Mississippi’s Answer to Everything

As a transplant, I’ve lived in Mississippi for about 12 years.  It’s been an adventure all the way. 

When I moved here my 5′6 frame carried 140 pounds.  Everything was in the right places, flat stomach, etc.  I had alway watched what I ate because of high blood pressure and diabetes in my family.  These were things I never wanted to deal with.

Then I moved to Mississippi.

They show their love with food.  And food.  And food.

I got the stomach flu, they sent pecan pies and pound cake.

I sprained my ankle.  they sent pig feet, okra, sweet potato pie, and gumbo.

I got a new car.  they sent Jambalaya, cornbread, and collard greens.

Hey, has anyone ever tatest pickled pigs lips?  No joke, pickled pigs lips!  And NO I haven’t!

In the city, if the church has a function you may get three or four courses, dessert and something to drink. (spaghetti, salad, chicken, cake, and thats if they are going extravagant.  If not then you might get sweedish meatballs, a meat tray, and potato chips with a soda.

In Mississippi, our church had a function and the menu went something like this:

Gumbo, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, potato salad, green beans, field peas, lima beans, spaghetti, dressing, cranberry sauce, pasta and cheese casserole, broccoli and cheese casserole, chicken and dumplings, pig feet, sweet potatoes, crawfish, hotdogs, hamburgers, fried chicken, baked chicken, barbecued chicken, catfish and a salad!

Dessert consisted of pound cake, chocolate cake, pecan pie, sweet potato pie, egg pie, lemon meringue pie, seven-up cake, banana pudding, desserts with strawberries, jello, and about six more I can’t even remember!

Food! If it hurts, eat! If it burns, eat!  If you’re mad, eat!  If you’re sad, eat!  If you’re happy, eat!

I understand why we have the most obese people in the country.   If you can’t achieve it, eat! 

When friends and family visit, the first thing they notice is there are not a lot of skinny people around.

One family member kidded me and said, “It’s because all the big people ate them!”

It seems funny, but it is sad.  Mississippi also ranks in the top of the High blood pressure ranks, the cancer ranks, the STD ranks; as a matter of fact, Mississippi was ranked as the most unhealthiest state in the country!

Isn’t it sad that a state who prides themselves on hospility is dying from the same?  I heard someone say that Mississippians can kill without using weapons.

They use food as a deadly weapon.  They feed you to death.

The question is, when is enough - enough?

Oh yea, my 5′6 frame blew up to 195 pounds.  I’ve learned to say no and I’ve lost 15 pounds so far.  I refuse to go out like that.