Alabama

Last weekend I took a trip to southern Alabama.  While I am sure that Alabama has much to offer in terms of culture, history, and tourism, this particular area of Alabama was not that mecca.  The area - Enterprise - is the largest town near Fort Rucker, an Army base largely used for aviation training.  The most exciting thing about Enterprise is the story behind the boll weevils' attack of the county's cotton crop in 1915.  While the bugs devastated the cotton, the devastation forced the town to switch to peanut crops, which were widely successful.  By 1917, the area was the leading peanut producer in the US.  In honor of the boll weevils, the town constructed a monument that consists of a statuesque Grecian figure holding up a black boll weevil.  Enterprise is a poster-child for making lemonade out of lemons.  In the town is also an old hotel - the Rawls hotel - and the old train depot that now serves as the historical museum.

We never got around to experiencing some real southern cooking mostly because by the time I was ready for southern cooking it was Sunday evening and everything was closed, but we did sample that staple of the south - Waffle House.  While I had been to a Waffle House once before, it was Andy's first time.  Nothing exciting except it was greasy and delicious; who doesn't love cheese grits?  What was exciting was the town's ice cream shop, Milky Moo's, where I had the Boll Weevil Special - a peanut butter ice cream with peanut butter chips, marshmallows, and Oreos.  It was a true representation of the farming history of the area.  Brilliantly, the shop puts a single marshmallow at the bottom of the cones to prevent leakage.  Milky Moo's also was Food Network's Alabama pick for their 50 States, 50 Ice Cream Treats list - a list that I can't believe I didn't know about sooner!