Drawl is Southern Culture magazine that admires the modest traditions of the modern South. Below are a couple excerpts from my contributions about a Savannah psychic and SoCal Soul Food.
Who's Reading Whom?
Photo courtesy
And now I’m reciting the questions over and over again in my head and I make sure the red light of my tape recorder is on—armed for battle. My knock gets no answer, so I ring the doorbell and peer through the glass door, past the shear curtains. All of the lights are off inside and the formal living room looks like a place where no one lives. There are a few variations of the fat Buddha statue on the fancy coffee table and upholstered, well-to-do chairs are positioned in corners.
A man meets my gaze, pulling the curtain to the side and looking right back at me. He mouths and motions for me to go to the back door—I oblige. On the back door, there are three signs:
“Call to Schedule Appointment.” Check.
“Please Ring Bell.” O.K.
“No Video or Recording Devices.” The red eye in my purse is peering out. Glaring. If I’m going into this as a believer, I turn it off, because she’ll know, right? And it will sacrifice my full immersion into the experience. But if I’m going into this as a cynic, then I ignore the sign. None of it’s real anyway. This is all just for a story. But I go in as best I can, as a respectful journalist. I turn off the red eye, and ring the doorbell.
Finish the story in the in January 2012 issue of Drawl.
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Finding Soul in So Cal Food
When I moved from Savannah, GA to Los Angeles, CA a fleeting three months ago, I was warned by people who'd lived in LA that I might become one of two things, either a pot head or a health nut. Well, so far, I'm still a Southerner just looking for some good grub. The extensive healthy food options and easy access to fresh produce is a luxury that took no time to for me to appreciate, but I've been missing, well, anything fried. I crave that stick-to-your-bones full you get from any food that might have "down-home" in the name. Not the kind of food you eat to fuel your chakras or to detox. I'm talking about the kind of food that (despite your cholesterol levels) feeds the needs of your soul. I've had bites of the extensive Los Angeles menu here and there, but in my quest to find a taste of Southern charm in SoCal, I've found two dishes that appeased my Southern needs.
Finish the story in the in July 2012 issue of Drawl.
Copyright © 2012 Katelan Cunningham. All Rights Reserved.
Photo courtesy
And now I’m reciting the questions over and over again in my head and I make sure the red light of my tape recorder is on—armed for battle. My knock gets no answer, so I ring the doorbell and peer through the glass door, past the shear curtains. All of the lights are off inside and the formal living room looks like a place where no one lives. There are a few variations of the fat Buddha statue on the fancy coffee table and upholstered, well-to-do chairs are positioned in corners.
A man meets my gaze, pulling the curtain to the side and looking right back at me. He mouths and motions for me to go to the back door—I oblige. On the back door, there are three signs:
“Call to Schedule Appointment.” Check.
“Please Ring Bell.” O.K.
“No Video or Recording Devices.” The red eye in my purse is peering out. Glaring. If I’m going into this as a believer, I turn it off, because she’ll know, right? And it will sacrifice my full immersion into the experience. But if I’m going into this as a cynic, then I ignore the sign. None of it’s real anyway. This is all just for a story. But I go in as best I can, as a respectful journalist. I turn off the red eye, and ring the doorbell.
When I moved from Savannah, GA to Los Angeles, CA a fleeting three months ago, I was warned by people who'd lived in LA that I might become one of two things, either a pot head or a health nut. Well, so far, I'm still a Southerner just looking for some good grub. The extensive healthy food options and easy access to fresh produce is a luxury that took no time to for me to appreciate, but I've been missing, well, anything fried. I crave that stick-to-your-bones full you get from any food that might have "down-home" in the name. Not the kind of food you eat to fuel your chakras or to detox. I'm talking about the kind of food that (despite your cholesterol levels) feeds the needs of your soul. I've had bites of the extensive Los Angeles menu here and there, but in my quest to find a taste of Southern charm in SoCal, I've found two dishes that appeased my Southern needs.
Copyright © 2012 Katelan Cunningham. All Rights Reserved.