The Southern...maybe not..Maybe just to biased

The Southern: 

Honest to Goodness...Sort of Southern

After discovering this' reminds me of home gem' on IG I finally got time to go check it out. It claimed to be Southern with good ol home fixens. Photos looked good and many people seemed to like the cuisine but did these people actually know the SOUTH?

Hubby and I decided to go Friday night on his return from Dubai. 

1. It is hard to find in the dark based on the menu they draw on their site.
2. It is DARK...the black sign at night is easy to miss.
3. The porch lights driving back finally caught my eye.

After making a U-Turn we finally pulled into the parking under an apartment building. Walking up you see some white twinkle lights and large wooden picnic tables and a single Weber grill.

We enter to a small shop front and pick our table. I chose the booth side and hubs got the hard wooden chair. Now he is a tall guy and this table was not made for that. It is one of those 3 leg architectural modern designs where you can't actually get your legs under. One thing Southern's know is manners in public so that means you sit properly at a table. There is no way to do this sitting at these tables.

The menu is small. It consisted of some appetizers, some mains, some Fixens and some desserts. 

After browsing the waitress came over and we asked for another minute. She didn't udnerstand this phrase. The gentlemen, who turned out to be the manager, asked our drink orders. The hubs asked if they had "Sweet Tea" (A staple drink in the REAL SOUTH) &...THEY DID :)

I was so giddy with excitement it was hard to choose a meal. I could feel the sugar pulsing through my veins before I even got the drink to the table.

We decided to go with :

1. The meatloaf sliders
2. The bbq chicken sliders
3. Green Beans
4. Mac & Cheese
5. Cornbread

The drinks arrived in very tiny, sort of kind of, mason jars with a white creamer jar with it. I tasted the tea and jumped back realizing it was yes freshly brewed but came from North of the Mason Dixon line...We noticed what was in the white creamer jar...liquid.

It was apparently liquid sweetner, simple syrup I suppose. I poured it in waiting on the lightening of my small iced glass to occur. It finally did and I sipped quickly through my straw. I was so excited even if it wasn't the real sweet tea.

The food began to arrive. First our Meatloaf Sliders. The overall appearance was pretty. There were 3 sliders. The actual meatloaf  (sorry chef) was very burnt on the outter layer. Once you go through a bite or 2 it was juicy. The strings of onions were a little difficult to get down. 

Next I tried a chicken bbq slider. The sauce was very North Carolina and spicy good! (That was by far my favorite). Great flavor. Chicken was tender. 

Next I tried the small ramakin of Mac & Cheese. It was okay.

We realized the green beans never came. So as we saw the waitress coming over she sat down a small side plate with 1 single cornbread muffin.

We both just started laughing. 1.) You never serve someone one piece of bread..especially not cornbread. 2.) No butter? Seriously, just 1?

I cut it in half and took a bite. Had a little spicy flavor but we both just couldn't get over the fact that it was a single solitary corn muffin.

After eating everything in front of us we decided we had to order dessert. There were choices of peach cobbler and banana pudding. We got both!

Now banana pudding I have to say is in my TOP 3 desserts if prepared correctly and apparently only by my GM. It arrived in a cute little glass jar with the lid on top. 

1. First off the "custard" was very thick on the top
2. Finally got to the banans and wafer at the bottom.
3. It was mediocre...sorry

The cobbler was bread heavy and peach lacking. It came out hot but that was about it. Hubs didn't finish it. 

The manager was very polite and asked where we were from. We exclaimed "South Carolina" proud as can be. He told us one of the owners was from there as well as well as the Chef...The chef was from Kansas (which is not Southern). She was very sweet and came out and spoke with us. 

Another couple of men in there were from SC as well but didn't come say hello just stared at us. So much for Southern Hospitality. One was even in a GAMECOCK shirt..ass.

We left full but I know mine was from 3 glasses of sweet tea. 

I would go back but have my expectations lower. Think I was just really missing home and hoping for home cooking. It was a restaurant and in Kuwait...

#thesouthernkw

#southern

#q8

Arrival In The Dessert....

Life In Q-8 (Kuwait)

First Week: 

I arrived back in the Middle East late Saturday night after traveling via Washington on United. The flight was quick and relaxing. I had a good seat and the other passengers seemed to know the drill. Quiet down and get your sleep in before the time change.

The food, as always, was horrid. I was so glad I packed some snacks from home.

I was not clearly instructed on how to get through Visa or Customs with my work permit and NOC. I just went through assuming I did not need a new Visa and I was correct. After 45 minutes of waiting on my two massive suitcases I headed to suitcase screening. I always like to see what happens when your bags go through the customs xrays. These gentlemen were looking at their phones and sent me on my way. I didn't have anything but I am always curious to see what they look at and what they do not.

On a trip to Nepal I had a pair of cuticle scissors that were taken away upon leaving Nepal because they "didn't allow" that in their country...what a joke.

I arrived at my company apartment. My expectations were set way too high. The place was in a sketchy looking area. The room which was suppose to be an apartment capable of supporting you for 2 months was a tiny room. I took one look around and wanted to turn around screaming. I reread my emails from my employer to make sure I wasn't in the wrong room or see if I had my expectations too high but nothing checked out.

Needless to say the first night I did not sleep. 

The next few days followed the same- no sleep, orientations, barely any food and exhaustion.

I began looking for apartments knowing 1.) I couldn't stay the full 2 months in this...place & 2.) My husband would soon join.

After finding the perfect villa style home I found a realtor much to my chagrin and visited the apartment. One big difference in the country I reside in now and another GCC is that realtors do almost all of the apartments so you are wasting your money paying the realtor fee.

 Living in the Middle East I knew some cultures were turned off by dogs in the home. I never realized how bad it actually was here. Every home and every Realtor has shunned away from me when I say I will have a dog in the home. Some try the whole  "You can sneak him in. Does he have to go outside?" I wanted to scream. It is like no, let's let him live inside and be miserable. 

Many of the apartments are either too small, too outdated or just too over priced. I thought other large cities in the world were expensive in rent but this one takes the cake, especially for the quality of home. No homes so far have had any grass areas. Even courtyards with grass seem to be far and few between.

I hope this 2nd week gets better. My goals are to find an apartment, learn my way around a few areas & figure out some good super markets.

Good Night Middle East

Bell in Arabia