Good Mornin’! Good Mornin’!
In my profession, I talk to a lot of folks on the phone. Folks from all walks of life from farmers to hunters to businessmen and women, doctors, lawyers, athletes – you name it, I’ve probably written about it. In one of those phone calls last week with Tom Gresham I asked him a question that has bothered me for a couple of decades.
“Do you have the recipe for that bar b que chicken sandwich y’all used to have at Mr. Quik?”
He didn’t know but I’d honestly like to find it and reproduce it. And heck, maybe somebody like Stafford Shurden or those boys at Lost Pizza could add it to their specialty menu, I’d make the trip. The memories of hitting Mr. Quik – the forerunner to Double Quick – and salivating over the fried chicken, potato logs and bar b que chicken sandwich is a wonderful one. They were cheap and they were good. I’m no bar b que expert even though I try to smoke some cow and pig parts in my backyard on occasion. I would love to find this piece of tasty nostalgia and enjoy a trip to my youth.
There are too many good and great things that have gone by the wayside for many reasons. The 1971 tornado blew away Mrs. Scott’s hamburger joint in Leflore County. It was just an old shotgun shack as my mind remembers. Maybe she even lived there but folks drove from all over to get one of her grilled beef creations. I was young and not particularly fond of hamburgers but hers were from another world and had a high level of flavor, probably because she soaked the buns in the burger drippins before serving them up.
Another food stop was the world-famous Mecca Drive In in Ruleville. It was the stop to make between Inverness and Parchman on those “long summer baseball road trips.” Lol. I think I got a fish sandwich there but everything was good and anytime folks say “mecca this” or that, my mind goes to Ruleville. In looking it up, I found out the original owner passed away this summer. Mrs. Anita Burke who was a sports enthusiast and tennis player and a member of the Benoit Outing Club. I hope she passed on some recipes and stories before she left us. I’d like to hear some if you have them.
I didn’t realize this would be a food column…lol. But the last food memory is The Pig Stand. This Humphreys County institution was also a “sports eating spot” as all of our CDA trips to Humphreys Academy in Belzoni ended at The Pig Stand whether we won or lost. I always got the steak fingers. They were awesome and unforgettable. But apparently Earle Kilpatrick was known for his bar b que – hence the name. I don’t believe I ever got past the craving for steak fingers and besides, Mr. Quik was my bar b que of choice!
Well, dang, now I’m hungry for things I can’t find or have and can’t recreate very fast. But if anyone has a memory of these or a recipe to pass along, please hit me up. I’d greatly appreciate it! I reckon I’ll just have to settle for Double Quick Chicken on a Stick, Peasoup’s steak fingers and try to find some smokey bar b que magic in my backyard. Until next week!
