A Very Southern Lunch

Ooh did you miss out today!  We had us a Southern lunch at work.  What was it?  Well hang on a minute and I'll get right down to the details!  It all started several weeks ago when I mentioned to one of my co-workers that I wish she would make me some good old beans.  I mean beans made the way True Southerners make 'em.  We Yankees don't know the first thing about beans really.  Oh sure, we dump a few kidney beans in our chili--maybe.  Some don't even do that.  Growing up, about the only time we had beans (besides green beans) was when we had chili.  As an adult I went to live with my grandparents for a while and they introduced me to beans with ham.  Grandpa loved them.  Every time we had ham you could just count on him saying "Mama, we need us a mess of beans."  And being the good wife that she was, she would get out the old pot and simmer up a 'mess' of them.  I came to love them as much as he did, and would rejoice when he'd ask Grandma for them.  So one of the things I love about living in the South is the beans.  Southern people know their beans and do they ever know how to cook 'em!  Ooo-eee!  You talk about good eatin'!  I don't care whether they are green beans, limas, pintos, navy or great northern, they're all good here!  Anyway, I told her I wanted some beans.  And, as with a lot of things in conversation, it went on by.  So Wednesday I asked her, "Phyllis, when are you going to make me some beans?"  To my joy and delight she said she would bring some on Friday (today).  I told her I would bring some cornbread---if they didn't mind Yankee cornbread.  You laugh, but it's true!  In our house growing up about the only time we had cornbread was with chili (same as with the beans).  Here in the South, cornbread is a must, with many dishes.  And again, they know how to make it. Southern women (and I suppose some men too! lol) whip up that cornbread in all shapes and sizes.  They put jalapenos, bacon grease, or fatback in it.  They fry it, bake it in skillets, pans and muffin tins.  And when it's done they put butter or honey or beans on it!  They do.it.up!  And I doubt many of them use a recipe.  Why would they?  They've been making it since they were 2 months old! lol  They would probably just shake their heads at me for having to ask Betty for help! So when I offered to make cornbread I thought it only fair that I remind them of my Yankee heritage.  They assured me that it would be fine as long as it looked like cake! lol  Lunch snowballed from there.  By the time we sat down today we had fried chicken, cooked greens & turnips (greens are another thing that Southern folk know how to cook!), a big pot of pinto beans (that had been simmering all day on our portable burner in the break room.  "You might be a redneck if....."---that's us for sure!  Every time you opened the door to the treatment room the smell of beans and smoked turkey came wafting in.  Drove the patients crazy!  They'll probably all have beans this weekend because of us! lol), corn bread and iced tea.  Talk about a taste of the South!  And it was soooo good!  Yesterday I kept thinking about those beans to go along with the cornbread I was making.  I couldn't wait.  And they were just as good as I imagined they would be.  Skins all split and soft (but not too mushy), swimming around in savory juices.  Man oh man! I put those beans right on top of my cornbread and ate till I was full as a tick (as they say here)!  Everything was all good, but those beans were my favorite. Mmmmmm!  So next time you are near the corner of Lewis and Industry, stop on in.  You might just find yourself a very Southern lunch.  (And if we've been greedy and eaten it all, well......there's always George's across the street.)  =)