Results tagged “Mississippi” from Intelligent Travel Blog

Emory University senior Caitlin Etherton writes to us from Oxford, Mississippi, where she has tasted what she calls "unregrettably unhealthy food."

As a poor college student heading into the writing world after graduation, I'm always eager to explore beyond campus and find off-the-beaten-path places deeply rooted in local culture and community. And if that it happens to involve some fried catfish so good that people tailgate in the parking lot for hours just to get a table--then I'll take the extra step and the restaurant's T-shirt. In the case of the Taylor Grocery, I paid more for the T-shirt than for my meal.

Our trip began in Oxford, Mississippi, when a friend and I asked a family for directions to "That Catfish Place" we'd heard about. They gladly gave us directions to nearby Taylor, and even invited us to stay with them if it got too late to drive back to Atlanta. We thanked them for the offer and wound out of town past Ole Miss' Grove, William Faulkner's home, and the Big Truck Theater, a 200-seat barn where concerts start on the bed of a 1960 Ford truck.

Taylor Grocery was originally built around 1889 as a dry-goods store. I assume not much has changed about the storefront since then. Luckily, football season hadn't quite begun, so when we walked in there was no wait. We split a whole catfish dinner, two fish and two sides, making it completely reasonable to also order two desserts - homemade pecan pie and chocolate cobbler.

The fried catfish was crispy and perfectly seasoned. Service was fast and friendly. Live blues music bounced off walls that had been covered with signatures. Every table brimmed with families and students enjoying the sweet tea and hush puppies. When we left people were still sitting on the porch talking and drinking from Styrofoam cups (this restaurant is all about BYOB). I hope the next time I come the wait is extra long, just so I can sit on the porch myself and catch a good story or two.

Taylor Grocery, Taylor, Mississippi, +1 662 236 1716.

Photo: Caitlin Etherton

To compile his new book, My Favorite Place on Earth, Jerry Camarillo Dunn Jr., interviewed dozens of famous people -- from Natalie Portman to the Dalai Lama -- about the places they loved most. He'll be guest blogging about his experiences here for the next few weeks. Click here for recent posts.

Back in 1906, a railroad hoping to attract passengers coined the slogan "See America First."

But which America?

A fantastic musician and great gentleman from My Favorite Place on Earth has some ideas. For his spot, musician Jack White of the White Stripes and the Raconteurs chose Clarksdale, Mississippi, a town that stands among plowed fields at the legendary crossroads where Highway 49 meets Highway 61. It has been home to blues singers Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton, and Jack White's hero, Son House.

"I didn't expect to feel the way I do about Clarksdale," Jack told me. "I thought maybe I'd find that it's all Wal-Marts and commercialized chain stores, like a lot of the western world now. When you're driving around the country, you think it would be nice to pull off the road and eat at a mom-and-pop diner or café, but you can't do that anymore. They're gone, and it's really sad. Now it's 'Take your pick of what corporation you want to have lunch at.' So I was worried that my idea of Mississippi wasn't going to be there anymore. But that wasn't the case. Clarksdale was the Mississippi I had in my head.