*Ed. note: I originally published this at my Substack & then our erstwhile, semi-esteemed Editor Emeritus, Da Millsaps, made a very good point that this particular piece was very much in the TPC Wheelhouse & I totally agreed. So, here it is. As always, thx for reading. - MBM
By: MB McCart
I’ve always kind of been a teacher by heart, so it’s nice that I kind of finally found myself, maybe, by my mid 40s (JK — I still have absolutely no idea what I want to be when I grow up).
But no, seriously, those of us who either can’t (or are too lazy) to do — can teach. And that’s a good thing.
~~~~~
I’ve had a few writing proteges over the years.
My most recent one has really turned into a great writer. She’s humble about it, though (her name’s Kayla, btw).
I used to always give her a hard time about saying the same word more than once in a write-up.
Finally, about a year or so after working w/ her (and as some of you know, she was doing feature pieces at TPC at the time), she was like — “you pretty much do that in every major piece you write!”
What could I say? Guilty as charged, Ma’am.
*******
I call it the “AME Preacher Man Style.”
You repeat those key words, in a particular type of cadence, when possible. As the data shows - especially w/ adult learners or readers - repetition is key; so, when wanting to make a cogent point, hitting on a key word multiple times can be an effective tool. However, you don’t want to get carried away w/ it. Keep it honest & clean. Don’t get carried away…
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Got a few cool pieces coming up, and don’t forget about TPC, either. That Brunswick Stew piece over at the ole site might be on track to become one of the most read ones in our history & that makes me so very happy!
This (21-22) is the best year in Georgia sports history– at least in my recollection. The Braves won the World Series and the dawgs won a National Championship–the whole shebang ,not one of those 80’s split decisions. The only year that comes anywhere near is 1982- 83, my first year in law school, when the Braves won the National League West, nosing out the Dodgers, and the roundball dawgs went to the Final Four.
So in honor of the dawgs I'm going to talk about dogs I've known and loved, starting with Garbo, a golden retriever I obtained when she was a puppy and I was in my mid-twenties.
Garbo liked to drink from an early age. It started the summer she was a puppy, That summer my friends and I played volleyball on Sundays in a public park. ( It was there on one of these occasions that I first had a conversation with my future wife of 40 years.)
These gatherings were usually accompanied by a keg of beer. You know how a keg of beer in a washtub of ice will soon develop a donut of beer around the tap as the party progresses? Well Garbo picked up on that quickly and kept the donut clean. While she’d walk with me to these events, she often left slung over my shoulder like a fox stole. And she wasn’t exclusively a beer drinker; go to bed with yout Cognac unfinished and she’d take care of it.
My next memory of Garbo is her having puppies on a blanket in the dining room of our mansion at 69 26th Street in Atlanta. ( At that time, 1978, five of us rented the place for $500 a month. It is now appraised at 1.5 million.) The father of the puppies was a handsome golden retriever who lived on our street and for some reason liked to visit us.
The puppies just kept being birthed, 3, 5,7 and finally 11 perfect specimens and the mother proud and in good health. ( I don't think she drank during her pregnancy.)
When the time came Cynthia and I took Garbo with the 11 puppies for their first trip to the vet. I don't recall how we got 11 puppies into the waiting room. I probably just put them on the ground and they followed their mother in. At any rate they weren't in a box when we all got in to see the doc.
The veterinarians' workplace was set up like others I've seen since. Outside the examining room a long (as I remember it) hall led to an exit where one settled one's bill before leaving.
This was not Garbo's first rodeo. We all sat in the vet's office, Garbo sitting looking up at the vet with her offspring all around her doing the same as he admired the brood. Then when he turned his back to ready syringes or whatever it was as if a telepathic signal passed from mother to pups. “Okay kids let's make a run for it.” In an instant she was walking at a brisk pace down the hallway with eleven (have I mentioned the number?) adorable toddlers waddling behind her single file.
(“I don’t reckon I’ve ever told you about my old grandpappy Old Reliable.”
“Aye laddie, ye have.”)
After the laughter subsided we called Garbo back to the office, the puppies following their mama. It is among my most pleasant memories, World Series and National Championship aside.
There's more to follow in my next piece about dogs. I've already told you about a dozen dogs, right? But there's more to follow about the adventures of Garbo as well as lore about my dogs Chance and Ginsburg with maybe a cat story or two thrown in.
Ed. note: Da is currently working on the 2nd dog piece & I can't wait to read about Ginsburg, who was most assuredly a "Damn Good Dog." - MBM
The impetus behind this post goes back a couple of months ago to a FB group I'm a part of in which a member shared a picture of their "Brunswick Stew" (see image below).
I responded to this one along the lines of: "Yeah, that's just what we call stew."
Later, another person shared a picture of their Brunswick Stew...
I responded to this one along the lines of: "Yeah, that's what we call soup..."
My goodness. Apparently some of these folks just hate America or something.
I've been aware of the differences related to this food item for several years & I've been familiar with a good bit of the history & backstory related to it but realized that perhaps a good number of folks aren't, so I decided to do a post about it here as my first one in the new era of TPC.
Before we go any further, here's a pic of some proper Brunswick Stew (at least as it's considered in the GA Piedmont), compliments of Josh & Faith Henderson:
Obviously these are some good God-fearin' Folk (and their stew is one of the best I've ever had)
Notice how everything has been properly ground up; there aren't any intact pieces of potato. There aren't any beans of any sort of any size & there sure as hell ain't NO peas! The key is that you can tell it's thick. The old saying about Brunswick Stew, at least the way I was raised, is the paddle, stick or large spoon you're using should be able to stick up straight in the concoction if you've done it right.
As we'll see in just a bit, there are multiple variations of Brunswick Stew. A lot of these differences relate to where the stew has originated from. Furthermore, there are many questions as to the true origins of this dish.
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Some History on Brunswick Stew
The two main claimants are Brunswick Co., Virginia & the City of Brunswick, GA.
While there is a monument in the Brunswick, GA area that lays claim to the area originating this dish & while many in Georgia feel that their version is the most authentic, based on historical records, it's clear that the Virginia variation was the one first recorded in the annals of American history, going all the way back to the early 1800s.
But was that truly the first Brunswick Stew?
There is documentation that Native Americans had a dish that resembled it well before. Like the aforementioned ones, this pot stew originally used small wild game such as rabbits, squirrels & possums, and that's why it had to simmer so long as to soften the natural toughness of those meats. However, there is evidence that perhaps a version of this dish goes back to the old country as well with the Duchy of Brunswick-Luneburg (located in the northern section of modern-day Germany). Certainly, the name seems to possibly confirm this hypothesis, but really - who knows?
Regardless of who was first, it can be agreed that the keys to this meal are as follows:
- some type of meat(s) - tomatoes - potatoes - corn - a long, slow cooking time
Now, depending on the location, there will be more ingredients & that's the key to this whole thing - the location.
We'll start with the two main American styles, then branch out to the others, but then we also have to appreciate the sub-variations therein.
Virginia Style
First off, the traditional VA recipe calls for NO grinding of anything (yeah, weird, I know). Furthermore, it only calls for chicken (crazy, right?). In addition to tomatoes, potatoes & corn, these people also put in butter beans (they obviously hate God). Finally, it has much more liquid that just about any other type, it's basically a soup.
Brunwick, GA (GA Coastal) Style
It's funny to me that the Brunswick/St. Simon's/GA Coast folks have worked so hard to try to lay claim to being the originators of Brunswick Stew considering how second-rate & unimpressive theirs is. Similar to the Virginia edition, they put Lima beans in theirs & they also don't grind anything! The one thing you can give these poor bastards is the fact that their rendition is much less soupier than VA's, and the fact that they do add pork.
North Carolina Style
Oh yes, NC has their take on this thing & they actually think they've got the best one out there! Theirs is extremely weird, folks. They do add pork, so we'll give 'em points for that but they don't add potatoes. Like the coastal Georgia style, they have much less liquid, but somehow theirs comes out very chunky. Again, it's just really strange.
GA Mountain Style
Apparently an amalgamation of Virginia & North Carolina traditions, but then with their own strange bent. I remember as a 12-yr kid ordering some in Cornelia, GA & thinking to myself -- "this ain't Brunswick Stew!"
And now we finally get to the pièce de ré·sis·tance
GA Piedmont Style
And to take a quick moment for Yours Truly, this is what took me so long to do this piece. I really had to research this thing. And as far as I can tell, there is a difference in Brunswick Stew between the mountains & the fall line -- our glorious home, the Georgia Piedmont.
One thing you can do to confirm my theory is to look up Brunswick Stew recipes on the internets. Seriously, do it.
If you live in C-town, Monroe, or Athens, or in & around Atlanta, or even Macon or Augusta, or Commerce or Comer, Villa Rica, Zebulon or Sparta, you will find most of these recipes to be odd & foreign, unlike anything you've ever experienced when it comes to this awe-inspiring dish. In fact, I only found one recipe from the traditional recipe sites that came close to what we all know & love here in our lovely neck of the woods, and that was Trisha Yearwood's recipe that is actually her Daddy's. Makes sense, considering she's a Monticello gal & all...
So, let's talk about REAL Brunswick Stew, which shall now henceforth be referred to as Georgia Piedmont Style.
Three meats. Beef, Chicken & Pork. Tomatoes. Potatoes. Onions. Corn.
Grind EVERYTHING (except, usually, the corn, but I've had versions where the corn was ground too & I think it might even be better!).
The first few months I worked at Bess's Place in the late 90s Andy Wilson was still making Brunswick Stew & I got to witness the magic first hand. It was glorious. It's similar to most other recipes that I've been made aware of in & around our beautiful, magical area.
Lovejoy Methodist, Red Oak Methodist & multiple other churches do amazing versions every fall.
A fella named Richard L.Veneable makes one that would literally make you slap your mama.
The aforementioned one from the Hendersons is as good as any I've ever had.
Most BBQ restaurants around these parts have great ones as well. I'd have to give the nod to Jack's BBQ for the best non-church-or-private-party one around the home city & county in my humble estimation.
When it comes to the GA Piedmont region & Brunswick Stew, in the words of Tina Turner -- we're simply the best.
*****
So, that's my write-up on Brunswick Stew. Hope you enjoyed it.
