Southern Food

There are numerous things that make me happy. I get a lot of simple pleasures in my life. But in this post I will just feature one: Southern Food.
While in Kentucky I got to enjoy some amazing Southern Food. (Which is the thing I missed the most about living in Florida.)  So I am going to give you some recipes for my top three favorite southern foods.They are in no particular order they are just things I enjoy. I have not made these exact recipes before, so if you do you will have to tell me how they turn out!

1. Fruit Salad! (But you are required to eat it on a beach for the full effect)

Directions: Cut fruit. Put in Container.
Advice: I suggest cutting up some lemon slices to put in the bottom. This gives the rest of the salad some zest and by the time you get to the bottom of the Salad the lemons have sucked up all the other juices. This way you can eat the lemon slice without them being bitter. The lemon slices are actually my favorite part of the whole salad. Fruit Salad also tastes really great with Johnnie Walker Black Label. (I do not even like Whiskey, but for some reason this makes a good combination that I enjoy.)

2. Grouper! (Okay this probably does not count as a southern food, but I grew up where we had fresh grouper everyday.)
Directions: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/spicy-grilled-grouper-10000001733518/
Advice: If you do not enjoy spicy grouper there are plenty of alternatives like lemon-basil, just the plain fish, etc. Grouper, and any fish really, is extremely versatile. That's what makes it so cool. Having a cook out with a lot of friends? Put it in a Bun. Romantic dinner for two? Throw it on a bed of rice with fresh picked herbs. So many options.

3. Hushpuppies. Someone asked me what a hushpuppy was and it occurred to me... I don't really know. All I know is it is delicious.
Directions:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/hushpuppies-recipe/index.html
Advice: This is a really great side dish for the grouper mentioned above. For interesting dinner conversation here is a fun fact: Legend says that hushpuppies were first invented by hunters (and/or I have heard both) civil war soldiers to feed their dogs so they would keep quiet while they were hunting/in battle.

Enjoy!

My Life as a Drug Dealer

They come up to you and have the jitters. They are easily irritated an annoyed. They want what they came for and now. They want to have the quickest transaction with you as possible. They are in and out and you always know what they are here for. They are hooked and can not stop. They are the most common form of druggies. They are addicted to caffeine.
As a Barista, my job is being a professional drug dealer. Caffeine IS a drug and it is always important to remember that. I feel like people are constantly undermining the effects of caffeine on their system. I was one of those people too. If you do not believe caffeine is a drug visit a college campus during exam time. Being a Barista on a college campus is the equivalent of being a heroin dealer in the drug world. You have the most intense, dependent, tweaking people as a customer base than any other coffee shop.
In the coffee shop world there are thousands of strains of coffee just like drugs. The coffee comes from all over the world and different regions. Then you have thousands of different combinations of coffees that lead to thousands of different tastes and levels of highs. I would be willing to bet that there are more "strains" of caffeine than there are strains of marijuana.
I constantly have to give out free samples of the drug to get new people hooked. I give out 50 free samples in two hours. People can not refuse. Then they come back to the store within the hour to purchase more for themselves.
Just remember caffeine is a drug and your friendly neighborhood Barista is your drug dealer. Like all things moderation can be fine and fun, but over use is dangerous just like any other drug.