Thursday, July 19, 2007
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Reelfoot Lake and "Home Cookin'!"
OK, we were told that this was "home cookin' " which I now know is code for: "everything is fried food." We ordered 2 simple dishes and they came back with 6 plates full of fried fat--fried frog legs, fried oysters, fried fish, fried chicken, fried catfish, onion rings, fries, biscuits, and "hush puppies" (which are fried something.) It was literally a Bill Clinton meal (when he was in office) . Then, at the counter, they had king sized Snicker bars to go!!!
We went on a sunset tour of Reelfoot Lake yesterday. This is the site of the biggest earthquake of the Northern Hemisphere (back in the 1800s.) During this earthquake was that the Mississippi River floated backwards for 20 minutes and the result was this lake! The roots of cypress trees are visible ....it was very beautiful and interesting.
Friday, July 6, 2007
To Be A Proper Southern Lady
Following up to the post on how this is "the season of balls" in Memphis (the Princess Ball, the Zodiac Ball, etc..." I was given "feedback" from a professional colleague today (who is also an outsider to this community). She told me that I may be perceived as having "too direct of a style, I have an assertive vibe, and that that can be perceived as being pushy." She then said that she could "coach" me on being less assertive.
This is all very amusing to me. It's funny because I've gone from Berkeley/San Francisco to Memphis and Memphis perceives this as "pushy".
It's taken me this long to finally become a bit more confident in my abilities, and now I'm being told that I have to "tone it down." I honestly want to leave the South. Now. I sometimes dream of getting in my car and just driving out of the state as fast as possible. I would be so happy.
When I left for Memphis a few months ago, I spoke with a woman who had moved out of Memphis 20 yrs ago. She gave me advice which I scribbled dutifully on to the backside of an envelope. I shared it with my 2 southern friends and the three of us roared with laughter that last day in Golden Gate Park.
Here is the advice which she gave me on "how to make it in Memphis":
a) smile a lot
b) wear makeup and flirt during your interviews
c) if you have hair, grow it long
d) wear florals
e) wear skirts
f) wear pastels
g) learn to talk slow and be respectful of men
I almost puked when I heard this. I actually thought to myself, "there's no way it could be this bad."
First of all, I "get" the whole non-aggressive thing. I don't even like aggressive or even slightly pushy people myself. The thing I don't like about the South is that it's not even necessarily laidback, it's just slow. Everything.
I also get the whole polite thing and I dig that, too. When I hear or talk to people from DC now, I hear how their voices are more strident and negative. For example, I remember when I first talked over the phone with a woman from DC, I thought, "why is she in such a bad mood?" I always thought that, even when I had been living in CA for a long time.
The other thing about Memphis is that there is a huge schism between the "cool" kids (the musicians) and the rest of the community. All the cool kids stick together and the floral crowd sticks together too.
This is all very amusing to me. It's funny because I've gone from Berkeley/San Francisco to Memphis and Memphis perceives this as "pushy".
It's taken me this long to finally become a bit more confident in my abilities, and now I'm being told that I have to "tone it down." I honestly want to leave the South. Now. I sometimes dream of getting in my car and just driving out of the state as fast as possible. I would be so happy.
When I left for Memphis a few months ago, I spoke with a woman who had moved out of Memphis 20 yrs ago. She gave me advice which I scribbled dutifully on to the backside of an envelope. I shared it with my 2 southern friends and the three of us roared with laughter that last day in Golden Gate Park.
Here is the advice which she gave me on "how to make it in Memphis":
a) smile a lot
b) wear makeup and flirt during your interviews
c) if you have hair, grow it long
d) wear florals
e) wear skirts
f) wear pastels
g) learn to talk slow and be respectful of men
I almost puked when I heard this. I actually thought to myself, "there's no way it could be this bad."
First of all, I "get" the whole non-aggressive thing. I don't even like aggressive or even slightly pushy people myself. The thing I don't like about the South is that it's not even necessarily laidback, it's just slow. Everything.
I also get the whole polite thing and I dig that, too. When I hear or talk to people from DC now, I hear how their voices are more strident and negative. For example, I remember when I first talked over the phone with a woman from DC, I thought, "why is she in such a bad mood?" I always thought that, even when I had been living in CA for a long time.
The other thing about Memphis is that there is a huge schism between the "cool" kids (the musicians) and the rest of the community. All the cool kids stick together and the floral crowd sticks together too.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Other Cultural Reference Points-Memphis
This is where Martin Luther King was shot--it's now been converted into the National Civil Rights Museum--one of the best interactive museums I've been in.
This is CK's--where we get breakfast most weekends. It's a total dive diner and 75% of patrons smoke. The waitresses are always in a good mood though.
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