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Published: November 3rd 2016
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Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
The breakfast of the South...so tasty! Southern hospitality. You hear about it, read about it in books and see it in the movies. But it really does exist, or at least in our experience.
Since our first stop in the state of Mississippi, each interaction with the people of this area has touched us. From the people working at the marina’s to the lockmasters and barge pusher captains, everyone seems to be eager to help.
At our one and only marina stop in this state, we were offered their courtesy car, no questions asked. Up until now, most marina’s have had a courtesy car, but it comes along with needing copies of driver’s license, time limits and instructions to refill the gas tank. Here, when I asked about the car, the response was “sure, go ahead and take it”. Keys were in the ignition, no schedule when they wanted it back.
From there, each lock we have gone through seems to reflect the same carefree, helpful attitude. We have had lockmasters calling ahead to the next lock for us, letting us know about upcoming traffic and suggesting good anchorages down river.
I don’t know if there is a psychological explanation, but somehow the
southern drawl seems have an effect. It just makes everything sound that much more relaxed and laid back – like they really don’t have a worry in the world. It has a very endearing appeal to it; thinking I may just have to adopt the drawl!
Today, we are passing through the last lock of the Tenn-Tom waterway, and will soon be joining the Tombigbee river. Yesterday, we passed over the state line between Mississippi and Alabama, and from now until the gulf, we will be in Alabama.
The scenery along the way has definitely become more “Mississippi-ish”; greener and swampier, with new vegetation that I have never seen. Out from the marshy waters, little silver fish skip along the water’s surface while giant lily pads float by. Haven’t seen any gators yet, but we are supposedly in gator country now, so we are keeping an eye out. I am looking forward to seeing my first gator! Of course we are in a steel boat, which probably contributes to my enthusiasm; pretty sure we are “gator-proof” on here.
I have had a few people ask about daily life on our boat, specifically what we have been eating.
So, I thought I would give you a quick breakdown on our typical meals:
Breakfast
• Biscuits and sausage gravy (Yes, I have pretty much mastered baking biscuits on the BBQ. I had never tried it before this trip, always thought it sounded blah, but my, was I wrong! Probably not the breakfast of champions, but oh soooo tasty!)
• Eggs Benedict
• Crepes
• French Toast
• Monte Cristo Sandwiches
• Scrambled eggs, omelettes or “egg-in-a-hole”
• Sausage and egg breakfast bagels
Lunch
Most often we eat only breakfast or lunch in the late morning, or noon. On the boat, you move around less and so require less food (or so logic would dictate). However, I am game to cook and eat almost any time!
Dinner
• BBQ ribs or sausages
• Satay Roast or steak
• Indian chicken curry
• Japanese beef curry
• Caramelized Brussels sprouts
• Zucchini, Tomato and Onion Bake
• Couscous or rice
• Pasta with Vegetable Tomato Sauce
• Homemade Slowcooker Chilli
• Mashed or scalloped potatoes
• Tomato, Cucumber and Feta Salad
• Soft Tacos or Nachos with fresh guacamole
• Flatbread Pizza
• Meatloaf
All this is facilitated by a simple, two burner alcohol stove, bbq, slow
Locking through
One of 10 locks we ended up going through on the Tenn-Tom. Some are as big as an 80 foot drop, others much shallower at 30. Still pretty awesome to be floating at the bottom of one of these. cooker and a bar fridge. I will admit, it takes some juggling between pots and cooking things in shifts, but we are not lacking in tasty meals!
Between all that, we do sometimes resort to those old “stand-by” boat staples like canned soup, tuna, Kraft Dinner and Chef Boyardee (I know, my mama taught me better cooking, but some days a box of KD just hits the spot!).
Living on a boat, many people assume you have to make a lot of sacrifices. It is true that we don’t have copious amounts of running water (our “on-deck” showers are usually in less than 2 gallons of water), a washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, oven, freezer, air conditioning, TV, or unlimited data streaming. But every day we travel the road of discovery; around each bend is a new vista.
We are finding that it is easy to adapt to whatever we have. It is surprising how quickly you find ways to make things happen, or forget about the things that you just can’t and don’t have. Instead, you focus on what you do have, and become increasingly grateful for life as it is.
Abigail out.
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