Big City vs. Little Town


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Originally posted by mighty hornet
Dayum I know I'm country but I've never heard of cha cha

What is that?


Excuse me '86 (my frat), let me answer this one...

Man, you don't know what cha cha is. That's pickled peppers and/or green tomatoes that's hot as hell. Tobasco ain't got nothing on hot cha-cha.

I knew one lady that even made cha-cha with pickled watermelon rinds. Swear to God! You put that stuff on your mustard greens, add some pot likka, and fat meat all crumbled up on your conebread and eat it with your fingers. Talk about good!

My mother was raised by her grandmother and mother. Each of them used to work "at the big house". My greatgrandmother all her life, my grandmother most of her life, and my mother as a young girl. Don't take a lot of pride in that, but it served it purpose...we overcame and got degrees due to their hard work). Anyway, my mom knows how to cook all the good meals that are a part of our tradition. Dayum yall making me hungry!
 
Cha-Cha

Cha -cha is a flavor enhancer for Greens (especially collards) Moms used to make hers from cabbage with all types of spices, peppers, vinegar, etc.. You cannot eat greens without homemade vinegar.

Man, have any of you guys picked peppers, placed them in the croker sack and went to the Pepper Shed to sell them?

Never take a "Piss" after picking pepper without washing your hands.

Man, we would have to get up at 5:30 AM to pick cucumbers before the sun came up. The art to picking cucumbers is to pick the big ones first and placed them in the bottom of the crate and little ones last (if you got paid by the crate).

Okra is the worst thing to pick after the sun came up. You have to get those joints while "Dew" is still on them. We would take old socks, cut a hole in them and used them to protect our arms.
 
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Awwwlllll L nawwwlll!!! Yall don't know about cha-cha or ketchup as the Southerners on the north side refer to it. My Grandma use to make that every summer. She would can at least a dozen jars.

You guys are bringing back some wonderful memories for me...keep it rolling!!!
 
Dayum Frat, your folk worked the isht out of you! I thought I was worked like a hebrew slave growing up, but you had your share of labor too.

But, man I have done it all. You know your azz is country, when you get paid jars of figs and six eggs for cleaning off someone's fence row. I remember this one lady who would get me to bring her mail to the back every day (she lived back in the lane). In the summer's, I would take her mail and while I was there, chop some weeds to throw to her hogs and put out water for the chickens. She would cook me breakfast (eggs, bacon or "poke" meat, yellow commodity grits, biscuits and perserves).

Man, my life's ambition is to one day retire back to that old neighbor hood. Most of those elders are now deceased, but when I go home I walk around and just reminisce. Those were some good times and great people.
 
Now I am stumped?

Yall call it cha-cha? We just call it peppa sauce. My daddy keeps his in an old ketchup jar. Vinegar, red and green peppers. It makes that LA hot sauce and that tabasco feel like cold water. Maybe yall are just "extra" country in Sippi! LOL!!

Man Makaho...I was out scouting just last week, looking for deer rubs and such so I can tag a couple of deer to use in a study I am doing, and I walked through a 2 acre millet patch that I planted this summer....and I will be dayum if about 5 coveys of quail didn't jump up. I was running like a beeyotch. LOL!!!

Man homemade biscuits...hell my mu'dear would make them biscuits, and I would be in heaven. Eating buscuits and syrup....good cane syrup that comes in a paint can! Plus all the homemade preserves...fig, peach, apple, crab apple, & plum(we had all these trees in the backyard)!

86......don't forget about schucking and picking corn. I hate to see corn stalks to this day. You never know what you may walk up on in a "cone patch"!
 
Speaking of Okra....

....I have some okra and tomatoes waiting on me when I hit La.!!

But I swear the hardest work I have ever done is building a fence!! There can not be anything worse than digging post holes, working with that dayumed barb wire, and old scrap peices of wood to make a fence. I would much rather pick anything than build a fence!!
 
O no Suge, that's not cha cha. Cha cha is where you take the green tomatoes and cabages, mix them up in lime, vinegar and spices. Let all of that "mrrinate"...then cook it. Afterwards...it's um um good!!! It can be eaten with peas, greens, and cornbread...*sigh*
 
oooohhhhhhhh, of course we did the pickled peppers, tomatoes and all that stuff. I just dont remember it being called cha cha


Originally posted by Alcornite 86
Okra is the worst thing to pick after the sun came up
Okra is just bad to pick at anytime. Your arse will definitely get cut up. I used to hate picking butter beans though. That was some back breaking work there and it took forever to fill up a bucket.
I dont know if yall did sugar cane in Miss and LA, but in GA, that was pretty big. And of course my granddaddy had that too. He used to cut it and we had to haul it out of the fields.
Corn too. (Those corn fields were hotter than L)

Speaking of corn, man I would love some good fried corn right about NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
This is the best post that I have read all year. This takes me back to the good ole days. When we had all the good food and fresh water. I am from a small town in Mississippi known as Corinth, MS. I didn't live on a farm but I did visit my cousins down in Tunica, Ms. They lived on this huge farm at the time, probably working for uncle charley or either sharecropping. We used go with my uncle to slop hogs, hunt rabbits, fish, pump water from the pump, and kill chickens. He would wring the chickens neck off with his bare hand and the chickens would jump all over the place until they died. We would also walk through the mud in bare feet. Do you remember back in the day the mud was so black and sticky? I miss all the hot piping biscuits,ham, and sorghum molasses that Mom and grandmother use to make. My grandmother made the best chocolate cakes in the country. Although my parents and grandparents are now deceased, I still enjoy going back home as often as possible.
 
Ok Ok OK. I am convinced I am moving back to home. All these childhood memories ya'll bringing up makes me realize the type of environment I want my kids to be raised in. Forget this city stuff.

Oh how I remember the Egg man coming through the neighborhood screaming "EGGS, EGGS, come get your eggs." My grandma never bought store eggs. We always had those brown eggs off the egg man truck. Never saw white eggs 'til I was in my teens at least.

And don't talk about taking fruit off poeple's trees. That's why I still got these tomboy scars on my right knee to this day. I would be the only girl hanging out with all my boy cousins stealing plums, pears and whatever else.

My Godfather used to beat those rabbits he raised in the head til they died and then we'd pull their fur off, clean 'em up good and eat 'em. Yum yum. Taste just like chicken.

Don't mention pecans. With that big pecan tree in my Moma's back yard, you would be shelling pecans tell your fingers bleed. So, Moma can make that pecan candy(them uppity folks call it pralines). Nothing like eating pecan candy and every once in a
while chomping down on a piece of shell that accidently wasn't cleaned out. Now, I know they sell them already shelled in the stores.

I didn't even know they sold greens in the store until I went to college. We got ours right out the field by my Grandma's house. To this day, you better not come to my Moma's house and eat greens with a fork. You will get put out. That's disrespectful to the cook they say. It's suppose to taste so good you have to eat them with your fingers.

One thing I must give to BR, the tea cake man comes by office to office selling teacakes. That's still not enough for me. When you hear that I've moved back home, don't say I didn't tell y'all.

<font size=25>Only 10 days until I'm at home eating my Moma's cooking.</font size=25>
 
We didn't have to steal fruit. My grandmother had peach, plum, apple, and pomegrande trees in her back yard.
 
Re: Speaking of Okra....

Originally posted by Suge
....I have some okra and tomatoes waiting on me when I hit La.!!


I cooked okra Sunday, but how about the guy at the fruit stand said they didn't have any fresh okra 'cause it's out of season. He said "the frozen tastes just the same." Me being me, always ready for a RUCKUS... I told him "I'm a real woman so how I am gonna make imitation okra." He just laughed. I'm telling you they don't understand our culture. My Moma raised me on fresh, never frozen. Anyway, I had to go with that frozen mess. That was my first time ever and my last time. Never again.
 
Re: LOL @ Mighty Hornet...

Sounds like Bogalusa, Louisiana where I lived as a small child with my Granny. I also spent most summers there until the age of 10. EVERYBODY we knew worked at the CrownZellerbach Paper Mill. The whole town stUnk...:lmao:

Originally posted by Suge
I have to agree with you Mighty....now all of a sudden everybody wants to be down with the South, and the country. I see all these rappers yelling they from the Country , and I just laugh. If your arse is from St. Louis(nelly), Memphis(8-ball), Houston(UGK), Atlanta.....well maybe Atlanta......you ain't from the country!

I'm from the country. We ride horses, drive tractors, slaughter hogs, can fruit and vegtables, raise chickens, drive pick-up trucks, hang clothes on the line when there is a perfectly good dryer in the house, know about box fans when the AC is working, Hunt(deer, rabbit, coons, doves, quail, ducks), have hunting dogs(ain't nuthing like a good c**n dog and a good rabbit dog), fish with kane poles, eat hog head cheese, cracklin bread, greens with your hand, buttermilk and cornbread, learned how to drive on a dirt road, and went barefoot all summer!!!!

Now that my friend is country!!!

Thank God Ima Country Boy!
Monroe and Calhoun, LA! That's at the top of the boot just in case yall didn't know!
 
Suge,


When you said mu'deah, that made me think of my grandmother who passed away 4 years ago. That's what we called her (my great grandmother was Mama and my darling mother is Muh'). Anyway, my deceased brother was lighter than me so we were called "the Brightun and the Blackun". I remember when I would go visit her in Winnsboro, she would say. Come on in Blackun, I got your cold fried chicken in the frididaire (that's what she called her refrigerator). Man, that chicken would be season so good and I would get a couple of slices of bread, ketchup and sliced onions with a Jolly Pop drink.

When I got ready to leave she would always touch my face so tenderly and say, you be good Blackun...YOU'RE MY BOY! Man, I love me some mu' deah!
 
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Now This Is Life

Man, I having all types of flashbacks with this post.

Okay, what about Spring Water from a Real Spring? There was a spring behind my Great Aunt's home and we would take buckets of water from there as well as the well behind her house.



Kellis, mom's always make me a German Chocolate Cake for Christmas. Hell, it is nine of us and she makes everyone their favorite cake and pie.

My Grandfather used to work at Joan of Arch in LA and would bring that good syrup home in the silver buckets. My uncles always went to the "sug kane" fields in Louisana before Christmas and would come home with the sweetest tangerines I've ever tasted.

Suge, building a fence is easy compared to hauling hay. I never knew how strong I was until I joined the Army and could do all the physical stuff weighing only 135 pounds. The strenght came from hauling hay, firewood, and sholving cow manure off trucks at my pops job for $25 a trailer.
 
MikeBigg:

My mother is Mama...
My grandma is Granny
My other Grandma is MaDeah
My grandpa is Daddy Jamie ... :D

I was "Gal" to my Great Aunt Lil who chewed tobacco and always had a vegetable can to spit! LOL YUCK! :D :D We were scared of her sometimes.


We got whipped with SWITCHES from a tree. We lived next door to Ms. Johnnie Mae who had chickens. She had plum trees too!

LOL

We bought frozen cups from 'round da corner with Mrs. Bunch who had a cow in her yard. Frozen cups were 10 cent in the small cup and 25 cent in the larger cup. Ms. Clay had Praline candies!

Memories...Ohhhh to be a kid again!
 


One thing I must give to BR, the tea cake man comes by office to office selling teacakes.



JSTUS,

I live next door to the Tea Cake man's daughter. Those are some good tea cakes.

You guys have me rolling about growing up in the country. I have always lived in the city so I did not have the same experiences that you guys speak of. Now my Grandma grew up in St. Landry Parish and I've heard all of these stories from her.
 
Alcornite: I picked berries in "the woods" down the street from my Granny. She tell us "tis a wonda a snaked didn't bite ya! Give me dem berries Gal so I can make something with them" :D

She'd wash them and put sugar on them.


Lord Today. My granny used to pick Greens with Ms. Bill (Wilhelmina) from down the street.


Ms. Edna and Mr. Curtis had huntin' dogs.


Somebody was always selling fresh fish off the truck through the neighborhood. Somebody always had watermelon on a truck. They'd slice the water melon right there and let you taste the sweetness! :D
 
Now it's clear!

It's clear why I enjoy talking with all of yall so much. We all share so much in common. Although some of yall didn't chose to go to the best (GSU), we all share so much in common.

As we reminisce on our wonderful childhood, let's make an effort to remember those loved ones that we still have. Also take time to make this holiday a happy occassion for our young ones. Someday they will have wonderful memories and interesting stories to share about us.

BTW===> I forgot to mention, but this Christmas will be my first as a grandpa! My youngest son and his girlfriend had a beautiful baby girl a month ago today. I plan on getting pictures scanned and sending for all to see. Looks just like my wife (who of course dresses her in pink and green at every opportunity). Oh, of course she is being song to sleep to GSU's Alma Mater!
 
Re: Now it's clear!

Originally posted by MikeBigg


BTW===> I forgot to mention, but this Christmas will be my first as a grandpa! My youngest son and his girlfriend had a beautiful baby girl a month ago today. I plan on getting pictures scanned and sending for all to see. Looks just like my wife (who of course dresses her in pink and green at every opportunity). Oh, of course she is being song to sleep to GSU's Alma Mater!

Congratulations mike on the grandbaby. I know you will make sure she will be in Grambling 18 years from now. She'll probably be there with my boy.
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This is great and brings many laughs and fond memories. I grew up within the city limits of Palestine (pronounced Palesteen), Texas - population about 15K. My grandfather and his brothers were farmers and I would spend much of the summer "out in the country" with my cousins. At some point we would go to the fields and pick Purple Hull peas. My cousins would laugh at my ineptness at manual labor, but I was so slow they would help me fill my sack so that I could keep up. There was a creek nearby and we would dig worms get fishing poles and go fishing. One time my cousin brought along some lime because someone told him it would make the fish come to the surface, but it didn't happen. I also remember one of my cousin's would get watermelons and burst them, whereby we would eat the "heart." Yellow meat watermelons were /are my favorites. For some reason during my youth, I was very picky about some of the things that I ate, such as yard egg yolks being too orange, fresh chicken too yellow, butter and milk didn't smell quite right, but I liked the cakes, dressing, etc. (strange). I also liked smothered quail, squirrel and rabbit.

Not too many years ago I began to long for the great things of old and when I returned to my hometown I developed a list of things I must do. First I would stop by the BBQ stand about 40 miles south of my home town for BBQ Pork and Ribs with the homemade thin bbq sauce with the vinegar flavor. Upon arrival in the hometown I would stop by the barber shop (to remain nameless) and say my hellos and place my order for the charter moonshine. I sat on the front porch shelled peas on occasion, but have to give my grandmother credit for doing most of the work, that's a really slow process. My father has a spring on his property so I would fill several gallon jugs of water to bring back. I make every effort to get watermelons, purple hull and cream peas, okra, and ribbon cane syrup.

I think that my experiences growing up in the country (small town counts too) were really fun and even though we speak from at least four different states, the experiences are so similar.
 
All of you country folk, are bringing back some bad, I mean very bad memories of my summer's that I spent in my dad's home town of Mansura, LA.

The funniest thing you ever want to see, is a city boy in the country for the summer trying to adapt to country living. My cousins used to have a field day laughing at me trying to keep up with them.

I hated going into the chicken coup to catch a chicken, I hated picking figs, plums, and pears. There's nothing worse than fig juice on a new pair of Toughskins, and Pro-Keds.

I hated going to church at 5:00 on a Saturday evening, I'm from the city, you go to church on Sunday dayumit. I hated walking to Bunkie (did I mention it was a good 5 mile walk), for yeast, because my great grandmother baked her own bread. I hated the fact I couldn't do anything wrong, because the whole dayumm town, knew who my people were. I hated answering city questions.

Didn't you people ever hear of the garbage man? I mean burning your own trash.

I'm not going to get started on walking down the lane, digging ditches, pickling your own meet, growing, and picking your own okra, hell my dad lives in New Orleans, and he still does grows, and picks okra, and tomatoes.

Did I mention, how I hated getting up early to fish, hunt coons, and opossum?

Give me the corner store, loud, ghetto neighbors, police cars (notice I said cars, and not the Sheriff's Patrol car), mulitiple high schools, with names of people, and not the town, gun fire(and not the kind for hunting), motorcycles (and not hogs, or dirt bikes), streets, boulevards, and avenues (and not lanes, or highway # whatever), and last but not least, traffic lights, and lots of em' (not the one flashing light).

You country people made my life a living hell, for 12 years, and I get tired, just thinking about all that hard work.

NICE
 
LMBH,
I see you know bout bursting watermelons to eat the heart out.
LOL

Just like yall, I have 10 million stories I could tell.
It was really good, basic, honest living. (Of course at the time, I thought it was just hard labor). It's funny, because by govt. standards, we were poor. But looking back, I realize that we had a whole lot. Problems seemed small then, people were genuine, and life was so good.
I kinda feel sorry for the younger generation for missing out on the good life.
My grandmother passed away my sr. year in high school (I'm thankful that she lived long enough to see me get a scholarship for college. I always like to think that I was her favorite grandchild. :D)
My granddaddy passed in 1993. There were so many many live plants at his funeral, I asked my momma for one. I brought it back to Atl with me and that plant is still alive today! :cool:
 
For y'all to think Pine Bluff is so country ...

I can relate to very little of the memories y'all have. By the time I came around, my Granny had moved from Patmos (near hope) to California, and my Grandma (Daddy's mom) was old and didn't feel like being bothered. My HUSBAND, on the other hand, can relate to all of these stories! I had never even heard of cha cha until we got together. I was a late baby ... mom has high blood pressure, and dad was a diabetic who didn't do as he was told ... so I didn't get to eat those until I went to CALIFORNIA to visit my AUNTS ... ain't THAT some ISHT ... I had to go to the frigging WEST COAST to get some SOUTHERN COOKING!

Tell ya what though ... good thing hubby can cook ... so I get some of it now.
 
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