Shagging in the Past

Student

You've said that you regarded respectability as one of the

prime enemies of individualism.  Do you regard love as 

an enemy of individualism?

Faulkner

No, no --  What's love got to do with respectability?

I posted this video in April of 2012 with Al Green's lyrics.  Seems appropriate to repost today.

I remember heading down to Myrtle Beach for a long weekend with two cars of Army buddies when I was stationed at Ft Bragg.  I was 20 and wound up dancing with a frosted blonde in her forties. She had long pink nails and held a Schlitz 'Tall Boy' in one hand and an Eve cigarette in the other. She taught me how to shag.

The past is never dead. It's not even past.  William Faulkner

A Man of the Tablecloth

Stewart Voegtlin has been hoisted around here on a number of occasions. His writing is ballsy, introspective, straight shooting and damned funny. We have a lot in common. I wish I could say it was our writing but it's more like our waist size and inseam. He did an interview with film maker Joe York for Oxford American Magazine and you can catch it along with some of Joe's short films here. Above, I posted a nice little film about a Thanksgiving squirrel hunt.

I'm not big on squirrel but this takes me back to 1968 and North Carolina. My mother's family'd set out a long table of food in the kitchen every Sunday. They'd cover it with a table cloth and as folks came and went during the day, they'd lift a plaid corner and help themselves to a spoonful of sweet potatoes, slices of cold country ham or, my favorite, a big wet slop of banana pudding.

In Stewart's interview, York explains the connection of food and how it relates us to a place. All of us. Regardless of where we're from. It's a wonderful contrast to sitting in a Starbucks, sucking on a latte, picking at a cardboard scone and reading this on your iPad while ignoring everyone around you.

That's not a criticism. I do it too.  It's just how it is, but it helps to believe that no matter how bad shit gets with increasing isolation in our world,  food is our savior. Instead of kneeling in a pew on a Sunday -- I'd rather lift a table cloth with Voegtlin.

Pat Conroy's Shrimp & Grits

Not for Passover

Buy good grits

Simmer

Fry bacon


Bake shrimp - That's right. Bake it.

Colby reserve cheddar

Scallions on top

Eat this 'fore it gets cold

This recipe was handed down to Pat Conroy from his father -- whose love of southern food was only matched by my own father. Colonel Conroy was from Chicago and married to a southerner. His radio call sign, "The Great Santini." My father was from Duluth and married to a southerner. His radio call sign, "The Happy Bachelor." A coincidence? I think not.

I eat Shrimp & Grits only three -- maybe four times a year. It's beyond rich. I can feel myself gaining weight with each bite. Prosecco cuts through the fat and melds with the cheddar cheese melted in the grits. I always tweak the recipe. Next time I'll try country ham instead of bacon. Here's how it currently works:

Simmer grits 45 minutes.
Cook bacon.
Clean shrimp (These were Gulf shrimp and perfect).
Douse tray with olive oil and add shrimp.
Season with sea salt and lots of pepper.
Bake for 10 minutes at 350. No need to flip shrimp over.
Plate bowl with grits and add a handful of shredded cheddar.
Add a tablespoon of bacon fat and stir until cheese melts. About 5 seconds.
Crumble bacon on top of grits.
Add shrimp.

It's a huge pain to cook but good stuff to nibble on while you do. Make this for a friend so they'll do the dishes. This doesn't work for leftovers. Eat all you can until you think you'll burst. Like a tick. Do nothing the rest of the day 'cept wish to hell you knew how to cook this in 1984 and could write like Pat Conroy today.

For Tater - Dinner & Dessert

I'm missin' home cooking.

Trad Needlepoint Belts

Following up on the Southern Trad post...I am a big fan of the needlepoint belt. I see it a lot in the south and have noticed it more and more in New York City. But there is a difference.

When I was in college, a small liberal arts college somewhere in the south, my southern girlfriend made a belt for me. It was pink and green needlepoint with my initials. She glued some sort of fabric as a backing and took it to a cobbler to add the bridle and buckle. I was so happy.

Flash forward some years and my new wife finds this belt stuck in the back of my closet. It's back there because I'm no longer a 30" waist but can't bear to part with it. I mean, it's hand made! By someone I knew. Very well I might add. "What's this?" The wife asks. I don't know why she asks because I can tell she already knows. So, out with it. "It's a belt that was made for me by my girlfriend when I was in college." She turns the belt over and squints at the glued backing. "Not a very good job is it?"

I'll spare the you the rest. You should know what happened to the belt. It was thrown away. I still have a thing for needlepoint belts. You can buy them easily enough and considering the work and hours that go into them - - $150 and up are a small price to pay. The picture on the top is a J. McLaughlin signal flag belt I own. I purchased it at their store in NYC on Madison between 92nd & 93rd. The middle picture is J Mac as well.

A word of advice. If you're in the neighborhood please stop by The Blue Tree on Madison just a block south between 91st and 92nd. Great stuff including the hard to find Santa Maria shaving cream and even better stuff is the owner, Phoebe Cates. You may even get to meet her...like I did. One of the most beautiful women ever. Well, in all honesty we didn't exactly meet. She gave me directions to McLaughlins but hoo-boy... Kevin Kline is one lucky mother fuuu...

McLaughlin sells their belts for $195 and that ain't cheap (unless you throw in a sighting of Phoebe to go along with it). But there's great quality here. The bridle and buckle are thick and solid. Check out the border of the top belt with the nautical line stitching. Great details. The bottom picture is a Smather's and Branson needlepoint. Both J Mac and S&B go to Vietnam for the needle pointing. But the J Mac excels over S&B's cheap and thin bridle. I'm not a fan of their buckle either. I think S&B runs around $165 if you're interested.

But the true Trad needlepoint is the one made for you with a pattern made for you. That's what I've been seeing in NYC. Bespoke needlepoint and is it beautiful in it's originality. The houses you've lived in. The boats you've owned. A time line of your life. Your marriages and divorces. I mean the ideas are endless. Profanity in signal flags is something I've been toying with.

Southern Trads

Southern states have always had a unique take on Trad. Like they do pretty much everything else. Much more colorful than the Northeastern Trad and always with humor. Understand one thing about Southern Trad - - it varies not only from state to state but from town to town. Trad in Alexandria, VA is very different from Trad in Albany, GA which is where these two folks hail from. What Trad there is in Charlotte, NC differs greatly from the abundance of Trad in Chapel Hill, NC. Make sense?

It is confusing. It's also telling.

Take the fellow in that Stewart Tartan cotton sport coat. I think that's a Stewart tartan but who cares...what a great sport coat. Don't see those anymore. He's from Northern Virgina and went to Washington & Lee. Everything is subtle. A white oxford button down with a beautiful collar roll and a cream linen tie. Nothing loud but it communicates. Confidence. Tradition. Taste. Elegance. He' a charming guy as well.

Now for the young lady. Georgia born and bred. Louder than Virginia and much bolder with colors. She doesn't hunt but I bet her Daddy does. Whether she lives below or above the gnat line, her first exposure to any diversity was when she went to that all girls college outside of Philadelphia. Boys from Villanova made fun of how she turned "hot dog" into four syllables - "Haw-yat Daw-yag." The 'add a beads' date this but everything else could be easily purchased in any Atlanta 'burb today.

In addition to their Trad region, these two bring a great deal of themselves to their apparel. I know both of them love classic clothing but their own sense of style makes them who they are - -not their zip code.

Southern Trad

If ever there was an icon of Southern Trad in the 80's it has to be Duck Heads. This unique brand is found only in the southeast. Popular in Georgia, Virginia and The Carolinas. Cheap, good quality and as cool as cool could be. These trousers hit my college campus in the early 80's and raged in popularity until the early 90's when there was a change in company ownership. And sure enough, some smart guy decided customers wouldn't notice the move off shore to Costa Rica, El Salvador and China. The Olive Ducks are circa 1989-90. Notice the detail of the sewing.

Still, what's not to like for $2.98? They retail for $40 but they're always on sale. I found the Breton Reds at a Goody's outlet. Best worn with cuffs and without socks. Blucher's if you have them and a button down oxford with surcingle belt. Grab a red plastic SOLO cup full of cheap beer and you're suddenly 21 again. Like shrimp and grits...they're all about comfort. Even though I always liked 'em starched.