Music City

I am taking a little trip away from the Mud House to spend some time in Nashville before the holidays. I've fallen in love with this place. It may sound a bit "new-agey," but there is an energy here. There is a southern light and natural warmth. People are simply nice and there is live music everywhere you go - literally in the air. You hear it in shoe stores, book stores, honky-tonks, and coffee shops. You feel that deep and genuine history of country music - Patsy, Tammy, Loretta, Dolly, Elvis, George, Scotty Moore (look him up - he's who Keith Richards aspired to be). There is that Nashville Sound.
I feel a connection here. Maybe it's the similarities to my southwest home - the cowboy boots, jeans, country music, horses - but there are also some differences that are drawing me in. For one thing, the seasons actually change here. There are trees with leaves that fall. It's cold, without being freezing. The air is crisp.

I'm staying in a little hotel with a little kitchenette. Not quite sure how to bake in the micro-convection oven. I asked at the front desk, they don't know either. So, my food blogging will be, let's just say "creative," for a little while. Pinterest Wednesday may be a challenge but, hey, a little "Pinterest Wednesday Kitchenette Style" might be fun (I'm being optimistic here). Or, maybe we will substitute "Food Truck Wednesday" for "Pinterset Wednesday." We will see...

The good news is, the food traditions in Nashville are as deep-rooted as the music. It will be fun to share some of my food experiences, if for no other reason than to give me an excuse to eat. I will share some places that may not be on the usual travel guide radar, but are worth a visit none-the-less. Today I am going to one of my favorite places. We are not talking health-food here, but we are talking delicious. The first time I heard about McDougal's, I said, "I do not like green eggs and ham, I do not like them Sam I am." Actually I said, "I do NOT like chicken fingers, never have, never will. I will not eat them in a boat, I will not eat them with a goat!" (Thanks Dr. Seuss.)
I was wrong. I love chicken fingers. But only if they are from McDougal's. My favorites are fried, tossed in buffalo sauce, and served with a side of blue cheese. You can choose fried or grilled; tossed in sauce or sauce on the side; or both. The sauces include original buffalo, tearjerker, honeybee, gold, ole smoky, citrus chipotle, blue cheese. Click here if you want to know more. I am serious when I say these are the only chicken fingers I will eat and I crave them like crazy when I go home to the Mud House.