't know about that 90 degrees thing--I put the teabags in the water and then bring it to boil.

I feel your traveling tea pain. That is different from traveling T-Pain, though.