I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Greetings from Tulsa, Oklahoma
N 36° 07.893’  W 95° 48.956’  Elev. 747 ft.
Before I get accused of lying about being in Peculiar on Thanksgiving Day I want to confess: I lied about being in Peculiar on Thanksgiving Day.
The truth is the cast and crew of the SS Me So Hungry awoke in Atlanta and eventually landed in Herculaneum, Missouri on Thanksgiving Day. You’re no doubt familiar with Herculaneum. It’s north of Festus, just south of Pevely. And for dinner we had nothing; we got a large Vienna Roast coffee and a glazed donut at the QT for $1.81 the next morning.
Friday night we made landfall in Tulsa where we had the good fortune to use and abuse the hospitality of our friends Linda and Lewis, and pig out for a couple of days on their leftovers. And, boy, were they good — the people and the food!
Evidently a bit of rivalry had taken place between their son and future son-in-law which culminated in a turkey-cooking competition. One of them deep-fried a bird, while the other smoked his fowl. Much to my dismay there was a marked absence of spatchcocking (or, if you prefer, spattlecocking) of any poultry that day.
While both claimed victory, I thought the smoked one was a little better although I have no idea why. Both were tender and tasted like, well, turkey. Linda thought the smoked bird was a little too sweet — something about injections and brown sugar and such — but I couldn’t taste it. I thought they both tasted great.
Along with the leftover Competition turkey I had great dressing and really scrumptious yams. But the best was yet to come.
For dessert they had it all: Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Meringue Pie, Pecan Pie, Cheesecake and German Chocolate Cake. I’d hit a mother lode! Unfortunately I was too stuffed to have any dessert that night.
Then the next day tragedy struck: the Lemon Meringue Pie had disappeared before I was able to snag a piece. Dropping to my knees in despair, I asked “Can a greater misfortune possibly befall one who has beheld, with his own eyes, the pie?†Don’t answer. By the way, it really was a photo-worthy beauty.
Another real treat they had in their refrigerator were Pickled Asparagus Spears. They were thin spears, slightly spicy-hot and had both great flavor and texture, tender and crispy simultaneously. They reminded me of, and were every bit as good as, those Spicy Pickled Blue Lake (Green) Beans I love so much. They said they liked them with beer. I could see that. They’d also make the ultimate Bloody Mary garnish.
If that weren’t already enough, Saturday night Linda made Turkey and Dumplings. Real dumplings! Unlike the bogus dumplings the Pennsylvania Dutch are so famous for foisting on the unsuspecting, Linda made the real things: succulent little doughy balls in a super creamy broth. Sort of like slightly undercooked biscuits in gravy. Unbelievably good.
All in all we’re pretty grateful our belated Thanksgiving dinner(s) worked out so well. And Lewis, bless his heart, hid away the last piece of pumpkin pie especially for me. The only downside, could there possibly be one, is that Skippy didn’t get to eat his Phil.
And so we roll.
Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.
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