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April 7, 2003
My Sweet Potato
I grew up in a small town in Southwestern Kentucky that isn’t famous for anything. Today is Tater Day, and if Benton should have notoriety for anything at all, it should be for setting aside a day to pay homage to the sweet sweet potato (I should state here at the outset that this is somewhat disputable. I always thought that it was in commemoration of plain old potatoes until I started poking around the internet today to find some pictures. I’m going to have to call my mama and get back with you. Regardless….)
Tater Day is the first Monday in April. It began something like 150 years ago. Farmers would gather on the courthouse square and trade seedlings and livestock and whatnot.
Tater Day was the best when I was a kid. There is no school, and I’m pretty sure the banks close, too. There’s a parade, a queen competition (Miss Tater Day, or Miss Tater Face, in the grade school parlance), lots of yummy things to eat, lots of music, gospel singing and high school bands. One of the last distinct memories I have of my Grandmama, who was one of my favorite people ever, is running around with her on Tater Day, eating potato chips (natch) and giggling like there was no tomorrow.
Posted by pogo at April 7, 2003 11:52 AM
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Comments
what a wonderful celebration.
i am eating potato donuts
[url]http://www.wholefoods.com/recipes/potatodonut.html[/url] that my mother brought me yesterday… my favorite treat.
Posted by: chomi2003 on April 7, 2003 1:15 PM
There’s a rice festival that happens in Beaumont in October that I’m itching to go to. And I say every year that I intend to go to the Texas Folklife Festival in San Antonio, but I never make it. I’m making it public. This year it’s June 5 - 8, and I’m going to go and get my belly full. Forty countries are representing! Forty different cuisines! Bliss!
Posted by: tam on April 7, 2003 1:43 PM
you know the food court at highland mall has many different cuisines every shopping day of the year.
Posted by: chris on April 7, 2003 1:45 PM
um, i need to amend that. it’s not 40 countries, it’s “40 ethnic groups.” i was perplexed when i was looking at the list and saw “africa, alsace, belgium, cajun, canary islands, celt…”
Posted by: tam on April 7, 2003 1:46 PM
the best vietnamese eggrolls (cha gio) i ever ate were from the Texas Folklife Festival. rice paper is really the only way to go when you make an eggroll. too bad rice paper is almost impossible to roll.
you can probably find good taters at the festival, too.
Posted by: jacob on April 7, 2003 2:14 PM
also, homemade thick-cut potato chips with a dusting of spices are the best life has to offer.
Posted by: chris on April 7, 2003 3:03 PM
Tater day sounds great. I love all kinds of food fests. In fact, i just got an invite to go with friends later on this month to San Antonio for Oyster fest. If you like food fests, keep you eyes open for little local get-togethers. Me and Roy went to a Columbian celebration in Walnut Creek Park several months ago. They only had abount 200 people (at most) but great music and 7 or 8 booths selling all sorts of delightful Columbian home cooking and drinks.
Posted by: SudoNimm on April 7, 2003 5:34 PM
yeah, i found out too late that this past weekend was the thai festival here…
this has nothing to do with any of the previous conversation, but does anyone know anywhere in austin (or nearby) that makes good pupusas? elsi’s up the street has good salvadoran food, but they only make pupusas for special occasions, and i’ve never even seen them there, only heard rumors.
i’ve been craving pupusas for months. it’s not the same when i have to make them myself.
Posted by: tam on April 7, 2003 5:57 PM
I grew in that town, Benton, Ky. Tater Day is nothing but fond memories of pony pulls, tractor pulls, demolition derby, carnival rides at the park, and all the junk food you could eat. Still that way from what I here. There is another really fine event in May. It’s called Big Singin.
It takes palce in the old court house, and floks come to sing the old southern harmony gospel music by using shaped notes. Marshall County is one of the best kept secerts in Ky.
Posted by: MARK on April 16, 2003 1:21 AM
Oh, I didn’t see your comment earlier and I sure wish I had. I remember the Big Singin, as well. Do they still do that? Whenever my mama gets to bemoaning the sad state of the world today, and how the world used to be a much better place she brings up thoughts of Benton childhood which, in her eyes, I could know nothing about since it’s changed so much since her day and just “gone to pot.” There’s no point in disputing her most of the time, but especially when she’s in that mindset.
An odd thing she talks about is outhouse races. Apparently they used to have them at tater day. I don’t remember that at all, can’t quite fathom what that might be and am kind of befuddled and mildly grossed out if if I contemplate it all that much.
Marshall County has good things and not so good things. Their race relations, availability of any foodstuffs that are not fried and/or full of lard and tendency to rain down fire and brimstone on anyone not sharing their world view could all use some work. At the same time, it brought the world Tater Day, WCBL is available for old-time gospel music whenever you want it, the fried catfish there is like no other, the watermelons are sweeter, the lightning bugs are bigger and the hospitality and kindness offered are more genuine than any I’ve experienced anywhere.
Of course, I qualify for it, and I don’t really think that everyone else would be able to see it the same way I do. And I guess that’s the biggest problem. Of course, Marshall County is certainly not alone in this strange state of social affairs, but it’s the one closest to home for me.
I’m really glad you stopped by to share my Tater Day reverie. I feel very privileged to know about it firsthand and it’s nice to know others who do, too.
Posted by: tam on May 23, 2003 2:50 PM
shoot, that was a mouthful, wasn’t it. i do go on… kindly indulge me.
Posted by: tam on May 23, 2003 2:51 PM