Tennessee how i miss you

Welcome to Tennessee! Now this was one of my favorite states that we visited on the trip. I simply loved just the way Tennessee looked; it was full of color and just had a simple atmosphere to it that i loved to soak up and be in. We drove through Memphis and into Nashville, which is where we stayed for about 4 days.  The people in Tennessee were really nice too, something i was very happy to see. Everywhere we went we got polite conversations and helpful tips on where to go and what to see. What made this state even better was the amazing foods we got to sample at the restaurants. This is a state where fried chicken and bbq reign supreme. Our first day in Tennessee we stopped at a all you can eat buffet that had looked like it had once been a train station, and was remodeled. What followed was one of the greatest lunch experiences of my life. I left that buffet after tasting 3 different kinds of chicken, vegetable dishes that simply electrified your tastebuds, and a sense that my life was just that much more complete.
     This state really does love to cook, and it shows in the quality of the meals i got to eat in the cities. One of the best cities we visited, Nashville, was full of sights to see and food to taste that made you simply cry with happiness. I simply loved Nashville because of the simplicity of the city. It was beautiful and a good size city, dont get me wrong, yet i felt like i could find my way around the area after a few hours taking a tour of it. It was just beautiful too! There were huge, shiny buildings towering over you, a nice river walk with cruise boat tours, and so many different sights to see! After seeing old style recording studios where Elvis Presley himself sang at, i took a tour of the country music hall of fame. I even got a chance to see the Gand Ole Opry (the show that made country music famous) with the giant guitars standing out in front (shown in the top left picture) Once i was done with sightseeing though, it was all about the meals we got to eat!
      What you see to the right are fried crawdads. (yep) I

thought they were simply fantastic. The restaurant we ate at was just down the road from our KOA campsite, on the outskirts of Nashville. The whole area is filled with local bars, diners, and in this case a restaurant where locals can perform on stage trying to get noticed or just doing a show while you enjoy your meal. We sat down and proceeded to order this awesome appetizer. Now normally we dont start off with appetizers since we usually eat too much before the actual meal shows up, but this was a rare exception. This was one of the best things i had ever eaten, just the fried outer shell of each crawdad was enough, but the meat inside was just juicy and tender, and had a lot of flavor of its own. We quickly devoured the crawdads and potato chips that they came out on, and moved on to the main course.

 


"Now let me tell you something...." as my good friend Matt Skrabec would say if he were talking about this meal, this was simply splendid, and one of my favorite meals on the entire trip. What made this meal even more unique was the actual taste of the meat. It was great, yet also had a smoky taste to it. They definitely have a different style of cooking in the South. The meat showed just how much time the cooks put into the meal, making sure it was the best quality i could get. I thank them for everything! Now Nashville, Memphis and other towns in Tennessee have great restaurants like this one we went to. All you have to do is eat at the local diners. They're the ones who put all the time into making something unique for the customers and it really shows in the quality of the food! If there was one state that you would have to eat at, it would be Tennessee. Thanks for reading, till next time!