Blogs
Southern writers and Krispy Kremes
Nancy LaFever explores Southern writers and Krispy Kremes in an interview with writer pal, Amy Mullis, author, humor writer and food enthusiast. Amy lives in South Carolina "in a suburb of Sugar Tit, which is possibly the best thing that could happen to a humorist." This piece appeared on LaFever's blog, Single People's Grocery Lists, on June 1, 2012.
SPGL: Welcome, Amy!
AM: "First I'd like to say that I love your blog. I regularly stop by to read it, but I don't always comment because the lists make me hungry and I wander off for a snack. Also, I've noticed that your lists often contain wine. Handy tip: I save money by substituting comparable but thriftier items, such as juice from the grapes I forgot to throw out last month. Always remember that good things can come from refrigerator harvests."
SPGL: Thanks for the plug, A! You're a talented and successful writer. Here's a question about your "process." Do you live to write or do you live to eat? (Since this is a food-focused blog, I have to ask the hard questions.)
AM: "I believe that eating and writing can co-exist peacefully. I haven't seen an essay yet that isn't made better by a smudge of chocolate and a sprinkling of crushed pecans. And raspberry filling. And whipped cream. And…could you excuse me a second? I have to go check on something in the snack aisle."
SPGL: I know from previous chats that you're quite a fan of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. As a writer, do those misspellings bother you? Is glazed your favorite?
AM: "Krispy Kreme originated in my backyard. Not my actual backyard because they'd be covered in red mud, but in the "other" Carolina just over the border. So I thought Krispy Kreme was the correct spelling until I conducted in-depth research on Google five minutes ago. But people who spell doughnuts without the "ugh"? I have ughly thoughts about them. (See what I did there? I call that humor. My kids call that an excuse to roll their eyes like Atlantic City dice.) Also, I've had a flirtation with glazed for years, but my blood runneth raspberry cream. Or kreme. Either one makes my arteries go pitter pat."
SPGL: You live in South Carolina. We Northerners believe that y'all (is that correct?) live on chicken fried steak and grits. Have you ever made a sandwich replacing bread with chicken fried steak?
AM: "You can't replace bread with chicken fried steak because done correctly there is gravy on top and that would send the whole meal into the "gooshy stuff we eat over the sink" category. (Interesting fact: There is also chicken fried chicken, which is not the same as fried chicken although it's fried. And chicken. Go figure.) However, if you'll check with Paula Deen (referenced below and who always, I mean ALWAYS, looks like a zombie in her photographs and who is probably planning a meal around chicken fried brainz), you can make a sandwich using a sliced doughnut for bread. Add bacon and it's nature's perfect food. Y'all."
SPGL: According to Southern cook Paula Deen, TV star and High Priestess of fat content, recipes should always stick to a 75 percent fat to 25 percent sugar ratio. Would you weigh in on that?
AM: "Never say 'weigh' to a Southerner."
SPGL thanks Amy for taking the time to stop by, especially since she had to put down a donut to focus. Catch more of her on her blog, Mind Over Mullis and on An Army of Ermas, where she's a regular contributor.
- Nancy LaFever
Nancy LaFever pens a blog, "Single People's Grocery Lists". Why? Because she "discovered the crap we buy is actually pretty funny when you look at your list."