Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Sometimes you need comfort food and good company

We didn’t talk much on the ride down the highway to Gretna, a town about 12 miles south of Altavista.
Earlier that day, we had heard from the vet’s office: Sam’s ashes had been returned from the pet crematory. So we had picked up the small, cedar box, gone home and sat together for a while.
We knew we needed to get out of the house, so Larry suggested we go for an early dinner at C & E’s Restaurant.
This restaurant serves Southern, country cooking and includes a buffet. Mashed potatoes with butter, macaroni and cheese, pinto beans, stewed tomatoes, green beans, fried chicken, baked chicken, cornbread—comfort food.
I figured Larry needed comfort food. And I did, too.
So we drove to Gretna and entered the restaurant, quiet before the dinner rush. Soon we had our plates piled with the good food.

A side note: I was raised in the South and in the country, just one county north of where Larry was raised. But there’s a dish that I had never heard of until I met Larry and learned about C & E’s: pig’s feet.
Larry grew up eating pig’s feet occasionally, and he loves them. The only place we know of that serves them is C & E’s, on Fridays.

So last Friday, Larry got his bowl of pig’s feet. He put vinegar on them.


As we started eating, the man who had seated us returned to the table.
“I noticed that you were eating pig’s feet,” he said to Larry. “Have you ever tried them deep fried?”
Larry hadn’t, so the man described how good they were breaded, then deep fried for a few minutes. It gave them a different taste, he said.
“Would you like me to fry you up some?” he asked.
Larry said sure, so the man went back to the kitchen. A few minutes later he returned with a basket of the fried pig’s feet.



Larry thought they were delicious. The man seemed so pleased with Larry’s review and so interested in food, I had to ask him about it.
“It sounds like you enjoy food. Do you love to cook?”
“Well, it’s one of my loves,” he said, laughing.
We chatted for a few minutes. We learned that his family runs the restaurant. He’s an electronics engineer by trade, he said, and has a business in Atlanta, but when he comes home to Virginia, he puts on an apron and helps out at the restaurant.
He talked about fixing turkeys for takeout for Thanksgiving and a little about the process he goes through to get them ready for cooking. He talked about the taste of deep fried turkeys, something Larry and I have never tried.
We had a nice visit with him. And good food.
As Larry and I left the restaurant, we were both smiling.
We had eaten our comfort food. And we had enjoyed good company.


What’s your favorite comfort food dish?

33 comments:

  1. Hmm...pig's feet. I'm thinking you probably didn't try any? I love potatoes, carbs, fat and salt. And chocolate (maybe not technically a comfort food?).

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    1. Thanks, Kristina. I tried one bite. It was not the kind of food I like.

      Chocolate is definitely a comfort food! :-)

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  2. very sweet post and sad too..never have eaten pig's feet, and my comfort food is if I have any my first choice is Canada's own Hawkin's cheesies (not sold outside Canada drat) or a hot dog with sautéed onions and hot mustard with a bag of Lay's ancient chips and a diet coke! sounds horrible when I put it here but it cheers me up.

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    1. Thank you, Lynn. Your food choices don't sound horrible. Sounds like a good combination. :-)

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  3. My father used to eat pickled pig's feet all the time. Not for me LOL. I just can't bring myself to try that. As for my comfort food, it's definitely gotta be Reese's Cups :)

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    1. Thanks, Keith. I had never tasted pig's feet until last week, when I tasted a bite of the fried. I don't think I'll try it again, but to each his own. :-) I love Reese's Cups, too. So good.

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  4. Wow Tina you brought back memories for me when we were kids we ate a lot of "pigs feet" but we called them "pork hocks" I have to say I do not go out looking for them now maybe I ate to much of them.
    Love macaroni and tomatoes that is my comfort food when I am down it always makes me feel better a childhood food that still works for me. HUGS HUGS B

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    1. Thanks, B. We ate pork when I was growing up, but not feet. I don't plan to eat anymore. I wonder why macaroni and cheese is on so many people's list of comfort foods? I guess it's so warm and rich and tasty, it just makes you feel good. :-)

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  5. I don't know about those pig feet Tina - they don't look very appetizing ;-) I'll take Larry's word for it!

    Glad comfort food was able to offer some distraction.

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    1. Thanks, Lisa. No, not very appetizing looking to me either. I did think the fried ones looked more appetizing than the plain cooked ones.

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  6. my father loved pickled pig's feet. yuck. :)

    i am glad that you enjoyed the gentleman's food and company - and i bet he was very pleased to introduce larry to something new that he made. :)

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    1. Thanks, Theresa. I think he did enjoy it. He was one of those people who really liked to talk about and describe food.

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  7. That's a very interesting meal. Pigs feet are often cooked but few people take advantage of them. I England they are known as trotters. We put them in sauerkraut.

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    1. Thanks, Red. I've never heard of trotters--that's interesting. I think Larry would like them with sauerkraut. He likes that dish, too.

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  8. Most of my comfort food stems from food I ate as a child....... like chicken soup or even tuna sandwiches. Brings back "comforting" memories!

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    1. Thanks, Janet. Yes, there are foods that remind me of childhood, too--fried chicken, cooked vegetables, potato soup.

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  9. Glad you got through that rough day and enjoyed your comfort food. I have never had pigs feet before and not so sure I want to try them :).

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    1. Thanks, Patty. I don't think I will try them again. But Larry enjoys them. I don't like him to eat them often, though, because I think they're pretty fatty.

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  10. Have never eaten pigs feet (and probably never will, LOL). My comfort foods always involve things like cheese, potatoes, or chocolate. Glad you were able to find comfort in food and conversation. Making new friends is always a comfort!

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    1. Thank you, Becky. The good company was a comfort. I like all those foods, too. :-)

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  11. I've never had pigs feet - although my father and mother had it while they visited Peru.
    I'm glad that they went back and fried them - and gave you something new to try!
    My comfort foods tend to be in the dairy category - ice cream, milkshakes, yogurt and granola. Not always bad, but definitely not always good!

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    1. Thanks, Amanda. I love ice cream, too. Sometimes I just need an ice cream cone. :-)

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  12. I'm so sorry for the loss of your beloved pet... that is such a hard experience, we become SO attached to our furry family. Your supper out sounds delicious... as to pigs feet, my dad always ate them pickled, (his family is from Alleghany County in the NW corner of NC). Myself, I've never tried them, perhaps I should...

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    1. Thank you, Madge, I appreciate it. I've never tried pickled pigs feet--I'm thinking I probably won't. :-)

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  13. A sweet story!! My favorite comfort meal, roast chicken, mashed potatoes and stuffing and that's what we had for dinner tonight!!

    I have never eaten pigs feet!!

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    1. Thanks, Debbie. I love chicken and mashed potatoes together. Comfort and good taste!

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  14. The food looks and sounds really good, Tina! So glad you and Larry got a chance to enjoy a great comfort meal! My favourite comfort food is roasts...roast chicken, roast pork, roast lamb! I love stuffing, turnips, carrots and potatoes, asparagus, cabbage, whatever. The company is very important as well. Great post.

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  15. Glad you had a good day!

    My mom makes an awesome chicken pot pie that is to die for! It's the perfect thing to eat on a cold winter day.

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    1. Thanks, Sunny. Homemade chicken pot pie sounds delicious!

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  16. The food sounds great, as does the conversation. I've never tried pig's feet, but I grew up eating lots of things that many people don't generally eat, so I would give them a try at the right place.

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    1. Thanks, Carol. It's fun to try different foods, even if you decide never to eat them again.

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  17. Comfort food and good company... A great combination! I don't think I can zero in on one choice for comfort food since there are so many that I enjoy. But peanut M&Ms certainly top that list!

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