Sometimes foreign food can wait

The great thing, or not so great thing, about fast food chains (McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, etc ) is their familiarity.

Before going in the front door (since it has usually been visited many times before), patrons know what will be on the menu and how it will taste.

And it doesn't matter if it is Ocean Springs, where we live, Dallas, New York, San Francisco or anywhere in between.

And for the most part, prices are close to being the same. They may vary a few nickels or dimes, but not a whole lot -- even at locations outside the United States depending on currency evaluations.

Some people may go to the extreme of calling food at such places "homecooking" or even "comfort food" because of an affinity to find a place to their liking, for whatever reason, and then going back many times, as if returning to one's own kitchen, knowing exactly what is  available and what it is going to taste like.

At home, my wife and I frequent Whataburger -- too much. And sometimes Taco Bell. When we're headed out of town in the early morning, we usually don't eat breakfast at home, but stop off at McDonald's for breakfast burritos.

When visiting a foreign country, we desire to partake of the local cuisine -- at least 99 percent of the time.

We like to see the way things we eat back home are fixed abroad whether it is pizza, chicken, steak, paninis, pasta or whatever.

The foreign food expeditions are usually planned out so that we can enjoy a leisurely meal.

But sometimes it doesn't work out that way. When the plane, train or bus runs late and its been a long time since the last meal, anything goes.

Such was the case in Venice, Italy.

We had arrived by train from Florence and headed out on foot to search for our hotel. About two hours later, we found it. 

Then it was time to find some food. Where to go? What to do? Our stomachs were growling.

We seemed blinded to things around us as we headed toward St. Mark's Square.

The square was a mile or so away. We meandered through small alleys and pedestrian thoroughfares and upon turning one corner ( I doubt I could find that location again without the help of a map) -- a bit of home -- Burger King.

Whoppers, French fries and soft drinks -- it was ---- so Italian!

We satisfied ourselves and then headed on to sights unseen and adventures around every corner.

Burger King wasn't the only recognizable sign we saw. There was also a McDonald's located just outside the square.

Both offered "homecooking" and restrooms. What a relief!

Next post: Sunday, August 22, 2010

When in Rome?

Yours truly and wife Linda

What do visitors to Rome talk about the most?

Is it the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican?

The ancient Colosseum?

Treve Fountain?

The Spanish Steps?

For some it could be something as mundane as a manhole cover -- at least for those who are fans of the 1953 movie "Roman Holiday" starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. 

Most movie-goers probably refer to the wallhanging as the the "Mouth of Truth" which in Italian is "La Bocca della Verita" and became somewhat famous in the movie.

The piece of art is located in the portico of the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome. The man-like face was carved from Pavonazzeto marble. The sculpture is though to be part of a 1st century ancient Roman fountain and portrayed one of several possible pagan gods, often believed Oceanus. 

A report says that most Romans believe that the "Bocca" represents the ancient god of the River Tiber.

Starting in the Middle Ages, it was believed that if one told a lie with one's hand in the mouth of the sculpture, it would be bitten off. The piece was placed at the church in the 17th century.

Visitors to Rome continue to ferret out the church, placing their hand in the mouth as the two lovers did in the movie.

On the particular day my wife and I came upon the scene in the early afternoon,  there were about 50 or more people from many nationalities crowded in the small space leading to the artwork. 

Everyone wanted to see the artifact and place their hand in the mouth. Cameras were handed back and forth as persons unknown to each other cheerfully shot pictures for posterity.

If there were couples, first a picture of one and then the other, and then both together.

None left with a partial limb. It was a fun and interesting time to be with those brought together by stars such as Hepburn and Peck.

It was one of the highlights of Rome, as were the previously mentioned "must see" sights of this wonderful city.

Next post: Sunday, August 15, 2010

JFK -- conspiracy theories live on

"X" on pavement on Elm Street (below passenger

 door on vehicle) marks spot where shot hit JFK

Movie director Oliver Stone's "JFK" movie was on TV this past weekend. It was the first time that I took time to watch it in its entirety.

I was in my second year at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg that fateful Friday, Nov. 22, 1963, when President Kennedy was assassinated.

School Book Depository (left) from where Lee 

Harvey Oswald took the fatal shots

The day wasn't that unusual, until that afternoon. I was walking to the journalism department when I heard the news.

There may have been some disparaging remarks about the president, I don't know. After all, the previous year, Kennedy was in office when James Meredith integrated the University of Mississippi.

Flag flies over Dealey Plaza

Kennedy had federalized the Mississippi National Guard and placed them on the Ole Miss campus to help clear the way for the African-American's admission. 

That being said, the one remark I remember the most was "I'm glad it (Kennedy's assassination) didn't happen in Mississippi."

More than 45 years later I finally visited Dealy Plaza, the location of the unspeakable. My wife and I spent some time on a Sunday afternoon in the plaza. 

We easily found a spot to park about two blocks away. On that hot day in June, there weren't many tourists about, but there were some.

The plaza is in Dallas City Park and is named for George Bannerman Dealey, an early publisher of the Dallas Morning News and a civic leader.

There are marks on the road (Elm Street) denoting the spot where the shots hit Kennedy.

Reports indicate that, annually, more than 300,000 people still visit the Sixth Floor Museum that now occupies the top two floors of the former book depository. The building is where Lee Harvey Oswald is reported to have fired the shots that killed the president.

Throughout the plaza, there are entrepreneurs who promote walking tours. Others talk of conspiracy theories with sales of videos and other memorabilia.

Who really killed JFK? Lee Harvey Oswald, of course, unless you believe it was the CIA, the military-industrial complex or the Mafia.

Conspiracy theories abound. They always will.

Next post: August 8, 2010