More on the American South                                                                            11/16/99

Southern Food
The South is a place with special foods. They've got things like okra and gumbo

• Calabash (fried) seafood buffets;
• Southern BBQ (here BBQ is a noun, unlike California’s version where BBQ is a verb;
• Chicken bog.  As in "let’s see which chicken bog tastes best at the bog-off";
• Sweetened tea -- no need to stir and stir to get the sugar to dissolve;
• Hush puppies (sort of like a corn muffin, but deep-fried and hot.)  We were served two versions – one was spicy with chili peppers; the other was plain, but was accompanied by honey butter. Both yummy!
• And grits – which, by the way, aren’t just for breakfast anymore.

Nicholas and Alexandra
Some of the Russian Hermitage’s collection of Czarist memorabilia was on display at a special exhibit in Mobile, AL.  The story of the last Romanovs was tragically fascinating, displayed in 14 large rooms.  The exhibit’s many objects d’art (including the carriage Alexendra rode in to her husband crowning ceremony) left a clear impression of the vastness of the Romanov wealth.  Their journals show that Nikki and Alexi were very much in love.  They were also devoted and very caring parents.  They had 4 girls, with Anastasia the youngest, and then finally the longed for heir arrived, unfortunately a hemophiliac.  While the German’s were defeating the Russian army during WWI, Czar Nicholas’s advisors convinced him to abdicate.  The family was then put into custody / prison by the Communists.  The family endured well and kept together, emotionally and with deep connections to each other.  But eventually they were executed by Lenin's order.  Where the exhibit was weakest, I thought, was in failing to put the family’s execution into the context of the times: the incredible poverty of the Russian people and the extravagances of the Czar -- pressures that lead to the Russian Revolution.

The Beau Rivage Casino in Biloxi, MI
There are casinos all over this country.  They’re mostly on Indian land, have a bunch of slot machines, and aren’t very special.  However, there are some real casinos also, such as those on the Gulf of Mexico in Mississippi.  We stayed at one of the newest and nicest, the Beau Rivage.  It’s a big Vegas-style casino, with about 10 eateries, a bunch of upscale shops, a spa, and a first-class show.  The 4-star guest rooms are large and well appointed with great bathrooms and for $158 (tax included) we got a deluxe Gulf view room and tickets for the Cirque du Soleil show, Alegria. The show featured tightrope walkers, contortionists, trampolinists, a fire eater/twirler, men on the flying trapeze, and clowns and more clowns.  It was great entertainment.  Dick also got to play the nickel and quarter slots, which he loves.  Blackjack started at $5, so I passed.  Even including Dick’s gambling losses, the price was right.