The south of the nation

I'm sorely overdue in posting about my trip to Miss Sippy last week.

First, Biloxi. Had dinner one evening at the Beau Rivage. World class casino. If you find yourself in the south and itching for a taste of Vegas, I suggest you stay here. The restaurant prices were also Vegas' equal. Yowza.

Next, Katrina. Her impact was still painfully obvious. Along the stretch of highway between Gulfport and Biloxi (the road where my celeb doppelganger Jayne Mansfield met her untimely death) where historic mansions used to sit across from the ocean, there's now...nothing. The debris has been cleaned up, so it just looks deserted. There was a motel which had been wiped out whose sign was still intact. Eerie. Jefferson Davis' summer home was completely demolished. Never fear though, my dear Confederates, for there's a society rebuilding it.

My colleagues told stories of the basement where we held our meetings. How it had been a biohazard and cleaned out by guys in hazmat suits because it was full of ribeyes, dog food, and chicken parts. Yum!

And now that your appetite is whetted, let's talk about the food. My research proved that the seafood was fine, so I indulged. It was delicious. Shrimp, snapper, lump crabmeat - all very fresh and very tasty.

The lunches during the meetings, however, were another matter. Whoever the caterer was had a formula. That formula was:

Meal = (Meat + MashedPotatoes)*BrownGravy + Vegetable + Roll.

Day 1: Chicken breast & mashed potatoes with brown gravy, green beans, roll
Day 2: Salisbury steak & mashed potatoes with brown gravy, butter beans, roll
Day 3: Shredded beef & mashed potatoes with brown gravy, corn, roll

I'm a fan of comfort food in moderation, and I even like butter beans. But I was dying for a salad when I got home.