Things I miss about Tennessee (Part 1)

I pretend to be unsentimental. The flipside is that I have a nostalgic gene that takes command of my thoughts every now and then. Triggered by corny sepia-colored memories or wistful affection for a particular snapshot of the mind, I enjoy the odd trip down the rabbit hole. This post is the result of one of those trips.

The Rising Family™ has been fortunate with opportunities to live outside its comfort zone. Particularly for Lady E. and M., our two-and-a-half-years in the Nashville area contributed to their language skills and broadened their life toolkit. Naomi developed her own friendships and support systems. I learned lots from being in a state that physically resembles my home province but is different in fundamental ways. I first fell in love with the idea of The South thanks to reading the novels of Pat Conroy in my teens. I got to experience southern life for real by living in Tennessee. I was lucky to have that chance.

Accordingly, here's several things I loved about living in, and exploring, Tennessee. And the one thing that I hated about it. 

The History

There's a lot of history in the Volunteer State. East, Middle, and West Tennessee are geographically, culturally, and economically distinct. We did a fair amount of in-state travel and experienced the differences among Memphis, Jackson and Chattanooga. I enjoyed being in the Music City's nexus of country music bars in downtown Nashville. But country music is lost on me. My musical heart lies in Memphis. Sure, Graceland and Elvis cast the longest shadow, but there so much more with Sun Studio and the Stax Museum of American Soul.

Another thought: for me, listening to "Southern Man" by Neil Young set against "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd defines the dilemmas of Southern history that are still relevant today.

I also enjoyed a bunch of great concerts including the Cowboy Junkies in old Franklin.

The Places
On weekends, we'd explore as a family. Places like the Nashville Flea Market, the Ryman Auditorium, Cheekwood Mansion and Belmont. And finding Asian supermarkets and restaurants.

And in autumn, the pumpkin patches. Those were always a hit. 

County fairs in late August.

The Food & Drink

When we wanted some reliably good food with southern atmosphere, we'd hit the Cracker Barrell.

And --this is more my thing --southern cuisine: wet versus dry rub BBQ, homestyle macaroni and cheese, pies of all kinds, fried pies, fried EVERYTHING...

My Dad, feeling the hot chicken burn.

 and Nashville's famous hot chicken.

I was overjoyed that I could go to a local Walmart and get my caffeine fix with Tab and Diet Coke Lime. However, the onset of the COVID pandemic led the Coca-Cola Company to discontinue Tab…(sniff).

- To be continued -