"In the South, when you're hungry but don't have much in the kitchen, you fry up something."
No surprise here, this line was NOT written by a Southerner - but by a woman with the Chicago Tribune. It went on to describe a hot mess called, "Potato and Onion Fry-Up" - an unimaginative dish that's typical breakfast fare in diners everywhere. The ol' Southern stereotype is glaring - the writer probably pictured Granny fryin' up a mess o' greens in possum fat for Jed and the rest of the Clampetts - and then congratulated herself for dreaming up such a clever lead.
This is what happens when your local newspaper can't afford to pay a full-time food editor or staff writers...you rely on this garbage plucked from syndication to fill what's left of your food section. Our food section used to be stellar - but no more. The sole saving grace is the occasional contribution from the wonderful Savannah food historian and writer Damon Lee Fowler. But those have dwindled from weekly to twice a month, the victim of budget cuts. And just today I learned that our very popular local restaurant reviewer was let go.
Like many dailies across the U.S., the Savannah Morning News is in trouble. Big notes due after multiple extensions...staff layoffs after drastically declining ad sales...and now, salary cuts for existing staff. I feel for them - I do. But I still think someone needs to read this stuff before they put it out there.
PS - This is the same paper that recently ran a photo cutline describing a traffic accident caused by a "wreckless" driver.
I rest my case.
Sorry to be gone so long - it's great to be blogging again. Stay tuned, more fun entries ahead - lots to talk about!
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