Author: Jean Towne

HAIR OF THE DOG (NICE DOG!)

I first heard about one of this city’s best-kept secrets a few years ago. While suffering from a particularly vile hangover and starving, my friends introduced me to it.

I was so charmed and satisfied through my nausea that I’ve been going there since, with or without the hangover. I know this doesn’t sound like the beginning of the rave review that the Wiles-Smith Drugstore deserves, but it’s the truth. And if you go there, just like every other person that walks through the door, you’ll be back.

Located on Union Avenue near Belvedere, the Wiles-Smith drugstore and lunch counter is one of only two privately owned pharmacies in Memphis and the only one with an honest to goodness old-fashioned soda fountain.

Wiles-Smith has been serving up the best and cheapest lunches for 57 years and as the owner tells it, has served over three generations of Memphis families. Its old -fashioned lunch counter and its easy- going attitude never fail to make you feel like you stepped into a time warp. The drugstore has survived two fires and has become nothing less than a Memphis landmark.

At most anytime of the day, you’ll find a good crowd there ranging from ladies from neighboring Central Gardens enjoying coffee and visiting, to groups of good ol’ boy businessmen to loners perusing the papers or a good book.

I usually fall in the latter category and I find it’s the perfect way to soak up the surroundings and loudly slurp up the best milkshakes around without apology. You’ll more than likely encounter some familiar faces when you go -local politicians or media personalities. The owner tells me that it’s even one of Cybil Shepherd’s favorite haunts (but please, don’t let that keep you away.)

It’s no wonder that people are addicted. Where else can you get a Swiss on Rye for $1.90 and anything else on the menu for not much more. Nothing’s more than around $4.00 and you can take your pick from homemade chicken or egg salad to the neon orange pimento cheese we all remember carrying to school.

My favorite is the BLT, the best in town. Superbly mayonnaisy with crunchy, almost burned bacon and crisp iceberg lettuce with ripe, juicy tomatoes on perfectly lightly-toasted white bread. MMM, they are almost as good as the ones my mother made and just as artery-clogging. If you’ve got a real death wish, try the chili dog with slaw.

I just hope you don’t have to go back to work after that one. They serve breakfast too and Saturday mornings are always bustling with regulars and the aroma of fresh coffee. Don’t forget about the best part, the soda fountain. It’s almost impossible to eat there without ordering something from the fountain and I’m telling you, the shakes are even better than the Gridiron’s, and trust me, that’s saying a lot. You can get malts, shakes, or coke floats and in the summertime, two lovely concoctions called freezes in either orange or lime.

If you’re health conscious, they do have salads and a cottage cheese plate, but really, what’s the point? While you wait for your food, which takes about two minutes, you can browse the aisles for some 1970’s hair gel or get your prescription filled There’s just about every cure for any malady you may suffer from available. There’s even a kind of medicinal mini-museum–a little cabinet with all sorts of creams and tonics from the turn of the century.

Don’t forget to check out the particularly menacing stuffed porcupine that stares at you while you pay. And on your way out, you can get your future read for a penny by the scales next to the door. (The scales are a little light so after you eat like a pig you still will weigh less than when you came in!)

The drugstore is perfect place to take out-of -towners for a true taste of Memphis. I go almost every Saturday for BLTs and Strawberry shakes. You can’t beat it for a relaxing lunch and if you’re low on cash, it’s the certainly the best for your money. And if you happen to have a hangover, you can buy some aspirin and a coke float all at the same time. I can’t imagine a better cure.

The Wiles-Smith Drugstore is open from 9 til 5 Monday thru Friday and serves lunch until 4:00. On Saturdays, it’s open til 3.

A few days ago, I heard about a place unknown to most Memphians and perhaps forgotten on purpose. And while our city is struggling to make a name for itself, it’s a place that we can’t afford to ignore. Located in a part of downtown, way past Peabody Place and Auto Zone Park among boarded up old homes and dilapidated buildings,

it’s a place that forces us to check our egos at the door and face a painful piece of our history. The Burkle Estate, also known as Slave Haven, was once a stop on the Underground Railroad and is an important key to understanding the climate of Memphis today.

Jacob Burkle, a German immigrant, built the home in 1855, and by chance became one of the most famous sympathizers of the anti-slave movement in Southern history. He aided in the escape of hundreds of slaves whom he hid in his cellar, all the while catering to traveling slave traders at his stockyard. In 1978, his granddaughter died and his home was transformed into a museum and a site on the National Historic Register.

When I visited the house, I was lucky enough to blend in with a group of students from Birmingham as they began a guided tour. And cocky that I was fully enlightened on the history of slavery, I began to learn a history lesson that was beyond any of my formal education.

The estate is flanked by massive Magnolias that were among the first to be imported from New Orleans and seem to further dwarf the already tiny cottage. As our group entered the foyer, startling auction notices and bills of sale met us from the walls and served to create a hushed and somber blanket over the previously rowdy camera-happy tourists outside.

The auction notices were a shocking reminder of events that formed our city and most of them, listing the skills and prices of men, women, and children, named Memphis’ Adams Street as the biggest and best buyer’s market. In the 1850’s, Adams Street was the primary slave district and the home of Memphis’ most infamous citizen, Nathan Bedford Forrest. Though he was the founder of the Ku Klux Klan, there is still a plaque on Adams touting him as a successful businessman and a father of our city with no mention of what his enterprises were.

Posters brag of slaves brought from all over the country and the cleanest and most well behaved negroes to speak of. All too real are the reward notices for runaway slaves and an advertisement for something called a bell collar, a contraption worn by “bad slaves” to stop them from escaping and to aid in their capture. Portraits of abolitionists and sympathizers line the foyer as well. There is even a reward notice for Harriet Tubman for the considerable sum of 40,000. We all stared in disbelief as we learned about her talent as a master of disguise, as she often dressed as a man and was never captured.

In a tiny front room, our guide showed us quilts fashioned in secret codes, some of which that were actual maps to freedom. Squares patterns represented scales in increments of miles and the number of days that it would take a slave to cover the distance. Star patterns represented the North Star, and a pattern called the “drunkard’s path” taught escaped slaves how to avoid bloodhounds by traveling in a zigzag to confuse them.

On the mantle, there is drum, which until outlawed by slave owners, was used to communicate to other slaves that one of them was attempting to run away and to aid in their escape. We learned that African spirituals were

even a means to relay messages about how to get to safe havens.

Other rooms lead to what was once a back porch where a trap door led slaves from the backyard down into a tunnel under the house and then to a cellar on the other side. You can actually walk down some steep stairs to the cellar where the slaves stayed until they were told to climb through an unbelievably small hole in the brick wall and run to the Mississippi to catch a riverboat to Canada.

The cellar and the tunnel are so small it is impossible to imagine until you see it yourself. As we went down the narrow steps, we were told about slave mothers who were forced to quiet their infants by striking them with rocks to cause unconsciousness sometimes inadvertently killing them. The close quarters of the cellar which allowed only ten or so of us to enter at a time, once held fifty or more men, women, and children who silently sat in the dark for weeks at a time waiting for word from Burkle.

The tour ended here and we were invited to explore the rest of the house and grounds at our leisure. We each filed down a side porch, now able to look closely at other points of interests like a wall covered in stereotypical ads for whiskey and even vacation spots and another hall of African masks recreated by slaves in America.

The Burkle Estate is not exactly a fun thing to do, and my intention by urging you to visit is not to drag us back to that part of our past or discount the strides we’ve made in racial harmony. But in a city that is 60 percent black with both black city and county mayors, we still have a statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest located in a public park and plaques all over downtown that cloud the truth.

Memphis is chock full of inconsistencies and while we are beginning to gain confidence that we are a forward-thinking and modern city, it is imperative that we remember how we got here and maybe why it took us so long.

The Burkle Estate is open from 10 to 4 Monday through Saturday and guided tours are available by appointment only. The cost is $6 per person and $4 for students under 17. It Is located at 826 Second St. For more information, call 527-3427.

ONE OF A KIND

If you find yourself complaining again that there’s nothing to do in Memphis and you’re tired of hanging out at Graceland, The National Ornamental Metal Museum, hidden downtown on the bluffs of the Mississippi, is an ideal place for you to get some culture, learn a little something, or just enjoy a breath-taking view of the river.

Before my visit, I had only been to the grounds once for a wedding and though I appreciated the site for its natural beauty, I was unaware of its spectacular past and importance. The Museum is not only located in a place rich with Memphis history, but it is the only museum in the country dedicated solely to the art of fine metalwork and boasts the largest collection of these works in the United States. The NOMM is host to frequently changing exhibits from some of the most famous metalsmiths in the world and the river view alone is worth a trip.

This month, the Museum is featuring works from Ramona Sodberg, winner of the 2001 National Metalsmiths Hall of Fame Award for her achievements in jewelry making. Her earthy, tribal, and sometimes amusing pieces meld together ebony, silver, and copper with everyday materials like pebbles, rubber, and plastics. These exquisite works are whimsical yet grounded in history. They blend ancient artifacts with objects like timepieces and other modern media to create art that transcends its place as jewelry to become individual commentaries on today’s world.

The collection also consists of several works from Sodberg’s students, including one piece that mixes mother of pearl and Indian beads with pink plastic hair rollers and another necklace made of ermine tails. Sodberg has studied silversmithing in Norway and textiles in Mexico and has led craft seminars in Iran and Turkey. At eighty years old, she is an author, an artist, and a teacher and has become one of the most prolific contemporary jewelry producers in the world. This exhibit is especially important to Memphis because we are one of only three venues in which her works will be shown. The exhibit that began in Seattle traveled to San Francisco and then here where it will conclude on September 15th.

Aside from changing exhibits, the Museum owns a permanent collection of about 3,000 metal works ranging from a sixteenth century iron cross to medieval swords and perhaps its most famous work, The Anniversary Gates. The entrance gates to the grounds have an ornate history all their own. Designed by world- renowned blacksmith, Richard Quinnell, they were built to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Museum in 1989. The scrolls and rosettes of the gothic gates were crafted by 180 artists from 18 countries and took years to complete. Quinnell’s works are so famous that he has recently been honored by the Queen of England, who made him a Member of the Order of the British Empire. In addition, the Museum’s Julius Blum Library, open by appointment only, is the home to over 2,000 rare and first-edition books, some illustrated with pure gold and dating back as far as the 17th Century.

The site of the Museum cannot be overlooked as a sort of museum by itself. The outbuildings on the grounds were once the home of the United States Marine Hospital, built in 1884 from bricks brought from Napoleon, Arkansas (the town mentioned in Twain’s Life on the Mississippi). The original hospital was washed away by a flood in the early 1800’s and reconstructed on these bluffs. Since then, the buildings have been utilized by the government as a rehabilitation hospital for the Coast Guard and more recently to house soldiers from the Gulf War.

Today, they are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and abandoned, their future use uncertain. Before the government owned the property, the grounds were a part of Fort Pickering, a town noted to be even larger than Memphis. Fort Pickering extended to the land across the street from the Museum where it is said that Hernando Desoto first gazed upon the Mississippi in the 1500’s. The grounds, which are now a part of Desoto Park, are marked by ceremonial mounds built by the Chickasaw Indians and were later used as ammunition storage during the Civil War.

The Museum is also the home of The Schering-Plough Smithy, an operational blacksmith shop where you can watch in-house metal workers create practical tools and modern art sculptures. The smithy has been commissioned to restore everything from the gates at Graceland to a suit of armor that is now displayed at the Vatican. Every year the Museum holds a fundraiser weekend called Repair Days where you can bring anything from a broken pair of scissors to a dysfunctional garden tool to be repaired.

Over 100 volunteers and art students come from across the country to provide hands-on activities and services for the public. This year, the workshop is scheduled for October 18th through the 20th and proceeds will benefit the Museum. If you are interested, you can even sign up for classes at the shop and learn everything from how to make mint julep cups to crafting jewelry, birdcages, and knives.

If you just feel like a picnic, the grounds are open to the public for free. You can relax in the permanent sculpture garden or sit in a gazebo built from cast iron remnants from early 19th century Beale Street. The gazebo provides a fantastic view of the river and has become a popular spot for events and weddings. If you like, you are welcome to toll the famous bells on the bluff or even buy a replica of them in the Museum Gift Shop.

To visit, take Crump Blvd toward the bridge until you reach the sign on the right. The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 to 5 and Sundays from 12 to 5. The cost is $4 for adults free to children. Students are admitted for $2 with ID. For further information about upcoming exhibitions, call 774-6380.

‘CRYSTAL’ CLEAR

What if I was to tell you that you could gaze upon some of the most stunning works of art in the MidSouth in one of the most tranquil and natural settings in the state? Ok, then what if I told you that these works were located not half a block from Poplar Avenue and I-240 in the middle of Memphis?

What if I then tell you that you should spend a day enjoying all of them in a cemetery? Bear with me. If the thought of spending an afternoon in a cemetery in East Memphis doesn’t quite appeal to you, you’re not the only one. Memorial Park, with its many points of interest, however is worth the effort. The public park is home to the Crystal Shrine Grotto, renowned as the only manmade crystal cave in the world. And once you step in, you won’t believe what you find.

I had heard about the grotto only a few months before and had become curious as to what everyone was talking about, so I decided to visit Memorial Park late one afternoon, only to find the grounds deserted and mine the only car in sight.

Driving through the mazes of tombstones, I finally came across a sign pointing me in the right direction. And convinced that I would see nothing more than some fairly unimpressive stalagmite, I stepped out of the car and made my way up some stone steps to the cool entrance of the cave. Dim figures and shadows met me at the door. Illuminated eyes of religious figures stared back at me.

I was so unprepared for such a sight, I must tell you, I nearly turned back. But once my eyes adjusted to the dark interior, I steeled myself and continued on. I was truly amazed at what I saw. I once traveled an hour by train outside of Prague to visit a church made completely of human bones and was never as awe-inspired as this.

Maybe it was my solitude, or maybe it could have had something to do with the twenty degree drop in temperature inside the cave compared to the 106 heat index outside. But I really think it was the shock of seeing something so beautiful, so hidden, right off of the busiest street in Memphis.

Built over the span of forty years, the crystal grotto was the creation of Memorial Park founder E.C. Hinds and Mexican folk artist Dionicio Rodriquez. Inspired by the Cacahuamilpa Caves of Mexico, Rodriquez imported five tons of Arkansas crystal in 1937 and began to create his shrine. He supervised the excavation of 60 feet into the natural hillside and carved concrete to look like stone for the walls.

Over the next ten years, he sculpted the backgrounds for ten scenes depicting the life of Christ, from his birth to his death and resurrection. Ceramic figures were imported from Italy for the cave’s “Nativity” scene and after Rodriquez’ death, other local artists were commissioned to complete the project with paintings and other sculptures. Marie Craig’s brilliantly detailed “Jesus in the Temple” and David Day’s more modern “The Raising of Jairus’ Daughter” and “Zaccheus Up a Tree” are some of the featured works.

There is also a painting of “The Good Samaritan” by Mary Rembrandt at the entrance and a plaque of “Christ and the Children” by Miriam Dalstrom. These impressive works are quite startling. The crystals produce an ethereal glow on the figures, while skylights introduce a prism of colors reflecting on the shadowy walls. Rodriquez’ vision has become one of the most famous shrines in the world and its natural setting is not only one of the most beautiful memorials but a puzzle for engineers as well.

Although the grotto is the most fascinating point of interest in Memorial Park, it is hardly the only one. If you can get over the fact that you’re in a cemetery, you can enjoy some of the best attractions in this part of the country.

Several more of Rodriquez’ works surround the shrine and represent other biblical events. At the entrance to the cave is the massive fifteen foot by nine feet wide “Abraham’s Oak”. Fashioned from concrete, the tree represents the entrance to the Cave of Machpelah, the burial site chosen by Abraham after Sarah died.

It was important to the cemetery’s theme because it was the first burial place mentioned in the Bible, Genesis 23. It looms over a pool, Rodriquez’ recreation of the Pool of Hebron, originally built by King Solomon as a water reservoir for his people. Behind the cave are a series of paths leading to a garden dedicated to Annie Laurie, a Scottish woman who in the eighteenth century was known for her religious fervor. According to legend, she prayed at an altar made of stones, which later were used to make a chair.

The chair, recreated in her memorial garden, is said to be blessed by fairies, so that anyone who sits in it can make a wish and have it come true. Across the way, lies Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth, created to inspire hope for immortality, another fitting image in Hinds’ and Rodriquez’ vision of the burial park.

A short walk from these works, is the Memphis Memorial, a 3000 crypt mausoleum that was built much later in 1974. It was constructed inside another natural hillside and contains a gorgeous oak-paneled rotunda used as a chapel, as well as rich tapestries made by former Memphis College of Arts professor, Henry Easterwood. The tapestries represent the four basic elements, Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water and continue the theme of God’s creation and will.

As you walk through the park, you will come across several gardens that stretch for miles and bloom all year long. During the summer, roses are the featured flowers and are an impressive sight of their own.

Like I said, I know it’s a little strange to spend your day strolling around a cemetery, but I assure you, it is a fantastic way to take advantage of the natural terrain and history of Memphis.

Who knew such marvelous sights were literally right in the middle of town? Memorial Park is open everyday from 8:00 to dusk, but the Crystal Grotto closes at 4:00. Next time you’re driving down Poplar screaming at the car in front of you, take time out to visit the park. I promise it will be good for your soul and your sanity.

SMORGASBORD ON WHEELS

Last weekend, I had the brilliant idea of hosting a fancy dinner party at my home. I dialed up the six friends I had enough forks for, and set to polishing the silver. This took about two minutes, so, with all the preparations in place, I sat down, pleased with myself, and imagined what a perfect hostess I would be and how lovely I would look passing around trays of hors d’oeuvres while brandishing a sparkly martini. And then, panic set in. What was I going to cook for these people?

Yes, they are my friends, and they probably wouldn’t complain to my face. But really, shouldn’t I take more seriously my responsibility to present them with a special meal. Didn’t they deserve to be knocked off their feet by my ingenious culinary expertise? I began to peruse my library of cookbooks and settled into devouring the entirety of Alma Lach’s, “The Hows and Whys of French Cooking”, fully convinced that I would concoct a feast fit for royalty. Suddenly, my ego bursting, I slammed down the opus, and with my heart pounding, exclaimed “Cookbooks are for wusses!”

You know how Ming Sai or somebody on the Food Network is always going to the market and creating an unbelievable menu, just from the stuff they find that day? Well, watch out Ming, I was going to attain gastronomic perfection just as well as he could. I jumped in my car, drove right past Schnuck’s and headed out into the city, where an multitude of ethnic groceries and specialty food stores were just waiting for me to explore them.

Of course, you can’t plan a meal without first considering what happens to be in season. In the summer, you just about can’t beat the Midsouth for fresh produce, and the best place to find it is at the Agricenter’s Farmer’s Market. Offering fruits and vegetables brought in from local farmers and some that have just been picked that morning, the market’s worth the drive, and although, most Memphis supermarkets do purchase their fruits and vegetables locally, the Farmer’s Market is much less expensive and there’s not a single preservative in sight.

When I got there, I went straight for the herbs, and we’re not just talking your average oregano. You can find everything from chocolate mint and spearmint to four or five different types of basil and even lemon thyme. I picked out some of my favorites and headed toward the main pavilion, where there are several booths displaying rainbows of tomatoes, squash, eggplant, peas, green beans, corn, and the freshest picked blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries you’ve ever laid eyes on.

Reeling from the heady aroma of the peaches, I bought some fresh corn and a particularly plump watermelon.. On the way out, I even purchased some flowers from a man selling beautiful gerbera daisies, and gladiolas. “Take that, Molto Mario!”, I thought to myself as I proudly strode to my car. Ah, but man cannot live on vegetables alone. I must continue my journey to epicurean bliss.

Remembering, that I had seen some ethnic groceries there, I decided to head down Summer Avenue. There was no end to the possibilities my repast held. I headed straight for Charlie’s Meat Market. If you have the time, always opt for a local butcher for your meat. Not only is it less expensive, it’s comparatively fresher than the supermarkets’. Who knows how long those gray pork chops have been sitting there. (Have you seen Dateline lately?)

As usual, Charlie’s was abuzz with would be barbequers, so I took the opportunity to look around at the scarlet tenderloins and the regal standing rib roasts. Charlie’s carries a great selection of pork roast and seafood boxed up for you and ready to go. And, if you need something they don’t have, they will be happy to order it for you. Charlie’s is the epitome of what a neighborhood butcher should be, so much so, you half expect Sam from the Brady Bunch to come out and say “ What can I do you for?” Knowing what was available, I decided to keep Charlie’s as my backup and explore some more exotic groceries in hopes of finding the perfect idea for my feast. I drove on.

La Guadalupana Grocery, also on Summer, is so small, it’s pretty easy to miss, but if you get a chance to visit, you’ll find one of the best Latin markets in the city. You can find every dried chile imaginable from ancho to pasilla and just as many fresh ones. The selection of dried spices and herbs is the best I’ve ever encountered, featuring rare items like dried avocado and eucalyptus leaves to chamomile flowers, rosehip petals and even some things called lungwort and cancer herb. I’m not quite sure what they’re for, but they’re here if you need them. The produce department offers the usual Latin fare, such as plaintains and tomatillos, but they’ve also got some pretty nice edible cacti if you’ve a hankering.

You can find corn husks for tamales, flavored tortillas, and even the inexplicable mole, a savory Mexican chocolate sauce. The butcher counter’s not bad either, you can even find goat for cabrito and whole roasted chickens, crispy and caramelized. Eat your heart out Kroger! If you’re in the mood for Mexican, but don’t know how to make anything except out of that bright yellow box, La Guadalupana Grocery will inspire you. You’ll be dancing the Cha Cha in no time! Still not convinced, I had found what I so truly desired, I marched on.

Next, I decided I would check out some Asian cuisine, and though I had never attempted to cook anything more Asian than some Ramen noodles, I was unshaken and aimed my Escort toward Midtown and the largely Vietnamese populated community located on Cleveland near Poplar Avenue. Here, Vietnamese groceries and restaurants abound, but by far, the best is Viet Hoa.

Market. You can browse for hours, never having a clue just what your looking at, be it produce or in a jar. Half the stuff doesn’t even translate into English!

No matter, I didn’t care if I could pronounce it as long as I could mold it into the most awe-inspiring repast ever created. I confidently strolled up and down the aisles, a serene yet determined look on my face as if I were fluent in Vietnamese and Korean, but nothing had quite tickled my fancy yet. I squeezed strange and slimy vegetables as if they were honeydews, until that is, something poked me and I threw it down, casually looking around to make sure my ruse had not been exposed.

There were dried mackerel, preserved duck eggs, chili sauces, and gigantic ginger roots, even a whole row of Asian cookies and candies, none of which sounded too sweet to me. Then, I reached the back of the store. Did I mention the live eels yet? Big vats of them, along with their neighbors, the mudfish swimming around, just as happy as you please. “Do you need some help?” a man asked.

“No”, I choked, “Just Looking.” And they were looking back. Gargantuan Dungeoness crabs perilously close to escaping and docile looking clams and mussels below them enjoying a fresh shower from a tiny water hose. The thought of presenting a writhing platter of eel, though appealing as it was to my ego, was far too much for me to bear, so I quickly turned toward the more peaceful fish selection,( those being dead), and attempted to retain my composure.

Beautiful whole fresh tilapia, striped bass, and sole lay on beds of crushed ice. Calamari as big as your head were a marvelous sight to behold and moving on to the butcher counter, whole ducks and pork roasts were as appealing as any I’d ever seen. If you ever wanted to cook something exotic, you must visit Viet Hoa and if you don’t, visit anyway, just for the cultural experience and the shock value.

Though tempting as those eels were, I had the rest of the day, so I made a mental note and moved on to a different part of town. Staying with the Asian theme, but not knowing it, I opted to check out a place on Highland I had never been, called The Food Hunter. I’d passed by it several times, always curious about what lay behind the little googly eyes on the sign. Once inside, I discovered an exceptional selection of Asian specialties including hard to find items like Panko, (Japanese breadcrumbs), exquisite rice paper, and Noki, a Japanese seaweed used to make sushi. Frozen fish and shrimp balls, green tea ice cream, and twenty- pound bags of jasmine rice were among some of the goods, not to mention some dried jellyfish and whole quail eggs. T

he usual tofu and egg rolls aid in the comfort level of shopping, but if you need exotic, go no further, you’ll have no problem impressing your friends and family after a short visit here. Though, without a butcher counter or a produce department to speak of, you can still find plenty of easily prepared foods and you’ll be able to find things you’ve actually heard of, along with those you haven’t. There’s even a gift shop with gorgeous little silk handbags and beautifully embroidered clothing. You can even find specialty kitchen utensils like mortar and pestles, woks, Chinese spider strainers and if you’re feeling festive, some Chinese candles and firecrackers.

My mind spinning with the possibilities, I decided I could only handle one more trip and then sure of my success, I would make a decision and then rush home to begin my coup de grace. I decided on the Mediterrean Market, not only because it was right down the street on Park, but because I had gotten wind of some supercheap olive oil that I felt sure must be a crucial component to my meal. Once again, I don’t really speak Greek, or Russian, or Afgani? Nor can I read it, so like in the other groceries, you’re on your own.

I did find some fantastic feta swimming in brine and a delightful selection of imported olives that were so inexpensive compared to other stores, I nearly swooned. Of course there are all sorts of grains and breads, fresh pita and naan to name a few. The meat counter didn’t look like much until I realized all you have to do is ask. You can get legs of lamb, goat, and just about anything else you could imagine. You can buy freshly made falafel or premixed spices to make your own. They also have that yummy garlicky cucumber sauce for your gyro. If you just can’t wait to get home, they even have a little café that serves Middle Eastern and Greek specialty sandwiches and desserts. There are Turkish coffee presses, a fine thing to own if you’re into that sort of thing, and in case you ran out, you can buy traditional Middle Eastern head scarves.

I have to tell you, however, this place is a little sketchy, you sort of have to act like you know what your doing or it can be a little intimidating. Maybe it’s because you may be unfamiliar with the culture, or hey, maybe it’s because of all of the seemingly blank videotapes crammed in boxes and lining the walls. I wouldn’t ask. Anyway, it is inexpensive and it’s a great place to find lamb if your grocer doesn’t carry it.

Weary from my trek, I sat in my car, too exhausted to think about what I was going to make for dinner the next day, I decided to go home and take a little nap. I finally just went back to Charlie’s and got a huge beef tenderloin. OK, so maybe I’m not as adventurous as I thought or maybe I’m just still searching for a good recipe for live eel. Whatever the case, at least I tried, and you should too. There are too many good ethnic groceries in this town to mention so the next time you drive by one, you should stop in. You never know what could inspire you. Hey, all I can do is tell you that this stuff is out there. As far as what to do with it, we’ll leave that up to Ming and Mario.

GOING FOURTH

So, you can’t decide what to do on the Fourth of July, and you’ve decided to give up and do the same thing as last year.

Don’t just sit around and work on your beer gut again, get outside and celebrate your freedom to work on your beer gut. I know how difficult such an important decision can be, and if you live in Memphis, you’ve got just about enough options to cause your head to go off like a roman candle. Festivals and events abound on the Fourth, even Cordova has its own Independence Parade.

Listen, if the Cordovians can party, you can. And you have plenty of ways to do it. So, how can you have a good time on the Fourth without blowing off your own hand? Here are some suggestions. And if you’d still rather shoot at cats with bottle rockets, then only God can help you.

First off, you can’t go wrong with the Second Annual Pops With the Plants at the Memphis Botanic Gardens. This year, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra will be joined by The Stax Music Academy

Rhythm Section and the Stax Soulsingers as part of a summer long concert series featuring an impressive lineup of blues and jazz artists from the likes of Ray Charles to Charlie Musselwhite.

You can relax among the twenty-two gardens and soak up some fresh air as you enjoy patriotic anthems under the stars. For $25.00 a ticket, you can pack a picnic and a blanket and sit on the lawn or if you really want to go all out, you can dress up and get yourself a table right by the stage complete with white linens and a perfect view for about $50.00. If your too lazy to pack a picnic, or you’ve had a bad experience with potato salad, you can opt to purchase takeout from several local restaurants and caterers who will set up booths with everything from hot dogs to sushi.

Whatever you decide, be sure to take some candles. Not only are they romantic, but it’s pretty dark out there and you don’t want to mistake a junebug for an olive. Alcoholic beverages are available, but you’re welcome to bring your own if you prefer. The concert will conclude with a spectacular firework display choreographed to the grand musical finale. Gates open at 5:00 p.m. and the concert will begin around sunset. If you go, make sure to get there early. The best seats will go fast. Parking is free and all ticket prices include tax and service charge. If you like, you can order tickets by phone or contact the Memphis Botanic Gardens for more information.

If Fourth of July just doesn’t seem right to you unless you’re downtown, you can do the traditional Memphis thing and head to Tom Lee Park for the annual Star-Spangled Celebration. There will be live music, food, and dancing on the Mississippi. There’s even a boat parade. And to top it all off, a pyrotechnic show that rivals any other. This year the fireworks will last thirty minutes, long enough to ooh and aah yourself hoarse. Gates open at 5:00 and the sparks begin at 9:30. While you’re downtown you could choose to take in a baseball game instead. The Memphis Redbirds play the Portland Beavers at 6:05 p.m. and don’t worry, you’ll get your fix of fireworks at AutoZone Park right after the game.

If you live in the Midsouth, and you eat, you’re sure to have heard of the Ripley tomato. Every summer they arrive in our grocery stores. You know the ones, those plump little fruits that are so good you can eat them like an apple? What the heck does a tomato have to do with the Fourth of July you ask? Well, if you live in Lauderdale County, everything. Only about an hour and fifteen minutes from Memphis lies the tomato-loving town of Ripley, TN where this Fourth of July will kick off the Nineteenth Annual Lauderdale County Tomato Festival. And if you don’t think a tomato can be very exciting, you are in for a big surprise.

The festival’s three days are chock full of shows, exhibits, and tastings, all celebrating the lowly tomato. If you get to go on Thursday, you can check out work from local artists in the Tomato Festival Art Exhibition and Competition. You can even enter your own works (and no, they are not just pictures of tomatoes, so don’t try.) Later, you can be a part of the Opening Ceremony featuring the Star Spangled Banner Musical Salute, and yes, more fireworks.

The rest of the festival showcases the tomato with contests awarding the biggest, oddest shaped, and best colored tomato, arts and crafts fairs, a barbecue cookoff and even a talent show. Saturday begins with a 5k run at 7am and continues with tomatoey events all day. Don’t miss the Tomato War at 10:00 am where you’ll get a chance to pummel family members until your heart’s content. If you want to hear some live music, gospel singers take the main stage at 1:00 and later you can celebrate the glorious tomato with Elvis impersonator, Follis and Memphis band, The Bouffants, but please refrain from throwing any. If you want more information about the Tomato Festival, call the Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce at 731-635-9541.

Whatever you decide to do this year, remember that it’s a day when we should celebrate our freedom to do what we want to. It’s not just about aiming fireworks at your fellow Americans or beer and barbeque. It’s about the sacrifices that were made in order for us to do so. You know about sacrifice right? It’s like when you have to spend the Fourth with your family.

TEE IT UP!

When the 45th annual FedEx St. Jude Classic tees off this Thursday at the TPC at Southwind, 156 professional golfers will take aim at a winner’s purse of $684,000, and not one of them will be named Tiger Woods. In other words, we have a tournament on our hands! Here are ten names I’ll be following:

David Toms. Since the 1999 PGA Champioship — a period that covers 11

majors — only four players not named after a jungle animal have finished four rounds atop the leader board at one of golf’s grand-slam events. Toms took last year’s PGA at the Atlanta Athletic Club. While he made the cut at this month’s U.S. Open, he finished a disappointing 18 strokes behind Woods. The 2001 PGA won’t be this 35-year-old’s last major title.

John Daly. It’s been almost seven years since the big boy won his last major (the ‘95 British Open), but he’s still the longest driver on the Tour (just ahead of Mr. Woods), and, well, he’s still ours. He got the

red-carpet treatment at the Lewis-Tyson fight, so heck yeah, fans are still paying attention to Big John. Daly finished tied for fifth at last

year’s FESJC, his best finish ever at Southwind.

Nick Price. Since 1987, this two-time champ (‘93, ‘98) has played in Memphis ever year except one (1996). With two majors under his belt (he won the British Open and PGA Championship in 1994), the 45-year-old Price is hardly over the hill, as his ranking of number 11 in the world attests. Last year Price finished tied for eighth, his seventh top-10 finish at the FESJC.

David Gossett. The 23-year-old pride of Germantown and the University of Texas would love nothing more than to take his second PGA victory on his home course at Southwind. Gossett’s first win came in last year’s John Deere Classic and he finished second at this year’s Buick Classic.

Bob Estes. Pay especially close attention to Estes on Thursday, as it was in last year’s FESJC first round that the Texas native (another former Longhorn) lapped the field, shooting a 61 that helped him toward his second career Tour victory. Estes needed the round, too, as he finished merely a single stroke better than former Masters champ Bernhard Langer.

Justin Leonard. Considering the talent and age requirements for a legitimate rival to Tiger’s dominance, Leonard — along with David Duval — is at the top of the list. The third Texas Longhorn on this list, Leonard won the British Open as a 25-year-old in 1997. He won the WorldCom Classic this year and is currently 10th on the PGA Tour money list. Considering he hasn’t played in Memphis since 1998, his tee-to-green talent will be a welcome addition to the field.

Loren Roberts. Another hometown favorite, Roberts has a pair of second-place finishes this year, including a tie for runner-up with Gossett at the Buick Classic. The ÒBoss of the MossÓ hasn’t putted his way to victory since the 2000 Greater Milwaukee Open and he should be hungry for a strong performance at Southwind this week. After finishing tied for seventh in the 2000 FESJC, Roberts missed the cut last year.

Tom Lehman. The 1996 British Open champ finished third in last year’s FESJC, just two strokes behind Estes. Despite having finished in the top-25 on the money list for eight straight years, Lehman only has five career wins to his credit. He tied for second behind Ted Tryba at the ‘99 FESJC and has ten top-10 finishes in majors on his resume. If he’s within shouting distance of the lead on Sunday, watch out.

Casey Wittenberg. You gotta root for this kid. Only 17, this Memphian made his PGA Tour debut just last week at the Greater Hartford Open (he missed the cut). The reigning American Junior Golf Association player of the year, Wittenberg accepted the FESJC’s final sponsor exemption and made the field at the eleventh hour. Wouldn’t a pairing of Wittenberg and Gossett (or Wittenberg and Roberts) be nice on Sunday?

Gary Nicklaus. If your name is Nicklaus and you have a golf club in your hand, you’re worth a personal gallery at Southwind. He and father Jack have more major titles (18) than any father-son duo in PGA history. (Okay, the Golden Bear won all 18 . . . I needed a stat.) When you consider the Golden Cub was named after Gary Player, well, he’s got 27 majors in his name. And regardless of how he finishes, you can tell your grandchildren you saw Nicklaus play in Memphis.

My pick? After this weekend, Memphians will associate the name Leonard with more than just barbecue.