Table of contents : Title Page Copyright Dedication Contents Foreword Introduction The So-Called Huguenot Torte of Charleston Ats Jaar Pickles Grandma and Grapes Boiled Peanuts and a Sense of Place Purdue Pesto Old-Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie Peaches Aswim in Rose Petals Shrimp and Grits Cheese Straws Mikel’s Mother’s Chocolate Chip Cookies French Fries Minestrone Why I Don’t Make Wedding Cakes Watermelon Deconstructing My Namesake Oysters Mournful Grandma’s Sugar Cookies Mrs. Fisher’s Cigarettes Tough Cuts, Long Stewed Transylvania A Lowcountry Calendar Belltowerism and Other Musings on Life in the Provinces Fresh Chinese Water Chestnuts Cooking Nok Style on Ko Lanta Baking with Olive Oil Black Walnuts On Pepper Time for a Drink! Pasta alla Checca Anchovies and Pasta Mostarda Rockfish and Callaloo Galletto alla Piastra Coconuts and Fish Amok On Cast Iron, Lard, and Frying Mama’s Cornbread Daddy and Paella Dance Lessons Fennel Fishing Body Count Acknowledgments Index