I Was Going to Write About Race

Update on the demise of Superintendent Carlinda Purcell. Last night the BOE voted 5-2 to seek her termination after a day that started with Dr. Purcell asking for a temporary restraining order to prevent a BOE meeting to fire her. The judge didn’t rule on the lawsuit, choosing instead to order the parties to mediate. They have until the end of August.

The question I posed is a troubling one and one I said I was going to write about today. Was it race?

I just finished making potato salad to take to a pool party this afternoon and after peeling five pounds of potatoes and chopping celery and onions, I don't want to write about race. Save it for another day.

So, anyone interested can read about Fried Corn.

Bet you thought that would be a cob of corn coated in battered and deep-fried. Right? That’s what all of us Southerners do to food. Green tomatoes, okreee (okra), chicken, catfish, yellow squash, pickles and others which escape my heat-addled mind may all be fried including Snickers candy bars which I have never personally seen done.

But I don’t fry corn except this way.
Take about eight ears of corn, shuck and de-silk, and wash. Get a good knife and put a big bowl in the sink because you are fixin’ to make a mess. No way around it to my knowledge. First, cut the top part of the kernels off. Then, with the blade of the knife supported with your thumb, scrape the cob downwards to get the remainder of the corn cob’s essence. Wash up and clean up all of the splatters on everything within three feet of the sink. Get a large skillet (cast iron is terrific) and add some butter, about 2 tablespoons, bacon grease or olive oil if you must be healthy and if you must be healthy, it can’t be Southern cooking. Dump in the corn and add a little water or milk and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring constantly a few minutes, adding more liquid if it gets too dry. Serve with sliced fresh summer tomatoes, slow-cooked (that is, forever) green beans, and fried chicken.